The Addiction Help .com

I am 16 years old and many of my friends smoke marijuana. I have been offered the drug several times and I must admit I wanted it every time but did not accept. The reason is not becase I want to fit in or anything social like that. The reason has to do with my own anxiety. I have a diagnosed issue with anxiety and depression and I have heard that marijuana has helped many people like me. I'm not stupid though, so I would never use this sort of mind altering drug unless I know everything it does and that could happen. I'm really tired of looking online and finding only sensles rantings by pot heads who say it's "cool..." and extremists who say tha marijuana burns your soul. What is real??? Below are some examples of the thing I want to know about. If you have any piece of what I'm asking then please tell me what you know even if all your knoledge is based on personal experience. I want to see some actuall medical studies by respectable institutes with real citations (that means links).
-effects on lungs (keep in mind that I've never smoked)
-mental effects
-long term brain effects
-short term brain effects
-effects teeth and mouth tissue
-bad weed (laced or mold or other) Vs. good weed and how to tell the difference
-heart/blood issues?
-lentgh of short term mental effects
-addiction causing? dependancy causing?
-worse or better ways of smoking? (rolling paper,pipe, etc...)
-effects on youth (specifically someone my age- 16)
-conflicts with other drugs?
-How much weed does it take to get high? Can you smoke to much at once?
-What is THC and what does it do?

Ill answer all your questions based off the information I have gathered myself.

First I would like to start off by saying I also have social anxiety and a bit of depression. While high you will feel like all is well and you will become more social and all your problems melted away. However when off the drug you will feel the same as you always did. Use the drug in moderation and as a way to put yourself out there and into social situations. You will eventually become more comfortable and you will be able to communicate with others off the drug. (all this is based off my personal experience, the effects are different for everyone). Now onto your questions

Effects on lungs- To be perfectly honest its terrible for your lungs. Your putting carcinogens (smoke) where it doesn't belong. The occasional smoke is not going to chop your life in half but I cant imagine its good for you. However I have read studies where THC can actually kill cancerous cells, so the smoke is going to pollute your lungs but your not going get cancer from it, just black lungs. If your concerned about it use a vaporizer or bake some goodies.

mental effects- It makes you feel GREAT. However when I first started I did get some panic attacks because I was not 100% comfortable with what I was doing. After some research and some more experience I haven't had one since.

long term brain effects- Again, different for everyone. The stereotype is that long term pot smokers are lazy people who cant hold a job. Wrong, there are plenty of smart people with respectable jobs who smoke cannabis. Analysis your personality and make sure you wont become psychologically addicted to it. Other then that you probably wont lose IQ points every time you light up.

Short term- There are two different types of marijuana. Salvia and Indica. Salvia gives you a head rush where you are extremely creative and very outgoing. Indica gives you a couch lock where you have a extreme "body" high where your senses are increased and you become less likely to want to do things. However once you start doing them you don't want to stop. When coming down from a high I usually get pretty tired and usually go to sleep shortly after.

Teeth + mouth- Smoke = yellow teeth, again a vaporizer or baked food will solve that problem. As for the mouth I am not quite sure what you mean. Taste wise its personal preference, personally I love it. Health wise it's probably not good for your gums. This is similar to the lung issue though.

"bad" weed- You can usually tell if something is laced because your dealer will charge you more for it. However some dealers will actually spray the weed with RAID or other harmful chemicals to increase the weight, therefore you pay more for less pot. Just don't buy from shady dealers. But if you do get some shady weed, usually the smell will give away if it was sprayed or not. If you see any weird particles in the pot then don't smoke it. Do some research to tell the difference between THC and unwanted substances. Onto the mold issue, In the curing process of the plant the weed is hanged to dry so it is ready for consumption, mold might grow on it during this process. You can usually spot the mold just by looking at the pot, once again don't mistake THC with mold. (THC is crystal looking things). Google for pictures of moldy weed. Also store your pot in a air tight container to prevent it from spoiling.

