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HOW DOES MARIJUANA AFFECT THE BRAIN?
Biology 202
2004 First Web
Paper
On Serendip
HOW DOES MARIJUANA AFFECT THE BRAIN?
AKUDO EJELONU
Pot, weed, grass, ganja and skunk, are some of the common words used to describe the dried leaves drug known as marijuana. Marijuana is a cannabis plant that is "usually smoked or eaten to entice euphoria." (1). Throughout the years, there has been research on the negative and positive effects of marijuana on the human body and the brain. Marijuana is frequently beneficial to the treatment of AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, and chronic pain. However, researchers such as Jacques-Joseph Moreau have been working to explain how marijuana has harmful affects on the functions of central nervous system and hinders the memory and movement of the user's brain. The focus of my web paper is how the chemicals in marijuana, specifically cannabinoids and THC have an effect on the memory and emotions of a person's central nervous system.
Marijuana impinges on the central nervous system by attaching to brain's neurons and interfering with normal communication between the neurons. These nerves respond by altering their initial behavior. For example, if a nerve is suppose to assist one in retrieving short-term memory, cannabinoids receptors make them do the opposite. So if one has to remember what he did five minutes ago, after smoking a high dose of marijuana, he has trouble. Marijuana plant contains 400 chemicals and 60 of them are cannabinoids, which are psychoactive compounds that are produced inside the body after cannabis is metabolized or is extorted from the cannabis plant. Cannabinoids is an active ingredient of marijuana. The most psychoactive cannabinoids chemical in marijuana that has the biggest impact on the brain is tetrahydrocannibol, or THC. THC is the main active ingredient in marijuana because it affects the brain by binding to and activating specific receptors, known as cannabinoid receptors. "These receptors control memory, thought, concentration, time and depth, and coordinated movement. THC also affects the production, release or re-uptake (a regulating mechanism) of various neurotransmitters."(2) Neurotransmitters are chemical messenger molecules that carry signals between neurons. Some of these affects are personality disturbances, depression and chronic anxiety. Psychiatrists who treat schizophrenic patient advice them to not use this drug because marijuana can trigger severe mental disturbances and cause a relapse.
When one's memory is affected by high dose of marijuana, short-term memory is the first to be triggered. Marijuana's damage to short-term memory occurs because THC alters the way in which information is processed by the hippocampus, a brain area responsible for memory formation. "One region of the brain that contains a lot of THC receptors is the hippocampus, which processes memory."(3) Hippocampus is the part of the brain that is important for memory, learning, and the integration of sensory experiences with emotions and motivation. It also converts information into short-term memory. "Because it is a steroid, THC acts on the hippocampus and inhibits memory retrieval."(4) THC also alters the way in which sensory information is interpreted. "When THC attaches to receptors in the hippocampus, it weakness the short-term memory,"(5) and damages the nerve cells by creating structural changes to the hippocampus region of the brain. When a user has a high dose of marijuana, new information does not register into their brain and this may be lost from memory and they are not able to retrieve new information for more than a few minutes. There is also a decrease in the activity of nerve cells.
There are two types of memory behavior that is affected by marijuana, recognition memory and free cells. Recognition memory is the ability to recognize correct words. Users can usually recognize words that they previous saw before smoking but claim to recognize words that they did not previously see before smoking. This mistake is known as memory intrusions. Memory intrusions are also the consequence of THC affecting the free cell of the brain. "Marijuana disrupts the ability to freely recall words from a list that has been presented to an intoxicated subject."(6) For example, if a list of vocabulary words presented to the intoxicated subject and few minutes later, they have to recall the words that were on the list. The only words that they remember are the last group of words and not the words that are in the beginning of the list. This is an initiation that their memory storage has been affected. "The absence of an effect at short term delay times indicates that cannabinodis did not impair the ability to perform the basic task, but instead produce a selective learning and/or memory deficit."(7) I did a study with two college students (Student A and Student B) who both smoke marijuana every other week. This particular study was done an hour before, while and after they were under the influence of the drug. Student A was watching television before she smoked marijuana, was asked which advertisement was splayed before the show started and she got four out of five of her answers correct. After this first section, she smoked a small dose of marijuana twice within an hour. Fifteen minutes after she smoked her last blunt, she continued her regular activity of watching sitcoms. When a commercial would come on, I would ask her simple questions like what happened before the show went to a commercial break. Her responses would be macro-answers about what was going on but when I asked her what the main character was wearing, she did not remember. This was ironic because the protagonist wore a bright yellow suit that my friend commenting on earlier when the show began ten minutes ago. Her short-term memory is weakening because she was only able to remember big picture information and not small picture. Though the results are interesting, I know that I would have had different response on someone else because it depends on how often the user smokes and if they have good memory prior to smoking weed.
Marijuana also impairs emotions. When smoking marijuana, the user may have uncontrollable laughter one minute and paranoia the next. This instant change in emotions has to do with the way that THC affects the brain's limbic system. The limbic system is another region of the brain that governs one's behavior and emotions. It also "coordinates activities between the visceral base-brain and the rest of the nervous system."(8) I am now going to use Students B to describe how emotions are affected by marijuana. Students B is an articulate and well spoken young woman who has a troublesome relationship with her best friends which gets her upset and tense up. But after she smoked one high dose weed, her body was relaxed however, she had trouble formulating her thoughts clearly and would talk in pieces and was jubilant. It has been researched that a person needs to have high dose of marijuana would be in the state of euphoria. High dose of marijuana is measured as "15mg of THC can cause increased heart rate, gross motor disturbances, and can lead to panic attacks."(9) Thankfully, Student A did not experience any of these extreme examples.
College students usually smoke marijuana because they are stressed over schoolwork and feel that marijuana can help them unwind. I have encountered marijuana smokers who are chilled and have no worries in the world but after the effect of the drug wears off, they're sometimes capable to tacking their problem or at the original state that they were in before the drug. The effects of happiness that marijuana usually cause to the user is not a lasting effect because even though a user smokes weed to get away from the troubles of his/her own life, they still have to face these problems after the effects of the drug wears-off. In a survey with college student, an organization called, parents: the Anti-Drug interviewed college students and found that "compared to the light users, heavy marijuana users made more errors and had more difficulty sustaining attention."(10) This was evident through my second experiment with Student B but not everyone who smoke high doses of marijuana experience the same affect.
The chemicals in marijuana bring cognitive impairment and troubles with learning for the user. "Smoking [marijuana] causes some changes in the brain that are like those caused but cocaine, heroin, and alcohol. Some researchers believe that has changes may put a person more at risk of becoming addicted to other drugs such a cocaine and heroin."(11) To prevent such harm, one must be cautious of their actions. Those who do not do drugs do not risk harm. So please the next day you light up, remember you that you central nervous system and brain will be at risk.
