Support NeoGAF

[Aquamarine]

I love how people jump to defend weed, I like smoking the stuff too but shot I wanna know what the side effects are. Sick of all this weed is a cure all bullshit. Just want the facts so I can decide for myself.

I agree that the weed promotion goes too far. Not necessarily just on GAF which is quite tame, but all around the Internet. Reddit's "/r/trees" particularly annoys me in how it glorifies weed smoking as if it's some kind of magical herb that can do no wrong.

Sometimes people forget that it really is a vice that can potentially lead to side effects and health problems.

I've seen desperate weed dependency from poor people that cripples their already meager income. I've seen anxiety attacks. And not to mention all of the shit that you ingest every time you inhale all of that smoke and blacken your lungs.

Still think it should be 100% legalised, though. It's BS how killers like Alcohol and Tobacco that lead to crippling addictions, horrifying cancers, and many destroyed lives...are perfectly regulated and legalised.

But weed possession? All it seems to do is send innocent people---especially poor black men---to prison. For virtually harmless activities. It's reprehensible.

This article is designed to scare people with exaggerated claims and conclusions to try and suppress the drug's proliferation and maintain its illegality. The fact that it has an agenda to fuel the paranoia regarding the drug is the real annoying part. I HATE when science gets manipulated like this.

 

[Jenov]

I'm sure everybody with a brain knows that using weed for non-medical reasons screws you up.

Well it's pretty obvious when we take a few seconds to research that this is true. But you have to realize where you're posting this.... tons of people on here who smoke it think it's perfectly fine.

Which... makes the first 6 words of your sentence the main kicker

 

[joelseph]

.

Smoking any combustible will increase your chance for cancer and upper-respitory issues. Vaping is different mind.

Negative

"Firefighters, who are exposed frequently to smoke, have been examined for long-term health effects (for example, cancer, lung disease, and cardiovascular disease) of repeated smoke exposures. The findings from these studies are not consistent or conclusive. Some studies show an increased frequency of these diseases among firefighters compared to similar male reference populations (e.g., male policemen, white males in the general population), while others do not."

https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/outdoors/air/smoke_from_fire.htm

 

[Hale-XF11]

I guess this is our yearly worldwide propaganda report on marijuana. Gotta keep that war machine rolling.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Well it's pretty obvious when we take a few seconds to research that this is true. But you have to realize where you're posting this.... tons of people on here who smoke it think it's perfectly fine.

Which... makes the first 6 words of your sentence the main kicker

Have you read any of the posts in here other than that one?

 

[Omegasquash]

Pretty sure grass is carcinogenic if you smoke it. Lots of things are carcinogenic. The point is that weed was vilified by lots of powers that were/be, getting innocent people locked up and ruining lives when there are other much worse things going on, and legal access to something that can cause way more damage.

It's grass. Gets you high. Control it, act in moderation and legalize. Watch that tax revenue pour in.

 

[Zombine]

Wait...isn't there some association between strokes and stress? I know my grandmother had hers after some severe family issues within my family. Shouldn't weed make you chillax? This just sounds like the right people being paid off to be honest.

 

[diamount]

Smoking and alcohol fuck with your health too.

But everybody with a brain knows that.

I don't think anyone disputes that. The people saying weed is a wonder drug without any long-term side effects need to shut up.

 

[joelseph]

Pretty sure grass is carcinogenic if you smoke it.

Negative.

 

[noobasuar]

I smoke weed everyday and I feel that I am probably healthier than most of the people in this thread.

Anyways people have been smoking weed for thousands of years so I really doubt we need much research to determine how safe it really is. I really don't give a shit. All of us sit on Gaf more than we should but we don't have a thread about how we should all stop sitting on the internet do we? We do plenty of bad shit on a daily basis. No matter what were gonna die.

 

[PhantomHound]

.



Negative

"Firefighters, who are exposed frequently to smoke, have been examined for long-term health effects (for example, cancer, lung disease, and cardiovascular disease) of repeated smoke exposures. The findings from these studies are not consistent or conclusive. Some studies show an increased frequency of these diseases among firefighters compared to similar male reference populations (e.g., male policemen, white males in the general population), while others do not."

https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/outdoors/air/smoke_from_fire.htm

Ok. then firefighters can stop wearing oxygen masks because there's no harm in smoke inhalation.

And that article basically says.. "Yes and no."

