Adverse effects of Marijuana Use

[Claire]

I know quite a few people who are having a really hard time of breaking this habit. It has now come to the point where they are at the wake and bake stage. It is a compelling lure that seems so happy and benign until you have done it and then realize that, darn, you're going to have to change your plans for the day because you no longer feel like taking care of that odious task or calling that office or leaving the house to drive in crummy traffic.
Personally I consider it one of my art supplies but I am not immune to its constant beguilement. I function just fine in life, thank you, but when it's been a habit certain types of things just do not get done.
I would recommend to anyone trying to lessen their use: get through your day and then enjoy, or pick a day that's perfect for it and reward yourself.

[Veeja]

Well spoken. I myself don't smoke if I have to drive. I go about my day and then come home and smoke. If I know someone else is driving i might consider having a toke. I don't smoke a hole joint either. I take a hit or two, and thats all I need. I think people who wake and bake have other areas in there life they are not feeling fulfilled. It's sad if you feel you have to wake up and put any drug in your system to escape (me it's coffee). You have to take Responsibility for your own life. No one else is going to do it for you. Don't get me wrong on occasion I'll wake up and feel like watching tv till I go to bed. I check out sometimes just to take a break and relax. But I don't let it run my life. TV can be an addiction. I'm not trying to make the people wrong that are going through there problems. I wish you the best. I'm suggesting taking a look at you and whats going on inside. If it's not marijuana it would probably be something else. Sex, cleaning,eating,shopping,tv,video games. The list is endless. Look at Tiger Woods and Jesse James. Is there cheating a sex addiction or are they just using it as an excuse for there behavoir. Whats next out lawing sex, unless you are trying to have a baby. Hmm! not a bad idea. Maybe we would not be over populating the our planet. Hehehe! Sorry about the Tiger, Jesse reference, I couln't resist.

I know quite a few people who are having a really hard time of breaking this habit. It has now come to the point where they are at the wake and bake stage. It is a compelling lure that seems so happy and benign until you have done it and then realize that, darn, you're going to have to change your plans for the day because you no longer feel like taking care of that odious task or calling that office or leaving the house to drive in crummy traffic.
Personally I consider it one of my art supplies but I am not immune to it's constant beguilement. I function just fine in life, thank you, but when it's been a habit certain types of things just do not get done.
I would recommend to anyone trying to lessen their use: get through your day and then enjoy, or pick a day that's perfect for it and reward yourself.

[someguy]

When I was at the dentist the other day, the hygienist said there was a very direct correlation between smoking of ANY kind and bone loss around the teeth. If you lose the bone, you may very well lose the tooth . Apparently the heat of smoking causes certain chemicals that disintegrate the bone tissue or something; frankly, I was trying to zone out. The gist was: smoking -- bad. He strongly recommends eating more brownies and puts that in people's charts! Also he can always tell the pot smokers because their teeth are usually greenish.

A dental hygienist telling people to eat brownies to prevent tooth decay seems laughable to me. Wouldn't the sugar and white flour do at least as much or more to decay your teeth than smoking a joint? I would recommend a vaporizer if this is a concern. Also, I have never noticed a single pot smoker with greenish teeth....

[TDDixon]

Very Interesting (Inte-Resting?) Thread. Giving us MUCH food for thought. I always found it a wondrous laxative when I was a bit constipated, but I was never aware of it affecting my ability to spell correctly. Hmmm... I'm reminded of the recent public service announcement on KRSH radio about the unbelievable things some folks try to do while they're driving. One woman exclaims, "I do crossword puzzles while driving! And I'm good at it!" LOL

What we all may at some point realize is that things are going to change in our lives from day to day as much as we are willing to allow them to by accepting the idea that we can be as free or as restricted as our attitude allows. Attitudes can be changed in us all if we are willing to grow in all the ways there are to grow.