2)Marijuana: The Brain's Response to Drugs, A Good Web Source
3)Mind Over Matter: Marijuana Series, A Good Web Source
4)Alcohol Addiction & The Limbic System, A Good Web Source
5)Marijuana: The Brain's Response to Drugs, A Good Web Source
6)Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Learning and Memory Impairments Produced by Cannabinoids, A Good Web Source
7)Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Learning and Memory Impairments Produced by Cannabinoids, A Good Web Source
8)Marijuana and the Brain by John Gettman. High Times, March, 1995, A Good Web Source
9)Alcohol Addiction & The Limbic System, A Good Web Source
10)Parents. The Anti-Drug. -- Drug Information, A Good Web Source
11)Marijuana: Marijuana Brain Effects, A Good Web Source
Comments made prior to 2007
I smoked pot straight now since I was 13 years old Im
25 now I smoke it everyday literally through a Bong. I do not smoke
well im at work but as soon as im off and for the remainder of the
evening till I end up going to bed I do smoke. Now I read your page
about the effects pot has on short term memory and brain function,
Since I started smoking pot my asthma has vanished my grades went up in
school my mind learns at quicker rates and my short term memory is far
from gone There isnt much I forget about, unless it is because of my
selective memory. Were the people that you tested on already marijuana
smokers and also there are diff things to be taken into consideration
when testing a substance for example the way it was grown marijuana has
to be grown with nutrients and fertalizers to become potent enough to
smoke for a high but when people use these fertilizers and such they
sometimes do not leech the foods out from the plants which could lead
to all kinds of bad side effects Im wondering if this kind of
inforamtion is taken into consideration when giving test subjects
marijuana to smoke or ingest.
I have no side effects other than a burnt out feeling after smoking all
nite, and in teh morning of course but no brain problems like teh ones
your website describes ... Chris, 7 July 2006
Yeah...i disagree on a lot of things that you have to say about this. Like for one some of the things you mentioned only happen while you're high, but after the high goes away those things do as well. Marijuana is not addicting like other hard drugs or alcohol. Also marijuana helps people with ADD, makes them focus better, and sometimes learn better. Sometimes when you smoke your nerves are more dull, but sometimes they can be more alive, so to speak. You need to know that everybody reacts to marijuana differently. So these test that your doing don't go for everybody. You need to let people know that or else thats kind of false information. Something that really got to me is when you were talking about how people do it to relax and get their mind of things and once the highs gone all the problems come back. Well once again everybody reacts differently to marijuana. A lot of people when there high talk a lot about there problems and life in general. What I'm getting at here is that while their high they can figure out there problems because being high brings you into a new type of world and you think about everything more carefully. It's like it opens up your brain and lets you think more into your thoughts and about whats going on. A lot of times they can solve their problems like that, especially when there is someone there with them to talk to. Marijuana also brings people together. I know someone who hated a bunch of people, but then one day ended up smoking with them. Next thing she knew, they were all the best of friends. I know a group of people and within that group you've got your "gangster" type, Punk type, goth type, preppy type, hick type, and the list just keeps going. All of them probably wouldn't even talk if it wasn't for marijuana bringing them together. I have a lot more to say but, I'm not going to because I have pretty much proved my point. Also marijuana brings the creativeness out in people. Some of the greatest authors, poets, music artist, painters, and so on, get their great ideas or create there masterpieces by being high.
P.S I would also like to add that I am a chronic user and I could remember your whole entire report on it. I also have excellent grades in school, in fact better than when I didn't smoke. I also would just like to add one more thing: You will not understand or ever be able to know how or what marijuana does to you unless you do it yourself. Trust me I once was all anti-marijuana and always said that it does all these bad things to you and blah blah blah. Well now I actually know how it really does make people feel because I have experienced it and everything there is in that type of world.
P.S.S I do agree with a few things that you had to say ... Jen, 9 November 2006
Hi, I really found this information very useful because it IS a misconvention among most of the college/university goers that marijuana increases concentration and increases the work capacity of an individual. I personally believe that it DOES increase the work capacity of the abuser to some extent, that's when the drug abuser is not in a "stoned" state of mind, but then too, what is at stake is the brain and central nervous system malfunctioning, which degrades the intellectual, job and social skills. So in my opinion, it's not a good deal ... Ankur Gupta, 25 February 2007
allright tell me something if you say a list of say 20-30 vocabulary words and you were asked to read them over, then you were asked say 5 minutes later to remember as many of those words as you can, do you really think you'll be able to do that? no i bet if you asked 100 people to do that that around 90% of them wouldnt be able to do it.
also riddle me this batman, how many people die each year from drunk driving accidents? now dont im pretty sure you've been drunk, and maybe once smoked pot in your life right? well which had a more sever affect the weed or the alcohol? yeah the alcohol!
im a stoner i will proudly say that. but if i have the choice between alcohol and weed i'd take weed anyday. i've driven high that isnt a problem. when im high i drive a little slower then normal and im lookin for the nearest 7-11.
weed isnt a drug it has no addictive characteristics what so ever!!! ciggaretes kill more people then alchol,guns,and pissed off husbands who come home early.
now weed doesnt lead to other drugs what so ever, i've been smokin the stuff everyday for the past 4 years and i have yet to even think about trying other drugs. if mother nature didnt want us to smoke it she wouldnt have put it here!
