What are the harmful effects of marijuana?

I have been researching marijuana for some time now and I've come across many studies promoting the benefits of marijuana use, but I can't find very much of anything that's too current or that uses scientific method or that has an adequate sample size, etc. So, I was wondering what you guys have found to be the harmful effects of marijuana.

Now, I realize that it has effects on your short term and long term memory and I have seen a satisfactory amount of information on this, so I'd appreciate it if we could just look at the other negative effects.

 

Studies show that marijuana does not increase your risk of cancer. Some studies have actually shown that you have less of a chance than non-smokers, but it's commonly not enough of a difference to be scientifically notable. True, plenty of pot smokers have gotten lung cancer, but most, I'm sure, probably also smoked cigarettes. It's also true that plenty of non-smokers have gotten lung cancer, so either way the case against marijuana isn't a case really at all. With marijuana smoke being so incredibly similar to tobacco smoke, you are in fact inhaling 400 of the same and very similar carcinogens in marijuana smoke. However, because of marijuana's proven cancer treatment effects, these are thought to be negated by cannabinoids. It is also true that while smoking marijuana 4 times as much tar is deposited in your lungs than tobacco smoke, however this is mostly due to the fact that marijuana is virtually never filtered and tobacco is virtually always filtered. Another fact to consider is that you smoke more than 4 times less marijuana typically than you would smoke tobacco. It's also a notable fact that marijuana is a brochodialater, same as what they give kids with asthma to open up their lungs. It has also been proven to not lead to, increase risk for, cause debilitating lung disease like chronic bronchitis or COPD. So, although it isn't oxygen, it's really not as harmful as you would think, especially considering it has no connection to cancer according to modern-day studies.

 

What I've said above is backed fully by studies using the scientific method, conducted by qualified individuals, and using large sample sizes for accuracy.

Your website is based off of surveys from 79 people in New Zealand and there's not even a link to the study.

I never said anything about 400 times anything, I said marijuana contains about 400 carcinogens very similar to that of tobacco smoke.

It's important to note that marijuana use does cause temporary irritation, so the cough for heavy smokers could be due to that irritation. Also, if they were excessive in their usage then it is possible tar build up may have had a rare negative affect on them, but that would be years and years of smoking many joints a day.

As far as your infections, marijuana has the potential to affect everyone differently, so you may be a rare case where the smoke did have harsh adverse effects on your lungs. Maybe you have a predisposition to lung disease that was made worse? I really have no idea except I have knowledge that marijuana does not in fact cause debilitating lung diseases compared to non-smokers. It's also important to acknowledge non-smokers get lung infections also.

As far as assuming something having to do with medication is a no brainer is a dangerous assumption. Nothing should be assumed unless backed by facts found through scientific research.

And as far as cancer treatment: In a test:
THC and MA (MA is also a cannabinoid found in marijuana) where applied to in vitro cancerous tumors. After only 72 hours cancer cell growth was inhibited by 68% by THC and 62% by MA.

In other studies cancer tumors have been found to shrink over months and as little as weeks.

So stick that in your vape and vape it!

 

You sir are by far the most closed minded person who has smoked weed that I have ever experienced.

If you refer to the original post I asked what people have found to be the negative effects of smoking, not to ignorantly try to educate everyone that smoking is super dooper bad. So, I'm not going to go back through my years of research to provide your sorry ass with links. If you would like links you can become an enlightened individual and do the research yourself.

By excessive smoking I mean they must have smoked 20-40 joints AT LEAST, not multiple times daily. If multiple times daily is excessive to you then maybe this isn't the best topic to be discussing since you would obviously have little experience in it's negative effects.

Smoke is generally bad for your lungs, yes. This is a duh, it's obviously not hepa filtered air with a control amount of oxygen, so obviously it's not the best thing for our lungs. All I am telling you is that marijuana smoke is not nearly as harmful as tobacco smoke. Tobacco is SEVERELY harmful to your lungs wrecking all sorts of havoc including lots cancer. It's not typical for every other person exposed to smoke to develop cancer, tobacco smoke is an extreme and not to be considered the norm for all smokes. What I'm trying to let you know is that marijuana smoke hasn't been found to cause cancer or even increase your risk for it in regular amounts of chronic usage, meaning smoking multiple times daily. It is thought that even though marijuana has some similar carcinogens to tobacco smoke that because of it's cancer fighting properties and general cell protection properties that it has been scientifically proven to have, may be the reason there is still no found increase in risk.

