Negative effects of smoking forms of cannabis

liamygunner29

Saying any drug is worse than another is not really an intelligent way to look at it.

Why does there need to be a ranking? Surely the most important factor is the effect on the individual, which like personalities, which are unique across the spectrum so too are the effect of drugs. You can rank their addictivness but this while having many similarities due to addictive ingredients will depend on the user. These are substances that alter chemicals in your already chemically wired brain so the effects differ hugely

I smoked too much and now I'm not a major fan, it makes me paranoid and uneasy and if I smoke for a couple of days in a row, I am moody and irritable after it. Many of my friends are similar and our conversations turned weird and not nice, like being trapped in a cloud of fear and apprehension. I think you just grow out of it

Many of the still use other drugs recreationally, all young professionals and find little to no effect on our daily lives but as someone said, the effect of any abused substance will cause problems and so will these drugs.

Weed smokers get their back up because they have such a nice little rethoric going on that they hate to see people spoiling it but there is certainly a potential for negative reactions from smoking, depending on the individual.

Saying "I would prefer to see my friend doing a line on a Saturday night than smoking every day" is like saying I would prefer to see my friend eating a sandwich than going on a ski holiday.

Rory28

Laois6556 wrote: »

Hopefully we can get back to the topic at hand now.

So a lot of the harms of smoking cannabis has been pointed out. It's a dangerous drug, of that we have no doubt. Denying this is causing problems and will cause more problems. The lower perceived risk of cannabis has led to an increase in its use. America has seen huge increases in cannabis users in the past 10 years.
Legalising it here would be calamitous. People would think it must be ok if it's legal. We need to end this talk, it will cause major problems down the line. For example there was a 59% increase in cannabis related emergency department visits between 2006 and 2010 in the US. That's crazy.
I'm sure many people have seen how debilitating this drug has been to others they know. This thread is for people to share their stories about that. Hopefully media outlets tell the truth of it's dangers also.

Link for the cannabis related emergency deparment visits please.

mikom

Laois6556 wrote: »

For example there was a 59% increase in cannabis related emergency department visits between 2006 and 2010 in the US. That's crazy.

Debunked........

This statement is intentionally misleading as it wrongly suggests that marijuana use is a significant causal factor in an alarming number of emergency room visits. It is not.

Federal statistics gathered by the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) do indicate an increase in the number of people “mentioning” marijuana during hospital emergency room visits. (This increase is hardly unique to marijuana however, as the overall number of drug mentions has risen dramatically since the late 1980s – likely due to improved federal reporting procedures.)


However, a marijuana “mention” does not mean that marijuana caused the hospital visit or that it was a factor in leading to the ER episode, only that the patient said that he or she had used marijuana previously.



For every emergency room visit related to drug use (so-called “drug abuse episodes”), hospital staff list up to five drugs the patient reports having used recently, regardless of whether or not their use of the drug caused the visit. The frequency with which any drug is mentioned in such visits is generally proportional to its frequency of use, irrespective of its inherent dangers.


It is also worth noting that alcohol is by far the drug most frequently reported to DAWN, even though it is reported only when present in combination with another reportable drug. Moreover, marijuana is rarely mentioned independent of other drugs.

http://norml.org/library/item/your-government-is-lying-to-you-again-about-marijuana

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Also, Laois6556, please link your "stats" or else folk will believe you are just pulling them out of your ass.
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liamygunner29

I still think it should be legal because:

It is definitely not going anywhere and it ends up alienating people from society

I 100% completely and total disagree with people telling you what you should or shouldn't do with your own mind or body with your short time on this earth, once all the available education and resources exist for adults to make an informed decision.

I think the usuage would increase but I would also hope that the disenfranchised of our society would also be able to make their own decision based on the indivduals constitution to drugs, instead of being led towards drugs because they are on the fringes of society.

