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U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: Marijuana Use and the Developing Brain

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Re: U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: Marijuana Use and the Developing Brain

#321

Post by chillwaves »

yodsanklai wrote: post #163

I have a very close friends who has been smoking cannabis daily since he was 15 years old. We are both in our 40s now. I have the feeling he is quite fast thinking and that he has better memory than me. That being said, he isn't a happy person, his whole life revolves around cannabis and it seems he missed so many things in his life because of that. It's pretty sad actually. He's aware of it, but it's such a central…

> his whole life revolves around cannabis and it seems he missed so many things in his life because of that

Any examples?

Just imagine if you made the same statement about someone smoking cigarettes. And with vaping now, both bad habits are pretty discreet.

Re: U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: Marijuana Use and the Developing Brain

#322

Post by chillwaves »

anon9001 wrote: post #186
yodsanklai wrote: post #163

I have a very close friends who has been smoking cannabis daily since he was 15 years old. We are both in our 40s now. I have the feeling he is quite fast thinking and that he has better memory than me. That being said, he isn't a happy person, his whole life revolves around cannabis and it seems he missed so many things in his life because of that. It's pretty sad actually. He's aware of it, but it's such a central…

It's a subculture. Being a pothead is culturally very similar to being a gun nut. If you take a restricted or poorly understood item that provides enjoyment but is a bit taboo, and give people space to modify/grow/experiment/etc with it, it's spawns a subculture and people associate their identity with it. It happens with hackers too, and porn, and weird nicotine vape culture, and I'm sure many other things.

People identify with their hobbies and their consumption habits (music, movie tastes), or the things they own (car, house, electronics).

I'm not seeing how the pot culture is especially destructive compared to say, binge watching Netflix.

Re: U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: Marijuana Use and the Developing Brain

#323

Post by Medicalidiot »

MiroF wrote: post #268
Medicalidiot wrote: post #192

THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) activates cannabinol receptors in one's brain whenever they smoke cannabis. These receptors are responsible to stimulating hunger (why you get munchies) but they also stimulate something called long term depression, which is the process by which your brain forgets memories. The effects take years to decades for anything significant enough to precipitate. Now, I'm not against smoking cannabi…

Source? I would love to be fully informed but I don't think the science is nearly as settled as you are making it out to be

I was going off my undergraduate neuroscience course when I asked my professor who has his doctorate in neurophysiology about long term cannabis use. Looking at Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-term_effects_of_cannabis#...) you're right that it's fairly inconclusive and there may be some cofounding variables at play which are preventing us from assigning a firm sequela. Active cannabis users will have memory deficits.

Re: U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: Marijuana Use and the Developing Brain

#324

Post by dijksterhuis »

lawnchair_larry wrote: post #314
dijksterhuis wrote: post #313

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with what you’re saying, factually. I completely disagree with the way you’re saying it unfortunately. The important point to remember is that addicts already punish themselves waaaaaaaaay more than anyone in the real world ever could. Like, in my own experience, it’s like having a spade in my head that constantly smashes me in my face me every few minutes. It’s absolutely punishing. I genuinely thought I was…

To be clear, are you saying nobody is a deadbeat? And anyone avoiding responsibility is a victim of something? Some might be, but 100% are? I find this view of the world very naive. Weed isn’t the reason that someone isn’t taking care of their wife and kids. There could be many reasons, perhaps some legitimate and some not so legitimate. But the reason is never that the weed got a hold of them like people unfamiliar…

Not at all. I was well on my way as a deadbeat before this recovery I’m now in. My point was that being referred to as a deadbeat would incite those 4 points above in varying forms and make me much less willing to seek help.

And no. I’m not a victim of any massive trauma (I’m guessing that’s what you mean), came from a decent enough middle class family. So not all addicts are a victim of anything - except the disease.

And, to be clear, whilst I was avoiding responsibility throughout active addiction, I was avoiding reality far more. That is by far the bigger problem.

Weed can totally be the reason why someone doesn’t look after their wife and kids. I’ve caused the exact same problems in my own life! Just because _most_ people can smoke weed fine, doesn’t mean some people don’t completely screw up their lives with it.

Weed is like the beer of the drugs world. An alcoholic will still ruin lives even if they can only drink beer. It’s what I’ve done!

FYI, hash was one of my main drugs of choice (alongside cocaine and alcohol).

...

So this is probably most important thing for anyone related/involved to/with an addict to understand. And I actually came back to add this to the above when I started rethinking about what you said:

SET BOUNDARIES/LIMITS, DO NOT GET INVOLVED IN DRAMA AND DO NOT WAIVER.

