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U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: Marijuana Use and the Developing Brain

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Re: U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: Marijuana Use and the Developing Brain

#171

Post by yodsanklai »

stevev wrote: post #97

I’m curious, has there been any related deaths to cannabis usage? Why is this plant illegal when Alcohol has killed millions?

> has there been any related deaths to cannabis usage

It's a common meme that cannabis has never killed anyone. Of course it did. People fall asleep while driving, they fall, they develop lung disease.

But it doesn't matter. People kill themselves doing all kinds of activities who are perfectly legal. Conversely, many things who don't kill anyone are illegal.

Re: U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: Marijuana Use and the Developing Brain

#172

Post by mdorazio »

apl002 wrote: post #166

Ive smoked for about 15 years now. Started heavy through highschool and college and after college usually just a rip before bedtime. I cant say I've experienced anything negative. No issues focusing or memory problems, or dealing with stress/anxiety. I've quit for months at a time cold turkey with no issues. I'll probably never fully quit but I am doing it less just cause I worry about the effects on my lungs more th…

Anecdote like this is bad for two reasons:

1) How do you know you wouldn't have done better had you not smoked starting in high school? You can't go back in time and A/B test yourself

2) Your personal physiology may be fine with marijuana use, but that's not a guarantee that the same applies to everyone else. I'm sure plenty of HN readers (myself included) knew people in high school who did suffer from marijuana-related focus, effort, and studying problems

Re: U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: Marijuana Use and the Developing Brain

#173

Post by DoofusOfDeath »

liability wrote: post #158
DoofusOfDeath wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In ever US state where it is legal I'm assuming you know that marijuana remains illegal due to (a) federal law and (b) the Constitution's Supremacy Clause. I mean this with complete sincerity and genuine curiosity: Why did you choose wording that suggests the activity is wholly legal in those states?

Demanding that people give the federal disclaimer every time they discuss the matter is tedious and pointless (since of course you already know it...)

> Demanding that people give the federal disclaimer every time they discuss the matter is tedious and pointless (since of course you already know it...)

It seems to me that saying "pot is legal in MA" is precisely as incorrect as saying "pot is illegal in MA". They're both half-truths.

I believe there's rhetorical and political power, however, in repeating an untruth without anybody challenging it.

HN is intended to be a site for serious discussion and honest debate, and I choose to not let use this rhetorical device go unchallenged.

It costs me karma every time, and I consider it a cost worth paying.

Re: U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: Marijuana Use and the Developing Brain

#174

Post by DoofusOfDeath »

romansul wrote: post #142
DoofusOfDeath wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In ever US state where it is legal I'm assuming you know that marijuana remains illegal due to (a) federal law and (b) the Constitution's Supremacy Clause. I mean this with complete sincerity and genuine curiosity: Why did you choose wording that suggests the activity is wholly legal in those states?

Unless the federal government wants to get into a serious fight over state’s rights, weed is effectively/wholly legal in states like California (I don’t know the specific laws outside of CA) If you’d like to argue that the federal government - through the supremacy clause - has the power to override States that legalize marijuana, perhaps you’re right in theory. But I think it’s a fantasy that the federal government…

It sounds like we're using different definitions of the word "illegal". It's unfortunate that English makes it cumbersome to draw the necessary distinction.

Re: U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: Marijuana Use and the Developing Brain

#175

Post by strlen »

mrlala wrote: post #131
graphememes wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Being in the bay area, I have witnessed what you expressed happen to many engineers since the legalization. They burn out quickly as well. They swear it's not weed since everyone else tells them that's all tinfoil hat stuff. It's very unfortunate.

Are the engineers you are referring to in developing brain stages? You are replying to OP who said from 16-18.. that is still fairly prime development.. your bay area engineers are probably mid 20's? That is quite different when we are talking about brain development.

I believe the aforementioned engineers are simply experiencing the effects of marijuana: both acute intoxication and symptoms associated with regular use. If they're healthy adults in mid 20s, then these symptoms should go away within 1-2 weeks of discontinuing use - problem is they don't view their symptoms as associated with routine use.

That said, seeking to be routinely intoxicated could itself a symptom of something else wrong in their work or personal life. This would be a non-controversial statement to make about "hard drugs", alcohol, video games, risky relationships, etc...