Heart/blood- Your veins expand which is why you get red eyes. Your eyes become red because the blood vessels in your body widen. Your heart rate will increase but no more then if you were to run up and down a flight of stairs a few times. If you are in shape and do not have any past experiences with heart problems you wont have a problem in this area.

Duration of short term mental effects- Until your high is gone. Once the 2-3 hours pass you will be back to your normal self.

Addiction- Once again its your personality. Just determine for yourself whether or not you think you will become addicted. My first or second paragraph gives my personal experiences.

Worse/better smoking techniques- When rolling NEVER EVER use printer paper or anything like that. These were not made for the purpose of smoking, the whitening chemicals in this paper are terrible for you. Use paper that is designed for smoking, you can pick some up at 7/11's and such. You can also use bible paper if there is no ink on the pages, just don't make a habit of it. Pipes are clean and easy to use, all you get is the plant material. Vaporizers are the cleanest and best way of smoking. It heats up the pot to a good temperature to release just the THC in a vapor. Thus no smoke, all you get is a fine clean mist which will knock you on your ass =P.

Youth- It wont change your physical appearance... we arn't talking about meth here xD.

Conflicts with other drugs- Do some research with which drugs you plan on ingesting with weed. Never take a heart rate decreasing dru

2009-07-24 14:16:39 by addison

in todays episode i talk about the bullshit that is quot;the gateway theoryquot; in regards to marijuana.

Does it really cause information to get lost in the brain like they say? Does it really cause a deep addiction? I want professional proven facts here people.

yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
there are many chemicals in it that we dont know about
as the years have gone on the pills have become weaker and the cannabis has become stronger!
do not listen to anyone who says it is not addictive it has serious mental health concerns, and eventually it will abuse you. your mind changes but what your smoking dosnt you become dependant on it it becomes your best friend then
after trying to quit, you will just never be able to smoke it again like any drug you will never smoke it again how you first started. After being a heavy user I can no longer smoke it I can not physically sit next to anyone who is smoking it at the time passive smoking is true, and most people are smoking skunk

2007-06-17 13:02:10 by Anonymous

Price: $64.95

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I don't understand how people can preach against marijuana when most of the health risks and dangers have been scientifically proven to be false. At one time it was said that smoking weed could, over time, cause brain damage and could also result in an increased risk of lung cancer, but it has never been proven. There has never been a single report of death or lung cancer in users caused purely by marijuana, and in fact, a study in 2006 actually showed that even heavy users had no sign of increased risk of cancer. Also, current medical tests used to detect brain damage have yet to link brain damage of any sort to the use of marijuana, even in heavy users. Most of the health claims were based on reports that date back a quarter of a century, which had never been supported by scientific study. There has never been convincing evidence that marijuana has any harmful effects on the human body at all. Why then is it that this substance is illegal, however, tobacco and alcohol is legal within public acceptance and an age limit? Tobacco is the second leading cause of death world-wide with an annual death rate of over 440,000 for three reasons - lung cancer, COPD, and cardiovascular disease. Marijuana does not. People smoke weed for the same reason people drink: euphoria. But alcohol, too, has been linked to a proven increased risk of various types of cancer, brain damage, kidney failure, and even strokes. Not only that, but alcohol is the cause of a staggering two million deaths a year world-wide, namely alcohol related car accidents. How often do you hear of someone getting in a head on collision because they were high? And while overdosing on marijuana is physically impossible, alcohol poisoning is actually more common than people think, and is sometimes fatal. I also strongly disagree with the people that say that marijuana is dangerous in the fact that it can be highly addictive. No it can't. The only reason marijuana is ever addictive, as with any substance, is because you have poor self-control. If you can't restrain yourself from taking certain actions and limiting your intake, then maybe you are the one who shouldn't be using the substance. It is not marijuana's fault that you can't realize what is a priority in your life, nor is marijuana the addiction problem. You are. It's the people that can't comprehend what is important in life, and what is not, and they need to learn to excersize self-control before you start blaming a substance for their own shorcomings like it's some kind of crusade against weed. You calling it an "addiction", like it couldn't have been prevented, is just a fine way to relinquish responsibility for their actions. It is only an "addiction" if you let it be, and just because a handful of people lacked the self-control to be responsible with a substance doesn't mean it's dangerous. I am 18 years old, I get straight A's in school, and I smoke weed occassionally. However, I also know how to use it in moderation so it will never get to a point in my life where I feel the need to do it, and I could easily choose not to. If everybody was able to do that, what do you think the general point of view would be? Why are you against using the substance, other than because it is illegal? What if it wasn't? Tobacco and alcohol is more dangerous and addictive than marijuana will ever be, so when it boils down to it what do you think the real reason is for it being illegal, when tobacco and alcohol is not? Because government can't put a tax on it? Sorry for all the questions, it's just something I've been wondering about. :)
Thank you for giving me honest, serious answers. I had asked this in a different category and instead of answering my questions, they just flamed me for being a "hippie" who gets straight A's but "can't break my rant into paragraphs" and such. I love how defensive people get, and they start making ridiculous assumptions. :)
I love it too <33
lol