its as simple as that!! ... Reader on the web, 21 July 2007
Hello, I was told about this site as a friend of mine was completing a research paper. As I looked over it, there seems to be lots of misinformation involved, and my friend has abandoned this site. I wouldn't mind if you read through all of my message carefully. To start off, the following statement is not backed by any scientific evidence what so ever. "Marijuana impinges on the central nervous system by attaching to brain's neurons and interfering with normal communication between the neurons." This has been proven to be false on multiple occasions since the 1970's. Cannabinoids to not not impinge on the nervous system what so ever, this isn't lysergic acid we're dealing with. "Marijuana plant contains 400 chemicals and 60 of them are cannabinoids" This quote right here is misleading. Every plant is comprised of hundreds of chemicals. In fact, they're not even chemicals, they're just substances that comprise the plants' structure. Also, the majority of cannabinoids that are also found in cannabis are produced by the body naturally. Also regarding cannabinoid receptors. "These receptors control memory, thought, concentration, time and depth, and coordinated movement. THC also affects the production, release or re-uptake (a regulating mechanism) of various neurotransmitters." This is simply false, I do not know where this source came from. Your brain does not use cannabinoid receptors for memory, thought, or concentration. Next,saying that "When one's memory is affected by high dose of marijuana, short-term memory is the first to be triggered." is also blatantly false. Marijuana does not directly impact memory, but short term memory only when high off of THC or CBD is affected because the user may be 'distracted' if you will from the plant it self. Also, referring to a 'high dose' of marijuana is ridiculous. There is no such thing as a high dose of Cannabis because there is no possible way to overdose. It is strictly impossible. The most obnoxious quote that i've read from this site is, "Marijuana also impairs emotions. When smoking marijuana, the user may have uncontrollable laughter one minute and paranoia the next." I cannot believe that this would even be published. MARIJUANA DOES NOT CHANGE A USERS STATE OF MIND. PEOPLE CAN MAKE THE SAME RATIONAL DECISIONS AS THEY WOULD WHEN NOT USING THE PLANT. PERIOD. I am actually appalled by what I've read here, and I'm even more appalled by the sources you've used. Unlike true informational sites, you've only used web sources. That is completely absurd. If you look at any reasonable fact site about Cannabis you will see that the sources that are used are mainly from published books and factual citations. Please realize that much of what is on this web page is completely false and misleading. I wouldn't mind hearing a response soon to defend your case ... Spiros Thomas, 7 November 2007
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| This paper reflects the research and thoughts of a student at the time the paper was written for a course at Bryn Mawr College. Like other materials on Serendip, it is not intended to be "authoritative" but rather to help others further develop their own explorations. Web links were active as of the time the paper was posted but are not updated. |
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Comments
Yes it defintely affects the brain.
I totally agree, my husband who is 43 has smoked pot since 13 and for years no noticable side affects apart from the obvious immediate effects. But now we are in serious trouble. The anger you talk is becoming more and more frequent and out of the blue. You hit the nail on the head, if it isnt addicted then try giving it up for a couple of weeks to prove, cant do it I bet. Yes he has a cough this too is getting worse as he gets older. He has less motivation nowadays and struggles to get to work. He used to be so driven and now just pushes himself everyday even to mow the lawns and you guessed it has to have a smoke beforehand. I feel so sorry for him, I would hate to not be in control of myself, but I feel helpless. He still refuses to believe he has a problem. He is also quite paranoid about things and doesnt trust anybody, has pushed away his family and his only contacts now are fellow smokers. This is a terribly underestimated drug. Its possible it effects people diffently like alcohol, maybe some people can use recreationally while others with addictive natures are hooked from the first puff.
xxx
he's probally getting angry as he gets older and has to put up with your old ass pot makes you a happy person
Thank you
I agree with you 100%. My boyfriend has chosen to push away his family, loved ones and friends all because he would rather get stonned. He becomes incredibly unrealistic, paranoid and selfish and not the person that I know he really is.
If all of you smokers think it doesnt affect you...look at your family and loved ones and what its doing to them. Its destroyed my relationship and my boyfriends attitude to life.
22 year smoker, but quit cigs 3+years ago
These articles are absolutely ridicules in the fact that it’s an unsustainable, inaccurately, and uncontrolled study; being there can be so many intrusions and variances among the people studied. Who knows if they became subject for instances of melted, steamed, ingested, or gas toxics containing substance of anything; ingesting it between appoints, or the simple fact people lie and are incredibly inaccurate.
This article and ones like it are nothing but STUPID SCARE PROPREGANDA.
When people do not try it themselves they tend to not know wtf they’re talking about.
Our presidents, and most respected of people have tried it without permanent harm, so before you think about talking smack you should try it. One time won’t change you or make you addicted. Basically there would be 0 changes. The only little change I could possibly imagine would be a little less ignorance. LOL
Your boyfriend’s problem is far from marijuana only, and I would bet he is on other drugs. If he isn’t on other drugs then he might be needing some (anti-depressants), but before selecting some doctor with their hands tied by man’s laws you should consider more Marijuana (God’s Medicine). Caffeine, sugars, fats, and even proteins; hell for that matter anything and everything affects the human body and mind. Who Cares!!! One thing for sure is it is not ONLY marijuana which makes your boyfriend what he is! Other underlying causes must exist for your boyfriend not to be happy with you and your family. Marijuana by itself when used won’t make him shy away or have any bad feelings towards anyone. Maybe when you are out for a few days, and your needy family or articles try to say something obviously not true; that is when you become annoyed and tell family/articles off! He would probably be taken Prozac if not marijuana which is far worse! Want him to have all the side effects and possible death those other man drugs cause?! Fuking idiots! LOL.
The fact our bodies have receptors for it tells us what?
The fact our DNA has shown to need it or it deforms naturally tells us what?
Some of the world’s oldest lit describes it as a life giving gift from the heavens tells us what?
NO MATTER WHAT!!! NO MATTER ANYTHING!!! IT CAN NOT KILL ANYTHING AND OR HAS IT EVER BEEN SHOWN TO EVEN HARM ANYTHING IN ANYWAY OR FASHION UNTIL IT HAS BEEN CHANGED BY MAN OR COMBINED WITH OTHERS!!!
The world’s wealthy, controlling, and or ignorant are the only ones who would ever call the best substance in the world harmful in anyway! Ignorance is ugly. Don’t be Ugly.
Marijuana is my life saver.
It kept me from alcohol and other drugs.
It kept my violence I was feeling after age 13 controllable.
Without being introduced to marijuana I would have for sure gone to prison and at the least been a very angry not liked large white straight male beating the hell out of most annoyances.
Now I am described as a person with the patience of a saint. AGE 36 thanks to Marijane.
DOD
Viewpoint
Sometimes the family of an "addict" over reacts. I have seen family members say that someones drinking was driving them apart. Turns out, it wasn't the drinking, it was the family members negative opinions of it. This person (would you even believe it if I said it wasn't me) paid his bills on time, was never late for work, never drove drunk or commited a crime while drinking. Then some self-rightious, holier than thou SOB comes along and says "I think alcohol is bad and ruining your life". Sucks to be you.
You boyfriend smokes pot. What is your excuse for having horendous grammar? You don't know how to structure a list in sentance form, and you mis-spelled stoned.
She without sin may cast the first stonne.
Spelling
Just a brief spell-check:-
sentance- sentence
stonne- stone.
Would appear your spelling isn't so great either....
You are right, but....
