Here is why I think weed is more dangerous than alcohol

[noname223]

First I wanted to make a ranking which are the most dangerous drugs. I did some research and I think the ways how they measure it is absurd. Many rankings pretended nicotine was the most dangerous. Because most people die of it. Or get cancer. I find this measurement really stupid. They claim it is so dangerous because so many people take it. But if people see heroin on rank 10. After alcohol or cigarettes it creates a wrong picture. I think this is dangerous.
So I lowered my goal with this thread. I only want to give my opinion on why I think weed is more dangerous than alcohol. If you listen to different experts you will get different answers. After my very short research I have seen some articles which claim weed was less dangerous than alcohol. But I don't agree with the argumentation.

I think my opinion of this is quite unpopular in this forum. I have learned about contrarianism as political philsosophy. And my favorite writer had this philsoph. I will think more about this philosophy. It is an interesting one.

Back to the topic. I don't drink alcohol and I have never smoked weed. There is this argument which many people mention. So many people die due to alcohol but noone died due to weed. I think this argument is wrong. Very wrong. I can give some examples. There are many people who drive cars despite they are high. But for me the most scary one. Weed can induce psychosis. I always was scared about psychoactive drugs. And damn I was right. I always told me what if I belong to this group 1-4% of the population who gets psychosis or bipolar due to weed/ other psychoactive substances. And yeah I belong to this group. I had psychosis. And if I took weed I would get psychosis. How do I know this? Childhood abuse triggered bipolar and psychosis. Yeah I could not prevent that from happening. But with my fear I always was right. And by the way 1-4% sounds low but I have not counted the people who just get depression. Though I don't have data for that.

I was several times in a clinic for people with psychosis/ schizophrenia. And so many people ruined their lives because they underestimated the danger of weed. I want to say: many people ctb due to the destructive impact of weed. These people are not counted in the statistics. Yeah many of these people also have done harder drugs. But I have met people who "only" have taken an their life is completely ruined.

The problem with weed is many people underestimate the psychoactive impact. It can ruin your life. Especially when teenagers take it. There is a lot of evidence if minors take weed the danger to develop psychosis is increased by a lot. I have met young people who developed schizophrenia simplex (a very severe form of schizophrenia). They deny that this diagnosis exists because the receovery rate is so low but these people are extremely fucked. I think I have met two guys with schizophrenia simplex. I don't know their real diagnosis they have not shared it I am speculating. But I have read a lot of literature on it.

I feel very sorry for these both guys. They smoked weed as teenagers. I have met one of them some months ago. I wrote a post about him. He cannot think straight anymore. His cognitive abiltiy is extremely low. He barely can't do anything. We had like a 5 minute conversation and his brain is broken. I think since many years. He always forgot what he wanted to say and a normal conversation was fully impossible. I think he is not suicidal. At least I think that. His thinking was extremely impaired. He lives in a home for mentally disabled people. I am extremely scared that I have to go there too to when my parents are dead. I think I will ctb before that. Many people steal all his stuff. Everything. His phone was repeatingly stolen. And he just cannot defend himself because his thinking is so impaired. It sounds very hellish for me. Like the concentration is too low to make anything. Many people with that condition say they barely fell anything. No feelings or emotions.

I feel so sorry for him. This is why I am way more scared about weed than alcohol. There were also other people who smoked "only" weed. One was acute suicidal. He said smoking weed changed his personality completely. Friends can't recognize his character anymore.

When I read about the effect of psychoacitve substances I am always scared. I mean I think being an alcoholic is also extremely horrible. And can destroy your whole life. But the likelihood to become mentaly ill is lower I think. And being mentally ill can be quite hellish. I think there are enough witnesses in this forum for that observation.

 

[Sibyl Vane]

I think my opinion of this is quite unpopular in this forum.

I could use this phrase as a preface to every opinion of mine. Welcome to the club.

