Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

More Americans report near-constant cannabis use

theatlantic.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

101–110 of 396 posts

Re: More Americans report near-constant cannabis use

#101

Post by marssaxman »

throwaway0255 wrote: post #77

Overdosing on marijuana was probably the worst thing I've ever experienced in my life. Certainly by far the worst experience I've ever had on a recreational drug. People always frame the discussion of drug overdoses around lethality, and on that scale marijuana compares very favorably to every other drug, and advocates tend to end the discussion there. But on the scale of how horrific the experience is as the person…

I have been there myself, thanks to some of my ex-wife's unexpectedly potent brownies, and it was miserable indeed - but I would call it a "bad trip" and not an "overdose". "Overdose" implies that one has ingested a quantity of the drug in question sufficient to create physical danger, and no such danger exists with marijuana.

Re: More Americans report near-constant cannabis use

#102

Post by WhompingWindows »

saturdaysaint wrote: post #97

I'll take these "findings" seriously when they show that pot smokers are getting divorced and fired at statistically significantly greater rates than the general population. In a country where a huge percentage of marriages end in divorce and many fields are grinds with high turnover, it's naive to just nod our heads and accept self reports of "ruined marriages" at face value. In our highly regimented, low paid holid…

Isn't it still a problem if people identify as users with a problem, users who would like to quit but struggle to do so? I believe it's the same with video games or porn or other "non-toxic" addictions. Even if it's healthy and useful for some, and not dangerous to anyone, if it's a negative habit that's hard to shake, public health should pay attention and study, and perhaps employ a policy nudge.

Re: More Americans report near-constant cannabis use

#103

Post by atomical »

yesdocs wrote: post #64

I have been smoking pot since I was 14 years old, I am 51 now. I would stop smoking from time to time, sometimes to prepare for football, sometimes because society wanted me too. I am not a lazy person, I smoke a sativa strain to get me motivated, it acts like a stimulant that can help me focus.. laser like focus to drown out daily distractions. I'll smoke an indica strain to sleep well at night. I have been a highly…

Prozac causes liver damage?

Re: More Americans report near-constant cannabis use

#104

Post by grawprog »

magic_beans wrote: post #68
grawprog wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't understand this. Me and everyone I know that smoke pot regularly don't sit around doing nothing. The people I know who do nothing don't smoke pot. They finish their days and sit around in front of the TV drinking booze until they passout. Or wake up when they don't work and start drinking. The people I know who regularly smoke pot are motivated, usually have good jobs or run successful businesses, have hobbie…

But do you smoke very day? Do you look forward to pot more than anything else? If not, then good for you! Like alcohol, some people take weed to extremes, and others are able to drink one glass every now and again without going overboard.

I do smoke weed every day. I don't necessarily wake up in the morning and look forward to only that. Ya if I finish work after a hard stressful day sometimes I do look forward to it. But, I look forward to getting home, showering and eating dinner too. If I'm busy doing things where I can't I don't really mind and I don't really think about it or anything.

I would say my usage would qualify as habitual but in the end if I can't get some weed or smoke or whatever in a day or for a bit it's all good. Ya I know I rely on it for stress relief, helping with sleep and I honestly just find it enjoyable. I mean I also rely on coffee to wake me up in the morning, food and water to survive and generally many other things that either make my life better or act as a crutch.

But in the end, compared to other crutches people rely on, the impact of weed in my life is fairly minimal.

I know a guy last year who was addicted to coke who's mom ended up dying in the night because instead of taking her to the hospital when she asked him he wanted to get high and jerk off.

I've got a 25 year old cousin with pancreatitis because of his alcohol problem.

My brother's just finished rehab for his drinking.

I have a friend who came close to death last year.because.of her coke and crack addiction and basically fucked her life. She lost her job, her home for a while, didn't see her kid for months and it basically took ending up in the hospital for close to the tenth time last year, near death with the threat of permanently losing custody of her kid to finally quit after years.

I've got another friend who was recently prescribed seroquil and a couple anti-depressants for his anxiety over maybe one day having thoughts about walking into traffic. Last time I seen him he was bragging about the thousands of dollars he was making by double or triple depositing his disability cheques into multiple banks, both his short and long term memory seemed totally messed up he couldn't keep the flow of a conversation, had no idea what had happened only 10-15 minutes previous and he stayed at my house and spent all night awake staring at a wall hallucinating that he'd been watching tron 2 all night. When I got up the TV was off, the internet had been unplugged sometime hours before and he didn't have the TV remote. He had a job interview that day he did not make it to.