 

[Piano]

Too bad the federal government won't allow pretty much any research into marijuana so we can do common sense things like regulate THC levels.
Dumb.

 

[Omegasquash]

Negative.

You might be right, there. Granted the linked is from WebMD and it's 2005, but, it's worth examining.

 

[TopHat]

ITT: "Pot has no negative side-effects or risks... it's just good times!"

Come on guys, not even I'm arrogant enough to believe that. Everything has downsides and cannabis is no exception. Remember when smoking was the fun risk free rage back in the middle of the 20th century? Yeah...

 

[cackhyena]

Ok. then firefighters can stop wearing oxygen masks because there's no harm in smoke inhalation.

 

[PhantomHound]

ITT: "Pot has no negative side-effects or risks... it's just good times!"

Come on guys, not even I'm arrogant enough to believe that. Everything has downsides and cannabis is no exception. Remember when smoking was the fun risk free rage back in the middle of the 20th century? Yeah...

What about when people thought radiation was healthy for them and would buy irradiated underwear. People think science is never wrong today.

The thing you have to remember is that 100 years down the line, some people will laugh at our science and say, "what idiots."

 

[DizzyCaffeine]

So what about vaporizers and edibles? Totally safe??

 

[TheFatOne]

Ok. then firefighters can stop wearing oxygen masks because there's no harm in smoke inhalation.

You can't be serious? He posted the part about long term effects, and you turn around and say this stupid line. This is quite possibly the dumbest way I have seen someone try to rebut an argument in quite some time. No shit guys who are trying to stop a fire have to wear masks to stop them from the immediate effects of smoke. He wasn't talking about the immediate effects of smoke. Just an incredibly stupid argument.

What about when people thought radiation was healthy for them and would buy irradiated underwear. People think science is never wrong today.

The thing you have to remember is that 100 years down the line, some people will laugh at our science and say, "what idiots."

Holy shit you are serious. You are now two for two on stupid ways to argue, and I don't have the patience to fight ignorance and stupidity right now.

 

[noobasuar]

The negative effects are mostly negligible for the majority of people. That's why people say there's "no negative effects."

Marijuana is one of the greatest things on this earth so it's no surprise people always want to defend it.

 

[HereticJ]

Apparently I'm stupid for vaping right now.

...Oh God, no. Guys...


...it got me.

 

[Halo 2]

What's with the need to have an extreme unchangeable opinion?

When did debate become a fight instead of a method to improve knowledge?

 

[PhantomHound]

Holy shit you are serious. You are now two for two on stupid ways to argue, and I don't have the patience to fight ignorance and stupidity right now.

What is wrong with this second statement?

 

[cackhyena]

What about when people thought radiation was healthy for them and would buy irradiated underwear. People think science is never wrong today.

The thing you have to remember is that 100 years down the line, some people will laugh at our science and say, "what idiots."

Were those long term studies determining that radiation was safe for you?

 

[adamsappel]

I've actually heard from this one author guy that you'd have to smoke 5 joints in the 60's to get as high as one gets you today.

I've smoked stuff that I swear had to have something in it, but it was just that crazy shit from Southern Kentucky.

While this is true, most of the people who write such things assume that people still smoke the 5 joints. People tend to smoke only until they are sufficiently high. You might get really high, or really fucking high, but smokers don't have some set amount they are going to smoke regardless of effect.

And like besada said, edibles can throw even an experienced smoker a curve.

 

[Talon]

I was actually surprised to hear from my girlfriend while she was on her psych rotation that a lot of the attendings were pretty aggressively against legalizing it. Not for the reasons you'd think either.

They were saying that it's fine for end-of-term patients struggling with appetite or a few narrow depression cases, but that overall the idea that it's great as a painkiller is bunk and leads people to assume it's harmless.

The two items they were worried about - again in the context of psych - were:

1. Brain development. Particularly between the ages of 16-22.
2. Drug reactions. Marijuana fucks with...I want to say it was benzodialzipine, and it's a health risk in that context.

Anyways, thought that was surprising to hear about from a pure health professional setting.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

ITT: "Pot has no negative side-effects or risks... it's just good times!"

Come on guys, not even I'm arrogant enough to believe that. Everything has downsides and cannabis is no exception. Remember when smoking was the fun risk free rage back in the middle of the 20th century? Yeah...

Who said that?