 

[Bootleg Astolfo]

 

[Lost in a Dream]

Those guys you know who've had their lives ruined by it, are you sure it was just the weed that caused this and not something it may have been laced with? If they bought it illegally from drug dealers, then there's a chance that this is what happened, but they might not have realized it. If they smoked it often at parties, with people they barely knew, then it's no surprise they developed the disorders they have because people sometimes lace the marijuana with some really nasty shit before giving it or selling it to someone.

As far as driving under the influence goes, I don't fully understand why some people get behind the wheel. Maybe it's because they drink or smoke too much, without being fully aware of how much is too much for them, especially if it's their first time. Alcohol or any other kind of drug can make people do some stupid things if they have too much of it, that's for sure.

I never really got into alcohol much, though I have mixed alcoholic drinks with soda in the past, just to see if they tasted better that way. With either weed or alcohol, I've always been careful not to use too much, or too often. So far, that seems to be the best way to do it; only using them in moderation and right before bed when I feel like I need it. It also helps that I get my weed from trusted sources and not some drug dealer. It's the reason I never used it before it was legal, because drug dealers were the only way to get it without a prescription from a doctor for medical purposes.

 

[western_heart]

Bullshit lol

If you're smoking weed a lot as a teenager, there are probably already circumstances causing poor mental health

I don't think laced weed is that common of a thing. It doesn't make sense for a lot of reasons. If anything I'd be worried about pesticides etc. as well as solvents in extracts but that would be more of a potential long term damage thing.

Alcohol was way more damaging to me than weed. I'm pretty sure alcohol abuse caused long term damage to my digestive system. cannabis generally does not cause organ failure!

 

[Lost in a Dream]

I don't think laced weed is that common of a thing. It doesn't make sense for a lot of reasons. If anything I'd be worried about pesticides etc. as well as solvents in extracts but that would be more of a potential long term damage thing.

That's another possibility I didn't think of earlier. Buying vegetables at the grocery store isn't even safe anymore because of the danger of pesticides and other contaminants, so it makes sense that they could end up on the weed, depending on where it's grown. It's probably much safer for people to grow their own weed, so they can make sure it isn't contaminated.

 

[onlyanimalsaregood]

First I wanted to make a ranking which are the most dangerous drugs. I did some research and I think the ways how they measure it is absurd. Many rankings pretended nicotine was the most dangerous. Because most people die of it. Or get cancer. I find this measurement really stupid. They claim it is so dangerous because so many people take it. But if people see heroin on rank 10. After alcohol or cigarettes it creates a wrong picture. I think this is dangerous.
So I lowered my goal with this thread. I only want to give my opinion on why I think weed is more dangerous than alcohol. If you listen to different experts you will get different answers. After my very short research I have seen some articles which claim weed was less dangerous than alcohol. But I don't agree with the argumentation.

I think my opinion of this is quite unpopular in this forum. I have learned about contrarianism as political philsosophy. And my favorite writer had this philsoph. I will think more about this philosophy. It is an interesting one.

Back to the topic. I don't drink alcohol and I have never smoked weed. There is this argument which many people mention. So many people die due to alcohol but noone died due to weed. I think this argument is wrong. Very wrong. I can give some examples. There are many people who drive cars despite they are high. But for me the most scary one. Weed can induce psychosis. I always was scared about psychoactive drugs. And damn I was right. I always told me what if I belong to this group 1-4% of the population who gets psychosis or bipolar due to weed/ other psychoactive substances. And yeah I belong to this group. I had psychosis. And if I took weed I would get psychosis. How do I know this? Childhood abuse triggered bipolar and psychosis. Yeah I could not prevent that from happening. But with my fear I always was right. And by the way 1-4% sounds low but I have not counted the people who just get depression. Though I don't have data for that.

I was several times in a clinic for people with psychosis/ schizophrenia. And so many people ruined their lives because they underestimated the danger of weed. I want to say: many people ctb due to the destructive impact of weed. These people are not counted in the statistics. Yeah many of these people also have done harder drugs. But I have met people who "only" have taken an their life is completely ruined.