Protect yourself first. Then be compassionate/helpful (not overflowing with sympathy, that’s not compassion) when it is appropriate.

Getting involved in my drama is like crack for me. “Attention from other people, yeeesssssss!!!”

An addict rarely asks for help honestly. When it happens (honestly), there’s always something different about how I would be asking. It’s at those moments when I was totally desperate that the magic could happen.

It doesn’t always work out, unfortunately. But they are the only opportunities where I’d be willing listen to other people and maybe, just maybe, be willing to change.

And those moments are where the compassion pays absolute dividends.

At least that’s my experience.

Patience, firm and consistent boundaries, and then compassion as and when applicable.

...

On a personal note, the whole thing sounds super rough. Maybe not hell, but still rough.

It’s a horrible disease to live with - as an addict and as someone who cares about an addict.

My thoughts are with yourself, your extended family and the husband.

Re: U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: Marijuana Use and the Developing Brain

#325

Post by meiraleal »

decoyworker wrote: post #305
meiraleal wrote: post #188

I smoke heavily for 10 years and if I could say something about the cognitive changes, it was for better. I learnt two foreign languages, more programming languages that I can count with one hand and got out of depression by means of self-awareness and meditation after a joint. Weed+Youtube surely is harmful, but so it is only Youtube (with less fun).

So if you did not smoke you would not have accomplished those things?

I accomplished a lot of things before smoking, so at least I kept the rate, but by comparison, I improved, both in results and especially caring less about money and stuff. Not coincidentally, today I save 80% of what I make monthly.

Also, important to note that I started smoke weed after I got financially broke because of a failed startup. That was also when I got depressed, and against all odds and people's opinion, weed helped me get back on track. Every person has a personal experience, but I can tell to the people that ask me at least one great experience about starting smoking weed.

Re: U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: Marijuana Use and the Developing Brain

#326

Post by ulisesrmzroche »

dkersten wrote: post #302
o-__-o wrote: post #259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You get addicted to dopamine release, not weed. Nicotine has addictive properties. Opioids have addictive properties. No one has ever sucked dick for a dimebag.

po-tay-toes po-tah-toes If weed gives you the dopamine release that you're addicted to, then there's no real difference to the user. There are also other mental reasons to get addicted, eg, to the escape from a stressful or unfulfilling or depressing reality. When taking opioids you are also addicted to a dopamine release, just because it affects that more directly doesn't really mean much beyond that the addiction h…

You don’t even know what opioids do, do you?

Hint; it’s the withdrawal.

Re: U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: Marijuana Use and the Developing Brain

#327

Post by deelowe »

craftyguy wrote: post #272
deelowe wrote: post #248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That doesn't sound like what they were trying to say.

.. then please do elaborate/explain away.... FFS your comment is not at all helpful.

The OP added more context to their comment. Maybe go re-read? This has nothing to do with clinical depression.

Re: U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: Marijuana Use and the Developing Brain

#328

Post by ksaj »

meiraleal wrote: post #304
ksaj wrote: post #256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That doesn't apply in this case, because the causation is well documented. The developing brain can suffer various types of delays when thc or just about any other intoxicant is distracting said developing brain's ability to actually develop. Problems occur when the brain is too preoccupied in La La Land to develop optimally for the real world. There's a huge difference between the "thinker" and the "space cadet" whe…

Funny point: I do think that we have a better ratio of Carl Sagans/Tommy Chong in the universe of pot smokers than in the non-smokers universe. Maybe the tommy chongs that don't smoke are a little bit smarter, but they probably are more sad/depressed.

That's actually why I suggested Tommy Chong's character. In real life, he's a smart guy - which you can tell when he's interviewing, versus when he is in character.

He definitely understands the dichotomy, and as an ironic twist, has become one of the most successful professional potheads in the world. He's a thinker who is very good at emulating the opposite side of the Bell Curve.

Re: U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: Marijuana Use and the Developing Brain

#329

Post by ksaj »

sharadov wrote: post #184
graphememes wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Being in the bay area, I have witnessed what you expressed happen to many engineers since the legalization. They burn out quickly as well. They swear it's not weed since everyone else tells them that's all tinfoil hat stuff. It's very unfortunate.

That's profoundly sad. But I don't blame the drug, people need to figure out boundaries.

Exactly this, but also in terms of fats, sugars and caffeine.

Re: U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory: Marijuana Use and the Developing Brain

#330

Post by wysifnwyg »

yhoneycomb wrote: post #107
wysifnwyg wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you checked the math on the statistical analysis?

Really grasping for straws here

The way to contest evidence is to show that either: the statistical analysis has an error in the math, or that there is an issue with the scientific process used to obtain those results.
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