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

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

newatlas.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

211–220 of 296 posts

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

#211

Post by briansm »

notjulianjaynes wrote: post #202
somenameforme wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A cynical take on many governments embracing weed is Soma [1]. [1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soma_(Brave_New_World)

Brave New World is actually a utopian story told from the perspective of a weird shut-in who only reads Shakespeare and the Bible.

And in another drug-parable 'The Matrix', Cypher is actually the hero, advocating the acceptance of the blue-pill retreat into synthetic chemical fantasy as opposed to the harsh depressing truth of reality.

His failure ultimately leads to 'system failure' and the deaths of billions of adults unable to mentally deal with their expulsion from the dream-world.

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

#212

Post by Xen9 »

brailsafe wrote: post #91

I'm inclined to believe that there is fairly likely to be long-term negative health effects from cannabis use, but that the very obvious correlation many people in this thread can probably identify with their friends in highschool is just that, a correlation, for some reason or series of reasons. My friends who really got into weed at that time were absolutely addicted to it, and some of them I do believe let it affe…

I believe weed should be subsidized and sold so that you really must not be tricked onto buying it & cannot buy it when addicted solely for reason of getting more addicted without any other reason. Otherwise though, why restrict people from being dumb?

What's the opposite drug in the "South Park," senae? I would say methylphenidate+LSD makes one, not in simultaneous use, more acutely aware of need to do things.

LSD probably improves intelligence by increasing the fidelity of one's experience, which makes your subconscious dreams more capable of tying many dreams to a single place you have experienced, though childhood home is hard to beat. Made-up places and places one passed by but didn't feel with senses & are generic too much, DO NOT have as many edges in the directed causal graphs that are the associations through which our subconscious dreams switch from one to another, travelling on granular level one time every edge as we dream single time, "repetitive" dreams's loops actually also having subtle differences in betweenxt.

Re your correlation, if poor areas may have more accessible weed & lower education & more crime, and the exact causal mechanisms indeed require care.

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

#213

Post by interludead »

roughly wrote: 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 had a friend who was self-medicating her anxiety and bipolar disorder (as I understand it, she only found out about the bipolar disorder some time after she quit smoking). She was pursuing a bachelor's degree at the time and was highly promising in her field, according to her supervisors. But after six months of use, all her academic achievements turned into failures. Plus, during depressive phases, cannabis sometimes made her feel even worse. In the end, after a year of smoking weed, she quit because she realized it was seriously affecting her brain and abilities. And that she could end up completely screwing up her life.

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

#214

Post by cambaceres »

_yb2s wrote: post #157
Perenti wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 recommend getting evaluated for ADHD. Both drugs and non-drug management strategies can radically improve your quality of life. I don’t see how you can be “untestable.” There is no test- they interview you and other people in your life to see if you have the symptoms or not.

Living with attention challenges doesn't require a formal diagnosis to start implementing helpful strategies. I was diagnosed with ADHD ten years ago and while medication helped with focus issues, it came with significant side effects.

Instead, I adopted these practices: - Creating daily schedules

- Preparing essentials (clothes, lunch, gym gear) the night before

- Regular exercise

- Meditated daily

- Quitted weed

- Quitted porn

- Reducing screen time

After a while I didn't need medication for my studies and later my work. I believe that if I had continued on medication I would still believe that it was something wrong with me, which I don't anymore. I'm just a person that functions well when there is structure in my life (which I had not learned in my youth), and that's not a disability.

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

#215

Post by watwut »

ameister14 wrote: post #115
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.

You have a bunch of anecdotes where the only successful people from the same school and friend group are the ones that regularly smoked and still smoke weed? They have the best memories of the people you know? >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. Sure, and smoking doesn't guarantee lung cancer.…

I have anecdotes of them having good jobs and being successful. I do not have anecdote of them being the ONLY successful. Success wise, they are around the same as everyone else.

> Sure, and smoking doesn't guarantee lung cancer. It sure as hell makes it more likely, though.

And even with smoking it is possible to exaggerate health risks it poses. Just like you severely exaggerated marihuana risks.

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

#216

Post by cambaceres »

roughly wrote: 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…

"Self-medicating with cannabis" is such a stupid idea since cannabis increase ADHD-symptoms.

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

#217

Post by JohnMakin »

bsder wrote: post #29
JohnMakin wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

dang what about other people outside your sample size that did smoke under 18 and then became successful? what was your control group also?

It would be more shocking if cannabis didn't do this. Most adolescents who get heavily into any drug generally have issues--this includes alcohol and nicotine, as well.

Yea but what’s the cause here? maybe seeking substances is a symptom itself, and not a cause for the issues.

teen drug use is trending downward and i think thats a good thing so stuff being posted like this just sounds weird to me - as a teen “drug user” that now has a computer science degree, I’d say the kids maybe need a huff of something, they dont seem ok to me. of course thats just my anecdotal opinion, dont do drugs, of course.

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

#218

Post by interludead »

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…

And it’s not just about memory... It’s the whole motivation thing

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

#219

Post by interludead »

chris_wot wrote: post #133
milkshakes wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Weed is a drug. Drugs are tools. Weed makes things bother you less. It's obviously possible to take it too far.

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

It’s like playing a game where the best-case scenario is probably fine

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

#220

Post by poisonborz »

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…

This sounds like the "my granddad smoked like a chimney and lived happily to 92" argument.
Post reply on HN