The problem with weed is many people underestimate the psychoactive impact. It can ruin your life. Especially when teenagers take it. There is a lot of evidence if minors take weed the danger to develop psychosis is increased by a lot. I have met young people who developed schizophrenia simplex (a very severe form of schizophrenia). They deny that this diagnosis exists because the receovery rate is so low but these people are extremely fucked. I think I have met two guys with schizophrenia simplex. I don't know their real diagnosis they have not shared it I am speculating. But I have read a lot of literature on it.

I feel very sorry for these both guys. They smoked weed as teenagers. I have met one of them some months ago. I wrote a post about him. He cannot think straight anymore. His cognitive abiltiy is extremely low. He barely can't do anything. We had like a 5 minute conversation and his brain is broken. I think since many years. He always forgot what he wanted to say and a normal conversation was fully impossible. I think he is not suicidal. At least I think that. His thinking was extremely impaired. He lives in a home for mentally disabled people. I am extremely scared that I have to go there too to when my parents are dead. I think I will ctb before that. Many people steal all his stuff. Everything. His phone was repeatingly stolen. And he just cannot defend himself because his thinking is so impaired. It sounds very hellish for me. Like the concentration is too low to make anything. Many people with that condition say they barely fell anything. No feelings or emotions.

I feel so sorry for him. This is why I am way more scared about weed than alcohol. There were also other people who smoked "only" weed. One was acute suicidal. He said smoking weed changed his personality completely. Friends can't recognize his character anymore.

When I read about the effect of psychoacitve substances I am always scared. I mean I think being an alcoholic is also extremely horrible. And can destroy your whole life. But the likelihood to become mentaly ill is lower I think. And being mentally ill can be quite hellish. I think there are enough witnesses in this forum for that observation.

Well, I agree with you and thanks for a thread with an interesting topic, as usual.

I'm also sorry for those boys and sorry to hear that you've had psychosis.

My ex smoked pot daily and I was able to witness the effects it has on a person. He has been smoking since he was a teenager and in those cases it's worse because the brain is still developing.

And yes, he also said the same thing, that it was okay because it doesn't kill but the reality is different. There may not be many deaths directly related to weed, not least because it can be very hard to relate, but the reality is that it really changes the way the brain works. And that to me is scary and is the reason why it's illegal in several countries.

Besides that, yes, it increases the chances of psychosis and it destroys people's lives in the sense that those who smoke it daily lose the will to do things, the motivation to go after goals, to do for their life and for themselves. I unfortunately saw that happen with my ex.

 

[710]

I'm a moderate, responsible cannabis user. When I have it, I smoke about once or twice a week but have gone months and even years without using it with no problems. I don't drive under the influence and have had no issues with it. On the other hand, if i drink more than a couple of beers, I feel as if I've poisoned myself! This has been my experience with it.

 

[brokenbutterflies]

It's definitely interesting hearing another perspectives on this.

The main reason I find alcohol more dangerous is because where I live there is a HUGE binge-drinking culture. It is normal to drink until you black out, and often encouraged. I know so many bad things that have happened because of drinking, and have also experienced alcohol-induced psychosis myself which was filmed and posted online because people thought it was funny. While I agree the downsides to weed are massively underestimated, I think drinking alcohol being so normalised where I live makes it more dangerous.

When I was an alcoholic, and people knew, they'd often find it funny if I were drinking in the early morning, they never had the same approach when I was doing drugs. I even had my drink spiked by an (ex) friend when they knew I was trying to stay sober. It felt like wherever I went I just couldn't escape alcohol. Seeing the aisles filled to the brim with every drink when I tried to go to the shop. Going out for breakfast at 10am and being offered deals on drinks. I could go into any store and find an item of clothing, bedding, and even an item of children's clothing, with jokes about drinking.

I fully agree that cannabis can be dangerous and is often underestimated, but where I live it isn't nearly as common to use whereas alcohol is absolutely everywhere and unavoidable. I'm aware that my perspective may seem bias because I was an alcoholic but I have also struggled with drug addiction (weed included).