Recognizing the need to change has to be associated with the awareness that the desired results would follow easily and naturally upon the behavior changes actuated by a shift in perception about the possibilities. Followed by the actions needed to incorporate the new attitude(GOOD HEALTHY!) about ourselves into our new daily regime. However that manifests. Let's all keep growing. Shall we?

[Claire]

Yes, that is ironic, however he was not talking about tooth decay, per se. I assume proper brushing and flossing can deal with sugar pretty well (?). He was talking about bone loss, a separate but related issue from the chemicals inherent in smoking. A vaporizer is probably the better solution, in many ways.

As to a "green" card or legalization, it's high time we don't live in fear of the bully structure that has ruled for so long. It's a slippery slope, but I feel we are headed in the right direction, although bringing in the corporations for something that so many use as a consciousness-raising aid (yeah, yeah, I know) is absurd. For now, if allowing people to peaceably grow their own herb puts the Mexican Mafia and co. and their guns, murder and environmental degradation out of our National Forests, then I'm all for it.

We'll deal with this issue as it unfolds or it will be once again taken out of our hands and into a new regime. We need to really watch it.

I've lost faith in so many areas of the system. It's pretty crazy these days and yet there's more magic, synchronicity and amazement than ever. Perhaps that's what so many people are looking for in cannabis: a little reassurance.

Good luck to all of us in our personal challenges. At least we live in Northern California, where progressive living is all around us.

and Hey! don't forget to Breathe!!
(cough) -- just kidding .

A dental hygienist telling people to eat brownies to prevent tooth decay seems laughable to me. Wouldn't the sugar and white flour do at least as much or more to decay your teeth than smoking a joint? I would recommend a vaporizer if this is a concern. Also, I have never noticed a single pot smoker with greenish teeth....

[Veeja]

I haven't seen greenish teeth even on a wake a bake pot head. Hehe! FYI, eating cannabis. If you have a problem with your liver, it's the worst thing you can do.Your liver has to process this. Cannabis is much stronger eaten. Vaporizing or taking a tincture under the tongue is best.

A dental hygienist telling people to eat brownies to prevent tooth decay seems laughable to me. Wouldn't the sugar and white flour do at least as much or more to decay your teeth than smoking a joint? I would recommend a vaporizer if this is a concern. Also, I have never noticed a single pot smoker with greenish teeth....

[paulswetdog]

I used to smoke, but had to give it up for calculus. No, seriously, I could not do my math homework. Well, I could try, and it was really cool to think about the problems, but I never could actually get all the way to the answers! That, along with having troubles navigating a small boat on SF Bay, forced me to quit.

That being said, I don't think it did me any harm, more than any other waste of time one can find. The video gamer is going to be just as useless as the pothead, since neither of them is "improving" themselves.

I have to think that the various recreational substances out there appeal to certain types of people, and availability is part of that. I never wanted to get into cocaine because the people I knew who liked it were scary, the potheads were always pretty mellow, the drinkers were mean. I think you gravitate toward the substance that fits your personality.

And being "clean"? I suspect its overrated. Part of our Puritanical culture, trying to force some sort of purity on us using guilt and pseudo-science. Think for yourself.

[Braggi]

... As long as folks grow their own marijuana at home i believe they are at risk for home invasions -- at gunpoint -- where the lives of all occupants of their homes are on the line.

I don't think "legalization" is going to change that. It is still easier to steal someone else's work than go to all the trouble to do it yourself. ...

If legalized, I think enough people will begin to grow small quantities of pot that the price will take a nosedive, as it has since legalization for medical use. There is now a glut on the pot market every year. A lot of pot winds up on the collective compost pile. I think this is a good trend. The less an ounce of pot is worth, the less likely someone is to do a home invasion burglary to steal it. Nobody would break into a house to steal gold if it was as common as aluminum.

... do you want to live next door to a marijuana farm?

I live out in the country and I'm pretty sure some of my neighbors have small farms. I'd prefer if there was less interest in their crops from law enforcement and the criminal element. Legalization will accomplish that.

