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112 Comments
- chicagojack, on 10/16/2009, -2/+38I will bet my bank account (not much) on the Over of 4%
- jrm125, on 10/16/2009, -1/+26FTA: "The drug is most used among young people in rich countries, led by the United States."
and
"These include the risk of dependence, car accidents, impaired breathing, damaged cardiovascular health, psychotic episodes and educational failure among teens who smoke the drug regularly.
Around nine percent of people who ever use cannabis become dependent on it, says the paper. By comparison, the risk of addiction for nicotine is 32 percent, 23 percent for heroin, 17 percent for cocaine and 15 percent for alcohol.
"Acute adverse effects of cannabis use include anxiety and panic in naive [first-time] users, and a probable increased risk of accidents if users drive while intoxicated," it says.
"Use during pregnancy could reduce birthweight, but does not seem to cause birth defects. Whether cannabis contributes to behavioural disorders in the offspring of women who smoked cannabis is uncertain."
This article feels like it flies in the face of quite a few other studies. I'm not personally a user, but I'm hearing quite a few mixed messages here. Thoughts from everyone? - m0llusk, on 10/16/2009, -3/+19The talk of risks is way off. Cannabis is not strongly associated with auto crashes as is alcohol. Dependence is difficult to measure, but most attempts find less than is claimed here. There seems to be an assumption that because something is illegal that makes sense and sloppy science is okay, but sloppy science is never okay especially when people's rights, health, and lives are at risk.
- hroo772, on 10/16/2009, -1/+16These health problems they seem to always mention really aren't so bad when you look at the side effects of almost any prescription drug that somehow is legally available. Always with the *****.
- diggit83, on 10/16/2009, -0/+10Should have read "4% of adults ADMIT to cannabis use"
- maroger, on 10/16/2009, -2/+12Last ditch effort to prevent the cat from getting out of the bag. The statements in this article are egregiously false. Seems if these people had a brain they would realize that their credibility is at stake if they keep on touting these obvious lies. Why trust them on their findings of their very profitable prescription drugs if they have no problem misleading with such articles?
- surfernerd6987, on 10/16/2009, -2/+11Interestingly, I was a daily pot smoker in high school. I graduated 2nd of my class with a perfect 4.0 GPA. So to say that it causes educational failure is complete BS. It's the lack of desire to finish the work that is the problem. I studied harder and more concentrated when I smoked.
- krazydl, on 10/16/2009, -1/+9I am in that 4% category but haven't had any prob they indicated in the article.
- maroger, on 10/16/2009, -2/+10Raises many health concerns, especially the financial health of the pharmaceutical companies when this fraud is exposed to the ignorant public.
- Chiefsfan42, on 10/16/2009, -2/+9Since I've started smoking every day I have maintained a 3.5 GPA, I work over 20 hours a week, and I've gotten four raises at that job. My friends who smoke every day with me are Engineers and both have great grades, one of them still has a full academic ride and this is our junior year. So I'm going to go ahead and deny that.
- inactive, on 10/16/2009, -1/+8So 4% of the world's adults are using cannabis. So what? Do you want a cookie or something?
Oh. wait. I bet you probably do. - protogenxl, on 10/16/2009, -2/+8They need to multiply that number by at least 10.
- Fleagleman, on 10/16/2009, -2/+84% ADMITTING to using cannabis. Buried for inaccuracy.
- Infowarsdotcom, on 10/16/2009, -2/+8"Even so, cannabis has a long list of suspected adverse health effects, they warn.
These include the risk of dependence, car accidents, impaired breathing, damaged cardiovascular health, psychotic episodes and educational failure among teens who smoke the drug regularly."
Dependence...ah yes. It is very unhealthy to depend on something that doesn't negatively affect your health.
Car accidents...driving stoned is less dangerous than driving tired.
Impaired breathing and cardiovascular health...how does eating brownies with a substance proven to be a bronchodilator impair breathing? That's just ***** stupid. All studies show that with regular use, there is no effect on the heart.
Psychotic episodes...These are apparent in people who suffer from schizophrenia. Cannabis doesn't give you schizophrenia. If you have schizophrenia, cannabis can make it worse/more apparent.
Educational Failure....this has far more to do with the stigma and laws surrounding cannabis than the plant itself. - c010rb1indusa, on 10/16/2009, -4/+9UCLA did the biggest study ever done on marijuana and smoking in general a few years ago. People who smoked marijuana regularly had no increased risk of getting cancer where as regular tobacco smokers were at a much bigger risk.
