My plants are around the third month of growth, if I were to take the dead leaves or the top leaves on the plant, dry them and then smoke them, is the effect worth the destruction to the plants?
Quite simply: NO. The leaves won't even get you high unless they are the crystal laden leaves which accompany the buds. Remove the dead leaves and don't even waste your time drying and smoking them. Then let your plant bud.
don't bother taking the leafs off to dry and smoke em , take all the dead leafs off , bud your plant and you can smoke the dryed and cured bud and the leafs that have crystals ion them but if you want that plant as a mom take clones off of it and grow and flower thoes