-Jeff

[Braggi]

... Personally, I think that if pot is legalized then some of the taxes and profits should be used to establish treatment centers for those who do become addicted ... but will that ever happen? ... has it happened with nicotine or alcohol? ... nope ... they make their money and if they destroy you, well it's your fault mate, ... just your tough luck ...

Yes, a whole lot of alcohol and tobacco tax money is used for treatment and educational efforts. Do a search on it. I'm sure you'll find something. More efforts in that area would be welcome.

However, if every alcoholic were a pothead, if every tobacco addict smoked only pot instead, the harms to society would be orders of magnitude lessened. I'm far less fearful of a pot addict than I am of an alcoholic. I'm far less concerned for the health of a child in "the oven" if the mom smokes pot over tobacco.

I think the trend toward making tobacco more expensive and pot cheaper is a good trend and will benefit society immensely. I think most alcoholics will stick with their booze and that's a sad thing, but some will certainly switch over, especially if a "daily dose" is cheaper with pot.

It will be interesting to see how all this plays out.

-Jeff

[Kaya]

I'll take the side effects of Marijuana with pride. ( whatever they may be ? )
Cannabis is a healthy alternative medicine that comes from the earth and is not created by man. The majority of our legal perscription drugs ( created by man ) are poison and are far more dangerous to the human in many ways. I dont think you need to be a genious to notice family members, cousins or friends that have been eaten alive by a prescribed LEGAL DRUGS ( Including Alcohol and Ciggs ) ?? .. If you compare cannabis to the many other medicines out there it is clearly the best choice...Remember every medicine has side effects if abused...Kaya...

[decterlove]

i haven't used it since the early 1980s and frankly I could have skipped the whole thing 'cept I did really enjoy hashish, but there were some rather extensive studies done recently, and an article, I think, in the Chronicle about six months ago.

Turns out it is less harmful than some of us might have imagined but it can make depression worse, and personally I can't imagine being too good for eating disorders, or any liver/spleen/heart imbalances.

It made me soooooooo tired when I smoked it, and I do believe it warps people's thinking and sensibiliities but of course, many would argue....in a good way. I think it should definitely be legalized but also don't want to smell it in a movie theatre. And I think it does affect people's motivation.

Am I the only one who knows the adverse effects of Marujuana use? It's a free country, and I would use it myself if it relieved symptoms from chemotherapy etc. However, with the passage of the Medical Marijuana Initiative, and the possible legalization, the traditional barriers to the use of this drug are receding. There's a reason it's called dope. Cronic and long term use rots the brain, and clouds the clarity of our natural high.

[Veeja]

If pot gets any cheaper the grower will not be able to afford to grow. You'll be stuck with either buying from some big corporation like the tobacco company who will put chemicals in it. Or you will pay more and buy from a smaller boutique organic grower. Like wine. You get what you pay for. There will be cannabis tasting rooms. If they legalize cannabis imagine all the jobs it will create.
Trucking co.,shipping, accountants, Insurance, real estate agents who specialize in finding rentals for the cannabis industry, the list is endless, consultants, managers. it will trickle down to thousands of jobs in your community.

Yes, a whole lot of alcohol and tobacco tax money is used for treatment and educational efforts. Do a search on it. I'm sure you'll find something. More efforts in that area would be welcome.

However, if every alcoholic were a pothead, if every tobacco addict smoked only pot instead, the harms to society would be orders of magnitude lessened. I'm far less fearful of a pot addict than I am of an alcoholic. I'm far less concerned for the health of a child in "the oven" if the mom smokes pot over tobacco.

I think the trend toward making tobacco more expensive and pot cheaper is a good trend and will benefit society immensely. I think most alcoholics will stick with their booze and that's a sad thing, but some will certainly switch over, especially if a "daily dose" is cheaper with pot.

It will be interesting to see how all this plays out.

-Jeff