When Adolescents Give Up Pot, Their Cognition Quickly Improves • Hacker News Board

Re: When Adolescents Give Up Pot, Their Cognition Quickly Improves

#271

Post by wes-k » Wed, Oct 31, 2018, 4:09 PM UTC

As a society we need to understand the effects of drugs and inform our citizens. Right now marijuana is a schedule 1 drug, right up there with heroin. This, to me, makes me ignore and distrust these classifications. This is not how we educate our populace on the harms of drugs!

We can't expect our youth to make a well informed decision when they are told:

1. Marijuana is a schedule 1 drug

2. Marijuana isn't as harmful as alcohol

3. People < 26 years old, who's brains are still developing, should limit their marijuana use.

Re: When Adolescents Give Up Pot, Their Cognition Quickly Improves

#272

Post by jrowley » Wed, Oct 31, 2018, 4:10 PM UTC

Beyond the direct cognitive effects, the increased probability of schizophrenia in people with predispositions to schizophrenia (if you have relatives who are schizophrenic) is staggering. (related: http://nationalacademies.org/hmd/reports/2017/health-effects...

Additionally, the smoke particulates themselves are really not good for your lungs, and are probably shortening peoples lives.

I believe marijuana has a place in society without a doubt, but people need to approach it with caution and try to avoid using it recreationally too frequently. Like most substances (e.g. sugar), it can become psychologically addictive. Related: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/06/opinion/sunday/marijuana-...

Personally, I'm a big fan, actually too big of a fan and trying to cut back on my habit right now.

Re: When Adolescents Give Up Pot, Their Cognition Quickly Improves

#273

Post by rv-de » Wed, Oct 31, 2018, 4:10 PM UTC

moorhosj wrote: post #252

rv-de wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You totally make a valid point. But I would literally remove all those safety rails. People just have to keep a safe distance from the edge of the cliff.

Isn't it likely that the rails were put in place as a response to people not keeping a safe distance from the edge of the cliff? I often see this assumption that regulations appear from thin air as a way to keep people down. It seems more possible that they primarily come as a result of witnessing the reality of what happens with no regulations.

I think the prevalent assumption on HN is that every regulation can be traced back to some accident or mistake.

It is impossible to put safety rails everywhere (both literally and metaphorically). Some people will try to make selfies on the edge and fall to their death - very tragic - but why do I have to keep those people alive with my tax payments or even be annoyed from the sight of a rail in the middle of nature.

I also think that most accidents happen from overtrusting a safety gear - safety rails would sometimes fail. Typical example is the safety belt in cars - people suddenly drove faster. Or with helmets - rugby is less physically harmful than American football due to less protection. The examples refer to the mindset, though - of course I use safety belts but I also don't get too close to the edge of a cliff.

Re: When Adolescents Give Up Pot, Their Cognition Quickly Improves

#274

Post by ionised » Wed, Oct 31, 2018, 4:12 PM UTC

throwaway8879 wrote: post #166

rv-de wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's wrong with "banal" activities?

There is nothing wrong. It's just that they don't contribute to success. Now you might ask, what's wrong with not striving for success? Nothing, I suppose. It's nice however to be able to reach one's fullest potential.

While I agree that spending your free time sitting around, smoking weed and watching Netflix is a poor use of your time, I'd be wary of defining for yourself what the 'fullest potential' of another person is.

Re: When Adolescents Give Up Pot, Their Cognition Quickly Improves

#275

Post by dredds » Wed, Oct 31, 2018, 4:14 PM UTC

moorhosj wrote: post #211

unethical_ban wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're right, it's a matter of values. Banal: Overeating/overdrinking/overconsuming, sitting around, reading reddit/HN for hours, playing video games or twitch. Not banal: Challenging yourself to new activities or hobbies that require skill. Seeing the world, interacting with other people IRL. Learning (new topics, reading, etc). Building things. Getting out of your comfort zone. Essentially, being passive/not learni…

Is sleep a banal activity?

Sleep, dreams, and mental recuperation are underrated. How many coders wake up with the solution to a bug or problem they couldn't resolve.

Re: When Adolescents Give Up Pot, Their Cognition Quickly Improves

#276

Post by CoryShmallager » Wed, Oct 31, 2018, 4:14 PM UTC

unethical_ban wrote: post #146

rv-de wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's wrong with "banal" activities?