Laois6556

Rory28 wrote: »

Link for the cannabis related emergency deparment visits please.

http://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/un-report-more-marijuana-more-er-visits

VladToBeHere

FullblownRose wrote: »

I acceppt that there are people who are 'bad on' alcohol too but alcohol doesn't get any promotion as a curative, beneficial substance. It's the all or nothing promotion of cannabis that I find annoying and misleading.

Maybe not recently but there's years of marketing alcohol and even smoking as a "cure" for ailments.

Laois6556

mikom wrote: »

Debunked........




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Also, Laois6556, please link your "stats" or else folk will believe you are just pulling them out of your ass.
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Maybe not as big an increase but there's an increase non the less. That's irrelevant to my main point of the increase in it's usage because it's been painted as a friendly drug.
I provide links if people ask.

Rory28

Laois6556 wrote: »

Maybe not as big an increase but there's an increase non the less. That's irrelevant to my main point of the increase in it's usage because it's been painted as a friendly drug.
I provide links if people ask.

There is no friendly drug. The rise in marijuana related hospital while already debunked in a previous post could also be because the drug is no longer illegal so people are less hesitant to say they have taken it the same day.

Thanks for the link.

mikom

Laois6556 wrote: »

Maybe not as big an increase but there's an increase non the less. That's irrelevant to my main point of the increase in it's usage because it's been painted as a friendly drug.
I provide links if people ask.

Treated as a friendly drug in the Netherlands, yet look at what is happening

• Dutch citizens use cannabis at more modest rates than many of their European neighbors.

• Dutch youth report high rates of availability of cannabis, but not as elevated as reported rates in the United States and several other countries.

• The Dutch “continuation” rate for using marijuana from a causal experimentation in youth to regular usage in adulthood (ages 15-34) is fairly modest by international standards

• Past-year cannabis use among Dutch 15-to-24-year-olds dropped from 14.3 to 11.4 percent between 1997 and 2005.

http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/09/13/lessons-from-dutch-cannabis-system/

Laois6556

Rory28 wrote: »

There is no friendly drug. The rise in marijuana related hospital while already debunked in a previous post could also be because the drug is no longer illegal so people are less hesitant to say they have taken it the same day.

Thanks for the link.

It's usage has increased all over America.

Rory28

Laois6556 wrote: »

It's usage has increased all over America.

Its usage is already huge. It always has been. The exact number could never be estimated until it legal so saying it adds nothing to the debate.

mikom

I'll see your......

Laois6556 wrote: »

It's usage has increased all over America.

and raise you......

Ten years ago, Portugal decriminalized all drugs. One decade after this unprecedented experiment, drug abuse is down by half.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2011/07/05/ten-years-after-decriminalization-drug-abuse-down-by-half-in-portugal/

By the way, usage has been noted as increased in America as it is seen as more socially acceptable, so folks are coming out of the closet.
The same way that decriminalising homosexuality brought more gay people out of the closet.................. It did not create more gay people.

Laois6556

mikom wrote: »

Treated as a friendly drug in the Netherlands, yet look at what is happening

A lot of Dutch people are more embarrassed by the stereotype, they see it more as a touristy thing. It's unlikely that a similar attitude would be taken here and we know it's not in America.

mikom

Laois6556 wrote: »

A lot of Dutch people are more embarrassed by the stereotype, they see it more as a touristy thing. It's unlikely that a similar attitude would be taken here and we know it's not in America.

http://thepoliticalcarnival.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/grasping-at-straws.jpg

Rory28

Laois6556 wrote: »

A lot of Dutch people are more embarrassed by the stereotype, they see it more as a touristy thing. It's unlikely that a similar attitude would be taken here and we know it's not in America.

There was always going to be an initial spike. It will drop over time or at the least even out. Ideally people would replace the gargle with it. A lot of anti social behavior would be avoided IMO.

Laois6556

mikom wrote: »

I'll see your......



and raise you......