 

[bear_trapped]

If you're smoking weed a lot as a teenager, there are probably already circumstances causing poor mental health

as a teen that's high most of the time, i can definitely back that up lmao

 

[Beer_is_all_I_have]

Weed can induce psychosis. I always was scared about psychoactive drugs. And damn I was right. I always told me what if I belong to this group 1-4% of the population who gets psychosis or bipolar due to weed/ other psychoactive substances. And yeah I belong to this group. I had psychosis. And if I took weed I would get psychosis. How do I know this?

The problem with weed is many people underestimate the psychoactive impact. It can ruin your life. Especially when teenagers take it. There is a lot of evidence if minors take weed the danger to develop psychosis is increased by a lot. I have met young people who developed schizophrenia simplex (a very severe form of schizophrenia).

I feel very sorry for these both guys. They smoked weed as teenagers.

I had a terrifying experience smoking weed at age 15. I had smoked very weak weed up to this point with no problems but this was the real thing and it changed the perception of myself forever. I remember looking in a mirror and not being able to believe that it was me. My self image of myself was completely different and what I saw was shocking. I began to believe I was totally hideous and my shyness grew into paranoia and extreme self-consciousness. My entire body became numb to me.

Somehow I made it through college despite constantly thinking I couldn't live as this creature and thinking of ways to die. My usual good grades fell so much I barely graduated. Fortunately I got a good job and completely immersed myself into working. I was good at what I did and got enough confidence and self-esteem through recognition of being a smart, hard worker.

Still have my numbness, never much luck with the opposite sex. Often wonder what my life would have been without having gotten stoned and gone through that psychotic like episode.

 

[GentleJerk]

Lol I needed a laugh today.

I don't drink alcohol and I have never smoked weed.

No offense but this pretty much sums up the main reason why you really have absolutely no idea what your talking about.

First of all, cannabis is about the safest drug there is, period. Far safer even than drugs like aspirin for headaches.

Second, alcohol is about one of the most dangerous and harmful drugs there is. Don't be fooled just because it's legal and accepted.

 

[noname223]

Lol I needed a laugh today.

No offense but this pretty much sums up the main reason why you really have absolutely no idea what your talking about.

First of all, cannabis is about the safest drug there is, period. Far safer even than drugs like aspirin for headaches.

Second, alcohol is about one of the most dangerous and harmful drugs there is. Don't be fooled just because it's legal and accepted.

What do you say about all the scientific studies which prove that weed increases psychosis-risk by A LOT when young people consume it?

Cannabis-Induced Psychosis: A Review

Numerous lines of evidence suggest a correlation between cannabis consumption and a variety of psychiatric conditions, including cannabis-induced psychosis.

www.psychiatrictimes.com

"Conclusions"

"As more countries and states approve legalization, and marijuana becomes more accessible, CIP and other cannabis-related disorders are expected to increase. Efforts should be made by physicians to educate patients and discourage cannabis use. Just as there was an era of ignorance concerning the damaging effects of tobacco, today's conceptions about cannabis may in fact be judged similarly in the future. The onus is on psychiatrists to take an evidence-based approach to this increasing problem."



What do you tell these guys who developed schizophrenia simplex due to smoking it?

 

[noname223]

i wouldnt be surprised if reading, for example, also increases rates of psychosis. this is because openness to new experience in general increases rates of psychosis and while reading (or watching a movie or having other immersing experiences) you are more open. weed like a lot of psychoactive drugs increases openness, which is, i think, why it sometimes causes psychosis.

everything has some side effects. eating sugary foods increases risk of heart disease, walking in the sun increases risk of cancer, etc. life is full of danger, but i dont think that means we should constantly be trying ro minimize risks. that kind of living is itself risky, it increases risk of living a dull and unsatisfying life.

dont get me started on the risks posed by most psychiatric medications by the way, now THAT you should stay away from. weed is a rather safe drug.

If you can me give scientifical studies with this accuracy and clearness that prove reading increases the likelihood to get a psychosis I will believe you.

But if not I won't believe you.

The facts speak for themselves on psychosis and the likelihood to get a psychosis. The scientifical papers are pretty clear on that.

