Why I Changed My Mind On Weed • Hacker News Board

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#251

Post by pstuart » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 6:41 PM UTC

JPKab wrote: post #242

knowaveragejoe wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Being a bit pedantic here, I'd just like to point out that development of schizophrenia is not a mild side effect. With higher THC% strains, we have no idea the extent of latent mental disorders we're stimulating.

As a person who had a roommate whose schizophrenia was likely induced by heavy marijuana use (along with his tripping on multiple bottles of Robitussin), the fact of the matter is that the harm done to this small percentage of people is vastly outweighed by the damage done to people who can't get access to it for their medical needs. And that's ignoring the huge harm caused by prosecuting recreational users due to an…

Sorry about your roommate but that is anectdata.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19560900

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#252

Post by artagnon » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 6:41 PM UTC

jlgreco wrote: post #244

hanley wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Only weed is _much_ easier to get hooked onto, because it's much cheaper than alcohol, and you don't need much more than rolling paper (as opposed to refrigerator, soft drinks etc)." Stop spewing bullshit. You clearly don't know what you're talking about. A gram of marijuana costs $10-20 and that will get 4 people properly stoned with some even left over. Meanwhile, I could go to a liquor store and buy a handle of s…

Furthermore, that bottle of vodka can kill a full grown man. That gram of weed? It couldn't even kill a scrawny teenager; not a chance in hell.

Did the original post claim otherwise?

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#253

Post by kevincrane » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 6:41 PM UTC

kyro wrote: post #191

I'm glad that Gupta has made this public apology. It takes a lot of courage to make that statement especially for someone with great public influence. I'm just curious as to why it took him this long. Medical marijuana has been prescribed in hospitals for some time with great benefit. I mean, just from a clinical standpoint, he should've seen the great upsides and limited downsides to using the drug. Patients, typica…

For what it's worth, there is relatively recent research showing that marijuana can be harmful to brains as they're still developing ([1] is the first one I remember reading), so his recommendation that his kids avoid it until they're older is probably sound. That being said, yes, I'm glad there's a higher profile scientist speaking out in favor of marijuana legalization, or at least more even-handed research of it.

[1] http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-squeaky-wheel/201208...

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#254

Post by angersock » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 6:42 PM UTC

pekk wrote: post #237

WarDekar wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are 3 main active ingredients in marijuana: THC, CBD, and CBN. The places I go get their strains and edibles/topicals/whatever lab tested so you know the %s of each. In general, higher CBD+CBN levels are better for pain relief and insomnia and will cause more grogginess/drowsiness than strains higher in THC which are more for appetite stimulation, euphoria, anxiety relief, etc. At least in SF the legitimate dis…

If I am trying to get relief for pain and insomnia, why would I begin with the assumption that I am looking for a strain of THC at all? Why not get medical advice on how to treat the pain/insomnia/underlying conditions?

Because that advice is likely parroting what a pharma sales rep told the doctor over a sales dinner?

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#255

Post by angersock » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 6:46 PM UTC

fein wrote: post #157

madaxe wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well. Two things. I ate largely due to anxiety. Weed makes me not anxious. Therefore I ate less. Secondly, you can decide to morph that "hungry" feeling into a "full" feeling. Not quite sure how to put it, but you can convince yourself - a bit like when you're holding an ice cube, and convince yourself that it's heat you can feel.

My fix was always just drinking lots of fizzy water. That and an electronic cigarette. I just don't seem to gain weight anymore, nor do I ever manage to finish takeout in one sitting. Seriously, our food portions here are insane.

Cigarettes and cigars are awesome appetite suppressants.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#256

Post by ctdonath » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 6:48 PM UTC

Starkly absent from the discussion of state-legal pot is the relevance of the US Supreme Court verdict in Raich. That case concluded that regardless of state legality and medical prescription & supervision, the federal government is still justified in executing armed raids on citizen possession of federally-declared contraband - even if the contraband in question never moved inter-state (by any stretch of the imagination), such possession could be regulated (including confiscation) on grounds that intra-state production & possession reduced demand in illegal inter-state commerce therein (as it affected inter-state commerce). [No, I'm not kidding. The ruling is, in fact, that deranged.]

