I smoke pot. what are the risks?

[wise_mage]

I smoke por like once or twice a week. its something I enjoy doing but I dont know about the risks or the smoke and stuff.
I dont think its as bad as tabacco since there arent as many chemicals and I only smoke the equivaklent of perhaps at the most 3 cigarettes a week. anybody knows the negative side of this?

 

[PiNkMaGGiT]

Originally posted by wise_mage
I smoke por like once or twice a week. its something I enjoy doing but I dont know about the risks or the smoke and stuff.
I dont think its as bad as tabacco since there arent as many chemicals and I only smoke the equivaklent of perhaps at the most 3 cigarettes a week. anybody knows the negative side of this?

Dude I don't wanna get all parental on your ass but what may seem like a relatively harmless thing is ****ing you up. Believe me I know, I used to rather enjoy the smoking marijuana but there is NOTHING to be gained from it. For starters, it is a huge demotivator. If you ain't motivated to do anything how are you gonna pull them nice babes? It ****s with your memory and **** as well and the effects just get worse over time. Whats worse is you could get addicted. Once you hit that then you're in deep trouble.

Honestly man I don't wanna sound like a teacher from school or anything, I'm only 17, but there isn't anything to be gained from pot. I've done so much research on this stuff its not funny. Nothing good. All bad. Please just take my word for it cause I couldn't be bothered going into the details. (See that residual lack of motivation right there )

 

[Reto]

When I was in my teens(20 yrs ago), I smoked everyday. I mean every day. (from 14 til 19 or 20) I finally quit when I went into the Army.

When I quit, it seemed like my IQ went up 30 points. I gained more energy and motivation. I realized I actually had a brain. But that's just me.

I have friends who continued, went to college, and still smoke on occasion. It's thier way to relax.

I believe everything in moderation. But, pot is (unfortunatly) illegal. Look at it this way;

You can get fired or not hired for a positive piss test.

If you get hurt on the job and you test positive, you will be denied Worker's Compensation benefits.

Of course there's the chance of getting busted.

Personally, I don't think the health benefits are worse than alcohol, cigarettes, or even being a fat ass couch potatoe.

I look at it this way, I need my job. A little buzz is not worth it.

 

[enkai]

I think that weed is a god given plant to humans...What other thing in nature makes you feel so good by just inhaling it?...No don't come at me with *****, and other drugs, weed is the ideal drug of choice for relexation. Even tho I didn't smoke in about a year

 

[Reto]

It effects people differently. Now adays, it make me more nrevous and paranoid than relaxed.

Now a few beers and a cople of hits...that's a different story...

 

[FlyGuy]

Been doin it for a while (a year or so), so far it hasn't demotivated me or messed with my memory. I am busier and in better shape now than I every have been. Not to say that it won't eventually catch up to me... just know the risks and make your own decision. The risks are obvious - you can get busted, fired, or have some health problems down the road. Even casual use increases your risk of throat/lung cancer. It may not be as bad as cigarettes but who are we kidding? We are burning something and inhaling the fumes. That's not what our lungs were designed for. But hey, we all have free will. Use it, and be ready to deal with any repercussions.

 

[Reto]

Everything in moderation...

My Dad died of Emphasema (sp). He smoked most of his life. He was really upset one day and said "look what I did to myself".

I told him that he lived his life the best he could. Yes, he could have not smoke, not drank, ate only health food. But what kind of life would that be? You've got to live your life and enjoy it.

Dad died when he was 73. I know he partied his arss off. He enjoyed his life. Hell, we could all get hit by a truck tomorrow.

Live life.

Everthing in moderation...

 

[Ded_Skin_Mask13]

yeah

 

[FlyGuy]

"One thing that has been pissing me off extremely is those Anti-drug commercial talking about those who sell drugs are supporting terrorism...BULLS1t!!"

LOL, yeah I know - its crazy how misinformed people really are about the green stuff. You know, if they would legalize it then we wouldn't HAVE to buy it from dealers thus possibly supporting terrorists (pfft!). Didn't they learn with alcohol that prohibition is just plain retarded? Lets see, should the government spend 6 billion dollars a year trying to combat a relatively harmless drug or should they legalize it and make money off of it while at the same time drying up funding for crime lords? Fvcking dumbasses.

Yeah you're definitely right though - if you're gonna smoke it stay active. Don't be another poster boy for the whole "I was gonna clean my room, but I got high" attitude. Work hard, play hard, moderate, live well...

 

[Big N]

To address the last two guys who posted:

75% of the world's opium is grown in Afghanistan.
80% of the world's cocaine is grown in Colombia.