 

[waitingforrest]

I personally find alcohol more dangerous purely for the fact that it is socially acceptable to use, just like cigarettes and have some quality control. On the other hand, weed and other drugs are not considered acceptable and therefore is unregulated. It's like prohibition and moonshine all over again.

(I still find it dumb that you can land years in jail over a plant, while murderers and abusers get out scot free.)
Just my opinion.

 

[GentleJerk]

What do you say about all the scientific studies which prove that weed increases psychosis-risk by A LOT when young people consume it?

Cannabis-Induced Psychosis: A Review

Numerous lines of evidence suggest a correlation between cannabis consumption and a variety of psychiatric conditions, including cannabis-induced psychosis.

www.psychiatrictimes.com

"Conclusions"

"As more countries and states approve legalization, and marijuana becomes more accessible, CIP and other cannabis-related disorders are expected to increase. Efforts should be made by physicians to educate patients and discourage cannabis use. Just as there was an era of ignorance concerning the damaging effects of tobacco, today's conceptions about cannabis may in fact be judged similarly in the future. The onus is on psychiatrists to take an evidence-based approach to this increasing problem."



What do you tell these guys who developed schizophrenia simplex due to smoking it?

I think that's all 99% bullshit and/or mass hysteria.

I don't believe weed causes schizophrenia. That's Reefer Madness nonsense. There are plenty of pseudoscientific studies, usually paid for and brought to you by the makers of prozac and zoloft.

Here's the thing. It can exacerbate an underlying psychiatric disorder. It's more common with sativa strains that have strong mental effects, rather than the sedating and relaxing indicas and hash plants.

In other words, if you already have a mental illness, being high can bring that to the surface and be counterproductive.

But the potentially unpleasant temporary effects of weed on certain people are still nothing compared to the permanent harm posed by psychotropic pharmaceutical drugs. Or alcohol for that matter.

My advice for people who have schizophrenia and other mental illnesses that surface when they get high is, maybe weed isn't helpful for you. And maybe you also have some things in your life and in your mind that need addressing.

 

[noname223]

I think that's all 99% bullshit and/or mass hysteria.

I don't believe weed causes schizophrenia. That's Reefer Madness nonsense. There are plenty of pseudoscientific studies, usually paid for and brought to you by the makers of prozac and zoloft.

Here's the thing. It can exacerbate an underlying psychiatric disorder. It's more common with sativa strains that have strong mental effects, rather than the sedating and relaxing indicas and hash plants.

In other words, if you already have a mental illness, being high can bring that to the surface and be counterproductive.

But the potentially unpleasant temporary effects of weed on certain people are still nothing compared to the permanent harm posed by psychotropic pharmaceutical drugs. Or alcohol for that matter.

My advice for people who have schizophrenia and other mental illnesses that surface when they get high is, maybe weed isn't helpful for you. And maybe you also have some things in your life and in your mind that need addressing.

I think we won't come to common ground in this discussion. Gladly we don't have to.
I could cite a lot more statistics which prove that smoking weed increases the likelihood to get a psychosis/ getting schizophrenia.

I agree there are studies which have the purpose to promote some medication.
But I think this logic/ analogy does not fit when we talk about weed.

In your example greedy companies want to make money with pills but why should they have the intention to prohibit weed?. Isn't it quite the opposite? There are a lot of greedy companies who would love to make money with selling weed. At the moment mostly criminals get the money.

I think no matter how long we would discuss it I think we won't find a compromise. We have quite diametrical views. I also think that many common medication can have a positive impact on people with mental illness. For example I benefit a lot since I take my medication. Still my life sucks but they take some edges.

Moreover I think the negative impact of weed can also be longterm. Some conditions weed causes are often irreversible.

I think that is a quie unpopular opinion in this forum. But that is fine. You can do what you want. It is up to you. I just wanted to make an interesting thread. And I like the conversation about it. I am still not sure whether I shall be in favor or against the legalisation of weed. I am very ambivalent on that.

 

[western_heart]

People use weed for more than just getting high!