The government could put a tax on it, in fact the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act was the first step in criminalizing the plant:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1937_Marihuana_Tax_Act

Chemical and paper corporations didn't want to compete with hemp so they drummed up some BS stories (Reefer Madness), raised the tax dramatically, and their lobbyists helped to push through legislation making the plant illegal & labeling (falsely so) a narcotic.

Check out Chris Conrad's site and books. He's the man:

http://www.chrisconrad.com/

2009-07-05 08:04:22 by j.lynn&lt;3

Price: $13.95

It's a natural pain-killer! I've looked up many non-partisan medical journals that all state marijuana is not dangerous (except to the lungs, if you smoke it). It doesn't kill brain cells, isn't physically addictive, and has no long-term effects. What's more, no one has ever contracted cancer from using weed (in the recorded, medical world). And what drug doesn't have any short-term effects? In fact, tobacco, caffeine, alcohol, and other prescription drugs (all legal) are all very destructive (i.e. physically addictive, physically degenerative, have long-term as well as short-term effects, and are even deadly). And, of course, nobody should operate machinery or do anything that requires the importance of critical thinking while using any drugs, legal or not. If it were legal to buy, there wouldn't be crime on the street from its (illegal) distribution, tax dollars could be made and even used to fight addiction. Does anybody have a real reason for it's continued criminalization?

I actively (as much as I am able) work for the legalisation of medicinal marijuna. It is an excellent drug for many many things. I am, due to internal problems, unable to take any standard pain killers. allergic to codeine, morphine etc ... so herbal remedies are my only altentive.

I also work with the education of younger people on the MisUse of marijuana. Younger people (especially pubescent) have many natural chemicals being produced by their brains. They need to give their mind/body its uninfluenced time to adjust to these new chemicals and other changes that occur in our bodies. I try to encourage them to use Very moderately, not when they have school the next day etc .... just like caffeine & nicotine it is still a drug.

As a drug it should not be used for escapism. That will not help you cope in the long run because you do not learn any life lessons which are so necessary to live successfully.

It is a great medicine, one side is the ability to relax (thus the muscle pain reducing effects). It also stimulates the production of dopemine (thus also being called dope). Used wisely and responsibly this is a fantastic medicine.

cannabis is still a drug and thus if taken in conjuntion with other chemicals it can cause unknown effects.... but don't blame marijuana for this behaviour because if taken on its own this behaviour would not have occured. Their is of course a very small number of people who do become very agitated if they take marijuana. Plus others such as those who suffer schzophrenia.

Mardi Grass, nimbin aust - 5/6th may 2007
http://www.nrg.com.au/~hemp/
http://www.nimbinmardigrass.com/
http://www.midac.com.au/nimbin/history.htm

2007-02-23 17:48:32 by Seth

•Gateway to other drugs? Yes this is true, those who have tried and liked weed have a greater chance of trying other harmful drugs.

•Bad for your heath? No, Marijuana is not bad for you, however it is not good for you ether. Anything sucked into your lungs that’s not oxygen or air can harm your lungs. However your lungs have built in filters, they clean themselves slowly. If you accidentally breathe in some dust from a sand storm do you think that it stays in your lungs for the rest of your life?