By the way, usage has been noted as increased in America as it is seen as more socially acceptable, so folks are coming out of the closet.
The same way that decriminalising homosexuality brought more gay people out of the closet.................. It did not create more gay people.

That link is about addiction and a reduction in problematic cases. It also says it's not all down to decriminalisation but to a confluence of treatment and risk reduction policies aswell.

No, usage has increased because it's been painted as a harmless drug. It's a very dangerous game.

Laois6556

mikom wrote: »

http://thepoliticalcarnival.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/grasping-at-straws.jpg

Well you want to put people at risk and try it out, I'd prefer if we didn't take a chance with people's lives.

Laois6556

Rory28 wrote: »

There was always going to be an initial spike. It will drop over time or at the least even out. Ideally people would replace the gargle with it. A lot of anti social behavior would be avoided IMO.

It would be an addition to our drink culture. If we legalised it we'd have two dangerous drugs commonly used. We are very different to the Dutch, they don't have huge numbers of underage drinkers either.

Rory28

Laois6556 wrote: »

Well you want to put people at risk and try it out, I'd prefer if we didn't take a chance with people's lives.

No ones life is in danger to weed. Their mental health is suspect but only in teenagers and as already stated they shouldn't be smoking it.

Rory28

Laois6556 wrote: »

It would be an addition to our drink culture. If we legalised it we'd have two dangerous drugs commonly used. We are very different to the Dutch, they don't have huge numbers of underage drinkers either.

I don't buy this.

Laois6556

Rory28 wrote: »

No ones life is in danger to weed. Their mental health is suspect but only in teenagers and as already stated they shouldn't be smoking it.

It can be dangerous for adults aswell. Of course teenagers shouldn't be smoking it but legalising it will give it an air of normality, it'll be seen as a regular thing to do, nothing out of the ordinary. More people are using it as the risks get downplayed.

Laois6556

Rory28 wrote: »

I don't buy this.

Well you don't know the Irish psyche then.

mikom

Laois6556 wrote: »

That link is about addiction and a reduction in problematic cases. It also says it's not all down to decriminalisation but to a confluence of treatment and risk reduction policies aswell.

It's called the evolution of civilisation.
You would prefer to keep everything underground.

Laois6556 wrote: »

Well you want to put people at risk and try it out, I'd prefer if we didn't take a chance with people's lives.

Again, you would prefer to keep everything underground.

I'll ask once more............ Tell me Laois6556, just before your life took a downward spiral as a teenager, did the bad man selling you cannabis ask you for ID?

Did you know what you were getting?
Was it fresh?
Was it traceable?
What did the ingredients listing on the side of the pack say the THC to CBD ratio was?

Laois6556 wrote: »

Well you don't know the Irish psyche then.

Tell me about the Irish psyche?

Rory28

Laois6556 wrote: »

It can be dangerous for adults aswell. Of course teenagers shouldn't be smoking it but legalising it will give it an air of normality, it'll be seen as a regular thing to do, nothing out of the ordinary. More people are using it as the risks get downplayed.

It is already seen as a regular thing to do. The Irish psyche? What is that?

Laois6556

mikom wrote: »

It's called the evolution of civilisation.
You would prefer to keep everything underground.



Again, you would prefer to keep everything underground.

I'll ask once more............ Tell me Laois6556, just before your life took a downward spiral as a teenager, did the bad man selling you cannabis ask you for ID?

Did you know what you were getting?
Was it fresh?
Was it traceable?
What did the ingredients listing on the side of the pack say the THC to CBD ratio was?



Tell me about the Irish psyche?

Where have I said the current scenario is fine? Adding to one bad situation with another is not the answer.

An addictive personality is common amongst the Irish, this is long known and proven to be correct.

Laois6556

Rory28 wrote: »

It is already seen as a regular thing to do. The Irish psyche? What is that?

No it's not. Drinking alcohol is seen as a regular thing to do, we don't need cannabis reaching that level.

