Dangers Of Marijuana

Yes, you can vape and there's edibles. But the OP specifically asked about smoking; which is why I included emphysema as a risk.

Smoking weed with certain heart problems is no good. It's well documented. I'd actually be curious to see your studies showing otherwise. If you have valve issues, smoking can make them worse (or possibly even kill you if your problems are severe enough) - due to the added workload on the heart. Same with Long QT Syndrome (people with Long QT have actually died from it - google: Long QT and Cannabis for more info).

Also, the drop in BP can be another problem if you already have blood pressure issues, or take other medications which also lower your BP. So for some people that can be very harmful. If you really wanna get technical, though - the effect on heart rate and blood pressure changes depending on how much is smoked. Smaller amounts increase both heart rate and blood pressure. Moderate increases heart rate and lowers blood pressure. Heavy decreases both.

And when it comes to the physical addiction aspect, you can not agree all you want - but it's a fact. For *some* people - MJ is *physically* addictive. Autopsies of the brains of heavy users have shown significant downregulation of the endocannabinoid system. Downregulation is what causes physical addiction (actually the more appropriate term is "chemical dependence" - but that's just splitting hairs). For those who may not know, downregulation occurs when you take in chemicals that are naturally produced by your body. Because you're now getting these chemicals from outside sources, your body stops making its own (or drastically reduces how much you make). When you stop getting those chemicals through external sources, your body has to readjust to making its own. This readjustment is what causes physical withdrawal symptoms.

There was also a John's Hopkins study that showed MJ is actually physically addictive.

 

He didnt say it caused schizophrenia dude... he said it could surface it lol which means someone already has to be predisposed to it

 

Just run a search for 'marijuana use causes endocannabinoid downregulation'. It's pretty well documented. I'll have to dig around for the article that shows it in post mortem human brains, though. I had it in my favorites, but have since lost it - and it was a few years back... So be patient while I try to dig it up...

Also, pretty much anything you enjoy can become physically addictive. Kind of. It's not so much the actual activity, though, as it is the endorphins that get released when you do it. Have you ever heard of endorphin addiction? If not you should read into it. It's a legitimate thing, and it's a very real *physical* addiction that can form from excessively doing anything you enjoy.

Here's an article where it was observed during brain imagine in living people. I'm still looking for the one where they found it in autopsies.

http://jnumedmtg.snmjournals.org/cgi/content/meeting_abstract/52/1_MeetingAbstracts/10

"Reversible and regionally selective downregulation of brain cannabinoid CB1 receptors in chronic daily cannabis smokers

Jussi Hirvonen1, Robert Goodwin2, Cheng-Ta Li1, Garth Terry1, Sami Zoghbi1, Cheryl Morse1, Victor Pike1, Nora Volkow2, Marilyn Huestis2 and Robert Innis1
1 Molecular Imaging Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD 2 Chemistry and Drug Metabolism Section, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD

Abstract No. 10

Objectives: Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug, and chronic cannabis smoking can result in dependence. The effects of cannabis are mediated via cannabinoid CB1 receptors in the brain. In rodent brain, cannabinoid CB1 receptors downregulate after chronic exposure to cannabis but recover during abstinence. To see if such reversible downregulation occurs in humans, we used positron emission tomography (PET) to image brain cannabinoid CB1 receptors in chronic daily cannabis smokers.

Methods: We admitted male chronic daily cannabis smokers (N=30) to a closed and monitored inpatient research unit for about four weeks. We imaged cannabis smokers with PET and [18F]FMPEP-d2 at two time points: on the day following admission and after about four weeks of abstinence. Healthy male subjects (N=28) with less than 10 times lifetime cannabis exposure were scanned once. Arterial blood was sampled during PET scans to estimate receptor binding as distribution volume (VT).

Results: At baseline, VT of [18F]FMPEP-d2 was about 20% lower in cannabis smokers than in healthy control subjects in cortical, but not in subcortical brain regions or cerebellum (Fig.1.). Decrease in VT correlated with years of cannabis smoking. In the 14 cannabis smokers that had the second PET scan after four weeks of monitored abstinence, VT increased only in those regions that had showed decreased VT at baseline. Free fraction of radioligand in plasma was not different between groups at baseline, or between two time points among cannabis smokers.

Conclusions: Chronic daily cannabis smoking is associated with reversible downregulation of cortical cannabinoid CB1 receptors in human brain. Cannabinoid CB1 receptor downregulation could be among neuroadaptations that promote cannabis dependence in human brain.

Research Support: This research was supported by the Intramural Program of NIMH (project # Z01-MH-002852-04)"

 

The only danger that I have encountered is the confusion of everyone around you who doesn't smoke weed. They are all so confused as to why you can be a happy person in any situation. THEY are incubating their own issues and try to figure them out through you. It is mentally taxing as FUCK.

 

Running out.
and
Getting caught

 

I'm on a tbreak right now cuz it was becoming too much for me. Everytime I vaped (mflb) it was just constant thinking.. Like if my brain was on overload. Then coming on here high and seeing shit about schizophrenia and all that kinda turned me off.. I realize you have to have a pre-existing disorder, but I don't really wanna take any chances :/ pretty creeped out to be honest, nobody wants to end up crazy.

 

You don't have to worry about it causing you to go crazy. It's been proven time and time again that it doesn't 'cause mental illness. It only exasperates it in those who already have it. So think of it this way... Person A has schizophrenia, but doesn't realize it because nothing has triggered it (schizophrenia usually has to be triggered by something before it becomes fully evident). Person A starts smoking weed, and it brings out his underlying illness. Because it is now evident that he's sick (whereas it was previously unknown), Person A can now go get help/treatment for his illness, and live a relatively normal life... Whereas before he didn't even know he was ill... So actually, it's a good thing because now he can get help. See what I mean?

 

You actually believe this? SMDH

 

Add this to the dangers: Ignorant people who try and convince you that you're destroying your life by smoking weed.

 

This is what I wanted someone to tell me. Thanks! But yeah if someone has it deep down, why would they want to bring it out by smoking you know? I'm just too paranoid haha

 

100% of people who smoke marijuana die. Fact.

 

Well, they can smoke and possibly have their pre-disposition come out earlier in life... or they can not smoke, and still have it effect them in a year or two.

 

Because you still experience some symptoms prior to being triggered. It's just not the full brunt of the illness. Some of these symptoms could negatively affect the person's quality of life (for example, not being able to emotionally bond with family or friends - or being withdrawn to the point where it's difficult to find work - and so on) prior to the disease being fully triggered. But the person may not realize they're ill, they might just take it as them being excessively shy. So ideally, you would want the disease to be triggered as early as possible. Not only to improve the person's quality of life, but as with any serious illness - the sooner it's treated, the better the outcome. It's eventually going to happen no matter what. So it's better to have it happen sooner (and get treatment), rather than later.

 

its makes your farts stink

 

[quote name='"Sherak"']its makes your farts stink[/quote]

It makes you get chunky too.

 

The person who said that smoking weed over a long period of time give you schizophrenia is totally wrong. The only case of that is if you are already susceptible to these mental illnesses. Like if your mother or father had schizophrenia. I think the worst that could happen is a collapsed lung from taking a fucking massive hit.

 

it costs money.

 

there are no dangers of smoking weed but there are dangers of smoking HEROIN lol..

 

Getting arrested.