I am a heavy marijuana smoker, I do have a cough, not due to marijuana, rather health issues. I have to disagree with you though. I am a well versed, highly intelligent and motivated person. Marijuana does not hinder my ability to do anything. Much less learn and retain information, for I am a knowledge seeking individual. I have smoked weed for most of the last for years of my life, I have quit smoking weed for months at a time on my own free will, not once but various times. I quit for employment purposes. I am not lazy, rather a hard working individual. I have worked for most of my life, I would say for thirteen years. That is a long time for my mere 20 years being conscience. I was brought up not to be a lazy couch potato. The lazy marijuana smokers are the way they are because of their upbringing. I don't need weed to make me feel good, or to get away from the stresses of life. I smoke weed because it is an enjoyable, experience. It is like you say, I do hate authority, government, and government officials. Not because of my marijuana use, but because of the flaws of the government as a whole. Marijuana does not affect me in harmful ways as you have stated. Granted I have not smoked it for an extended period of time (10+ years). So before you say you know what weed is like to one's body and mind. Become a hardcore smoker like me.
take a hard look at urself
u say ur son is lazy and unproductive
well most teenagers are lazy and unproductive
could u simply be using weed as a scapegoat?
coccaine is not strait from the earth BTW it must be processed
u want your son to do better in life then toss him outta the nest and stop ENABLING his lifestyle the sooner the better
and drug is a relative word ANYTHING that makes ANYKIND of change in ur body is considered a drug, eating chocolate make most people happy for exsample. some people abuse sweets untill they are in a comma should the rest of humanity have to suffer cuz fatty cant handle her vices?
Moveover can u honestly say bunjee jumping is a safe thing to do? (adreniline is a hell of a drug most cops are on it :D)no one tells you dont do that?(money)
u can build a car so powerful it has no bussiness on the road and then let u drive it after a 20 min driving test
turn left turn right and park wow thats safe right?(money)
some folks like to have unprotected sex with anyone who is willing. now just think fora sec? imagine how much of healthcare is wasted on VD?(lots and lots o MONEY)
but what of the children?? the only way pot affects kids is when the cops drag there parents off to the slammer for no Apparent reason? scars that make kids hate cops and grow up to shoot cops..... "BUT WE GOTTA KEEP IT AWAY FROM THE KIDS!" deal people! a smart kid can get his hands on ANYTHING! u want licker? find the hobo right between the pawnshop and the lickerstore u want pot thats EVEN easier cuz its illeagal! dealers have no problem selling to a older teenager and belive it or not most dealers wont sell to 14-15 yearolds kids are a bad risk they tell parents most of there lives PLUS kids dont have money! rich kids are the exception but thats what u get when u raise ur kids with money
the drug war is a fabracation made to enslave and instill fear into the population our Govt. is trying its best to enslave us. pretty soon its gonna be enlist into the military or go to jail (thats why pot is illeagal)
the govt. has NO BUSSINESS in telling you what u can and cant do with ur body
LIFE LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF WHATEVER MAKES U HAPPY!
if ur stupid enough to smoke crack and eat twinkies till u die then just let darwinism play out you should prolly be cut outta the gene pool anyway
P.S. that poor kid has to work 9 hour shifts at the burgerhut taking shit off of every customer that has a bad day.(its not a crime to be stupid) i dont see how u could do that without a smoke everynow an then?
facts and myths link
http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/
My step brother has not
My step brother has not smoked weed for seven years, he was a heavy long-term user before that and spent a year in a rehab facility when he decided to come clean. He still has major short term memory problems. (He is not the only person that I know with this problem either).
You don't know exactly how any drug will affect you personally, but putting any drug into your body is going to affect it badly in some way if you are using it for the long term, whether it is a commercial drug or an "illegal" substance.
(Has anybody else noticed the amount of grammar and spelling mistakes there are in the comments from those who said they smoke regularly?)
Spelling mistakes
Yes, I have noticed the errors in their spelling and grammar use. Maybe if they would have been straight through out their years in school they would know how to spell. It's a drug people and it's illegal! If it has no side effects and isn't dangerous while under the influence, then explain to me why it is ILLEGAL!
God is with us
i truly think it is because people who smoke dont really care what their spelling is like... does it really matter? dont you get the message? there are so many more important issues at hand here than grammar. think about the ones you love and love them.. you never know when they might leave your world and you will look back with regrets! ONE LIFE! make yourself happy no matter what because you are affecting everyone! Mary Jane helps some to do this! Life experience itself is more important than school experiences. Anyone who lets themselves be ruled by the LAW of society i feel bad for you!
i used good grammar(i think) for YOU! because i know too many years of English can stray your mind from what really matters! Light a splif and FEEL whats REAL again
You cannot deny...
To all the statements that have been made here you cannot deny that smoking mari-j effects you negatively. People say that they are smarter because of it, but how do you know that for sure? How can you possibly know how "smart" you would have been if you didn't smoke? There is no way of telling. Truth is that you would remember more of your high school and college lessons if you weren't high. You might not have been able to creatively figure out problems or design things as much as you were while being high, but you most definatly will not remember as much of the subject matter.
I for one believe that your brain does retain more when your not high. Period. That does not say anthing about how smart or creative you are or can be. In fact I smoking expands your mind to different hieghts of understanding.
I smoke myself and am sorry to say that I am positively sure that mari-j has beneficial properties and harmful ones as well. It benefits me in the light that it gives me inspiration to do the things I love (study, figure out problems, play and listen to music etc...) It also is harmful to me because I know that my brain is not as sharp as it is when I am not stoned. However, being stoned leaves me open to different perceptions and underlying ways to use my knowledge and skill in a "out of the box" way. Which can lead to interesting art, design, music and overall creativity. Besides, isn't creativity the heart of all inventions and new ideas? Our history teaches us that the smartest people were "out of the box" thinkers (Franklin, Jefferson etc..all toakers from what I understand)
For me, the creative aspect that mari-j brings me supersedes the negative effects of it. Of course, everything in moderation.
Also you cannot deny, it is addictive. I don't care what you say or what chemicals are in it. People get addicted to TV, Gambling and there are no chemicals ingested there. Too many reasons to list why it is addictive (culture, smell, taste, feeling...etc.)
I wish everyone happy and safe use of this drug... just be mindful of the effects that you are experiencing (it maybe for you and maybe not for you). Everyone is different.
Peace...
I noticed
Yes, they're appalling, from both sides of the argument. I would say this has more to do with bad education than with pot, though. I think the whole argument is silly. Pot affects everyone differently, some negatively, some positively, and some (most) both negatively and positively. Bad schools affect everyone negatively.
Bad grammar
Ha! I agree. I'm a self-proclaimed grammar and spelling expert. I am also a regular smoker. Let's keep intelligence and marijuana use separate, please. There are plenty of non-smokers who can't spell for shit (and don't know the difference between there/they're/their *cough* original post *cough*).
weed is not bad u idiots.
cigs. and alcohol are clearly worse for u in almost every way. if someone drinks it causes alot more damage than if your high. i know people who are doctors and smoke,and are the smartest people ive met but love pot. it doesnt mess with theyre lives in anyway. i also know SO MANY people who know nothing about pot. but will gladly tell u how bad it is for u and that people who do it are low life losers. its sad that the goverment makes people think its SO bad for u. if the whole world understood weed theyd realize its not bad at all. and is in fact alot better than tabacco and alcohol. if its not legal within the next few years im giving up on america. i can go on all day. but i shouldnt have to. people should just know.