Rory28

Laois6556 wrote: »

No it's not. Drinking alcohol is seen as a regular thing to do, we don't need cannabis reaching that level.

I think we are wasting each others time. You won't see it the way I do and I won't see the way you do. Good night laois man.

InTheTrees

Laois6556 wrote: »

Where have I said the current scenario is fine? Adding to one bad situation with another is not the answer.

An addictive personality is common amongst the Irish, this is long known and proven to be correct.

Cannabis is about as addictive as coffee so replacing the scourge that is alcohol with something far far less harmful is a good thing.

Its only a matter of time.

InTheTrees

Laois6556 wrote: »

It can be dangerous for adults aswell.

To who, the schizophrenics?

Much as they have my utmost sympathy for their plight, too much sugar is also bad for the schizophrenics.

How low do we have to set the bar?

InTheTrees

mikom wrote: »

Also, Laois6556, please link your "stats" or else folk will believe you are just pulling them out of your ass.

With the entire wisdom of humanity at their fingertips through the miracle of the internet you'd think the scaremongerers could come up with some shred of actual real published evidence wouldnt you?

With all the debate about it you'd think someone somewhere would have the numbers of deaths caused by it for instance if its so dangerous ?

Instead we have the hysterical opponents just looking at alcohol and saying "we dont need more of that", which makes no sense at all.

If they dont want more of that then they should embrace a safer alternative.

Lalealea

FullblownRose wrote: »

Anyone know what I mean?

Total personality change, one minute the person is your friend, they are themself and the next they behave erratically and seem paranoid and very defensive...feel free to defend smoing cannabis, but I'm really asking for input from people who have seen the negative effects on friends.

I am all for research into anything that might hlp people medicinally too.

I wonder if it is a bad reaction to the resin, and if most people are fine if they smoke the pure stuff?

I don't think teens should use it.

I don't personally.

People who refer to it in similar terms as drinking rarely use it as you would alcohol.

As in I don't think people should use it everyday. People need to remember if it is like drink it should be limited.

I know nice people who use it and don't behave like asses.

When you drink or take drugs you are still responsible for what you do.


I think a lot of drug users display the ignorance that severe anti drugs people do. They shut down the debate.

It IS a drug. It should be limited. And if you can't limit yourself that a problem.And if it makes you do things or not do things that you refuse or don't what to own to. That's a problem.

For some people it's not.

Same goes for drinking don't make a nuisance of yourself or cause trouble. A lot of adults use weed and don't.

Infact a guy who was clearly drunk started making a nuisance of himself on my bus home this evening. Being aggressive and just generally trying to start a fuss.

I wouldn't ever want to use drugs myself but there you go.

mikom

Laois6556 wrote: »

An addictive personality is common amongst the Irish, this is long known and proven to be correct.

If you care a jot about addiction then you would be screaming for cannabis to be decriminalised............

Ten years ago, Portugal decriminalized all drugs. One decade after this unprecedented experiment, drug abuse is down by half.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain...f-in-portugal/

Lalealea

I love it when a thread becomes an argument by two posters and they exclude everyone else.


Hey hey ...I have some controversial views on this.

I resent when people use it to bake.........i would think it RAPES brownies. Brownies don't need drugs to make them amazing.

suicide_circus

The most negative effect is that when you smoke it, you have less of it.

Hoop66

Lalealea wrote: »

I love it when a thread becomes an argument by two posters and they exclude everyone else.


Hey hey ...I have some controversial views on this.

I resent when people use it to bake.........i would think it RAPES brownies. Brownies don't need drugs to make them amazing.

I'd agree on brownies. Fudge is the way to go.

Laois6556

InTheTrees wrote: »

Cannabis is about as addictive as coffee so replacing the scourge that is alcohol with something far far less harmful is a good thing.

Its only a matter of time.

Replacing alcohol? What sort of fantasy land do you live in? It will be an addition to alcohol.