I suspect the DEA will sit back for a while on the subject of state legalization of pot, but at some point they're going to return to exercising intense control over the subject. This will not end well for many.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#257

Post by marincounty » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 6:49 PM UTC

zwegner wrote: post #174

mikevm wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was thinking of buying that book, but he sounded like a typical wackaloon to me. I mean, just from reading the first few lines of the Amazon review: > Dr. John Sarno caused quite a ruckus back in 1990 when he suggested that back pain is all in the head. In his bestselling book, Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection, he claimed that backaches, slipped discs, headaches, and other chronic pains are due to suppre…

I don't think he claims that, but rather that slipped discs being painful is. Not really sure about this (I haven't read that particular book), but I will say that Sarno's theories cured my RSI pain, which crippled me for over a year. I'm not sure if his explanations of the mechanism for the pain are correct (they seem very hard to test), but I'm pretty sure the pain was all psychosomatic.

I was in Chiropractic School and dropped out because I felt most patients got better by the placebo effect.

I once heard a Doctor describe psychosomatic pain. He believed the artierioles constricted with psychological stress. It's still real pain, but it will eventually go away.

I was deeply effected by nagging pain throughout my twenties. I went to Doctors, but since I knew where all the cranial nerves were(Chiro student), they didn't think it was psychological.

The American way to success(what ever that is) is Stressful. Especially, if you were the hard working type. Don't think you are invincible. The mind does break.

My use of weed has not worked. I used it for anxiety/depression but, it just made me feel anxious, and amplified any pain I had. But, everyone is different--try it--it just might work.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#258

Post by deadfall » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 6:50 PM UTC

codezero wrote: post #231

justinator wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is time to grow your own weed, on a $100/week script, my man.

I have a friend who grows and unless you are re-selling it to shops, you're unlikely to break even growing your own. The equipment is relatively costly and the care and attention required to consistently grow is very time consuming.

Yes, if you grow indoors you are spending a lot on electricity , but if you grow outdoors during the summer then the cost will be significantly lower. Grow enough to last through the winter. Weed grows in afghanistan in the harshest of climates.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#259

Post by foobarbazqux » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 6:53 PM UTC

pstuart wrote: post #251

JPKab wrote: post #242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a person who had a roommate whose schizophrenia was likely induced by heavy marijuana use (along with his tripping on multiple bottles of Robitussin), the fact of the matter is that the harm done to this small percentage of people is vastly outweighed by the damage done to people who can't get access to it for their medical needs. And that's ignoring the huge harm caused by prosecuting recreational users due to an…

Sorry about your roommate but that is anectdata. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19560900

All that this study shows is that the amount of psychosis and schizophrenia in the population stayed constant. This doesn't in and of itself disprove a link between cannabis use and schizophrenia, it just disproves the prior hypothesis that a greater percentage of people would develop it.

Re: Why I Changed My Mind On Weed

#260

Post by apalmer » Thu, Aug 08, 2013, 6:55 PM UTC

mistercow wrote: post #223

doktrin wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fair, but a little knowledge really can be a dangerous thing. I'm not a practicing physician, but several members of my family are (whose characters I tend to trust). The annoyance you may feel when a non-engineer pontificates on a technical topic they clearly only have a surface level understanding of is similar to the aggravation they (M.D's) feel when patients who have perused pubmed and webmd decide they're bette…

Sure, but unfortunately, most doctors don't seem to be able to distinguish the patient who's been reading alt med forums and maybe skimming some cherry-picked articles (perusing would actually be the correct thing to do with a study), from the patient who is scientifically literate and has a reasonable knowledge of pharmacology and the evidence regarding their own condition. When your doctor is giving you opiates and…

actually thats not frustrating, thats what doctors are supposed to do in general