-Blake
????
What planet did you grow up on?? Just curious. Yea, yea, the government and the cops and the whole world are against you because of marijuana. Poor thing!! It's not the government, stupid, it is SCIENCE! It has been proven and studied that it is a drug that does affect your brain! duh! Smoking pot, from what i've seen, makes people do nothing but smoke pot. Yea, they hold down jobs. Yea, they're doctors, lawyers, etc.. I know them. I'm a nurse who works with some of them. And every night they get off work and do nothing but get high. And let me tell you something numb nuts, I have taken care of daily pot users who are so sick they cannot breathe. They are struggling for every breath they take. So, get high because you want to. But don't lie to yourself because you want and like to get high. One thing that may surprise you, is that I am in favor of legalizing pot for medicinal purposes. It helped my father when he was dying of cancer. But to use it on a daily basis and think it's not harming you in any way, shape, or form??? Grow up--do some research online and use that brain of yours---if you have any left.
YOU R RIGHT
Pot is good for people who are really sick not for people who are healthy, my sixteen year old son told me he needs pot to feel better but I asked him are you sick? do you have a serious illness? and of course he answered "NO" so my question is then why do you need pot???? use your brain while you still have it ,don't do drugs they don't have anything positive; one drug does lead to another
i disagree
Anybody should be able to smoke pot why would you want to single your kid out and tell him he should only smoke if he is sick that's a retarded way of thinking marijuana is an experience enhancer use it when you want to do something entertaining with your friends. Now im not saying that everyone should smoke pot all the time that's stupid too there is appropriate situations to use it in like hanging out with your friends or going to a movie or something and then there's times when you shouldn't smoke like going to work or school anywhere where you have to be serious and focus intently.
PLEASE WATCH THE MOVIE ON THIS LINK
"What planet did you grow up on?? Just curious. Yea, yea, the government and the cops and the whole world are against you because of marijuana. Poor thing!! It's not the government, stupid, it is SCIENCE! It has been proven and studied that it is a drug that does affect your brain! duh! Smoking pot, from what i've seen, makes people do nothing but smoke pot."
scientifically proven has it? well aren't you just the cutest misinformed person Ive seen today...
" the drug culture completely cracks me up!! Cops, the government, the whole country are against us! blah, blah, blah. Do some research. Give me proof, and then we'll talk."
ok lets talk
I challenge every one of you nay sayers to pull your heads out of each others asses for ten minutes to watch even the beginning of this amazingly well put together documentary. if you can do that and you still insist on commenting back how brain washed you are by the GOPs BS propaganda then you are a truly lost cause
its called The Union and I'm sure it will soon be the basis for every stoner argument on every anti-weed forum, blog or "web paper" out there, assuming it hasn't already. and for good reason, check it out...
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9077214414651731007
FYI I'm 16 years old and I've been smoking for three years STRAIT, and have had nothing more than nothing to complain about other than a full art scholarship (albeit to a shit college but a college none the less) due to the explosion of creativity and stimulation of brain cell GROWTH i experience every time i light up. not much to complain about there but i will have to move out of my parents house OOOOH NOOOO NOT THAAAAT
There are two kinds. Good
There are two kinds. Good cannabis does not mess up your head, it relaxes the body and calms you down. The 'high' is just having your body relieved of stress. You can still think logically and clearly it doesn't go into your mind. There is another kind which does go into your mind though which causes things like hallucinations and distortions of perception. That is the bunk shit though, unless you like feeling bugged out.
I have to strongly disagree
I have to strongly disagree with this study I started smoking weed when I was 12 now im 28 I continue to smoke it everyday Ive noticed the positive side effects of marijuana it helped aliviate chronic pain do to a car accident I had a while back the doctor prescribed me pills but I refused to take them those things kill people and there has not been a case of some1 Over dosing or dying from smoking marijuana ...Not everyones brain works and reacts the same and it all depends on how long the user has been consuming pot???? MARIJUANA is not made for just anyone Its in your own Brain control on how you are going to control, react, and function being under the effect of MARIJUANA......
get your facts straight
ive been smoking pot since i was in grade 6(yes grade 6)it hasnt effected my memory at all... it hasnt effected the way i learn...nor has it affected my willingness to be productive...so to single out pot smokers as lazy stupid,useless people makes you look like a ignorate idiot...
oh btw i have the hightest GPA in all my classes and i smoke pot everyday all day
STAY TRUE
S.W.E.D
Pros and Cons?
Of course, the Beatles smoked it, Bob Dylan smoked it, Pete Doherty smokes it, university kids do it, your parents have probably tried it, the UKs home secretary has admitted to smoking it, you know what not only them but EVERY ONES tried it atleast once and it's not a valid argument, most importantly- IT DOESN'T PROVE ITS GOOD FOR YOU (very cool indeed, but the fact that they get constipation does not make constipation good or cool does it)
Now please, if you are someone (who sensibly) is looking up the side effect of weed and making your mind up to whether you should try it, I would say to my own kids- Just do it, but do it with someone you trust and in the safety. Satisfy your curiosity, knowing that anything can go wrong- As we all agree, this is a very unpredictable drug which brings about a high level of euphoria in many, but there is the undeniable evidence that it can go wrong. You got all that? It's up to you now. Period.
Windupbird, 23 London/
Jus' an opinion
I started smoking weed two years ago now.
People can be totally against it, and others are just absolutly lovin' it.
But I have to say, Marijuana is great. There's no passing it up! You could go your whole life without doing it, or any other drug, but you don't know, you could end up with something like heart problems anyways. There are so many things in this world that are bad for you! But Marijuana is a stress releiver. It's fun to have a bunch of your friends, just smokin' j's and havin' a time. I find it helps my creative side spurt out of me, and it helps me really be myself. It's hard to explain, but if your a Marijuana smoker, you get me.
Just be safe. Doing it everyday, many times a day, could be harmful. But just occasionally having a smoke is fine, and relaxing. Enjoy life.