Re: U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: Marijuana Use and the Developing Brain

#176

Post by DaniloDias »

wannabcodr wrote: post #124
DaniloDias wrote: post #122

As a teenager- I decided I would wait till I was 22 before I tried Marijuana. All of my friends were heavy users- and while that made me feel like a bit of an outsider, I had come to the conclusion that it was better to wait and see how using turned out for them before I joined in. That decision was profoundly informative. My high school friends personal and professional trajectories have been severely hobbled. I don…

Indeed, I succumbed to the habit as a teenager, when I was indoctrinated by full time users who were also my peers who abused my physically in pre teen years. Upon starting marijuana usage with these peers, they saw that I reacted to the substance and proceeded to abuse me psychologically. This planted the seeds necessary to catalyze a lifetime of delusion and exploration of waste and dipping my toes into counter cul…

Hang in there. The flow state you can get from both coding and math are very nourishing.

Re: U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: Marijuana Use and the Developing Brain

#177

Post by anon9001 »

apl002 wrote: post #166

Ive smoked for about 15 years now. Started heavy through highschool and college and after college usually just a rip before bedtime. I cant say I've experienced anything negative. No issues focusing or memory problems, or dealing with stress/anxiety. I've quit for months at a time cold turkey with no issues. I'll probably never fully quit but I am doing it less just cause I worry about the effects on my lungs more th…

I've had approximately the same experience. Here's hoping it doesn't cause any long term issues, but I think I would have had a heart attack by now if I didn't smoke to calm myself down and realize I shouldn't take things so seriously.

A truly enlightened individual doesn't need any drugs, but I'm not there yet. Maybe in time. For now I think the weed is a net positive.

Re: U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: Marijuana Use and the Developing Brain

#178

Post by skim_milk »

numakerg wrote: post #5

> Edible marijuana takes time to absorb and to produce its effects, increasing the risk of unintentional overdose No citation for this. Do they mean a larger than intended dose or a dose that results in a serious toxic reaction or death? Better source: Median lethal THC dose for a 70kg human estimated to be 4g [0], which is slightly over 1300 full joints (at 3mg per joint) [0]. I won't link them here, but a cursory w…

It's too easy to get uncomfortably high from edibles despite the warnings in my opinion. Call it unintentional overdose or not it can still cause real problems however you label it.

I cooked some edibles when I was a naive user and misunderstood the light effects of the THC absorbed in the mouth when eating the edible as being the real high. Waited 20 minutes, ate another, and drove home.

Luckily for me, I was only driving in apartment parking lot when it actually kicked in. Now I have a funny story to tell people, but what could have happened if this happened to someone with mental illness in public, or to someone driving longer distances? Getting uncomfortably high on edibles is a really common story hearing it online.

Re: U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: Marijuana Use and the Developing Brain

#179

Post by lovich »

DoofusOfDeath wrote: post #173
liability wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Demanding that people give the federal disclaimer every time they discuss the matter is tedious and pointless (since of course you already know it...)

> Demanding that people give the federal disclaimer every time they discuss the matter is tedious and pointless (since of course you already know it...) It seems to me that saying "pot is legal in MA" is precisely as incorrect as saying "pot is illegal in MA". They're both half-truths. I believe there's rhetorical and political power, however, in repeating an untruth without anybody challenging it. HN is intended to…

Does your distinction matter? If the state of Delaware declares driving a red cars illegal everywhere on the planet, would you jump to correct people saying driving red cars is legal in Germany and let them know it isn't?

Most people would not do so because there is no feasible way of Delaware enforcing their opinions in Germany. If you're not willing to take your viewpoint to the extreme then you're making an implicit declaration that you think the federal government does have the power to override the states here and will do so.

That's why people are downvoting when you say you're just exposing an "untruth". It's similar to hen people say they don't care about politics which really implies that the current status quo suits them well enough to not be involved

Re: U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: Marijuana Use and the Developing Brain

#180

Post by 0000011111 »

If we compare the effects of Marijuana on people to those of alcohol and or Oxycodone, I think it is clear to most that the latter two are more destructive.

I agree more research is needed on the effects of Marijuana use on people in general.

And we need to keep the risk factors in perspective. Many more people will die, hurt others and become addicted to alcohol and or Oxycodone than marijuana.

So put that beer down before the bong.

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