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

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171–180 of 296 posts

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

#171
post #4

One aspect I’m curious about, especially given the younger cohort, is the causal directionality here - especially when I was younger, I knew a lot of people who were self-medicating with cannabis for things like anxiety and ADHD, which also have effects on working memory and executive function. I’ve known enough heavy users long enough that I do believe there’s long term cognitive effects (whether directly or indirec…

I've consumed far more than my fair share of cannabis, starting at age 19. I'm also almost certainly ADHD (according to friend who's a psychiatrist, but says I'm untestable), and have a meaninglessly high IQ. I've noticed that amongst very slow people, more _seem_ to have started smoking dope at a very young age (9 to 12). The idea that pot could be very bad for adolescents in particular is not a new one. I certainly…

How do you think those final stages of maturing would have been different for you?

I picked up weed in my mid 30s and now in my late 30s am a heavy user. Sometimes I take an edible and hack on a hard problem in the middle of the workday and it turns it into a fun challenge rather than a stressful endeavor. I think finding weed at this stage in my life has made me more introspective and certainly a better husband and person. I also quit drinking a few years ago and weed plus no alcohol has made my life immensely better.

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

#172

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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!

Probably true. I just noticed a strong delta of before and after when my friends in high school would get into weed.

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

#173
post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In 1998, a grant from the National Institute of Justice to the University of Maryland resulted in a report to the NIJ, which among other statements, concluded that "D.A.R.E. does not work to reduce substance use." [...] The evidence suggested that, by exposing young impressionable children to drugs, the program was, in fact, encouraging and nurturing drug use. > A ten-year study was completed by Donald R. Lynam and…

Kids didn't listen to it, but it was right. It painted weed and harder drugs as pointless and dangerous, which they are.

Ok. Personally I think weed saved my life.

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

#175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok, and I know programmers and scientists that used to smoke in college and are just as sharp as ever.

Yep, the effects aren’t permanent. It seems people choose to be scatterbrained for some reason or another. I do smoke ocasionally and that is very little as I don’t like getting the anxiety/paranoia effects and weed is very potent these days. I only do it to zone off creatively, gives me the childhood magic which dampens the day to day stress. All in all it is a very positive experience. I do see kids these days over…

Mix with CBD only strains, a 10% THC/90% CBD ratio is vastly different and doesn't give that anxiety/paranoia, in my experience.

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

#176
post #4

One aspect I’m curious about, especially given the younger cohort, is the causal directionality here - especially when I was younger, I knew a lot of people who were self-medicating with cannabis for things like anxiety and ADHD, which also have effects on working memory and executive function. I’ve known enough heavy users long enough that I do believe there’s long term cognitive effects (whether directly or indirec…

I've consumed far more than my fair share of cannabis, starting at age 19. I'm also almost certainly ADHD (according to friend who's a psychiatrist, but says I'm untestable), and have a meaninglessly high IQ. I've noticed that amongst very slow people, more _seem_ to have started smoking dope at a very young age (9 to 12). The idea that pot could be very bad for adolescents in particular is not a new one. I certainly…

I suggest seeing a neuropsychiatric specialized in ADHD diagnosis, there are tests that can be used to diagnose ADHD no matter your IQ, by for example looking at impulse control - you can be diagnosed with an IQ at the edge of testability, that is certainly past the meaninglessly high point.

It's true that it's more difficult with a high IQ, but looking at impulse control tests, variations in subscores, IQ-like tests to detect invalid subscores, attention direction tests, as well as your personal habits and talking to people in your surroundings/who you grew up with, it's very much possible for a confident diagnosis to be made no matter the IQ.

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

#177
Always known this. It's making people dumber. More work for me, I guess also qualified positions require drug tests.

Before you go "oh buy anxiety and adhd" I just had another full anxiety crying breakdown a few days ago, yet I manage without drugs.

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

#178
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is it a feature and not a bug?

Personally, I like it because it reduces the volume, both spacially and temporally, of the thoughts in my immediate working memory so that I can more clearly identify the pipeline of activity that I actually want to do (whether it's work or self-care). I think that this is the reason that people who are later diagnosed with ADHD so often use cannabis to "self-medicate". But it achieves this effect in a way that is su…

You work while high? What will you do when the bossman wants some pee from you?

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

#179
post #3

Show me a cannabis user without reduced working memory; it's a feature, not a bug.

Why is it a feature and not a bug?

dfs can go down one branch forever , bounding the max depth allows a more comprehensive traversal of base branches

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

#180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Weed is a drug. Drugs affect people differently. The question is: do you want to roll the dice?

This is true for all drugs, legal or not.

True, but with expert medical guidance you can often avoid unnecessary side effects or be aware of them.
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