Peace ... KFITZ
know one is right. but know one is wrong
i agree with what the main article read, but i also disagree. that is one of the brilliant things about weed, it is unpredictable, and it has totally different effects on everyone. IT IS ADDICTING! FACT! it is not as addicting as cigarettes or many other drugs, and can take years to become hooked. its not a physical addiction, but it can have a strong mental addiction. anyone who really thinks it isnt addicting in the slightest, try argueing that with my friends who have robbed cars for weed money, and lay awake having night sweats when there budless, and all they want to do is stop smoking but just cant do it.
it fucks with your head, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. ive seen it wreck peoples lifes, and seen it make people the amazing people they are today, and give them the best friendships between people. it has made me ruin many friendships with old friends, but has made me for unique ones with people who i met from smoking, and people who i started smoking with, and still do. it even brought me closer to my brother, when we found out each other smoked, we wernt happy about it, but it brought us alot closer together overall.
i beleave everyone should smoke, see how it goes, and i beleave the people who have these bad reactions to it, whether it be the first time they smoke, or the 1000th, are destined to stop. at the end of the day, there is nothing wrong with this habbit, especially due to the goverments allowence on alcohol, because that just shows you can take these thing as long as you do it im moderation and responsibly. but seriously, fuck those stupid kids who are on here trying to argue that smoking is better and it is a fact, because it is not. just play it by ear and dont let it ruin your life, but deprive yourself from it if it makes you happy. but never gve your life away for it, because you will then become this guy..; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iK5Erocd0uk
piece out and happy baking
Nice post ..... Good
Nice post ..... Good objective opinion.....
why i smoked "DA GUD SHIT"
i've been smoking this shit everyday since i was 15yrs and now i'm 19yrs...you would ask why weed? well...we were going o a school trip,and every1 was talking about acohol then i came up with crazy idea of "WEED" because then i had friends that smoked it,so i asked them to hook me up with little because i wanted to suprise my friends. oh shit! guess what? they where really suprised and they liked it. since then we've been performing academically and we dont see why should we stop smoking that shit and,but there are times when i feel so left alone,but i still smoke because it my body and mind relaxed...
marijuana is not a drug. It
marijuana is not a drug. It was only labeled as a drug because the government saw that people who smoked it would rebel against the system. You look back at the hippie era and youll see that some of the greatest poets, and musicians ever smoked weed. All peoples bodies are different. You mean to tell me people who smoke weed legally with a medical license are different from users who dont have a medical license? Weed is Weed. And yes their are negative effects and their are positive effects. Not everything grown here on earth is good for you. You cant eat poision ivy but it has medical uses right? Weed is the same. It has many uses. What im upset about is why everybody blames weed for their troubles? We all go through troubles in life. That is human nature and GOD puts many obstacles in our lives so we can learn from our experience. I read a lot of comments posted and i see a lot of people talk about how weed ruined their lives and such. Truth is anything can ruin your life if you let it. Their are some things we cant control, and their are some things we can control. GOD is the truth. Bob marley said it. Tupac said it. Both of those artist smoked weed on a regular basis yet they were geniuses and revolutionaries. Weed is here for a reason folks. And yes i do smoke weed. Especially if i hurt my feet from skating. It numbs the pain and clears your mind. I am no unarticulant than i was when i first smoked weed. As a matter of fact i am much more aware and smarter. I read, i write poetry, i skateboard, i take pictures, i have freinds. As far as i can remember I have always had a mental problem all my life. And i find that weed acts as a medicine to help ease and bring more positivity to my consciousness. I am very religious. And i love GOD. I do agree that weed is not for everybody. But hey alcohol and cigarettes are not for everybody either. Some people react differently to a lot of things. We are all different. So stop blaming weed for your problems. CRACK, Ecstacy, over the counter pills, alcohol, cigarettes, herion, cocaine, speed, meth, acid, all that biologically engineered crap is "THE REAL DEFINITION OF DRUGS" If you want your life to crumble before your eyes do those drugs and i guaruntee you they will be nothing like WEED. Come on folks. Lets be more logical here. Weed Enhances a persons conscience. Lets not forget that not all people are hippies. Weed wont necessarily make you peaceful and loving if you arent a peaceful and loving person. This is exactly why weed shouldnt be legalized because not all people will use it for good intentions. I will say that weed will give you a sense of rebellion. But like i said before WEED ONLY ENHANCES THE PERSONS THOUGHT PROCESS. If you arent a good person weed will enhance your bad thoughts. So if you think about stealing all the time you will more likely try to steal. If you think about politics your mind will open more so you can see lots of symbols and signs. It gives a sense of awareness. Why? i dont know thats something we have to ask GOD when we get to heaven. I feel that marijuana has a lot of spiritual connection in it IF USED AND NOT ABUSED.
I said my peace...
Thank you :')
PS: I think weed can be a very beneficial tool when it comes to actually doing something that dosent revolve around the typical 9 to 5pm careers. im talking doctors, lawyers, software engineers,etc. I find that weed can help a creative person immensly. I think this is why a lot of artist, musicians, and writers used cannibus because it opened up their inner perceptions and thoughts. I think that weed helps the creative type of person more than it does for a person who lives the typical CORRUPTED GOVERMENTEND SYSTEMATIC LIFE. See in that kind of society they drug test you, treat you like dirt, and turn you into their 9 to 5 slave. Call it mainstream america. But in the more creative type of person their is a sense of rebellion. Instead of working for the man, That person wants to be the man too. Not in a sense that you want to have power and money like a lot of these corporate pigs but more in the sense that you have your own right to follow your passions no matter what they are. Your parents always stress school to you and how important college is. But that is not what life is about. Everyone has their own GOD given purpose, talents, and natural gifts. WEED is not GOD. GOD made weed for a tool. Weed is not going to shape your life. I hope that isnt why you people on this blog smoke it. Weed is a tool. REMEMBER THAT. You want to see the truth. GOD will come to you. For GOD is not a man nor a woman. GOD is both! GOD is the creator! GOD is everything! GOD is a spirit. DOnt be fooled by the evil one. EMBRACE the weed but thank GOD for many of the herbs he gave us. In the bible GOD said that all herbs are for our use AS A GIFT! The media will try to fool you and confuse you with religion. We are ALL GOING TO THE SAME PLACE WHEN WE DIE. Their is no religion in heaven for we are all one. We cannot judge anybody on this blog. We all face the same problems rather we have weed or we don't. Theirs always going to be trials in our life. Why? because the earth is not our home. We are here for a reason. A purpose. Weed is here for a reason and a purpose.
GOD BLESS and STAY IRIE my friends.
:'D
MORE FIRE ME AH BURN!!!!
more fire we are use burn dem jugdement...greetings inna di name of da MOST HIGH JAH RASTAFARAI...we must come together idrens and love,appriciate what JAH has given us...I always asked myself.."WILL JAH EVER LET US DOWN??",and the answer to that is "NO"..JAH gave us di herb for da man,womam nd child come to their own senses,think and learn about them inner selfs,,i'm saying this cos all the rightness in me now came after i had the spliff..no bad mind after having chalice...the "affects my brain,increased in heart rate,blah blah blah" dats all what this bad babylon is feeding us...fuck dem babylon...we smoking marijuana like we just dnt care....MORE FIRE TO ALL....
I am blown away!