Weed is legal in Canada & like half of the US at this point, in some states long enough for there to be research on the effects of legalization. If cannabis caused as much harm as you say it does, there would be a lot more evidence.

In your example greedy companies want to make money with pills but why should they have the intention to prohibit weed?. Isn't it quite the opposite? There are a lot of greedy companies who would love to make money with selling weed. At the moment mostly criminals get the money.

Because cannabis is in competition with certain other drugs. Weed is an alternative to drugs for anxiety, sleep, pain, etc, and the companies growing weed are not the same ones who are synthesizing drugs and making pills. Cannabis use is less harmful than some of the alternatives, and in the US, legalized (medical or recreational) marijuana has been shown to reduce opioid prescriptions, spending, and overdoses.

The effects of long-term cannabis use are NOTHING compared to the effects of long-term opioid or benzo use.

 

[Niko66]

I'd disagree, though the psychosis risk seems a reasonable argument to make. When you consider about every other aspect of the drugs it is not even close.

Over long term use alcohol will absolutely wreck your organ function, I can't speak for the mental effects over long term but I am sure a Google search will say it's anywhere from bad to terrible. Weed has various issues too, mainly obviously smoke is bad for you, increased chance for cancer. And cognitively it impairs development in teens, presumably not the case after a certain age. Though while you are smoking regularly you will be cognitively less sharp, dumber and foggy minded, crappy memory, so on. That's my experience though I have a friend who oddly retains mental acuity much more than me despite smoking even more.

Alcohol is also much more physically addicting and has hellish withdrawals. Quitting weed is a cakewalk in comparison (not that it can't be hard, but relatively speaking).

Weed for the most part doesn't remove inhibitions and risk assesment anywhere as much as alcohol does. Alcohol promotes risky reckless behavior much more than weed, often aggression (that's a big issue in my country, alcohol+sports=a lot domestic violence), some people get extremely depressed under alcohol too.
Weed makes you a Netflix binge eating potato more often than not, some get a bit paranoid and anxious, or very giddy, these are the most common effects, it's very rare for someone to be too high and just randomly decide to take the car for a ride. I've seen personally blackout drunk people trying to ride their bikes for absolutely no reason that they can express, it's like the brain is only running on impulses.
You need a lot more alcohol intake to get the desired results, to get a great buzz your body will hate you for it the next day. To get pretty high on weed, even with tolerance you will be just fine the next day.
Getting too high has generally very mild consequences, getting too drunk is riskier.
It's easier to be a functional addicted smoker than it is to be a functional alcoholic, weed will make you complacent with a shitty life and be mediocre, alcohol can much more easily wreck your life, in terms of work, relationships, etc.

As you might guess though I think both are generally harmful, I smoked for 5 years, for the last couple of years I smoked daily multiple times, now I have mostly quit weed, I very ocasionally drink alcohol and even less times I have gotten drunk because hangovers are brutal.

In terms of risk of death and injury, repeating myself somewhat, very drunk people are often aggressive, looking for a fight, doing extremely risky dumb things and there's the obvious alcohol poisoning being deadly factor. Weed again I would say pushes towards risky behavior much much more rarely than alcohol does and an "overdose" is essentially impossible and you can't die from it.

I find alcohol useful for socializing as a very inhibited person. It's really bad to cope with issues though but it makes me giddy, more open and less self conscious.
I find weed useful to cope with issues on the short term, like having a very stressful day. Some people are better socializing on it but that's very much not me, I feel dumber and more awkward on weed while still inhibited.

The psychosis concern is valid and there's other issues with weed which I somewhat touched upon, I hold similar issues as those one with psychiatric meds, the side effects, often permanent or very long lasting and often very grave are very underplayed. Along with addictiveness, dependency and a bunch of etcs. But overall I don't think that factor alone pushes it anywhere on alcohol's level of consequences.

