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When Adolescents Give Up Pot, Their Cognition Quickly Improves

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Re: When Adolescents Give Up Pot, Their Cognition Quickly Improves

#351
post #258

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not so sure. Many people get drunk every Friday or Saturday night for decades without developing alcoholism or ill effects on the rest of their life.

Even if you don't technically become an alcoholic, getting drunk once a week for decades will absolutely have ill effects on your body. This is medically inevitable.

Where do you get your information?

Re: When Adolescents Give Up Pot, Their Cognition Quickly Improves

#352

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, people are curious. Curiosity is a good thing and experimenting with pot is hardly dangerous. I smoked weed only two times in my life because I was very curious (living in the Bay Area, everyone was smoking it) but decided it's not my thing. I think it's natural.

If you're curious, you can try swallowing fire while you're at it.

What an incredibly dumb thing to say.

Re: When Adolescents Give Up Pot, Their Cognition Quickly Improves

#353
post #235

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>it's just natural that young people _experiment_ with drugs. Is it?

Why do you think it is so common for little kids to love to spin and spin until they get super dizzy? They are experimenting with altering their consciousness.

Therefore it's natural to experiment with heroin?

Re: When Adolescents Give Up Pot, Their Cognition Quickly Improves

#354

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that you have big financial interest from tabacoo (or other) industry that promotes consumption of X and on the other hand you have an under-budgeted health department that will try to spread information and make studies etc. So the average person will be tricked by the gigantic adverting campaigns... my point a person can't do a correct choice when big money companies have the intrest he does the wron…

It's funny you brought up tobacco, since it's a counter-example to your point. Somehow, even with Big Tobacco putting tons of money towards promotion and an under-funded health department spreading information, we've arrived at a society where a) nobody can deny that tobacco consumption is harmful (and be seen as sane) and b) tobacco consumption is declining (nicotine use may not be, but it's also not clear that nico…

>It took a few decades to get there, but it worked.

Better to count lives not decades though

Re: When Adolescents Give Up Pot, Their Cognition Quickly Improves

#355
post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>it's just natural that young people _experiment_ with drugs. Is it?

Yes, it is perfectly normal for people to experiment with substances when they come of-age. Chronic drug use is no joke, but at least half the people I know used psychedelics in their early 20's. Most people drink, and most people have used cannabis at least once. What isn't normal is demonizing all forms of substance use, without properly differentiating it from substance abuse.

>Yes, it is perfectly normal for people to experiment with substances when they come of-age.

Oh yeah? 13 year olds 'experimenting' by doing lines of coke seem normal to you?

Re: When Adolescents Give Up Pot, Their Cognition Quickly Improves

#356

Earlier quoted context omitted.

_alternatives_ to beeing bored

Where does marijuana suddenly not fall under the same characteristics as any other leisure activity? It's blatantly obvious some of the comments are speaking out of unbridled ignorance.

Well, if your definition of smoking marijuana is going outside, walking around, thinking about stuff or talking with friends, then yeah, it is also an alternative to boredom.

But when you finished the joint, you will still have to do something. And after the active part of smoking is done, the "beeing high makes you more likely be okay with beeing bored" still applies.

And I can promise you that I am not ignorant when talking about marijuana, and neither am I opposed to people smoking it for their enjoyment.

Re: When Adolescents Give Up Pot, Their Cognition Quickly Improves

#357
post #80

Maybe this is too reductionist but I once heard someone describe it as, "there's nothing fundamentally dangerous about pot, but one of its (often intended) effects is that is slows our engines down. And some of us need to be firing on all cylinders." School was a tricky time for me. I'm thriving intellectually now, but I was a C- student pretty much 4th-12th grade. I needed those cycles that pot would have robbed me…

One the other hand, people who feel like their engines are firing on all cylinders all the time (ie ADHD and friends) might find some relief in a drug that allows them to slow down and switch of their head radio while firing on only one cylinder...

But the normal treatment is amphetamines, isn't weed sorta the "opposite"

Re: When Adolescents Give Up Pot, Their Cognition Quickly Improves

#358
post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One the other hand, people who feel like their engines are firing on all cylinders all the time (ie ADHD and friends) might find some relief in a drug that allows them to slow down and switch of their head radio while firing on only one cylinder...

The problem with ADHD and friends cause is that my brain actually _doesn't_ fire on all cylinders. While I think I feel the same way as everyone else and I have the same cognitive ability, I don't have the energy to structure my work, complete it and keep track of things in ways other classmates/coworkers magically can. Cannabis certainly has a calming effect that could lower the hyperactivity component, but it doesn…

Yes, this is true. ADHD is caused by the frontal lobe "executive control" cylinder not being able to take control as much as it should.

Often low dopamine and noradrenaline levels are to blame. (L-Tyrosine on an empty stomach can help, if you're looking for a natural solution.)

Re: When Adolescents Give Up Pot, Their Cognition Quickly Improves

#359

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're curious, you can try swallowing fire while you're at it.

What an incredibly dumb thing to say.

Why is that? There is a world of difference between stating that young people are naturally curious, and stating that drug 'experimentation' (or 'experimenting' with some other dangerous activity) by young people is natural.

Re: When Adolescents Give Up Pot, Their Cognition Quickly Improves

#360
post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

AFAIK the smoke is still a cause for cancer.

So is the carbon on cooked foods. It's not good to breath solid carbon particles into your lungs, or ingest them into your body. But most people find it reasonable to cook food, because it tastes better. That's not to say that these aren't things people should be aware of. They should know this and it will help them make the adult choices they want (smoke vs consumables vs other methods). Just so you know, yes, smoki…

I am not a smoker so I do not know the details but isn't electronic cigarettes better because they have no smoke, the smoke is the main bad part? I may be wrong and tabacoo causes cancer even without the smoke?

If pot is legalized it should have same packaging as cigarettes that tells clear that smoke causes cancer, and also should tell all the side effects (because I see here on HN how good weed is, especially for creativity but the person is not mentioning all possible downsides)

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