Marijuana has one bad effect. If you smoke it all day every day, it makes you stupid and there's no denying that.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/artic ... - mpauley, on 10/16/2009, -0/+4Reefer Madness?
- Idiggapony, on 10/16/2009, -0/+4Shutaro is right. If you come home and find that your roommate has smoked your whole stash, you might experience a lot of madness at him.
- CopsSayLegalize, on 10/16/2009, -0/+4Clearly, the US-led global "war on drugs" is working perfectly!
- WhoDoneIt, on 10/16/2009, -0/+4Your "story" lost credibility when you insist that "I am at least twice as safe driving high as I am sober."
You keep telling yourself that. Pot, like any other "drug", alters your state of mind. I don't care what you say. When you smoke pot, you are affecting your driving ability.
I have NO issue with pot smoking at all. But please don't smoke a joint and get into your car thinking you are a safe driver, for the sake of your life and everyone else that is sharing the same road with you. - Spawn2105, on 10/16/2009, -0/+3Well acctually, the UN estimates that around 165 million people worldwide smoke weed, and the WHO estimates it at about 150 million. With the current worlds population that puts it at not even 3%.
However, comparing it to the worlds population isnt that useful in my view, since it is probably mostly the developed regions that account for the usage. So if you compare the number of users to the population of the US, Canada, the European Countries and so forth, you will probably have a much much higher percentage.
(Source: http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/facts/cannabis/ ... - CalltoSanity, on 10/16/2009, -0/+3So let me get this straight, we have spend trillions of dollars trying to eradicate a plant that only 9% of people who use it become dependent and "as a problem for public health, cannabis use "is probably modest" compared with the burden from alcohol, tobacco and other illegal drugs." No wonder were broke.
- hagiaso, on 10/16/2009, -1/+4If you are breathing in any form of burning organic matter, the buildup over a long period of time is not going to be good for you. For cannabis users, this can be solved by ingesting the plant in other ways besides smoking it (baking, vaporizers, etc).
- WanderOn, on 10/16/2009, -0/+3I got high once and killed my neighbors
...fridge - jetboyterp, on 10/16/2009, -2/+4I dunno...4% is a "little high"...
- smac12, on 10/16/2009, -0/+2the article has no academic value.
- vapn420, on 10/16/2009, -1/+3I think we are all overlooking the fact that the article itself declared marijuana dependence to be less of an issue than nicotine or alcohol. So why the ***** are we still prohibiting it?
- laxmidd50, on 10/16/2009, -1/+3Yeah, 4% is awfully low, at least for my city (Ann Arbor, MI)
- snapcase, on 10/16/2009, -1/+3Google some research programs. There's a ***** ton of them out there. For one thing, you can't become genuinely dependent on or addicted to marijuana.
Oh and I don't use, but it's easy enough smell the ***** coming off the article. The way they word things to make marginal findings seems more significant than they really are. - sunburner, on 10/16/2009, -1/+3Yes....sooooooo many health concerns. Like...preventing brain tumors, stopping lung cancer, increasing appetite, enabling excessive laughter, observing different perspectives and loving life. Oh, lies. You're so popular.
- Wakkyweed, on 10/16/2009, -1/+3You left out the /s.
- IKORKYI, on 10/16/2009, -0/+2it certainly does not make you stupid....its just that marijuana wrangles in a lot of "stupid" people. its a gateway drug, not as causation, but as an indication.
- Machoslut, on 10/16/2009, -8/+10Stupid article. Weed rules. Health risks are overrated. BURY this *****.
- uberchaoslord, on 10/16/2009, -0/+2I think "have used in the past" and "actively use" are 2 different things here. Also you're thinking your part of the world only, there are large populations where 4% is high for "have even tried" cannabis.
- vapn420, on 10/16/2009, -1/+3Uh.... I don't think people with cancer and AIDS are smoking pot just for it's placebo effects.
Do people actually think it's ok to join this discussion without being informed? - Infowarsdotcom, on 10/16/2009, -0/+2I don't think you get it...or you didn't read what I wrote.
Dependence is considered a "risk" because with every other substance, frequent use can cause adverse health effects. So what if people are dependent on weed? It's as harmful as water to the human body. It's actually been proven to have many POSITIVE effects on the body.
I've driven over 50,000 stoned out of my mind and I've never been pulled over in my life. If you've never driven while you're stoned, you should try it. It's just like regular driving only your stereo sounds better.
Cannabis doesn't need to be smoked to be consumed. It can be cooked, eaten, vaporized, hell even injected. Smoke is what is dangerous to the lungs...not cannabis.
