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Younger cannabis users have reduced brain function, finds largest study yet

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Re: Younger cannabis users have reduced brain function, finds largest study yet

#161

Post by milkshakes »

caminante wrote: post #138
milkshakes wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe that your perspective is harmful. I'm an accomplished staff engineer who has worked at multiple megacorps and valley darling companies including MANGAFANGA or whatever you call it and am highly goal oriented and passionate contributor. I started smoking weed at 13. I own multiple homes and live a well adjusted life with my wife. I support my parents and sisters. Without weed, I can get tunnel vision, or loo…

Happy for you, seriously. Getting this subthread back on topic, the study defines heavy (or medium) use - i.e., the problem categories in the study - as 1000+ (or 11-1000 days of usage). Are you a medium-heavy user? I don't think you being an exception disproves the parent's generality that on the average heavy weed usage doesn't correlate with people in your position.

I believe his generality has more to do with his friends than the drug itself. I am a heavy user. Remembering names sometimes is hard upon first introductions, but besides that my short-term memory seems to function just fine. I have had many coworkers in similar situations at the organizations I've been a part of. We've stayed friends, they're doing just fine. Some are in happier work situations and no longer consuming to cope. I've been actively trying to find my own balance as well. But generalizing stoner -> loser is a harmful, limited, and ignorant perspective in my opinion.

Re: Younger cannabis users have reduced brain function, finds largest study yet

#162

Post by ghfhghg »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #137
bearjaws wrote: post #22

This is such an obvious problem to anyone who is above the age of 25. All of my friends who were real big into weed in high school are all pretty bad at remembering things, most work dead end jobs and are generally unmotivated The ones who started the youngest are in rough shape mentally. Every single one of my friends who still lives with their parents smokes multiple times daily. Out of all of them, only one is suc…

This whole thread is pretty funny to me, because from a group that generally prides themselves on being logical/rational and valuing the scientific method, it just highlights why anecdotes are generally useless in topics like this. Sure, this is just a forum, and it's not like many folks are performing experiments with statistical analysis on this topic. I just think it's funny how the language that people using impl…

You do realize that the comments in replies quoting with counter anecdotes is specifically to point out that anecdotal evidence is just that and nothing more?

I think you might have missed out on some subtleness.

Re: Younger cannabis users have reduced brain function, finds largest study yet

#163

Post by raincole »

iforgot22 wrote: post #90
ziddoap wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have plenty of anecdotes in the other direction. Perhaps there are other factors involved. Weed isn't going to give you a leg up in life, but it's not a guarantee that you're going to end up in a dead end job and live with your parents forever either. Painting it as such reminds me of D.A.R.E.

D.A.R.E. was right

One interesting I noticed is that the common sentiment online on "War on drug failed" is "so we'd better surrender to drug".

Re: Younger cannabis users have reduced brain function, finds largest study yet

#164

Post by AngryData »

ghfhghg wrote: post #98
userbinator wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know a few smokers (tobacco only) who lived into their 90s, and some of them were exposed to much worse in their daily lives when they were young (leaded gasoline, solvents, etc.), but I suspect those may be genetic outliers.

Definitely. Conversely I know someone who died young of lung cancer but never smoked.

To be fair lung cancer as the biggest concern to smoking was just the advertising boogeyman to convince people to stop smoking, the vast majority of smokers die from heart attack and stroke, not lung cancer. But telling some 14 year old kid that they might just drop dead at 55 of a heart attack isn't exactly convincing, to them that is old as fuck and just dropping dead from a heart attack sounds like one of the best ways to go at the time.

Re: Younger cannabis users have reduced brain function, finds largest study yet

#165

Post by [deleted] »

milkshakes wrote: post #118
bearjaws wrote: post #22

This is such an obvious problem to anyone who is above the age of 25. All of my friends who were real big into weed in high school are all pretty bad at remembering things, most work dead end jobs and are generally unmotivated The ones who started the youngest are in rough shape mentally. Every single one of my friends who still lives with their parents smokes multiple times daily. Out of all of them, only one is suc…

I believe that your perspective is harmful. I'm an accomplished staff engineer who has worked at multiple megacorps and valley darling companies including MANGAFANGA or whatever you call it and am highly goal oriented and passionate contributor. I started smoking weed at 13. I own multiple homes and live a well adjusted life with my wife. I support my parents and sisters. Without weed, I can get tunnel vision, or loo…

[deleted]

Re: Younger cannabis users have reduced brain function, finds largest study yet

#166

Post by Clent »

ghfhghg wrote: post #158
caminante wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Happy for you, seriously. Getting this subthread back on topic, the study defines heavy (or medium) use - i.e., the problem categories in the study - as 1000+ (or 11-1000 days of usage). Are you a medium-heavy user? I don't think you being an exception disproves the parent's generality that on the average heavy weed usage doesn't correlate with people in your position.

Based on the content of their post (started at 13, uses daily) they are WAY over 1100 days

It's 1100 times not days.

Anyone who smokes every couple of hours is averaging around 8 times a day and hits that in under five months.

People who do not smoke weed have no idea how heavy, heavy really is.

Re: Younger cannabis users have reduced brain function, finds largest study yet

#167

Post by ghfhghg »

AngryData wrote: post #164
ghfhghg wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Definitely. Conversely I know someone who died young of lung cancer but never smoked.

To be fair lung cancer as the biggest concern to smoking was just the advertising boogeyman to convince people to stop smoking, the vast majority of smokers die from heart attack and stroke, not lung cancer. But telling some 14 year old kid that they might just drop dead at 55 of a heart attack isn't exactly convincing, to them that is old as fuck and just dropping dead from a heart attack sounds like one of the best…

I did not realize that at all. Thanks for the info!

Re: Younger cannabis users have reduced brain function, finds largest study yet

#168

Post by j45 »

Could have something to do with brain maturation (including prefrontal cortex development) not completing until age 25-26 or so...

Seems plausible that cannabis and other things can have a less than desireable effect on the brain growth, especially for the will power, discipline, decision making, motivation that the prefrontal cortex provides.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3621648/

Re: Younger cannabis users have reduced brain function, finds largest study yet

#169

Post by theshackleford »

tombert wrote: post #112
SomaticPirate wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unironically, the superior tone likely has done you worse than a single joint.

No argument here, I'm definitely judgmental on this stuff. I probably shouldn't be, hence why I said that my hatred was borderline irrational. That said, I still find potheads completely insufferable.

> That said, I still find potheads completely insufferable.

In all fairness, they may find you equally insufferable. And to think, you’re not even a pothead!

Re: Younger cannabis users have reduced brain function, finds largest study yet

#170

Post by ghfhghg »

Clent wrote: post #166
ghfhghg wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Based on the content of their post (started at 13, uses daily) they are WAY over 1100 days

It's 1100 times not days. Anyone who smokes every couple of hours is averaging around 8 times a day and hits that in under five months. People who do not smoke weed have no idea how heavy, heavy really is.

I'm not sure what your are arguing here. Even if they are 30 they are well over 1100
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