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Is weed bad for you?
I don't smoke, I just want to know.
I hear all sorts of rumors, such as:
- It makes you stupid
- It damages brain cells
- It contains the same carcinogens as cigarettes
Are any of these true? Are there any other physiological / psychological effects?
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Weed does damage brain cells. When you loose brain cells you are not able to regain them back so that's where the whole stupidity comes into play. I think of smoking weed as if the smoke suffocates your brain by killing off brain cells. Plus it's bad for your lungs and body. Ask a doctor and they can tell you exactly what weed does to you! Good Luck!
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Sighs.
The trouble with coming to the internet, is you are going to get some shit answers.
Weed is addictive. It technically makes the cut as chemically addictive. 20 years ago when people were first studying the effects of marijuana, scientists came to the conclusions that it was not chemically addictive like nicotine, or cocaine, or caffeine. More resent studies have shown those conclusions were wrong: Marijuana is addictive. Much, much less addictive than many of the drugs we think of as addictive, but the possibility for a chemical dependency exists.
Marijuana does not 'kill brain cells'. What it does do, is addle the function of neurotransmitters so the brain cannot complete all the tasks it normally could. When you smoke only very occasionally, weed has been shown to decrease your ability to handle abstract thought and acquire new information. In chronic smokers, the effect is more pronounced and can extend to difficulty with short term memory.
So, no brain cells are being damaged or killed, but the brain is being effected. It's especially problematic if you are at a place in your life where learning and adapting is important, like in school or early on in your career. Many studies are now suggesting that this impairment lasts for days after you smoke - not just the duration of the high.
Anyone who says "Marijuana is a natural plant" should be reminded that hemlock is a natural plant too, and it's one of the most deadly poisons out there. Natural doesn't mean good. Natural can be bad for us too.
Weed doesn't include as many carcinogenics as cigarettes - not even close by a long shot! Of course there is the possibility of pesticides and other things included in the weed you buy, but it's still no were close the cigarettes. However, smoking ANYTHING increases your risk of throat and lung cancer slightly. So although weed does not come with the same cancer risk as cigarettes, it's still a bit worse than not smoking at all.
The other physiological/psychological effects really depend on you. Your body. Your mind. Your chemistry. Everyone's body interacts with drugs differently. Some people find weed upsets them, stresses them out, makes them paranoid and twitchy. Some people will smoke everyday for years and then walk away from it without any withdrawal. What I mentioned before are cold hard facts, but much of the risk is personal risk. You never do know quite how something will effect you, and you never know if it might effect you very differently the next time.
I don't have anything against casual smokers - there were years in my life where I was one. I think it should be decriminalized and people should be free to choose. I just wish those who supported marijuana use were honest about what the choice was and didn't buy into myths of it being harmless, or ‘all natural’ and good for you. No psychotropic’s are completely harmless or good for everyone (that means, things that effect the functioning of your brain) be them caffeine, or sugar or cocaine. You are eating something MEANT to alter your brain state - there are going to be downsides to that. Accept it and be honest about it.
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I will give you a perspective from a once HEAVY pot smoker, myself! I smoked everyday all day for 2-3 years.
I did horribly in school during the years I smoked, whether I was stoned or not. I couldnt focus, I always fell asleep, even if I wrote down my homework I could never remember to do it, I overslept alll the time. I wouldnt say it made me 'stupid'. But I do know people who seem almost retarded after being a stoner for a while.
I dont know for sure, but im almost positive that yes it does kill braincells. Youre inhaling smoke with chemicals in it.
No it does not contain carcinogens.
I have not smoked in almost two years, & my memory is still shit. I mean reaaally bad. I'm a little what you could say 'burnt out.' My speech is slower, I'm still a little lazier than I once was, I zone out a lot (i did twice while typing this,haha).
Thats all I got, hope I helped :)
x sweeethoney
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- It's not addictive because it does not contain nicotine.
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- It does not make people "stupid" unless they fake their behavior and smoke way too much.
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- It's not really unhealthy because it is a natural plant. However, it's unhealthy if the weed is laced with a different drug.
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- There are really no psychological effects. The high lasts for a few hours and it does not stop people from doing their daily tasks.
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- Hope that helped a bit :)
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They're all false.
However, if you let it take over your life, then it becomes unhealthy due to the fact that you're dependent on it. It doesn't contain niccotine but just like anything else that can become addictive so can weed.
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There are many many MANY different opinions on weed. I'm not speaking from the position of a regular user, but I am speaking from the position of an observer to a pot-head older brother.
-Does it make you stupid? Well, whether or not it makes you stupid is more of an opinion really. I believe it impairs your rational thought process to some extent, but it's a slow process. You don't just wake up the next morning as a vegetable.
-Does it damage brain cells? There has been a lot of research to suggest that it does, however there has been a lot of research to suggest the complete opposite, that it actually helps people. I personally think it does because I can't see how inhaling smoke of any kind wouldn't damage brain cells. Again, I think it's a slow process.
-Does it contain the same carcinogens as cigarettes? What weed contains varies from plant to plant. It all depends on how the person who is growing it takes care of it, if they use pesticides, what water they use to water it, etc. Generally, I would say no, weed doesn't contain carcinogens. It's a plant, grown naturally and typically unaltered, unless laced with another drug. It would contain as much carcinogens as any vegetable or fruit, grown naturally.
Basically, humans are pretty individual and unique as far as how we react to things. How one person's body responds to weed as compared to another person's response could be completely differents, just like it could be in ANY drug (including legal OTC drugs). Speaking as an observer, weed has made my brother do a LOT of crazy things. He has been doing it for about 5 years now and I can easily say he has drastically changed. He is much more paranoid now (irrationally paranoid), his sense of judgement is pretty messed up (he doesn't really connect his actions with the effects), and he has become so dependant upon the drug that he has let it run his life. So to sum all of this up, yes I think there are psychological effects to smoking pot. However, I think they are different for each individual. Hope I helped, Jess.
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The psychological effects of marijauna will harm you much more than the physical effects.
Smoking marijuana is one of the most highly debated topics around right now. Plenty of information can be found on google, so any questions you have about marijuana could be directed there.
Here is an article about the harmful chemicals found in marijuana that I found interesting:
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
And here is an article explaining the different questions you asked:
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
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