•Marijuana has thousands of chemicals? Yes, now this seems scary, but did you know that the coffee you drink every morning has almost the same amount!?!

•Alcohol and cigarettes are worse? YES, yes, yes, yes, there have been no recorded deaths from marijuana. Unlike alcohol and cigarettes which kill millions of people each and every year.

•Can screw up your life? Well… yes this is somewhat true… but it is not the marijuana that screws up your life, it’s (sounding like a hippy) the damn government. Since marijuana (a harmless depressant) is illegal, if you’re caught you will be thrown in jail, once you’re thrown in jail it’s hard to obtain a job, no job, no money no money can’t support a family, life ruined. If marijuana was legal you would have been just fine? Right?

•Legalization of marijuana? Good idea right? If its legal then no one will be thrown in jail and have there life messed up. Yes this is true no one will be thrown in jail but remember that marijuana in a gateway to other addicting – make you a vegetable harmful – drugs. So with marijuana illegal many people are not even trying it so then supposedly there not trying other dangerous drugs. Overall less vegetable people

•Addicting? For some yes and some no, but it’s all about how often and how much. Hell you can get addicted to just about anything including water!!! So then the question is how easy is it to get addicted to marijuana? Well compared to cigarettes it’s not that easy; marijuana is usually a mental addiction v.s. a physical addiction. Mental addiction is like potato chips, you have one you want another, it tasted good, but you’ll be just fine without another one. Physical addiction is like the addiction you get from the magic cancer sticks (cigarettes) where when you try to stop, you feel sick, your muscles ache, your depressed, have head aches, everything around you pisses you off, you don’t care about anything, your tired, stubborn, and the list goes on. Then once you take that one hit of nicotine (active ingredient in cigarettes) it all goes away, you feel great. However remember that the more you smoke marijuana the better looking that potato chip will become more and more until it really feels like a physical addiction, when all you can think about is the next joint. But this would only happen after years of smoking constantly.

•Moderation? With the knowledge of the real dangers of other drugs, marijuana can be well enjoyed in moderation, just like alcohol. Not so much cigarettes. There is no such thing as moderation for cigarettes.

•Increases the risk of heart attack? Yes it may, may being the key word there, however many things cause hard attack such as coffee, a well known and enjoyed beverage though out the world. Heart attacks (at lest this is what a doctor told me) are cause by your blood cells becoming too hard, eventually they become so hard that your heart can no longer pump them… thus a heart attack.

•Bad marijuana? YES! If you buy marijuana, be sure you know where it’s been and how it was grown. You will have no idea that you’re breathing in some dangerous stuff.

•Destroys social life? This is back to moderation. In scientific studies the people that are tested are highly abusive smokers, every day every minuet, as much as they can get. If these people were using alcohol instead of marijuana, they wouldn’t be able to move, drive, walk, talk, ANYTHING. So this is all about moderation.

•Bottom line? Research before hand, even on the simplest things. And if you want to smoke marijuana ether wait till its legal or smoke where you are 120% sure you won’t be caught. And remember moderation!

By: Taylor Horton

What do you think?

I agree with most of it, except the gateway drug thing, I've smoked weed. i have no desire to do any other drug. to me there not worth the risks. but if i could walk to the corner store and buy some weed i prolly would. I know many people who have only smoked weed and will only. i don't believe its a gateway drug. To me, saying its a gateway drug is like saying someone who smokes weed is likely to steal a car.. but blah blah blah that's an argument for another time.

I believe weed is harmless, why? mostly because it grows wild naturally. That's also the same reason it isn't legal. The government has no possible way to control it. you can simply buy a bag from someone, clean it and throw the seeds out your window and they will grow (even in the cracks of the sidewalk btw oops!) They can't tax it the way they can cigarettes. they wont make any money off it. In fact they would prolly loose money. because all the little teenagers they catch with joints get tickets, and the money for all those tickets goes somewhere. If it was something that was difficult to grow, and they could control it and tax it, it would be legal by now.

2009-02-18 00:19:21 by Taylor