Laois6556

InTheTrees wrote: »

To who, the schizophrenics?

Much as they have my utmost sympathy for their plight, too much sugar is also bad for the schizophrenics.

How low do we have to set the bar?

I didn't mean just mentally.

Laois6556

mikom wrote: »

If you care a jot about addiction then you would be screaming for cannabis to be decriminalised............

You want all drugs decriminalised? Crazy.

mikom

Laois6556 wrote: »

You want all drugs decriminalised? Crazy.

I want drug abuse down by at least half:
I want the number of those who repeatedly used “hard” drugs and intravenous users to fall by at least half.
I want sexually transmitted diseases and deaths due to drug usage decreased dramatically.
Decriminalising in Portugal has yeilded all those results.
Show me concrete evidence that decriminalising has had the opposite effect elsewhere.
Otherwise you are just guessing.

See below.......

None of the nightmare scenarios touted by preenactment decriminalization opponents — from rampant increases in drug usage among the young to the transformation of Lisbon into a haven for “drug tourists” — has occurred.

Drug-related pathologies — such as sexually transmitted diseases and deaths due to drug usage — have decreased dramatically. Drug policy experts attribute those positive trends to the enhanced ability of the Portuguese government to offer treatment programs to its citizens — enhancements made possible, for numerous reasons, by decriminalization.

The data show that, judged by virtually every metric, the Portuguese decriminalization framework has been a resounding success. Within this success lie self-evident lessons that should guide drug policy debates around the world.

http://www.cato.org/publications/white-paper/drug-decriminalization-portugal-lessons-creating-fair-successful-drug-policies

And still unanswered............ Tell me Laois6556, just before your life took a downward spiral as a teenager, did the bad man selling you cannabis ask you for ID?

Did you know what you were getting?
Was it fresh?
Was it traceable?
What did the ingredients listing on the side of the pack say the THC to CBD ratio was

Laois6556

mikom wrote: »

I want drug abuse down by at least half:
I want the number of those who repeatedly used “hard” drugs and intravenous users to fall by at least half.
I want sexually transmitted diseases and deaths due to drug usage decreased dramatically.
Decriminalising in Portugal has yeilded all those results.
Show me concrete evidence that decriminalising has had the opposite effect elsewhere.
Otherwise you are just guessing.

See below.......




And still unanswered............ Tell me Laois6556, just before your life took a downward spiral as a teenager, did the bad man selling you cannabis ask you for ID?

Did you know what you were getting?
Was it fresh?
Was it traceable?
What did the ingredients listing on the side of the pack say the THC to CBD ratio was

This madman wants to decriminalise all drugs!!!! That's where this path leads, if we let one dangerous drug through the net then there'll be more to follow.

I've answered the second part before.

dont bother

Laois6556 wrote: »

This madman wants to decriminalise all drugs!!!! That's where this path leads, if we let one dangerous drug through the net then there'll be more to follow.

I've answered the second part before.

Laois, are you for real? seriously?

have you not copped that this countries government is out to take whatever they can get from us, in every way.

do you really think we should just go "ok, things are fine the way they are" or "unregulation is good" ... or REALLY what the reality of the situation is when it comes to drugs, is (and this is basically your stance from what i can gather) :....

"lets continue to allow vulnerable people, including minors, to purchase unregulated dangerous drugs from hardened criminals, because it's better that way, and while we're at it, let's punish these teenagers and vulnerable people by locking them up for buying a piece of a plant, into cells with rapists and murderers".


so that's your take of it, am i right there??

you prefer kids locked in cells with rapists, is what you're saying.

- because you do realise that's what's happening now, without regulation.

mikom

Laois6556 wrote: »

This madman wants to decriminalise all drugs!!!! That's where this path leads, if we let one dangerous drug through the net then there'll be more to follow.

Great reply.......... name-calling and backed up by nothing but guesswork.
Flying in the face of concrete evidence and with a grinning smiley.
You always know a poster is floundering when they break out the smileys.