There is a difference between psychosis and neurosis. Fear and anxiety are categorized as neurosis or neurotic behavior. Psychosis is more or less a complete detachment from reality. - mogebier, on 10/16/2009, -1/+3Since when do health concerns ever bother anyone?
Look at smokers and fat people. The majority of people don't care if something is bad for them. - buckrogers1965, on 10/16/2009, -1/+3The paranoia and panic attacks may just be related to the very real possibility of multi-decade jail terms for low levels of possession. Let's legalize it and see if that doesn't reduce this effect.
- Locastus, on 10/16/2009, -0/+2Ignore the troll Sammyboy.
You're absolutely right - there was also a big thing in the UK a couple of years ago because some unscrupulous growers were dusting their plants with a type of fine sand called Brix. It made the bud appear more 'polleny' but was really bad because Brix is used to make glass, so you'd be inhaling glass vapour.
If it was legalised, those guys would be in real trouble - but it's not, so no one said anything about it. It didnt even make the news, where the anti-pot brigade would have loved it. - vapn420, on 10/16/2009, -2/+496% of adults worldwide will NOT ADMIT to use of cannabis
- nolagrl, on 10/16/2009, -0/+2"These include the risk of dependence, car accidents, impaired breathing, damaged cardiovascular health, psychotic episodes and educational failure among teens who smoke the drug regularly."
sort of like video games, rap music, movies, television. Or breathing the air in most U.S. cities.
This is the type of article that wingnuts use to keep weed illegal. Sort of the Lewin group for medical issues. - vapn420, on 10/16/2009, -1/+3"I'm a trollin' douche"
Fix'd - TAz00, on 10/17/2009, -0/+1hah, hadnt even thought about that! Prohibition has run its course.
- vapn420, on 10/16/2009, -0/+1You realize the article said 4% worldwide right? It's completely possible that the percentage for the US to be higher than 4%.
Are you trying to be.... snarky? - SammyboyKIDDAH, on 10/16/2009, -0/+1How is anything I just said retarded?
- ayeroxor, on 10/17/2009, -0/+1That's only because you want to give it to me.
- TAz00, on 10/17/2009, -0/+1I hate the fact thay they pull in the "students are failing school", because i think that we can all agree, no matter the degree of how hard a drug is, legalising it, and getting it out of the hands of teens should be the number one priority.
- Rain12913, on 10/16/2009, -0/+1Vaporizing is a great way to completely avoid any potential negative effects of smoking. This is why I vaporize when I use Marijuana and rarely smoke anymore. Still, we can't ignore that the vast majority of Marijuana users currently smoke it and thus are putting themselves at risk for potential negative effects of smoking. I was simply addressing the articles claim that it does indeed have negative respiratory effects.
Buckrogers1965, I always take issue with people who think that minimizing any negative effects of Marijuana is the only way to get it legalized. You haven't done enough research into Marijuana if you aren't aware that one of its potential acute effects is anxiety. I'm one of the many people who experiences this from time to time, and as a lifelong Marijuana smoker and advocate for legalization I can assure you that I'm not making this up in order to make Marijuana look bad, and I can also assure you that it isn't a result of me being worried about going to jail for using it (though I don't think you were actually serious when you suggested that). I could get into the psychopharmacology behind Marijuana and help you understand why some people experience anxiety while using it, but I think you'd be better served to do that research on your own, since if you plan to advocate for its legalization than you should take the time to educate yourself about it.
Marijuana is not a perfect drug and it does have some negative effects, but that doesn't mean that it's not the safest recreational drug we have and that it shouldn't be legalized. - SammyboyKIDDAH, on 10/19/2009, -0/+1Both you of can look for yourself about this information. I don't actually give a ***** if you believe me or not. Look at the diggs they speak for themselves. I'm talking from life here mainly, not facts I've found on the internet.
- kaosethema, on 10/16/2009, -0/+1ooh, how nice, potheads proclaiming the benefits of smoking pot.
meanwhile, thousands of minorities are being introduced to marijuana,
effectively diminishing their financial, emotional and physical health.
I'm from the ghetto. marijuana has done nothing good for my friends and family.
go ahead, bury me, trust-fund-brats. i hope you spill your lattes on you macs. - vapn420, on 10/16/2009, -0/+1@nairebis -- Did you even read the article before contributing your ignorant opinion?
"The drug is most used among young people in rich countries, led by the United States, Australia and New Zealand, followed by Europe, but appears to be becoming popular on a global scale, with use rising in low- and middle-income countries, it said."
You're right, you don't need to argue it because you don't really have an overall point -
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