 

[Karsticles]

I'm sure everybody with a brain knows that using weed for non-medical reasons screws you up.

Most of GAF is brainless by your metric.

 

[cackhyena]

I was actually surprised to hear from my girlfriend while she was on her psych rotation that a lot of the attendings were pretty aggressively against legalizing it. Not for the reasons you'd think either.

They were saying that it's fine for end-of-term patients struggling with appetite or a few narrow depression cases, but that overall the idea that it's great as a painkiller is bunk and leads people to assume it's harmless.

The two items they were worried about - again in the context of psych - were:

1. Brain development. Particularly between the ages of 16-22.
2. Drug reactions. Marijuana fucks with...I want to say it was benzodialzipine, and it's a health risk in that context.

Anyways, thought that was surprising to hear about from a pure health professional setting.

Yep, brain development is a big one, according to my wife. The average brain isn't fully developed til the mid twenties. Rolling the dice fucking with shit in those formative years.

Even though she has been to enough seminars and classes dealing with the ill effects of drugs on many levels, she still thinks the majority of them should be legalized.

 

[Wolfe]

Maybe he's talking about users having a higher chance of getting testicular cancer? That's been known for a while now. Oh right...lungs.

Except we don't know, until we're able to have a lot of research done on it over a prolonged period of time we can't say for sure what the effects are.

Does Smoking Marijuana Cause Lung Cancer? The short answer -- probably.

Probably isn't a very definite answer. Also the example you listed isn't a definite either.

Prolonged smoke inhalation of any kind can lead to lung cancer. So more in correlation to smokes bad affect on your lungs rather than the marijuana plant itself.

Still more studies need to be done in that area as well.

Except Marijuana has other substances that can and likely do effect the how and why someone does or doesn't get lung cancer from it, as you and I have said we need to do more research but that is extremely difficult when the government won't allow anyone to.

Also this article is kind of ridiculous given that it's rather obvious people can and will react more adversely to a substance that has had it's potency cranked way up. The problem is there is no regulation on pot at the moment and therefore little to no education for the general public on it's properties or effects.

And until we have more research done most anything anyone parrots about it is just hearsay bullshit, hell half the crap you can look up on the internet is all conflicting: it does cause cancer, it doesn't cause cancer etc etc.

 

[Fenderputty]

This thread makes me want to go home and get high after work and go on a hike on a trail close to where I live .

 

[BPoole]

Are these ailments worse that the ones experience by cigarette smokers?

 

[marrec]

.



Negative

"Firefighters, who are exposed frequently to smoke, have been examined for long-term health effects (for example, cancer, lung disease, and cardiovascular disease) of repeated smoke exposures. The findings from these studies are not consistent or conclusive. Some studies show an increased frequency of these diseases among firefighters compared to similar male reference populations (e.g., male policemen, white males in the general population), while others do not."

https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/outdoors/air/smoke_from_fire.htm

In the article you posted:

There is also the potential for chronic health effects from exposure to the components of smoke. Long term exposure to ambient air containing fine particles has been associated with increases in cardiovascular disease and mortality in populations living in areas with higher fine particulate air pollution. Frequent exposure to smoke for brief periods may also cause long-term health effects.

So no, you're wrong and your one sentence from one article does not prove you correct.

Try again.

 

[GaimeGuy]

Minors, and even adults younger than 25 or so, probably shouldn't be using marijuana. You're fucking with some of your brain's most important cognitive functions while they're still developing.

 

[joelseph]

In the article you posted:



So no, you're wrong and your one sentence from one article does not prove you correct.

Try again.

There is no pollution in a combusted plant.

 

[MMaRsu]

I'm sure everybody with a brain knows that using weed for non-medical reasons screws you up.

Really? Please enlighten me.

 

[joelseph]

Minors, and even adults younger than 25 or 30, probably shouldn't be using marijuana. You're fucking with some of your brain's most important cognitive functions while they're still developing.

I welcome anyone in here using this argument to back it up with some links. Please educate me.

 

[marrec]

There is no pollution in a combusted plant.

What do you think the smoke is composed of? Smelly air?

 

[GeordieMark]

Like others have already correctly stated, any substance is bad for you if you abuse it.

I think one of the biggest issues with weed is that smokers build a tolerance quickly, and it's easy to forget how strong a lot of the stuff around today is.

