What Age Do Seasoned Tokers Think You Should Start Smoking?

Me and all the tokers I know have experienced negative affects from weed. People bullsh*t like "I get high and do all my work and get As" but in reality a lot of people smoke to avoid the stress and thought of school / work, it's a procrasinators kyptonite.

 

there are plenty of links you can find on either side of the fence. the reality is that weed has been illegal for so long that reputable and accepted studies are few. from personal accounts, you will hear that smoking in your late teens and twenties seems to have a negligible effect. 

 

 
While you've been exposed to said people being lazy while high on weed, I can say both through personal experience and through other people's experiences that this isn't always the case. While you may see it as bullshit, many of my floor mates, myself included can very easily smoke up, write an essay or go to a lecture, and have all come away from our first year at university with A's and B's in the classes that we worked on while high. 

 

IMO it's less about age and more about your level of maturity but for the sake of brain development argument I'll say 21 is a good age to start (even though I started at age 13 and I turned out fine [I'm almost 21] ).

 

From my experiences using marijuana and after testing on myself, I'd say it does have it's benefits.  Although I don't see evidence that it's harmful to me.
 
On the more valid and Scientific end, it's incredibly difficult to do marijuana studies due to legal reasons.  There are a vast amount of variables and circumstances that need to be tested.  But there are studies that have mixed results too.  It's called Publication Bias and it works like this:
 
In a survey, they asked people to guess how many people died every year of different causes.  The participants rated uncommon causes like Fireworks higher than it actually was, while they rated common deaths lower.  This is because you are more likely to see a news article about a fireworks accident and such rather than one about something that happens every day.  
 
The media basically gets to choose what they put out so now, with all the legalization going on, they chose that this story is worthy of putting up, not really focusing on the other results.
 
This happens in medications too.  And not only can the media choose what to put up, they choose it based on the what the publishers decided to put up.  So there could be many studies testing different or the same results and they won't get published, meaning nobody will know and it won't get media attention.
 
Just wait til it gets legalized so we can see more studies giving off a more accurate result.

 

18 Years Old

 

don't think age matters that much. some people shouldn't smoke at 40 and some could probably smoke from 15-16 and up... without much ill effects. 
 
i'd say if we can send someone to war at 18, which, chances are, causes a lot more damage to the brain (and i don't mean physically)... then why not smoke at 18, if we must set an age restriction. 

 

 
Yeah I agree, I purposely put "a lot of people", not 'people'. I think people are either 100% for or 100% against pot, nobody tells the truth about any possible negatives and those who do take it way out of proportion. People don't know who to listen too.

 

 
You gotta remember too that it's not so much that there's a negative side to smoking marijuana, it's just that it can be abused much like alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine. Of course there's some harm being done to your lungs with the inhalation of smoke, but that too can be mitigated through the use of bongs or vaporizers.
 
That really only leaves the one negative effect being people's inability to control their use of marijuana. 

 

I would have to say 21 only because there are still high schools at 17, 18, 19. It would be a lot more accepted if we had kids start after high school. My 2 cents

 

18-24 thats supposedly when the brain is fully developed

 

It's definitely easier to function while high when you smoke a few times a day and have a decent tolerance. Takes a lot of the edge off of the high in terms of the loss of coordination you get from it.

 

I'm 20, been smoking since freshman year in high school, when I was younger I used to think it was cool to just smoke and blow off school work and only worried about smoking. Realized if I wanted to continue to use it I had to change, since junior year and almost through my second year of college, I changed my work ethic, I've been getting good grades and got into a school that freshman year I would never even imagine i'd be able to get into. It's all about yourself really, just don't let yourself become that lethargic, lazy person. Now I find it easier and definitely more enjoyable to do my work while I'm roasted. Just my 2 cents


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Under 16, unless there is a medical reason, you really shouldn't be using cannabis. The brain does a major "re-wire" job during adolescence, and the endocannabinoid system is right in the middle of it! the fear is that the extra cannabinoids from cannabis could cause a wrong connection to be made, possibly causing you mental problems later in life.
 
16 - 18, as an occasional treat, cannabis is fine, but just remember, the re-wiring isn't all done!
 
18 or older, you are a legal adult and able to make your own decisions!
 
Granny

 

I've done more homework and chores while high in the past two years than I have sober. Doing unpleasant tasks is much more fun for me while high. Sorry you and your friends get too lazy when you smoke and can't get shit done. It isn't marijuana itself, its your own motivation.

 

What's wrong with a lower IQ? It's a number and has no impact on love, health and success. We all die, why can't we just enjoy our ride to hell? Your dad obviously just wants an excuse for you to not smoke, first the 25 year age, then it'll be "no smoke hurts your lungs don't smoke at all." Our body regenerates itself constantly and your dad needs some real reading material and to let go of the fact that you're a "kid" because you're not anymore. If you're a good kid you can wait to 18. If you're bad then you've been smoking and drinking and failing all classes since you were 13 and for some reason I don't think that is you. It's not something I'm open with with my family, my smoking. But I don't flaunt it and I try my hardest to smell good and not get caught but it happens. I just explained it helps and it's what makes me me. I wasn't smoking in the house and going out and getting arrested. I acted responsible, don't drive, and give most of my money to my family when they need it. My family loves me and understands so it's cool.


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I can't recommend that anyone under-age start smoking. But really it has more to do with *how much* you smoke.  Kids in high school and younger should not be getting high all day every day imo.  How much that would harm you probably has a lot to do with your particular natural gifts, but why take a chance. 
 
I think somewhere around 21 is a good age to start, but I suspect my opinion is irrelevant.  It would have been to my own self back when I was younger.  I was operating under a different set of assumptions at the time.