*slow clap

Peist2007

Laois6556 wrote: »

An addictive personality is common amongst the Irish, this is long known and proven to be correct.

As opposed to the Dutch? Send me a link to this fascinating study.

Peist2007

Lalealea wrote: »

I don't think teens should use it.

I don't personally.

People who refer to it in similar terms as drinking rarely use it as you would alcohol.

As in I don't think people should use it everyday. People need to remember if it is like drink it should be limited.

I know nice people who use it and don't behave like asses.

When you drink or take drugs you are still responsible for what you do.


I think a lot of drug users display the ignorance that severe anti drugs people do. They shut down the debate.

It IS a drug. It should be limited. And if you can't limit yourself that a problem.And if it makes you do things or not do things that you refuse or don't what to own to. That's a problem.

For some people it's not.

Same goes for drinking don't make a nuisance of yourself or cause trouble. A lot of adults use weed and don't.

Infact a guy who was clearly drunk started making a nuisance of himself on my bus home this evening. Being aggressive and just generally trying to start a fuss.

I wouldn't ever want to use drugs myself but there you go.

I use it most days and am a lawyer working a 70+ hour week. What gives?

Peist2007

mikom wrote: »

I want drug abuse down by at least half:
I want the number of those who repeatedly used “hard” drugs and intravenous users to fall by at least half.
I want sexually transmitted diseases and deaths due to drug usage decreased dramatically.
Decriminalising in Portugal has yeilded all those results.
Show me concrete evidence that decriminalising has had the opposite effect elsewhere.
Otherwise you are just guessing.

See below.......


And still unanswered............ Tell me Laois6556, just before your life took a downward spiral as a teenager, did the bad man selling you cannabis ask you for ID?

Did you know what you were getting?
Was it fresh?
Was it traceable?
What did the ingredients listing on the side of the pack say the THC to CBD ratio was

Despite the above obliterating Laois's argument, he still tries to argue against facts. Waste of time Mikom!

DrGreenthumb

Maybe it's the lack of sleep talking but I think it would be a great idea to gate crash the water protest that's planned for Nov 1st and get to the front of the march with a giant legalise banner, have a buddy take a few pics and pass it off as they're there for the cause

edit to mod - if your going to delete my post at least tell me and the reason why

Laois6556

dont bother wrote: »

Laois, are you for real? seriously?

have you not copped that this countries government is out to take whatever they can get from us, in every way.

do you really think we should just go "ok, things are fine the way they are" or "unregulation is good" ... or REALLY what the reality of the situation is when it comes to drugs, is (and this is basically your stance from what i can gather) :....

"lets continue to allow vulnerable people, including minors, to purchase unregulated dangerous drugs from hardened criminals, because it's better that way, and while we're at it, let's punish these teenagers and vulnerable people by locking them up for buying a piece of a plant, into cells with rapists and murderers".


so that's your take of it, am i right there??

you prefer kids locked in cells with rapists, is what you're saying.

- because you do realise that's what's happening now, without regulation.

I've said already that the current situation is not good but I don't want to add an additional bad situation to it.

Peist2007

Laois6556 wrote: »

I've said already that the current situation is not good but I don't want to add an additional bad situation to it.

A bad situation in your opinion. Why are you ignoring the statistical evidence which shows you that your opinion on this is wrong?

Laois6556

mikom wrote: »

Great reply.......... name-calling and backed up by nothing but guesswork.
Flying in the face of concrete evidence and with a grinning smiley.
You always know a poster is floundering when they break out the smileys.

*slow clap

Honestly, I think most people would be laughing at you also. You want to decriminalise all drugs, you can't back away from that now.

Laois6556

Peist2007 wrote: »

As opposed to the Dutch? Send me a link to this fascinating study.

Look up the stats on underage drinking or drinking in general. Gambling statistics etc.