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It is particularly dangerous for schizophrenics as its been proven to cause relapse. Under no circumstance should they take it. Also it can trigger mental illness that wasn't present before. Therefore its not advisable if you have a family history of mental illness.
As for the rest of us, it is dangerous but not so much if taken in moderation. Risks with occasion use include anxiety, paranoia and panic.
Of course it is usually taken with tobacco so you have all the risks associated with that too.
Marijuana has never been shown to "trigger mental illness that wasn't present before" it has only been shown to agitate existing mental illnesses or conditions. Anxiety, paranoia and panic are mainly associated with marijuana for two reasons:
1. It is their first time getting really high and they get freaked out.
2. It is illegal and they fear being arrested for smoking.
Also, I don't know anyone who has ever mixed marijuana with tobacco so I don't know where you are getting that from.
Yeah, because a seasoned smoker (I'm assuming you mean heavy smoker) generally has weed at their place or on them. If you're caught with weed there are legal implications, that's why people get anxious and paranoid when they have it or are smoking it.
By seasoned I mean experienced, so not necessarily heavy, just not new to the experience. And there can for whatever reason be a paranoia that manifests, that has nothing to do, necessarily, with being busted for weed.
And Atrag wasn't saying you had to smoke tobacco wit weed; it is a cultural thing, in England that is just how they roll (get it?).
So I looked at your "about me" thing and see that you are 17. Assuming this is accurate; yeah you might think that weed can in and of itself cause paranoia, but ... wrong. Try (well, I'm not saying you should) a few hallucinagins and have a couple of them go bad and see if weed doesn't 'wig you out' a bit after that.
I'm not trying to be a dick, but at 17 you have lived just long enough to think you have a grasp on everything. But the human mind still isn't fully understood by "smart-as-a-motherfucker" scientist; so for you, or I, to say with any amount of certainty that a chemical does or doesn't have any specific effect on the mind, is foolish at best.
I've had bad hallucinations, but even on LSD it never made me paranoid, it was just a bit unsettling. After the effects wore off I wasn't 'wigged out' the next day. Now obviously any chemical can have a wide range of effects, you could take an aspirin and have an allergic reaction and die, but is that common? No. You could smoke weed and then be paranoid for the rest of your life, but is that common? No.
Sauh is right. Its always smoked with tobacco here. I didn't know you could without it :S
Marijuana has never been shown to "trigger mental illness that wasn't present before" it has only been shown to agitate existing mental illnesses or conditions
Well, what the research shows is that it causes mental illness in people that are already predisposed to develop the condition. There are some indications, such as a family history, but a predisposition isn't always something that is known. Therefore in taking weed you are taking a risk.
I have had paranoia when smoking weed and it wasn't for the reasons you mentioned.
Sauh is right. Its always smoked with tobacco here. I didn't know you could without it :S
Seriously? No, you don't need tobacco to smoke it, I've never even heard of someone mixing it with other herbs. You just grind the weed up, put it in your bowl, hookah or bong and smoke it.
Well, what the research shows is that it causes mental illness in people that are already predisposed to develop the condition. There are some indications, such as a family history, but a predisposition isn't always something that is known. Therefore in taking weed you are taking a risk.
I have never seen a study that said that, with the research I've done it only agitates preexisting mental conditions. Sometimes conditions and illness are present but haven't been diagnosed yet, conditions such as depression and bi-polar disorder usually go un-noticed until later in life.
As far as my studying goes (I have studied marijuana as a hobby for the last couple of years), marijuana can be classified as a dangerous drug.
Schizophrenia
It is true that there is a significant risk associated with cannabis, but that doesn't mean that this topic isn't controversial. Most notably it seems to be the case that heavy cannabis use among 18-year-olds correlates with 6 times higher prevalence of schizophrenia in adulthood. It's true that there is a significant risk here, but there's still two points of controversy: Whether there is a causal connection between the two, and if there is, which way the arrow of causation points. There is no clear cut evidence to support the claim that heavy cannabis use causes schizophrenia later in life, but there is very strong reason to suspect so. A study done in Denmark shows two things: 1) Heavy cannabis can induce a psychotic state popularly known as 'hashpsykose' (hash psychosis). 2) Occurrences of hash psychoses is significantly associated with a higher risk schizophrenia even when controlled for earlier life mental problems. Furthermore studies tend to show that schizophrenia does not predict cannabis use, which suggest that schizophrenia doesn't cause cannabis use. It's therefore reasonable to assume that heavy cannabis causes schizophrenia.
It's basically the same story with depression as with schizophrenia. It's a bit controversial, there's no clear cut evidence, but it is the case that cannabis use correlates with depression, while depression doesn't predict cannabis use. It is reasonable to assume that heavy cannabis use causes depression.
There's tons of myths about cannabis use, and basically all of it is bunk. Cannabis scientifically isn't a gateway drug, it doesn't cause brain damage, cannabis addiction is nothing serious (it's more easy than cutting sugar or coffee, even after long term use), it doesn't cause cancer like tobacco does, etc. It's however no myth that cannabis is basically the best plant medicine on earth with its many surprising uses (among the newest uses is active cancer treatment)
So should it be avoided?