The terrorism thing doesnt refer to the dealers, it refers to the places where the stuff is grown. When you buy cocaine, you support drug lords in Colombia. These drug lords then use your money to traffick arms. These arms are then used to supply terrorists.

In something like 2/3 of crimes in America, the criminal was high and/or drunk while committing the crime.

 

[FlyGuy]

We're not talking about opium or cocaine...

And yes, I know what those commercials *claim*. I also know that more than 60% of marijuana is supposedly grown inside the United States. Either way it doesn't matter much... when you buy illegal drugs you are pumping money into a black market controlled by criminals. That's the bottom line. HOWEVER, if the government would simply get their heads out of their a$ses and legalize it that wouldn't be a problem. You don't want us giving money to drug lords? Make drugs legal, and control them! Obviously drugs are not going away, the war on drugs has been less successful than the war on terrorism.

Also, don't even try to convince me that weed turns you into a criminal. Alcohol is BY FAR more inhibiting than weed and nobody seems to have a problem with that. I can personally say that I've never gotten into a fight or done anything I regret while high (except maybe eaten a little bit too much pizza hehe), although I have gotten into fights and done a LOT of things I regret as a result of getting drunk.

 

[imnexthere]

75% of the world's opium is grown in Afghanistan.

Good point about the terrorism thing but it holds less water when talking about pot. Most pot is grown within the US.

 

[Soshyopathe]

Essentially 100% of marijuana addiction cases end in depression. It will take a while, in upwards of 30 years, when the pot starts having zero effect and you are forced through severe withdrawel including depression. Either you suffer through it and become pot-free or you move on to a harder drug. Aside from making you stupid and worthless, there are dangers down the road if you never make the decision to stop.

 

[Beatnik_666]

I think that weed is a god given plant to humans...What other thing in nature makes you feel so good by just inhaling it?...No don't come at me with *****, and other drugs, weed is the ideal drug of choice for relexation. Even tho I didn't smoke in about a year

=) amen. Opium makes you feel very good on inhalation.... depending on how often you do it though, withdrawl can be a *****.

Essentially 100% of marijuana addiction cases end in depression. It will take a while, in upwards of 30 years, when the pot starts having zero effect and you are forced through severe withdrawel including depression. Either you suffer through it and become pot-free or you move on to a harder drug. Aside from making you stupid and worthless, there are dangers down the road if you never make the decision to stop.

The keyword here being addiction. Addiction to pot, compared to other substances is fairly low... i believe salt has been shown to be more addictive then pot. I would love to see where you got the upwards of 30 years statistic from... Depression can also be a sign of withdrawl from co-dependency, Television, alcohol... depression is a part of life, deal with it.

As for the moving onto a harder drug.... 99.9% of all crack addicts have used coffee!!! we should ban it! those damn gateway drugs! lol, i believe people simply move on because they dont believe the crap the government tells them about drugs, "Hey if they lied about pot, they must of lied about speed too..."

I have smoked pot for the last 7 years, and i have never become stupid or worthless.... nor have i suffered depression, i can smoke everyday and then have 7 months without. As with all things in life its a matter of moderation, not moderation in terms of your friends intake, but your own personalised moderation. If it's impacting your life negatively, then dont do it. I have never, and i mean NEVER payed for pot. This means i dont smoke that often and when i do, i dont smoke much. This mild-creative buz impacts on my life in a positive way.

Drugs are simply a dessert, "Finnish all of your life or you cant have any purple sticky punch"....

Personally i have more dislike of people that spend 6 hours a day watching television..

 

[DarkSideOfTheMind]

I keep seeing the word ADDICTION used in this thread and its really bothering me. Biologically, there is no physical dependency created by the active chemicals in marijuana, period. There is a small chance of psycological addiction, but again due to our amazing bodies gift of tolerance that actuality is very low as well. Basically anyone who says they are addicted, is lying, because the biology of homo sapiens and the cannabanoids in marijuana do NOT have a synergystic effect.

In terms of those horrible effects I keep hearing about as well, will someone please delineate them, instead of just throwing out some phrase like "I don't want to go through them." Develop an argument with points to back it up, not vague unspecific refrences.

Finally, How many who have commented on negative effects have had alcohol, caffeine, sugar, nicotene, or ever sat in a smokey bar? In terms of the overall health of your body, each one of those things has been clinically shown to produce more harmfull effects than smoking marijuana. Now do not get me wrong, marijuana is illegal in the U.S. and many other countries, so don't do it, the legal ramifications are horrible, but as far as your biology is concerned, its better than what most of the country wakes up to....A large coffee with 3 sugars please!

--What did you dream.....It's all right, we told you what to dream--

 

[Big N]

Ok. You want it you got it.

