I guess you don't drink coffee? How many people use caffeine to chemically alter their state? How about using alcohol to ease social interaction anxiety? Nicotine is another very popular tool for altering one's state.
We are all essentially bags of chemicals. If someone hacks their diet to optimize nutritional chemical input, are they a chemically altered monster? Where's the line?
Even playing sports together, sharing in a rush of dopamine to bond, could be considered here.
Try leaving caffeine for a couple of months, and then have a cup of coffee.
I actually did this, and it's amazing to actually notice the strong effect it has.
It alters your mood SO MUCH you'd be amazed. But since you have a daily dose, you can't really tell. Much like you will never know what a weed-adict behaves like when he hasn't consumed in days.
It didn't affect me anything like a spliff, you're massively over-exaggerating the effect. Also caffeine you build a tolerance to, so that's not something you're normally experience when drinking a coffee.
That head spinning isn't a normal side-effect and you don't feel ill, it goes away after you smoke regularly (don't, it's horrid to stop). It's your body reacting to a poison, once it's used to it, it doesn't react that way any more.
A few spliffs is more comparable to drinking a bottle of wine, rather than a couple of coffees or a few fags. But different. A single drag is more like have a gulp of wine. Won't get you drunk, might get a little fuzzy feeling depending on your tolerance.
I can bet you the op isn't talking about having a single puff.
False equivalency, all chemically altered states are the same? If someone used alcohol (another of your examples) at work, during the work day you'd consider an intervention; you wouldn't shrug and say "eh, bags of chemicals".
I've experienced work lunches with alcohol a lot and it can help in team bonding. I've also been involved in deal making where if you didn't drink alcohol with the prospect (China), you were not going to get the deal.
I'd say the false equivalency is thinking substance use always = substance abuse.
We are all essentially bags of chemicals. If someone hacks their diet to optimize nutritional chemical input, are they a chemically altered monster? Where's the line?
Even playing sports together, sharing in a rush of dopamine to bond, could be considered here.