I dunno i've seen a lot of people abuse substances or even just need something to get by. In the course of my life, pot is pretty much the most harmless thing i've seen. I've watched people going crazy over lack of coffee, cigarettes and booze plenty. Never once seen someone doing that over weed.

Re: More Americans report near-constant cannabis use

#105

Post by gowld »

minism wrote: post #63
insickness wrote: post #17

In the past I was addicted to pot. I was addicted in the sense that pretty much everything felt better when I was high. I was more relaxed and had less anxiety. Sex was better. Food tasted better. I was more creative. I thought about much deeper things. I spent less time online and in front of screens. The biggest downside for me--and the reason I ended up quitting--was that my sober life just sucked in comparison. I…

I'll never stop being fascinated by how radically different the experiences of cannabis users are. The idea of weed reducing anxiety and making you feel "fine doing nothing" are the polar opposites of how it makes me feel. Overall it sounds like your experiences were much more positive than mine, though.

One folk wisdom is that pot (and alcohol too) unblock some inner mental states that the rest of your brain inhibits. So some people get high and forget their troubles, but some people get high and forget their coping mechanisms.

Re: More Americans report near-constant cannabis use

#106

Post by Diederich »

yesdocs wrote: post #64

I have been smoking pot since I was 14 years old, I am 51 now. I would stop smoking from time to time, sometimes to prepare for football, sometimes because society wanted me too. I am not a lazy person, I smoke a sativa strain to get me motivated, it acts like a stimulant that can help me focus.. laser like focus to drown out daily distractions. I'll smoke an indica strain to sleep well at night. I have been a highly…

> I have been a highly successful software developer, approaching my later days of my career.

Somewhat unrelated question, if I may: why? I'm not much younger than you, and I've been doing technology (primarily what people today call 'devops') since the early 1990s, and honestly I enjoy it more now than ever before.

Re: More Americans report near-constant cannabis use

#107

Post by thatcat »

nate_robo wrote: post #69
magic_beans wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any daily pot-smoker will tell you that their short-term memory declines after a few weeks of daily/hourly use. It's extremely well known, though perhaps not well documented.

Right, I acknowledge that in my previous comment. I was more referring to the mental sharpness or cognitive ability. I was curious if there was a noticeable difference in critical thinking/problem solving for users while they are not under the effects of the drug itself

The effects on memory are related to the time since you smoked and are most noticeable after 1-3 hours. Basically, you get stimulated at first (during which time you may actually have increased creative problem solving) and eventually you get tired or "burned out". It feels a lot like low blood sugar which is why some people over eat. If you smoke a lot these effects can linger as a sort of hang over. If you smoke every day for years, it might last a few days.

Re: More Americans report near-constant cannabis use

#108

Post by rhcom2 »

mindgam3 wrote: post #58

For those seeking the anti-anxiety benefits of a daily dose of high grade medicinal cannabis without the cognitive impairment associated with THC (notably impairment of short term memory, which is crucial for maintaining flow state while doing complex tasks like coding or chess) - may I recommend looking into high CBD, low THC flower. You want THC 10%. I recently switched over to a high CBD strain and it has been a g…

> Another nice benefit of minimizing daily THC intake is I have started dreaming and remembering dreams again. THC tends to suppress dreaming activity.

I had the same experience with increased dreams but they were just all anxiety dreams for a month or so, it was very unpleasant.

Re: More Americans report near-constant cannabis use

#109

Post by phil248 »

pgt wrote: post #79
insickness wrote: post #17

In the past I was addicted to pot. I was addicted in the sense that pretty much everything felt better when I was high. I was more relaxed and had less anxiety. Sex was better. Food tasted better. I was more creative. I thought about much deeper things. I spent less time online and in front of screens. The biggest downside for me--and the reason I ended up quitting--was that my sober life just sucked in comparison. I…

Drugs like pot and alcohol seem to lower our standard for happiness. Sitting alone on the couch at home with no friends, you may not feel so great; drink a bottle of wine, or smoke a fat blunt and suddenly that couch feels pretty comfortable. The gnawing feeling of discomfort is not a bug, but a feature designed to force you to act. The main reason I avoid marijuana is the effect on my short-term memory, though. In P…

"The gnawing feeling of discomfort is not a bug, but a feature designed to force you to act."

We all have a lot of feelings. Very few of them are unambiguously helpful and I would hesitate anyone from assuming certain impulses are purely good and should always be obeyed.

For many people, there is a need to "turn off" certain persistent feelings because they can't be sated otherwise. Some of us would simply like to be able to relax without those "gnawing" feelings bothering us, because we know our lives are successful and fulfilled beyond the point where we should be experiencing frequent discomfort for not taking constant action to improve our situation.

Post reply on HN