I would also add that alcohol outside socializing has essentially no upsides. On a personal level weed has given me new perspectives on problems at times, on relationships, goals, priorities etc. It can be like looking at things with different glasses. Apparently a lot of people use weed medically, for me I actually get worse sensitivity to pain under weed, sometimes headaches, so it doesn't work for me in the way nor I think it helps me much psychologically (other than like I said, maybe coping with one very bad day). Apparently some people do get help in these aspects. I don't think regular alcohol use (meaning enough to get a buzz and not like a daily wine glass) can be sustained anywhere near as much, much less be beneficial.

Edit: something I forgot to add. Alcohol has mild to very harmful interactions with a great deal of drugs. Weed is essentially completely safe in that regard.

 

[GentleJerk]

Man, alcohol is such a fucking toxic environment. Especially for children.

Weed tends to create more of an atmosphere of peace.

 

[noname223]

People use weed for more than just getting high!

Weed is legal in Canada & like half of the US at this point, in some states long enough for there to be research on the effects of legalization. If cannabis caused as much harm as you say it does, there would be a lot more evidence.


Because cannabis is in competition with certain other drugs. Weed is an alternative to drugs for anxiety, sleep, pain, etc, and the companies growing weed are not the same ones who are synthesizing drugs and making pills. Cannabis use is less harmful than some of the alternatives, and in the US, legalized (medical or recreational) marijuana has been shown to reduce opioid prescriptions, spending, and overdoses.

The effects of long-term cannabis use are NOTHING compared to the effects of long-term opioid or benzo use.

There is A LOT of evidence that weed can cause longterm-damage (like schizophrenia).

I don't doubt weed can be beneficial for example for cancer patients it can be pretty helpful. But the legalisation often refers to the legalisation for all adults.

I have met psychologists and psychiatrists who make research especially on people with psychosis and schizophrenia and their conclusion was pretty clear.

Gladly I don't have to convince anyone here. I don't want to invest my time in more research for evidence. The vast majority in this forum disagrees with me and if I replied to everyone's arguments I would write the whole night long.

 

[western_heart]

weed benefits a lot more than cancer patients. Most people don't have schizophrenia or suffer from psychosis

There is A LOT of evidence that weed can cause longterm-damage (like schizophrenia).

no, there is actually not that much evidence. see this article from 2020: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7442038/

Even though CBD shows therapeutic effects and THC opposing effects, the data is minimal and low safety and efficacy warrants more research. The relation between cannabis and schizophrenia needs further investigation. We need more case-control studies and clinical trials with a larger population to get conclusive data.

 

[Niko66]

There is A LOT of evidence that weed can cause longterm-damage (like schizophrenia).

I don't think there's lot of evidence about weed in general on anything as it's always had to deal with funding and legal issues.

But tbh that is the case for almost all OTC and prescription drugs too long term. Basic antiinflammatories wreck your stomach lining long term. Tylenol is toxic to your liver.
Proton pump inhibitors increase cancer risk and actually worsen heartburn were you to ever stop them.
Benzo addiction is brutal, the tolerance build up is very strong and quick making it unsustainable, it teaches people to cope with the substance and leaves them with no other distress and anxiety coping mechanisms so it's a snowball of ever increasing doses and the higher the dose the more nightmarish the process of ever stopping them becomes, your natural tolerance for anxiety is gone because the drug has replaced it and you have to deal with increased anxiety from withdrawals, not to say a whole spectrum of terrible withdrawals in general. It's also apparently contributor to dementia and other cognitive declines.
I am not that well researched on most substances so I can speak on those I've most dealt with but you can find serious long term damage from almost any of the drugs that are so commonly handed out. I get the feeling you are a bit biased in that your own circumstances make weed more dangerous to you, assuming the validity of psychosis triggering.

 

[noname223]

weed benefits a lot more than cancer patients. Most people don't have schizophrenia or suffer from psychosis


no, there is actually not that much evidence. see this article from 2020: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7442038/

I think we could do this game for quite a while. Searching for single studies on the internet to prove our points. There are for both sides many articles.

Daily Marijuana Use And Highly Potent Weed Linked To Psychosis

As more places in the U.S. and Europe legalize marijuana, weed consumption is growing ever more popular. But researchers are studying a troubling health risk associated with the drug.

www.npr.org

But I don't really want to invest as I said more time in this discussion we won't find a compromise.

