When he was younger, the stoner had a friend who did not smoke.

The stoner wanted her to try trees, for he was certain if she tried them, she would love them. So he would tell her, “When you smoke, your thoughts wander down a thousand hidden paths in a vibrant green forest, where sunlight streams through the leaves and makes the dust sparkle like stars.”

But every argument the stoner made pushed his friend further away, and she never smoked, and the stoner always regretted his failure, and he wondered about what might have been.

Years later, the stoner saw his friend at a party. To his surprise, she was smoking a joint that she had rolled herself.

So the stoner approached her and said, “I thought you would never smoke!”

She replied, “I didn’t think I would. But then I met a group of friends who were open, honest, free, and fun. They smoked every night, and though they always offered, they never pressured.

“One night, I was feeling particularly great, and I accepted their offer, and I’ve smoked ever since.”

It was then that the stoner learned the 7th Rule of Thumb: Offer, but do not insist.And when he explained it to others, he always said, “For no argument makes a better case than being open, honest, free, and fun. Rather than trying to persuade others, you should follow the 420 Code.”