Cannabis use produces persistent cognitive impairments: meta review • Hacker News Board

Re: Cannabis use produces persistent cognitive impairments: meta review

#261

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Jan 21, 2022, 9:09 AM UTC

otherme123 wrote: post #181

mellavora wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, we are social creatures. Even the most introverted of us (finger points at self). So no surprise that being around parties/other people has a positive effect on moral. The health benefits of the social contact almost certainly outweigh the negative health impacts of a tiny amount of alcohol.

A lot of drugs make you more social, but sadly they are all outlawed except alcohol. MDMA was used for years to lubricate psicotherapy sessions, until the FDA found out that some people was having "too much fun", banned the thing, and denied it has any possible positive effect. Only two years ago it seems that it is going to be reseached again. Thomas Szasz has some books about drug history and the paths that turns a…

[deleted]

Re: Cannabis use produces persistent cognitive impairments: meta review

#262

Post by oblio » Fri, Jan 21, 2022, 9:10 AM UTC

sdze wrote: post #242

gumby wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exercise and a healthy diet. I typed this in jest but instead of closing the tab I realize that yes, this is a good alternative, perhaps the best, if you can do it . Not everyone can, and typically it’s not their fault if they can’t.

> ExerCiSe AnD a HeAlThY dIeT God, I can't hear that stupid saying anymore. Tell that the MD of a psychiatric hospital. He will have a good laugh.

Are alcohol and light drugs really helping or just covering the problem?

Keep in mind that a psychiatric hospital is working on actual psychiatric disorders, i.e. super serious medical problems (where your brain is rewired in "interesting" new ways, possibly forever). We're not discussing about a psychologist here, who's working on what are comparatively mild conditions.

Re: Cannabis use produces persistent cognitive impairments: meta review

#263

Post by SirHound » Fri, Jan 21, 2022, 9:11 AM UTC

bigbluedots wrote: post #116

jollybean wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a bit distressing how many people don't think weed can be addictive, clearly it is, just not in the same way as something like cigarettes. That said, my friend, 10 years of life make you forgetful sometimes. That's just called living.

It's not addictive, you just can't sleep any more for a while if you try to stop

It isn't physically addictive but it is mentally addictive and in this regard it will affect different people differently. I personally found it quite difficult to stop, it took over 5 years. Regardless I support its legalisation.

Re: Cannabis use produces persistent cognitive impairments: meta review

#264

Post by hypertele-Xii » Fri, Jan 21, 2022, 9:12 AM UTC

gonzo41 wrote: post #243

Shouldn't the discussion on Cannabis use be focusing on the fact it's smoking. Like in 20 years are we just going to see another epidemic of weed related cancer cases. Everything in excess is bad for you. You only get one set of lungs, treat the well. Btw, don't care about people doing what they want with their bodies, but smoking related sicknesses are something I wouldn't wish on my enemies (not that I have any.).

Vaporization technology exists. Zero smoke is produced.

Re: Cannabis use produces persistent cognitive impairments: meta review

#265

Post by mandernt » Fri, Jan 21, 2022, 9:12 AM UTC

oblio wrote: post #251

People here probably don't want to hear this, but if there's going to be any social evolution to the next level, it will probably be 50+ years from now, when future generations will recognize that consumption/excessive consumption of the following substances should be banned: * tobacco (completely banned, I don't think there's any reasonable amount of tobacco its users could use where its positive aspects outweigh th…

No post body was provided.

Re: Cannabis use produces persistent cognitive impairments: meta review

#266

Post by oblio » Fri, Jan 21, 2022, 9:12 AM UTC

SirHound wrote: post #260

oblio wrote: post #256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not well, because the social structure isn't in place. People need to come to a general consensus that alcohol is bad and it needs to go on its own. And you need to come up with alternative supporting measures. For example people use alcohol to work around social pressures, so we would need to find a way to diminish those. This is not something you let extremists enforce. I am aware that I'm asking for something clos…

It will never disappear and chemically altering your mind is IMO an unalienable right as a human being in possession of their own body. Plenty of experiences have downsides at scale, no reason to shut them off.

Think of it this way: what if to become a next level civilization, to live forever and travel to space and teleport and whatever, there's a general consensus that we need to stop using them.

I think people would do it.

Re: Cannabis use produces persistent cognitive impairments: meta review

#267

Post by chii » Fri, Jan 21, 2022, 9:14 AM UTC

kumarvvr wrote: post #188

revax wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Alcohol/thc/caffeine/nicotine (you name it) do not fall in the "natural" diet of humans. Well Sapiens likely consumed naturally fermented fruits even 200.000 years ago, after all we evolved to produce certain enzymes to digest ethanol. Alcohol have shaped human cultures for thousand years, hardly unnatural. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/alcohol-...

Your argument is absurd. Sure, some caveman consumed alcohol that happened to occur naturally a gazillion years ago. So? You think huge factories producing alcohol and all the issues associated with it are justified? By what you say, if whole of humanity consumed only naturally fermented fruit, I would half-heartedly agree.

> You think huge factories producing alcohol and all the issues associated with it are justified?

Humans also don't "naturally" need to be writing fictions, or draw pictures or make movies. And conversely, murder is pretty natural - take a look at how often it happens in nature!

Whether something is "natural" or not is a bit irrelevant - the big question is whether the action should be acceptable for humans to do. Drinking alcohol affects the person drinking it, but it gives them some comfort, or happiness. As long as they don't drink so much that it harms another person, i say they can do what they wish!

Same with pot and other recreational drugs.

Re: Cannabis use produces persistent cognitive impairments: meta review

#268

Post by oblio » Fri, Jan 21, 2022, 9:14 AM UTC

colechristensen wrote: post #117

hackly wrote: post #6

First alcohol, now this?! How else will we drown our sorrows and numb our pains?

Calm Fitter, healthier and more productive A pig In a cage On antibiotics … by realizing there’s no way to zero risks and that trying to do so leads to a life perhaps not worth living Who cares if a drink isn’t risk free or a joint makes your a little slower, live a little.

Life is plenty worth living without this stuff. But I guess we can't really come to an agreement since you've just defined people like me as "pigs in cages".

Re: Cannabis use produces persistent cognitive impairments: meta review

#269

Post by ALittleLight » Fri, Jan 21, 2022, 9:15 AM UTC

SirHound wrote: post #258

ALittleLight wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The consequences of a statement are irrelevant to the truth of that statement. My point, as I wrote, is that it may or may not be true that marijuana is a gateway drug even if few marijuana users actually go through that gateway.

Everyone who has ever crashed in a car first entered a car.

Do you dispute that getting into a car is a gateway to car accidents?

Re: Cannabis use produces persistent cognitive impairments: meta review

#270

Post by sokoloff » Fri, Jan 21, 2022, 9:16 AM UTC

mellavora wrote: post #152

kumarvvr wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another view, is that, except for the extremely strong willed, getting used to a serene state of mind is addicting and kind of counter productive. Perhaps, addictive is not the right word. But it seems to me (purely from a human nature perspective) its similar to obesity (Eating food is not "addictive", but there is a definite element of "craving" and inability to overcome that craving). All in all, such substances a…

> unchecked use, might put a whole society in danger. So you mean that if, for example, over 50% of the population was using a known mind-altering drug, society might go to shit? Do prescription psychiatry medicines count? You might want to take a look at what % of the western world has such a prescription. Between opiods, amphetamine, and anti-depressants, I think the US passed the 50% mark some time ago.

> over 50% of the population was using a known mind-altering drug, society might go to shit?

You mean like caffeine? (Or chocolate? Or even refined sugar?)