There are like 1-4% who have genes that in combination with weed often cause psychosis. It is playing russian roulette. At least this is my point of view.

 

[western_heart]

Searching for single studies on the internet to prove our points. There are for both sides many articles.

the article I linked is a review of other studies, I chose it for a reason.

here's an article from THIS WEEK describing the phenomenon of cannabis opponents making mountains out of molehills: https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3pgaw/what-is-scromiting

"While reform advocates are far from guilt-free on this front, there's a particularly pernicious history of Reefer Madness propaganda amongst reform opponents. Data is routinely cherry picked, misrepresented and stripped of context or important caveats, to make cannabis, or cannabis reforms, look as bad and scary as possible.

 

[noname223]

the article I linked is a review of other studies, I chose it for a reason.

Mine too.

 

[Ethereal Knight]

"Cannabis is a known risk factor for schizophrenia, although the exact neurobiological process through which the effects on psychosis occur is not well-understood. In this review, we attempt to develop and discuss a possible pathway for the development of psychosis. We examine the neurobiological changes due to cannabis to see if these changes are similar to those seen in schizophrenic patients, the findings show similarities; however, these mere similarities cannot establish a 'cause-effect' relationship as a number of people with similar changes do not develop schizophrenia. Therefore, the 'transition-to-psychosis' due to cannabis, despite being a strong risk factor, remains uncertain based upon neurobiological changes. It appears that other multiple factors might be involved in these processes which are beyond neurobiological factors. (…) It is clear that some of the similarities in the neurobiology of cannabis and schizophrenia may indicate a mechanism for the development of psychosis, but its trajectories are undetermined."

[source linked here]

there are so many known unknowns and probably a lot of unknown unknowns here. we still know very little about this subject.

association is different from causation. if they were the same, then eating icecream would cause shark attacks, because as shown by epidemiology, the more ice cream people eat, the more shark attacks happen. these two events are heavily associated.

a direct cause-effect relationship is usually harder to establish.





observational (cohort) studies are lower on the evidence hierarchy compared to interventional ones.



I think the thing we can all agree is that, at this point, more research is needed.

but I'd argue that, if one wants to be extra careful and use a "better safe than sorry" approach to protect themselves from psychosis, then avoiding weed completely is a reasonable idea right now. there's a favorable cost:benefit ratio here, they wouldn't be losing much, as there are many other ways of getting cannabis' similar benefits, through manners other than using it.

edit: I wouldn't compare it to alcohol though. these substances are so different and can be used in such a variety of circunstances and contexts that, in my opinion, it's very complicated and it'd be too binary or simplistic to say that one is simply "worse" than the other.

 

[Niko66]

Also to be a bit more punctual with what I am trying to say, don't you think the more consistently dangerous and harmful effects of alcohol should bear a good deal of weight in assessing it's danger?

Antidepressants and other psychiatric drugs are even worse russian roulettes when it comes to causing unexpected life ruining issues on unlucky minorities of people and most are affected by the long term consequences too.

 

[Life_and_Death]

lmfao, i dont think any of you have heard of a "bad trip"

 

[Ethereal Knight]

Antidepressants and other psychiatric drugs are even worse russian roulettes when it comes to causing unexpected life ruining issues on unlucky minorities of people

this reminds me of Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD). which is tragic, terrible and can be permanent, one of the saddest things I ever heard when it comes to medication: people being deprived of their sexuality forever, which is supposed to be one of the most enjoyable aspects of life.
and sometimes in exchange for nothing, as SSRIs are over-prescribed and handled like candy these days, with misdiagnosis happening quite frequently.

if one can choose, living more naturally is beautiful! and is consistent with our nature. there's no such thing as a "drug deficiency". we weren't born to use this stuff.
choosing to use it puts you immediately in an evolutionary mismatch situation, as the environment that your body is in is very different from the one it expects, potentially causing genes to be expressed sub-optimally and causing the organism to mal-function.