My story of marijuana in the real world

[cybergenesis]

Every debate in the media seem to always bring up the issue of mental illness in regards to cannabis. Its always portrayed as something having negative social effects. Especially among the young, teenagers, troubled people.

 

My observation with Cannabis is that even in extreme cases the consequences of consuming cannabis are surprisingly benign- even in highly disturbed and volatile people. I believe many people incorrectly associate characteristics of disturbed and undesirable people that smoke cannabis (traits they would have anyway) with the effects of the cannabis. Like racism a rational discrimination develops. They blame the cannabis for the way people are, and really there is a degree of social discrimination against cannabis.

 

I have seen some very disturbed traumatized and severely out of control youth smoke cannabis. These are extreme examples of people with serious problems. Most people have not met people like this. I want to tell a brief story of these youths and my observations for how cannabis usage has effect their long term outcomes. Names have been changed for privacy.

 

I met a girl called Sarah when she was 12. She was homeless and selling herself for sex and accommodation. Men much older than her were exploiting her and plying her full of various drugs often to try and make her more receptive to their sexual exploitation. She had needle marks on her arms from being inject with methamphetamine. Sarahs parents are both chronic drug addicts, her mum has schizophrenia and she had not seen her since she was 3. He father (and his girlfriend) inject methamphetamine. Her father becomes extremely aggressive, and his girlfriend becomes a raving psychotic. Sarah has been hit and beaten many times, and indeed raped.

 

I took this girl under my wing for fear she would end up dead like another 13 year old girl I knew did a few months earlier. She lived with me a couple of years.

 

Sarah had been smoking pot- on a daily basis- since she was 11. On the occasion she actually went to primary school, she was typically stoned.

 

Sarah got away from the other drugs when she moved in with me. She had severe behavioral problems, she would simply completely lose it and pick up a knife and try to stab herself. She would cut her arms on a daily basis, she was scream for hours over the smallest issues. The windows in my humble units got smashed on various occasions.

 

I stuck by her and eventually sorted her out. She is now 17 and mostly away from drugs and is doing really well in life. She occasionally smokes pot, maybe once a week now. I have no problem with her smoking pot. I can't say that I ever observed marijuana seeming to have a negative effect on her behavior. It did seem to have a calming effect, but it certainly did not cure the extreme psychological problems she had.

 

Megan, Sarah's sister also smoked pot from a young age, and I also looked after her. Unfortunately Megan is now 19 and not going in a positive direction in life, due to her becoming involved with an extremely violent drug addict which injected her with methamphetamine and now she is hooked. It is obvious the severely damaging effects of methamphetamine on her life (she has already suffered psychosis and voice from it), but I can't say that I have been able to discern that her marijuana usage had any negative effect on her life.

 

I've lived around a lot. I have a lot more stories, but I have to go out in a few minutes. I would be really interested in hearing the stories of other young people and other people in general with problems and any observations on how marijuana may have effect their lives. I have known many hundreds of marijuana smokers, many of these happening to have severe other problems (due to the fact I used to live in very disadvantaged accommodation) and I can honestly say that I have not been able to discern SIGNIFICANT negative effects from marijuana usage when I have been clearly able to see negative consequences from alcohol, methamphetamine and even cigarette usage (try meeting a 40 year old with emphysema who coughs this horrid cough nonstop and not concluding cigarettes are horrible).

[smokditup]

Ive been debating this topic for years...

 

I think that marijuana doesnt compare to alcohol / other substances.

I have although seen negative effects smoking... yes i strongly believe that marijuana DOES have some negative effects on people...What i believe that is marijuana wont give you something but it can definatley bring out something if you have traits...ie schizophrenia / psychosis. I have seen people go off the deep end for days after having just a cone...never have touched a drug in there life...

 

Know your body , know your drugs and moderation is the key....

Edited January 19, 2010 by smokditup

[phreakah]

Myself, I have never found smoking pot to make me go crazy.

It is FAR more of the opposite, I will have a smoke, watch tv or listen to music, then sleep.