I smoked regularly, and fairly heavily, for a long time but stopped a couple of years ago. A few months after quitting I had a few puffs on a friends joint and I was seriously surprised how much it affected me. I was wasted. When I was smoking I'd have at least three joints a day to myself and it wouldn't affect me half as much as a few tokes did after a long break from the stuff.

 

[PaperFlame]

You're correct

I'm going to use this video for everything now.

 

[SillyEskimo]

I work at a hospital and the only diagnosis I have ever seen directly related to marajuina usage is cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome.

I think I code 1-2 of those a year, if that.

I've always found it's proliferative use among the psych patients to be a far more interesting statistic to track and possibly look into.

 

[Fenderputty]

Minors, and even adults younger than 25 or so, probably shouldn't be using marijuana. You're fucking with some of your brain's most important cognitive functions while they're still developing.

I remember the article you're using to base this piece of advice off of. It was all correlation. They didn't even know what the effects were. Just that an area of the devoloping brain was affected.

 

[dejay]

I believe pot should be legalised but I don't for one second think it's a harmless drug. I also believe LSD and mdma should be legalised but we should have proper discussions about them, the same as alcohol.

 

[PhantomHound]

Except we don't know, until we're able to have a lot of research done on it over a prolonged period of time we can't say for sure what the effects are.

Does Smoking Marijuana Cause Lung Cancer? The short answer -- probably.

Probably isn't a very definite answer. Also the example you listed isn't a definite either.



Except Marijuana has other substances that can and likely do effect the how and why someone does or doesn't get lung cancer from it, as you and I have said we need to do more research but that is extremely difficult when the government won't allow anyone to.

Also this article is kind of ridiculous given that it's rather obvious people can and will react more adversely to a substance that has had it's potency cranked way up. The problem is there is no regulation on pot at the moment and therefore little to no education for the general public on it's properties or effects.

And until we have more research done most anything anyone parrots about it is just hearsay bullshit, hell half the crap you can look up on the internet is all conflicting: it does cause cancer, it doesn't cause cancer etc etc.

This.

There's no reason to make marijuana illegal anymore. It's not the killer drug that the propaganda made it out to be in the 50s.

However, to everyone in this thread that claims there's no ill effects to using the drug, I still think there's not enough scientific conciseness for us to reach that conclusion.

The biggest problem right now is that the drug isn't legal so many of these studies are being carried out by "pro marijuana" and "anti marijuana" groups. Once we can get past that and actually do a real unbiased government research, we can start seeing if there are any long term effects to using this drug.

 

[Lkr]

Yep, brain development is a big one, according to my wife. The average brain isn't fully developed til the mid twenties. Rolling the dice fucking with shit in those formative years.

Even though she has been to enough seminars and classes dealing with the ill effects of drugs on many levels, she still thinks the majority of them should be legalized.

Europe has a young drinking age and a good amount of Americans are getting hammered in their teens. If the brain is still developing after 21, we might as well push back the drinking age or outlaw alcohol all together.

 

[CornBurrito]

I'm sure everybody with a brain knows that using weed for non-medical reasons screws you up.

And alcohol kills brain and liver cells.

Minors, and even adults younger than 25 or so, probably shouldn't be using marijuana. You're fucking with some of your brain's most important cognitive functions while they're still developing.

The same could and should be said for alcohol. But most cultures celebrate drinking.

 

[cackhyena]

I welcome anyone in here using this argument to back it up with some links. Please educate me.

Why not just google it? There's plenty of talk, and pretty recently about the affects of it possibly damaging long term brain functions.

 

[Lazyslob]

haha that was awful, but you KNOW the anti drug people will eat it up.

 

[wenis]

Apparently I'm stupid for vaping right now.

...Oh God, no. Guys...


...it got me.

I got you bro. I'l take the hit for you.

 

[Spider-Man]

Well it's pretty obvious when we take a few seconds to research that this is true. But you have to realize where you're posting this.... tons of people on here who smoke it think it's perfectly fine.

Which... makes the first 6 words of your sentence the main kicker

You are right, sorry if I offended anybody in this topic.

 

[QuicheFontaine]

Smoking any combustible will increase your chance for cancer and upper-respitory issues. Vaping is different mind.

Pretty lame to post this

Smoking Marijuana will give you cancer and other related health-risks.

So there's that.

without the additional caveat that inhaling any burning plant matter is bad. When you say "smoking marijuana" people read "smoking marijuana", and I'm sure you know that.