There's risks associated with it's use, but as far as I can tell these problems are only serious in adolescence (and childhood). We seem to have no problem accepting people driving around in cars, despite the fact that driving is probably more dangerous than smoking weed. We don't seem to discriminate again people who likes to drink excessive amounts of coffee, eating unhealthy, etc. Most people can see it's a wrong that adolescents drink, yet that doesn't mean it's wrong for adults to drink. Of course we need to avoid the significant risks, which are predominantly associated with teenage use - cannabis is a dangerous drug, but we should allow adults to smoke for several reason. Cannabis is probably less harmful drug than alcohol and that it doesn't increase aggressiveness. You can have quite meaningful experiences on it, and while it is dangerous is shouldn't be completely avoided. Clear cut rules are almost always bullshit. It should be moderated and dealt with respect like everything else in life.
If people are high on the drug and they decide to go do things that require attentiveness and they fuck up and lose an arm or something. It's not the drugs fault it's the persons fault. There are prescription medications that forewarn a person "do not operate heavy machinery while on this medication". And that is basically saying "watch the fuck out and don't do shit while your on it."
Marijuana has dangerous effects on the body. It overactivates the cannabanoid receptors. Which is an obvious side effect, but leads to dangerous acts. It increase your heart rate, which also increases your chance of heart palpitations and arrhythmias. This is highly dangerous to older people who may have a heart condition. Young users increase their risk of developing a mental illness. The list goes on further.
That's like saying we should ban movies because elliptics could die from going to the cinema. We shouldn't ban something that healthy individuals can do without a problem, because a minority of unhealthy individuals can't.
I do not think you covered all the affects. When you swap the word "ban" with "avoid" the basis changes as well. For example driving cars, as I think you may have said, is still dangerous, but we have classes for students to take and tests that must be passed in order to legally drive. Marijuana is not that way. There is no business with Marijuana. Marijuana is a drug that will cause major health issues. There are no classes or tests required to smoke Marijuana (unless it's medical). Marijuana is still a drug and must be treated as so. It is to be avoided unless used for medical purposes.
I think you are downplaying the fact that there's a whole spectrum of ways one can deal with cannabis (and any drug for that matter). Recreational use ranges from heavy to occasional and rare. Between these extremes there's such a thing called moderate use. Essentially, your contention is that one can't 'learn to smoke weed', but I think that is simply not true. Some people don't have any respect for it and end up creating problems for themselves that way, but a lot of people can use it moderately without any problem. Moderation is acquired through learning how the drug impacts your life. The key word here is learning; you can learn moderation.
When we learn how to drive a car we learn to drive in a way that reduces risks, the same can be done with smoking weed. Actually there's a generic term for it within drug cultures and medical circles, it's called Harm Reduction. Marijuana is not a drug that will invariably cause major health issues - if that were the case I would have been locked up in a mental institution years ago. It all has to do with how it's used.
Essentially, your contention is that one can't 'learn to smoke weed', but I think that is simply not true.
That is not my implication at all. I am trying to display that Marijuana is not regulated.
When we learn how to drive a car we learn to drive in a way that reduces risks, the same can be done with smoking weed. Actually there's a generic term for it within drug cultures and medical circles, it's called Harm Reduction. Marijuana is not a drug that will invariably cause major health issues, it all has to do with how it's used.
If you have studied Marijuana for a year now you would know that major health effects are highly relevant with Marijuana. Learn how to drive is different from smoking. Driving longer decreases your chance of mistake. Smoking Marijuana more often increases your risk of obtaining a health problem.
I do not think you are understanding my argument. You misinterpreted the notion I presented you.
It is common view among people that you can separate subject from its effect. When we see a sentence such as "lightning flashes" grammar would lead us to conclusion that there is subject called "lightning" and predicate "flashes". Grammar misleads us to conclusion that you can separate subject from its effect. There is no doer and deed, deed is everything. What is lightning if not flash?
Same goes with marijuana, it is not substance that EFFECTS and individual who consumed it can not choose whether he will act this or that way. He releases his subconsciousness and it is not effect of marijuana but the marijuana user itself who does this. He can not choose will he operate heavy machinery or not.
Nothing in life is risk free and marijuana is less dangerous with fewer side effects than alcohol or tobacco, you said earlier that marijuana increases heart rate so does red bull or anything containing caffeine. You can't blame the plant for someone making a bad choice and not educating themselves on possible side effects before ingesting something.
Like I said nothing is risk free, the meat McDonald's uses in its burgers is actually classed as not being fit for human consumption until it has been doused in a ridiculous amount of chemicals, (in the UK the meat they use is normally what is used in pet food), good for you? I don't think so. Life is just one big risk from beginning to end
My debate description says "unless its used for medical purposes". Aspirin is used for medicinal purposes, but can be overdosed. Marijuana is still a dangerous drug.