Marijuana may be even safer than previously thought, researchers say • Hacker News Board

Re: Marijuana may be even safer than previously thought, researchers say

#61

Post by cryptophreak » Mon, Feb 23, 2015, 5:29 PM UTC

Someone1234 wrote: post #23

I've never been a user, but I do support legalisation. The reason I support it even though I myself wouldn't benefit is: - It is at least as safe as tobacco and alcohol. So even if we leave the question of what is safer on the table, I think most people would agree based on available evidence that it isn't LESS safe than those two, and they're legal. - The "war on drugs" has been a disaster. It has actually hurt econ…

Revoking the license of everyone who drives while impaired seems unworkable given its prevalence and the necessity of driving in the States:

1. Since so many people do it and will continue to do it, you essentially create a lottery situation; just as now, very few are caught, whereas the vast majority will evade punishment, and they know it, therefore the problem persists.

2. People who have their licenses revoked still have to get places, therefore they continue to drive and accept the fact of additional penalties.

In summary, creating harsh penalties for everyday behavior creates new problems while solving no existing ones.

Re: Marijuana may be even safer than previously thought, researchers say

#62

Post by drzaiusapelord » Mon, Feb 23, 2015, 5:29 PM UTC

jMyles wrote: post #34

guelo wrote: post #13

As a programmer I'm very protective of my higher level brain functions. Marijuana's effects on short term memory are especially concerning to me. Do any of you long term smokers feels like it has affected your programming skills for the worse or better?

Everyone's mileage varies - you'll find no shortage of people who lament the long term effects (although abstinence for even a month or so seems to cause complete reversal). For my part, smoking cannabis is great for me, especially for programming. I find both that I feel more focused and that I am more capable of juggling multiple tasks. The "listener" in me comes alive, and I'm better able to empathize with the aut…

>After smoking fairly consistently for 13 years, I seem to be blessed by having no negative effects of which I am aware.

Well, that's the problem with cognitive faults, we usually aren't aware of them.

Re: Marijuana may be even safer than previously thought, researchers say

#63

Post by unprepare » Mon, Feb 23, 2015, 5:29 PM UTC

PlzSnow wrote: post #41

jMyles wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everyone's mileage varies - you'll find no shortage of people who lament the long term effects (although abstinence for even a month or so seems to cause complete reversal). For my part, smoking cannabis is great for me, especially for programming. I find both that I feel more focused and that I am more capable of juggling multiple tasks. The "listener" in me comes alive, and I'm better able to empathize with the aut…

"After smoking fairly consistently for 13 years, I seem to be blessed by having no negative effects of which I am aware." Your prose suggests otherwise.

What exactly are you implying is wrong with the quoted segment?

Further, are you basing an opinion of a human's mental acuity on a single comment posted on a news forum? Do you think that is a valid measure of the long term effects of marijuana use?

Re: Marijuana may be even safer than previously thought, researchers say

#64

Post by spacemanmatt » Mon, Feb 23, 2015, 5:30 PM UTC

DanBC wrote: post #16

trose wrote: post #8

I can't help but feel that statistic they're using is a little disingenuous. Yes cannabis has a ridiculously high lethal dose, more than you could ever smoke or consume. You'd basically have to create a concentrate and inject it directly or something. I don't think you should be saying that cannabis is 114 times less deadly than alcohol. There are other contributing factors that could cause harm. There seems to be no…

> There seems to be no research into carcinogenic qualities of cannabis smoke for example. We know that cannabis smoke contains a bunch of the same carcinogens as tobacco smoke. But tobacco smokers smoke a lot more than cannabis smokers; and you don't have to smoke cannabis.

Do we really know that? I mean, it stands to reason that combustion produces carcinogens, but cannabis is not tobacco. I think this is one of the basic assertions that must be validated by quantitative analysis.

Re: Marijuana may be even safer than previously thought, researchers say

#65

Post by ssharp » Mon, Feb 23, 2015, 5:31 PM UTC

Someone1234 wrote: post #30

madaxe_again wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed on the whole driving bit - but commensurately, whenever I'm in the US, I am astonished by how casually people drink and drive. Don't think it's a stoner problem, more an inconsiderate dickhead/cultural problem.

I agree. People are far too blasé about drinking and driving in the US. It also seems like the punishment is often fairly light for the first few offenses (e.g. a small ticket, no penalty points, or similar). People from the US I've spoken to often claim this is because in some areas not having a car is pretty unworkable due to a lack of public transport or alternatives. So if driving was revoked then people could ge…

If you get a DUI, even for the first time, you're going to spend at least a night in jail and rack up several thousand dollars in fines and attorney fees. I don't think first time DUI's are a felony in most of the U.S., but you're going to get points on your license and it's going to cost you long-term with insurance as well. The penalties aren't damning, but I'm not sure I'd call them "light" either. Many states also having shaming laws in place where you have to get a different colored license plate on your car if you've gotten a DUI.

You're right in that in that for most of the US, not having a vehicle is crippling. Many first-time DUI offenders have their licenses suspended but are allowed work privileges to avoid them losing their job.