Side effects of marijuana:

- enhanced cancer risk
- decreased testosterone levels in men
- increased testosterone in women
- lower sperm count and an increase in defective sperm
- increased risk of infertility in women
- diminished or extinguished sexual pleasure
- psycological dependence requiring more of the drug to get the same effect
- changes in the brain similar to changes caused by other abused drugs
- nervous system is suppressed
- respiratory problems similar to those of tobacco users
- bronchitis
- levels of tar & carbon monoxide are 3-5 times greater per blunt, regardless of the THC content
- skills related to attention, memory, and learning are impaired more than 24 hours after use

(source: http://www.drug-sideeffects.com/marijuana.htm)

Doesn't sound that bad, really.

but as far as your biology is concerned, its better than what most of the country wakes up to....A large coffee with 3 sugars please!

Here's what you get with your large coffee:

lower risk of
- colon cancer (40%)
- gallstones (45%)
- cirrhosis of the liver (80%)
- Parkinson's Disease (50-80%)
- asthma (25%)

- coffee is nonaddictive
- over 19,000 studies related to caffeine/coffee have been conducted, and the FDA considers it "generally recognized as safe." (I agree that this might be influenced slightly by politics).

EDIT - Source: http://www.myfit.ca/archives/viewanarticle.asp?table=supplements&ID=18

Anyways, I think the pot smokers on here should have been the ones to list all the side-effects, since it is your responsibility to know them before you smoke up. But, since you guys were getting fiesty I saved you the trouble.

 

[Soshyopathe]

Yeah beatnik, talk to an addiction medicine specialist down at the rehab. After years of marijuana use, the drug abruptly will have no effect one day, and it immediately leads to depression. 100% of all cases, as long as you wait long enough for it to take effect. Of course, 100% of all people die if you wait long enough, but you know what I'm saying.

BTW, judging your own worthlessness may contradict third party opinion.

All this arguing is arbitrary. We all know potheads, and those of us who aren't don't like the looks of it. Those who can do it and still be productive and unaddicted, more power to you. But just look at the numbers and statistics on your average billy pothead. It's not the greatest of lifestyles.

 

[Green Curse]

im sorry to say this but most of the anti - pot posts here are stupid.
i smoke pot every day (i grow it so i have an easy supply) and i can honestly say that there is no benefits per se other then affects themselves.
yes it is true that there is more tar (3 - 5 times) however there are less cancer causing agents such as carcogens. it is also true that there is over i think 200 unknown chemicals present in marijuana but IMO it is much less harmful then tobacco especially considering cigarettes have so much **** in em such as lighter fuel, paint peeler, white ant poison and much more.

Lets face it you'd have to be stupid not to realize that yes there are health risks and problems your inhaling smoke for crying out loud!
Marijuana does NOT make you "stupid" it can make you feel groggy and less energetic however these affects usually go away after a few days.
Marijuana is NOT addictive in any medical sense of the word but can be very habbit forming and can become hard to stop if you use it for emotional problems (which is not recommended).

the sale of marijuana does support the underground however this is because of the laws and not the drug.
Marijuana IS a gateway drug, this once again is because of the laws --- once people go to a dealer and buy an enjoyable substance without much worries they are tempted to do it again but unfortuantely other drugs are much much worse.

Marijuana is generally not a socially disturbing drug because most people get stoned sit and watch tv. alcohol on the other hand puts you at MUCH greater risk of being violent, stupid or dangerous.

In my opinion you should inform yourself and listen to the most unbias information you can.
Understand what you are putting in your body for more information i suggest you visit www.marijuana.com

P.S. Marijuana is fun but always keep check of yourself and if you dont feel the need to do it your better off not doing it, but if you do just dont let it affect others and no one can give you **** for it!

 

[dirt]

One of my girlfriends is reading over my shoulder and wanted me to let her post:

Hey guys. Take it from a hot, successful, intelligent girl. We don't want potheads. In fact, I'd never even date one. Sure there are girls out there that would love to get high with a guy, but I question their integrity.

Want a loser girl? Keep smokin' and being a loser.
Want a great girl? Push yourself to be something better.

 

[FlyGuy]

So you think that smoking pot automatically makes you a loser. Congratulations on following stereotypes and government propaganda. Weed is a fun recreational drug like alcohol, yet nobody disses a guy for going out every weekend with his buddies for shots.

Still, I know about the negative connotation society has regarding pot. Why should it bother anyone, aside from the fact that it is illegal? If used in moderation it is much less impairing than, say, alcohol. As stated, it has not impaired my mental abilities or productivity. *shrug* But lets not beat a dead horse, I won't change your mind...