Years ago when I was 18 or 19 I smoked a lot of crystal meth and took a lot of ecstacy.

I WOULD NOT recommend that to ANYONE. Meth and e's can end up chewing straight through you savings if you aren't good around it. These days I just say to myself I haven't got the money. Because I dont haha

I ended up being taken away by the cops a few times because it throws me out of balance.

Thankfully these day I know how to contol my usage of these things, I think it half comes with age, and half with experience.

Smoking a joint is far better than drinking hard every night, believe me.

 

Just thought I'd put my 2 cents in

[cybergenesis]

It just pisses me off. Every time pot is mentioned in the media they try to paint it as dangerous. I am not saying it is totally without consequence. I do think in people with a disposition to either bipolar or schizophrenia it may cause problems.

 

Also pot can cause "paranoia" and "fear" in some people, if certain people find that its just not agreeing with them, well I'm sorry but marijuana is quite easy to get off, unless you mix it with tobacco.

 

However yeah any sensible pot smokers knows that pot is FAR safer than any other drug. Its a shame the SAFEST of all the drugs abused for pleasure, is illegal.

 

I definitely do not think the risk vs benefits of cannabis justify it being illegal. Then again as long as your not caught, many people make extra $$ by selling it, though I would never sell it except directly to friends cause I don't like the idea of under 18's getting hold of it.. Not cause pot is so bad, but because kids that age are often fairly irresponsible.

 

Maybe the best situation is its illegal but with minimal penalties for possession / supply. There is a lot of money to be made from it. People think this is some evil black market, but really its a FREE market.. How much harder is it to get into any legit business to make money? Marijuana being a true free market, anybody can get in and have a go.

 

I don't think people should hate people who sell it for profit, because somebody has to supply the stuff so thats its available widely in society. Though I do hate drug dealers that sell marijuana along with nasty drugs like meth.

Edited February 2, 2010 by cybergenesis

[mistyville]

I agree with all you say Cybergenisis. I have a son who sells pot. He lives by himself and has got a good hydro set up in a spare bedroom. I used to have issues about him selling it, but now I believe as you do, it's a FREE market and not everyone can grow it, so they look for a dealer. I say, take the opportunity while it's there, before it becomes legal and if you want to take the risk...go for it. Look at all the money that was made when there was Prohibition? Lots of stills around back then!

[surferguy]

Well your son is just doing a favor for people who are looking for it, but i must say, I believe in the natural stuff only!

[malawi_dub]

Reefer Madness anyone.

 

Back when they took this simple pleasure of life from the slaves, and well everyone. The white girls were attracted to the lifestyle of smoking and jammin some beats (devils music) with the lower class, being the black community of course. Rich white men needed to put an end to this. So from way back in the 1930's a racist, degrdading law was made. This is still the base of the current law.

 

This was the 1st mental illness associated with marijuana. Now they just pass different myths down generations.

 

Im a regular smoker and if there are studies with negative effects and direct health effects from smoking marijuana out there, i want this knowledge so I can make an informed decision. But I just cant find any. Why are they hidden from public view?

 

Vapor Brother OG

 

"Pot will get you through times of no money, better than money will get you through times of no pot"

[Paladin]

There's a type of logical fallacy called "post hoc ergo propter hoc". Correlation does not imply causation - just because one thing follows another, it doesn't mean that one thing is CAUSED by another.

 

So, sure, there are people around who smoke and who have problems. It makes sense that you might have a slightly higher rate of mentally ill in the cannabis-users group rather than in the never-smoked group - simply because people may be trying to self-medicate.

 

So until a longutudinal study is conducted that shows that group x developed more mental illness compoared to a control group over several years of smoking (nb: I've seen some longitudinal studies that DO point to this, but have found the methodologies flawed), there is no evidence to support any assertion that cannabis causes mental illness. I and my fiancee smoke daily, and continue to be high-functioning, contributing members of society. She's a shrink, and I'm a university lecturer. We've both researched this, and the weight of evidence seems very much in favor of vaping = relatively harmless.

Edited February 13, 2010 by Paladin