Also, in my state, first-time offenders are often sentenced to either spend three days in jail or take a weekend class, so at least in Ohio, they're doing exactly what you're mentioning.

The only serious issue I see with making DUI laws somewhat more strict is knowing whether or not you're too impaired to drive. Groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving have successfully lobbied to effectively force States to reduce the blood/alcohol threshold that's often used to distinguish impairment. I really have no idea how many drinks I can have within a given time frame and still know I'm legally not considered drunk. I've heard enough instances where people test right at, or slightly below, the threshold and get arrested and they say they felt their driving wasn't impaired at all. So I am left with no choice other than to arrange other transportation, or drink what I feel is a limited enough to make me not impaired.

Re: Marijuana may be even safer than previously thought, researchers say

#66

Post by dyeje » Mon, Feb 23, 2015, 5:31 PM UTC

poolpool wrote: post #19

discardorama wrote: post #14

While I agree that the headline is click-baity, and the stats are a bit suspect, I still want to see headlines like these in the mainstream press, because it raises questions about why MJ is classified as a Schedule-I drug after all? I'm not a smoker (maybe once or twice a year, at most?). But the blatant lying by the government (that MJ has no medicinal value and is more dangerous than meth ), which flies in the fac…

Racism

It's a shame that this is being downvoted, as the prohibition of marijuana was in fact very racially motivated [1].

1. http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/c...

Re: Marijuana may be even safer than previously thought, researchers say

#67

Post by spacemanmatt » Mon, Feb 23, 2015, 5:32 PM UTC

Fdndjxjxr wrote: post #58

cnp wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Out of the zillions and zillions of weed smokers over the past 100 years, there has never once been a reported case of someone dying due to carcinogenic responses to the smoke. Granted, there has never been a formal study, but there have been adjacent studies and by all intents and purposes it appears to be safe. Google around: https://www.google.com/search?q=marijuana+lung+cancer

That's a nice, made-up anecdote you have there.

Fair enough. I suppose you are sitting on the evidence belying it?

Re: Marijuana may be even safer than previously thought, researchers say

#68

Post by nitrogen » Mon, Feb 23, 2015, 5:32 PM UTC

lotsofmangos wrote: post #44

Someone1234 wrote: post #23

I've never been a user, but I do support legalisation. The reason I support it even though I myself wouldn't benefit is: - It is at least as safe as tobacco and alcohol. So even if we leave the question of what is safer on the table, I think most people would agree based on available evidence that it isn't LESS safe than those two, and they're legal. - The "war on drugs" has been a disaster. It has actually hurt econ…

"There have been numerous studies in which the effects of marijuana have been assesed on performance in driving simulators and even a few studies conducted in city traffic. Much to everyone's surprise, the results of many of these studies revealed only relatively small impairments in driving skills, even after quite large doses of the drug. Several of the early studies showed no impairment at all, but as driving simu…

I'd rather just replace the ignition system with a short driving game that you have to complete to start the car

I've heard there are cars with a breath analyzer connected to the ignition. A driving game would hopefully pick up more than alcohol, so I like that idea. Unfortunately, I suspect many drunk drivers will just do what they do with the current systems and have their sober girlfriend pass the test for them.

Re: Marijuana may be even safer than previously thought, researchers say

#69

Post by eloff » Mon, Feb 23, 2015, 5:33 PM UTC

guelo wrote: post #13

As a programmer I'm very protective of my higher level brain functions. Marijuana's effects on short term memory are especially concerning to me. Do any of you long term smokers feels like it has affected your programming skills for the worse or better?

A lot of the science that says it drops your IQ seems to have been poorly done. Smokers are dumber in general, but that may well say more about their socioeconomic backgrounds. However, I personally wouldn't risk it. Do you know what I would pay to raise my IQ by a half-dozen points? I seriously considered taking Ritalin at one point, to see if it might give me a boost (actually I still haven't ruled it out, just shelved the idea.) I wouldn't dare use a substance that had the potential to lower my IQ, or reduce my ambition/motivation.

Re: Marijuana may be even safer than previously thought, researchers say

#70

Post by taion » Mon, Feb 23, 2015, 5:33 PM UTC

lotsofmangos wrote: post #44

Someone1234 wrote: post #23

I've never been a user, but I do support legalisation. The reason I support it even though I myself wouldn't benefit is: - It is at least as safe as tobacco and alcohol. So even if we leave the question of what is safer on the table, I think most people would agree based on available evidence that it isn't LESS safe than those two, and they're legal. - The "war on drugs" has been a disaster. It has actually hurt econ…

"There have been numerous studies in which the effects of marijuana have been assesed on performance in driving simulators and even a few studies conducted in city traffic. Much to everyone's surprise, the results of many of these studies revealed only relatively small impairments in driving skills, even after quite large doses of the drug. Several of the early studies showed no impairment at all, but as driving simu…

There's an extremely extremely rough utilitarian analysis that says that the largest positive effect in QALYs added comes from fewer road traffic deaths due to people substituting away from driving while drunk to driving while stoned. See section IV of http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/01/05/marijuana-much-more-tha...