How can you say Marijuana is not a drug? It contains THC, which IS a drug??? And, Bob Marley a genius?? Get real!! I agree, pot is great for people who are dying of cancer and in chronic pain. It is useful in this way. But, whether it's alcohol, weed, cigarettes, whatever. It's all the same. People use these things for the same reasons, it's just your drug of choice. And, I find it so interesting that the people who have posted on this site who are daily or frequent users, or even occasional users, cannot spell or write correctly. You must have been high during grammar class. And, the drug culture completely cracks me up!! Cops, the government, the whole country are against us! blah, blah, blah. Do some research. Give me proof that it's not a drug, and then we'll talk.
sounds to me like you should try some
I did nursing, and used to be on a high horse too , but since trying some dope(in tiny amounts) i see a great effect!!love it, try it b4 your too old to bother!and soften those sharp edges
The Lord said unto me, 'I
The Lord said unto me, 'I will take my rest and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs.' " -- Isaiah 18:4-5
MODERATION>>>>>you should prob take a hit and stop your flaming!
WEED!, its not as bad as people put it out to be !!
haha the lord said to me .i like that!....WEED WEED WEED ...its organic ! ...weed is a great experience when you are bored of life and feel like getting away ..its amazing to experience because of what it can do to your brain while you are on it ...What people do not realize is the addiction you get from it !...WEEd is technicly not addictive but you get addicted to the feeling and THATS what people need to worry about. If they want to depend on a drug for there everyday life...its all about knowing yourself and the affects it has on you !.. But are world, my generation is getting more and more familiure with this herb because its something new in life....This is for the agnostic and athiust of the world: we do not know were humans come from ...are life is a question mark and what happens after it is too...therefore while your living make the best of your like and if smoking weed is what you choose to do while your on earth or moderatly smoke it or socialy..etc Then fuck it do it!
WEED IS NOT AN HORRIBLE HERB it becomes one when you dont know yourself
???
Maybe you should try smoking. Seems like theres some rage inside. And yes Bob Marley was a genius. You should listen to his lyrics. I would have to agree with you its a form of drug. It helps me unwind at the end of a day. Use it in moderation and its a great thing. You have these dumass doctors putting teenagers on BS meds that only worstens there behaviour. MODERATION!!!! The Lord said unto me, 'I will take my rest and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs.' " -- Isaiah 18:4-5
The Typical Teenage Girl Getting Pulled Into A Drug World ...
I am now 15 years old and I started smoking at 14. Only a year and a couple months ago I smoked but so much changed and happened in that short period of time. The first time I smoked it was an out of body experience for me... So incredible! Over exaggerated movements and sounds and tastes and textures had been introduced to me in one exhilarating night! I'm already a happy person to begin with, but this mad me feel like the world was filled with peace and happiness and nothing else was to be dealt with because it was, “All good, man!” After my first time, came the second, and third, until I lost count. I was smoking everyday, several times a day within months of starting. My summer going into high school- I can't even remember half of the things I did. It made me grow up real fast, saw things I don't think I was even supposed to see until I'm married with kids, and taught me lessons. Lessons like how many people in this world, especially the drug world, are grimy and do not care about you, your feelings, your friends or family. They care about themselves, their money, and their drugs. As freshman year started I started to skip school just to go smoke with, 'friends'. I started smoking cigarettes, which is now a bad habit of mine that I still have. I started smoking weed before classes just to get an extra kick out of everything. The fourth week of school I got into a fist fight with a girl and was suspended for a week, before that happened I had never gotten in any trouble at school. After my first time being suspended I became one of the well know students that were being called into the principles office Getting caught smoking on school grounds, conflicts with other students, failing classes, skipping class, and not being respectful is how I got my invite. I didn't want to have anything to do with anybody if they weren't like me, selfish and dependant. I lost great friends and gained the worst relationships of my life. I was staying out late with the ones I called my "friends" and was not worrying about my homework which was due the next day because I was too worried about where I was going to get our next bag from! I went on to try heroin, ecstasy, speed, and coke because those are the drugs my, ‘friends’ had been using while I was hanging out with them. I did not get addicted to any of those drugs because I only had tried them, but I was smart enough to say to myself no more. First semester ended and it was a big wake up call! My grades were the worst... My attitude was raunchy and my reputation - destroyed! I decided with the little bit of will-power I had I was going to turn things around because it was not too late. I started with demolishing the relationships with all the enablers in my life, than with my attitude. As I started changing I started creating new relationships with new people who were genuine and that really got me to focus on school and get my grades up. It is now summer again and I will not let what happened last summer happen to me again! I will say though, it was a life changing experience that I am grateful to have gone through because I am now a stronger person. I will never forget the horrible drug world that I could have been sucked into for life but got myself out of. It's something I think people need to go through, even if it’s just trying weed for the first time, but they need to have people around them, if this isn’t themselves, to slap and say, “Hey, it was an experience, not life forever!” for them realize life is really wonderful and worth living but unfortunately some people do end up getting sucked into that horrifying world forever..
I am sorry you got caught up
I am sorry you got caught up in the drug world, but to blame it on marijuana is ridiculous. Anybody under the influence of weed can just say no. You chose to take those drugs to fit in, the cigarettes to be like your friends. You also chose to start being a rebel for no other reason than attention. I will give it to you on the fact it has demolished relationships of mine that can never be repaired simply because they would not accept who I am. Its life. I have made so many friends and met so many interesting people throughout my life so far through smoking pot. People took advantage of your youth, and as long as you never let that happen again , whether you smoke or not, you will be alright.
easy there..
weed effects everyone differently, for me.. i enjoy using it quite frequently.. you can't say that it was weed itself that made you do bad in school..it was your choice to skip class and get in fights.. weed doesn't make you angry.. it's a great calming feeling and makes the world around you a more firmilliar place..i smoke weed almost everyday for 2.5 years now and it has brought me close friends and great times..and weed doesn't lead you to harder drugs.. i haven't even thought of touching any other drug since weed..you can't blame weed itself for screwing up your life. I'm just saying because i don't like when people dis a plant that grows naturally from the earth and lets you free your mind..i still work out and am i good shape even though i smoke weed. word.
how sad
i think its realy sad that u all care this much about weed that you feel you have to argue your point. if it makes you feel relaxed like you say then just chill and let people think what they want to.
p.s. keep smokin the good shit n getting high stoners!
Interesting..
I feel like you really don't know what you're talking about.
Denial
Marijuana is fine if used occasionally and can be compared to social drinking. Too often I know people who self-medicate with the drug and become psychologically dependant on it. These people believe it to be harmless and do not realize that it has never been recommended in the treatment of depression, anxiety or bi-polar. It's side effects are numerous the worst being a-motivational. It destroys the user's life slowly and is hard to stop. Anybody claiming otherwise is in denial.