You're right, it's a matter of values. Banal: Overeating/overdrinking/overconsuming, sitting around, reading reddit/HN for hours, playing video games or twitch. Not banal: Challenging yourself to new activities or hobbies that require skill. Seeing the world, interacting with other people IRL. Learning (new topics, reading, etc). Building things. Getting out of your comfort zone. Essentially, being passive/not learni…

There's nothing in cannabis that stops you from engaging in these activities, and for some the consumption of cannabis can enhance these activities that are otherwise difficult to enter for them to enter on their own. You seem to be unaware of just how many great pieces of pop culture were developed or punched up while high. There's nothing preclusive about getting high, it's time to stop blaming the drug that has widely different effects in people and start looking at the people themselves and the environment they're apart of. I'm willing to concede the clinic trials that show cannabis has a negative effect on word list memorization and digital symbol substitution tests, but it's not forcing you to do anything you were incapable of doing before, and if it you let it can open so many windows.

We really need to look at society and ask why people are looking for a way out instead of a way in, but I guess it's easier to blame weed.

Re: When Adolescents Give Up Pot, Their Cognition Quickly Improves

#277

Post by krrrh » Wed, Oct 31, 2018, 4:15 PM UTC

chosenbreed wrote: post #56

beaconstudios wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

as an ex-smoker who sometimes relapses for short periods, for me it's not to avoid withdrawal. It relieves stress and anxiety, and also gives me an excuse to step out of the office for a few minutes for a break or to collect my thoughts.

> It relieves stress and anxiety, and also gives me an excuse to step out of the office for a few minutes for a break or to collect my thoughts. Should we really need excuses to step out of the office to get some fresh air, collect our thoughts, etc for a few minutes? I think there is much to be said about cigarettes relieving stress and anxiety...

There does seem to be suspicion around leaving your desk to do “nothing”.

I once worked at a place where a lot of my colleagues would take smoke breaks and thought it was unfair. I loudly started taking gum breaks where I would go outside and smack peppermint gum for 5-10 minutes before throwing it in the trash and going back inside. Sometimes I would head out at the same time as the smokers so that I got to participate in the chitchat (which was unreasonably valuable from a professional perspective), and I would complain about how it wasn’t socially acceptable to chew gum at your desk like in the eighties when everyone did it. It was softly mocking, but no one objected.

Re: When Adolescents Give Up Pot, Their Cognition Quickly Improves

#278

Post by framebit » Wed, Oct 31, 2018, 4:15 PM UTC

A therapist friend recently attended a conference where a big group of doctors and health professionals focused around adolescents presented on the link between pot and the development of psychosis and even schizophrenia in users under age 32 or something like that.

I've definitely heard about this colloquially with people reacting very differently to the same strain ("we were all fine but she was just freaking out"), and the new science coming out of places like Colorado seems to be showing a strong correlation in that direction. I guess you could say (colloquially again, since I'm not at all in the medical field) that pot can open a bad door in some people that may have stayed shut otherwise. Is that gene expression? Brain plasticity? Dunno.

I think prohibition does way more harm than good and I'm glad to see legalization coming to the states, but I don't think we can treat pot as totally harmless for people under 30 and teens in particular because it seems like it's very harmful for some.

One paper on the subject: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2931552/

Re: When Adolescents Give Up Pot, Their Cognition Quickly Improves

#279

Post by parf02 » Wed, Oct 31, 2018, 4:16 PM UTC

I took pot when I was 22 and it had disastrous effects on my life for over a year after. Had to seek psychiatric help because of it. Had intense depersonalization and panic effects triggered from the one bad pot experience. It's unfortunate that pot is perceived as being so benign. The psychiatrist told me that cases like me are actually not that rare unfortunately.

Re: When Adolescents Give Up Pot, Their Cognition Quickly Improves

#280

Post by kadendogthing » Wed, Oct 31, 2018, 4:17 PM UTC

InitialLastName wrote: post #76

simion314 wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that you have big financial interest from tabacoo (or other) industry that promotes consumption of X and on the other hand you have an under-budgeted health department that will try to spread information and make studies etc. So the average person will be tricked by the gigantic adverting campaigns... my point a person can't do a correct choice when big money companies have the intrest he does the wron…

It's funny you brought up tobacco, since it's a counter-example to your point. Somehow, even with Big Tobacco putting tons of money towards promotion and an under-funded health department spreading information, we've arrived at a society where a) nobody can deny that tobacco consumption is harmful (and be seen as sane) and b) tobacco consumption is declining (nicotine use may not be, but it's also not clear that nico…

>It took a few decades to get there, but it worked.

Yeah let's not take a few decades this time around? You're basically talking about an entire person's life at some scale.