I'm not making this stuff up and neither are the many scientists coming out with this information because I've seen the data that goes along with the studies. If you open your eyes and look you will also find the same things. All of the studies I've seen saying that marijuana was remotely close to tobacco smoke where from the 70's and 80's, weren't conducted by scientists or qualified individuals, had a sample size of 10, 20, 50 people that they would find already in hospitals or hand pick some other way, and they didn't use scientific method. Propaganda is what made those 'studies' the accepted norm for marijuana information and has cause a significant taboo effect on the drug. It's like masturbation, no one likes to talk about it, it has a bunch of lies like you'll go blind. It's taboo. Overtime we've opened up more and more about it, but it's still pretty taboo and even though there are studies out there saying it's completely healthy and natural, there are still people out there that believe in the taboo bullshit and think their kids shouldn't.

Does not produce magical smoke....you need to smoke more man because you just made true stoners out there ashamed with that statement haha just kidding.

A test is another way of saying study, I did not mean they conducted one singular test. They conducted many many tests over a period of time collecting enough data until they could make a valid and supported conclusion. Those numbers are not made up, they are backed by the hard evidence of precise measurements and calculations.

As far as your last edit, 400 people is still pretty small, but not considering it's the small Island of NZ. You do realize though that this study is inconclusive for anyone living outside of New Zealand right? If only New Zealanders were sampled then the study may only apply to New Zealanders who smoke marijuana, not marijuana smoke in general. Just to show you how tricky those studies can be though if you don't read them carefully, it said that 79 cancer patients were surveyed. In the high exposure group the risk was increased 6 times or so. Well it also later state that cannabis was responsible for possibly 1 in 20 cancer cases in NZ. Therefore, 1 in 20 of that 79 cancer patients is only 4 patients that could possibly had their cancer caused by cannabis. So really the sample size is still quite minuscule. So that 6 times the risk only applies to 4 people also if all 4 of them were by chance heavily exposed smokers.

I don't mean to tear your study apart and everything, but I'm not just some stoner pulling this stuff out of his ass. I have done the research and plenty of it and therefore know my stuff, so don't challenge me. Especially with studies you pulled out of your ass.

 

It has been shown to affect the parts of the brain that deal with long term memory and patients of very heavy use have reported it at times. There is pretty much unanimous agreement that short-term memory is effected though.

 

You know I just recently looked at a few studies on the NORML website, might still be there, that reported something along the lines that the drivers when put through a simulated obstacle course while high performed the same as far as collision avoidance and the only really noticeable difference they found was a general decrease in speed from just above the speed limit to just below. Haha I didn't look into it much though, just read it so don't hold me to credibility , but some would consider that improvement.

 

Rigorous debate isn't necessary on the question it's just the guys was calling my viable info a bunch of made of lies which made me a bit defensive i guess. Weed is something I'm passionate about in that it's the only thing that's ever really helped me. I guess you could say it pisses me off when people ceaselessly try to convince people weed kills brain cells and causes cancer when it doesn't, it's my medicine and it doesn't even come close to doing those things. It also frustrates me when people compare it to alcohol or tobacco because they're so harmful and could never come close to helping me out. Plus, since it's helped me out so much with so many of my issues and all of them, I'd like to spread the word so people can stop killing their body's pill by pill when if they vaped instead of popped pills they would probably live a much healthier and happier life. When I found out about it's affects on cancer I was deeply inspired. I mean imagine people being able to walk away from treatment euphoric and uplifted rather than half dead from chemo. I mean sure if you stuck blended up bud in an IV pumped it into one of your veins you're probably going to die, but that would happen most anything else you decide to do that with. It's less toxic than caffeine though and do you know how much caffeine Americans go through? I mean you could eat something like 10 potatoes or it's something around that and have toxic effects, with marijuana you could eat, vape and smoke enough in the amount of time. You'd suffocate first smoking. haha