Extreme and Gross
Based on the EXTREME and GROSS number of spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors contained within the replies of this post, I can only make the safe assumption that weed does in-fact have a negative impact on the brain.
90% of you can't put together a comprehensive sentence, let alone use a period or capital letter properly.
I'm going with weed is not good for your brain on this one.
Is too much of anything Bad??!!??
This was a long and interesting read and I can clearly see that there are more than 2 sides to this story...
Here's my confession - I've been smoking this stuff for 8 years now. Great stuff!!!
I'd read and heard about the effects that continuous usage can lead to...but then I read here that people have been on it for decades and don't experience what I've started to... the dreaded “memory loss”... It started with names of people and graduated to places and now it's words...and sometimes commonly used words. Scary!!! Grammatical errors??? No ... I think I'm yet to reach that stage/level.
Was I always like this? No... I never had problems recollecting names of people, places, events etc. I’ve topped my college, and created some records that are yet to be broken, in both athletics as well as in academics.
I guess I do sound like an addict, don't I? 8 years can do that. Did I ever leave smoking in these 8 years? Yes, thrice - when I had to travel abroad for period of 3 months each on official trips. So it was more of a forced retirement than a conscious decision. Never felt that my world went topsy-turvy when I was out of it, but when I was back to my country, no prizes on guessing the 1st thing I did.
Interestingly, yesterday I ran out of my last joint and usually I would have already stock-piled myself. However today when I go home...after ages I wouldn’t have anything to smoke-up...and hopefully it will remain so till the time I get some great news that we have some new medicine which makes smoking marijuana harmless...no side effects...AMEN
P.S. I read in the newspaper just a few days back about some research aimed at alienating marijuana from it’s side effects such as memory loss. I sure wish them some super fast success
My opinion on maryjane...
Hello... I am 16 year's old, and will proudly say i have smoked marijuana for 4 years straight. I don't think weed is bad in any way, shape, or form. Before i smoked weed i had a learning disability... I had to have help in school with my homework. But now that i smoke weed, i don't need help. I also make A's and B's in school. I use to say i would never touch a drug, until i was introduced to maryjane. Marijuana is the only drug i use. And it helps me to relax! Yes, i believe that weed affects everyone differently. And i do believe weed has side effects, but what doesn't have side effects?!? I can't believe the people who say that it's bad, when they haven't even tried it. And i can't believe the people who say that marijuana has ruined their life... We all make choices, it's not the weed choosing for you! I agree with the people who say "try it first."
actually
i believe that you are mistaken. i have been an avid marijuana user since the tender age of 15. i am now 24 years old and in great phsical and mental shape. i am a student at a tech school for computer engineering and design. also my puncuation and spelling are phenominal, so to conclude i strongly disagree. you shouldnt assume things and generalize like you have, it makes you seem foolish. people who do not partake in marijuana smoking are crude, stereotyping, uptight humorless twits. have a great day, smoke a bowl.
your not looking at the whole picture
....look you need to read up alittle more on your facts.
number one fact-more then half of our familly doctors have openlly addmitted to be avid pot smokers.
fact number 2-you are able to absorbe and store information 10x better then sober
fact number three-ALL of the people in the world that are considered to be genious' are either "pot heads" or social smokers
if you are going by spelling then you have alot of researching to do
On the Contrary...
I am a Literary Journalism major at an accredited private university in Southern California. You might be suprised to learn that I've been smoking marijuana daily for the last five years. (Marijuana smoking in college? You don't say?) Contrary to the post above, I can easily compose a comprehensive sentence. I've written and published several articles, poems, and short stories during my student career. Not only does marijuana help me to focus, but it unleashes creative avenues that I never knew existed.
My grades do not suffer, I don't use any other drugs, and my life hasn't had any drastic changes since I began smoking.
Let's face it, criminalizing marijuana was based upon nothing but politics and tax money - do your research before you feed into society's sensationalism.
Not only potheads
I wouldn't be too sure about that. You are right, in the matter of those people not being able to even spell correctly and etc., yet, it's not only them. If you start paying more attention to the people all over the web, you'd see that 90% of all them, also, do not know how to spell or type. I started having epilepsy from nowhere about 8 years ago. Everyone was telling me to smoke weed more, and that it'd help me feel better. It wasn't until a year ago that I started smoking everyday because of the fact that getting high for me helps me through the day. Those doc.'s have me on so much med. that it's hard for me to get out of bed somedays. Trust me, if I didn't need to be smoking it so much, I wouldn't be. However, I'm just saying, it does effect people every which way, and I think we need to focus more on our education dep. It's sad when someone doesn't know how to spell enjoy..'injoy'. That's all I'm going to say about that. Best wishes : )
will i ever understand
when i was at school i hanged round with people who smoked weed but i was 1 of the few who dident intill i was about 14 and i hated it but because every1 was doing it out of my mates i found a good side to it then i realy did feel hooked smoking it on my own. i stopped when i was about 17/18 because i was realy feeling like i knew nothing i never was very brainy but i use to be very smart now i dont know who i am,what i injoy or who to like or dislike, supose i cant connect with people but when something serious happens or i think about family members dying i cry so hard and therfore become realy isolated i feel scared. no1 in my hole family smoke weed. so i realy feel like there is no way of being normal/happy. but yet i havent touched the stuff for a few years. i seriously feel like my head is hollow can anybody help?
POT SAVED MY LIFE!
The one thing this particular article is missing, besides an editor, is pointing out that marijuana, like most drugs, effects different people differently. Taking for example my own personal experience pot actually greatly enhanced my life. Before I started smoking pot, at the age of 21, I had been diagnosed at age 14 with clinical depression and chronic anxiety making even the simplest and mundane of tasks an enormous challenge. I was on a host of anti-depressants and anti-anxieties, none of which helped, I started smoking pot occasionally with friends in an attempt to feel something. I quickly found that pot helped me both with my depression and anxiety, I eventually took myself off my prescribed medication and started smoking pot on a bi-weekly basis. I started feeling better, and was able to function more normally. I got a chance to enroll in university and although it was a struggle and challenge at first I found that when I increased my marijuana use to a daily event (but never exceeding 20mg a week) my marks jumped up a full grade, I was less anxious and better able to focus on my assignments and tests. Of course there was a lot of hard work involved on my part, but pot really helped me cope with my mental illness.
Thus my firm belief that pot in not necessarily a "bad" drug. It can help you just as any drug can, however just like any drug if abused it may do harm, the same goes for if it conflicts badly with your natural brain chemistry. Marijuana is a drug that could greatly benefit millions of people with mental illnesses like mine, but like all mind altering substances (including those prescription drugs) it should be used responsibly.