I've heard all the alleged negative effects but the majority of them are false. The folllowing have been proved false: Addiction Gateway theory Amotivational Syndrome Increases the Risk of Schizophrenia Short-Term Memory Loss Kills Brain cells Also marijuana does not cause cancer, emphysema, or heart disease. You cannot overdose on marijuana, it takes 1400 pounds in 14 minutes. So I want to hear from the legalization camp what are the negative effects?
i think for heavy users, like mulitiple times a day users, wouldnt be able to last very long in physical activities as a non-user or occasional user. Like im saying if your constantly smoking and then your trying to run I think that you may have trouble breathing and would be out of breath easier than other non or occasional users. I could be completely wrong but thats all i can think of
I know it is not chemically addictive but I thought there was plenty of evidence that it was habit forming or mentally addictive. I am also a little curious about the short term memory loss one. I know that under the effects I definitely suffer from some short term loss or at least it seems that way to me. I would love to read a paper or see some evidence that this one has been disprove. I am not trying to say you are wrong, as I believe that MJ is probably the safest drug out there. I just like to read the primary sources if you know them or someone could link something. Other than that I think you are spot on, there is just no justifiable reason to have it remain illegal and I think it is a travesty to the justice system that is not legal.
I have to disagree with you irishndfan2. I am an athlete and I have been smoking pot for over a decade. I have not noticed any change in my endurance or strength. If you compete while stoned I could see a problem in some sports but there is not a lasting effect. I forgot to mention in the OP please have something to back up any negative effects. A scientific study would suffice or any credible source.
I've been smoking regularly for 10 years and the only negative side effects are short-term memory loss while intoxicated (i.e. forgetting what you're talking about... memory is fully restored afterwards however) and temporary loss of appetite after discontinuing heavy (1/8oz per day) use. I quit cold turkey every other month or so to take a 1-2 week t-break. That wouldn't be possible if this substance was addictive.
Here's some info on short term memory loss. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY Wiley InterScience :: Session Cookies Also I have read several books that discuss the subject. One that comes to mind is "Understanding Marijuana: A New Look at the Scientific Evidence by Mitchell Earleywine". It is a very good objective book. There is no such thing as habit forming. Think about that. You can form a habit for anything. That is a cop out that the cannabis oppressors used when they found out it wasn't addictive. There is only one kind of addiction and marijuana does not have it.
The only "negative" effect I see is that some ppl think that since they are already breaking the law they feel like they might as well break other laws but that is only becuase it's not legal yet
That is not entirely correct. I have a little bit of a background in Psychology and I know there are a number of substances that while not chemically addictive can be "addictive" with prolonged use. Addictive simply meaning that there are symptoms consistent with dependency and of withdrawal. Habits that involve self reinforcement, such as drug use where positive feelings from use reinforce the behavior, can become addictive even if the substance does not induce chemical dependence. The same idea is part of why some activities, like gambling and sex, can become addictive as well. I agree that it is a cop out as it is in no way the drug itself that is causing the addiction. Thanks for the links as well.
WORRRRD ^^^ I did not read any responses but the only real noticeable negative effects are issues with running out of breath faster, annnnd being more lazy. It obviously makes people pretty lazy for the most part, but you can overcome that. And look at the big picture, you see the results of MJ use over long periods of time, look at all the seasoned MJ vets, theyre still kickin, still puffin, still runnin strong!! There are seriously next to NO NEGATIVE LONG TERM EFFECTS directly associated with the drug.
you can get arrested (depending on legality.) Smoke is bad for your lungs (If you don't use a vape or edibles). It can be mentally addictive (It is for me). It can distract you from other stuff in life but, so could anything. So, yea it has some negative effects but it should definitely be legalized
"Addictive" is a very subjective word with no clear definition. Dependency is another word for addiction. Due to the subjective nature of the word and the medical classification we could argue all day on what is and isn't addictive. Marijuana has been proven to have equal or less reinforcing effect than caffeine as well as less withdrawal symptoms. LINK Most of us are not scientists so lets just take Bob Sagat's word for it. From Half Baked "Marijuana's not a drug! I used to suck dick for coke! Have you ever sucked dick for Marijuana?"
There has got to be some negative effects. I have been smoking pot for years and never had any health problems but there has to be something.
Cannabis itself is pretty benign substance; however, smoking can definitely have negative side effects. While many of you on here are young and your lungs can take it, smoking can really do a lot of damage to your respiratory tract. I also think that cannabis can be abused, which can have numerous negative side effects on a person's well-being. They can become anti-social, exercise less, eat less-than-healthy foods, etc. I hope I don't get too much hate for trying to find things wrong with cannabis. Keep in mind, I use everyday (via vaporizer) and still manage to live a semi-healthy lifestyle by exercising regularly, and trying to eat healthy (I could definitely improve).
The amount of negative effects really depends on the person. But some do exist in certain cases, however these so called negative effects are really nothing in comparison to the harder stuff. Like mostly you hear kids who are dry (it has happened to me a few times, dunno why its never a big deal) sleeping becomes a bitch and food doesn't taste as good. Thats the only things I've ever had bug me. Its all in your head really, just from what you hear from other people and shit.
Cannabis can (in rare cases) excaberate mental illness in people with PRE EXISTING mental conditions. An example of this is how it can bring out depersonalization and derealization due to panic and anxiety attacks while you are high. I've read threads on here where others are experiencing this. I've been through it before and it was probably the most terrifying time of my life. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depersonalization_disorder Depersonalization isn't caused by cannabis though. It only brings it to the surface. Which in my opinion can be a good thing, because you can fight it and learn to live with it. Also I think cannabis is slightly addictive both in physical and mental aspects. Many people I know who try to quit after smoking daily for years have a very hard time the first week from experiencing "sweats" and difficulty sleeping. I've heard this from 3 people I know personally that have quit after years of use. Cannabis is still a much safer drug than many other drugs such as tobacco and alcohol. It needs to be legalized.
I'm for legalization and the acceptance of MJ in the country but to be honest with you I'm definitely addicted. I mean it's complelty mental but there no way anybody can tell me that weed isn't habit forming, especially when you began heavy use ( smoking at least three times a day, every day) I think the majority of people who smoke weed are not addicted but for some select heavy users, yes there is a habit forming factor. I mean I go two days without it and I'm a fucking asshole. I always pissed off and i treat the ones i love like dog shit, little things anger me that I would normally not care about. I also have anxiety issues and when I'm not smoking I get really bad attacks when I'm in uncomfortable situations. Maybe im in the minority but I think some of the things the OP said are incorrect.
memory related issues are a negative effect. Sometimes laziness.. and some extra pounds.. The benefits i get in not having to take 1/4 of the prescription meds I normally do far outweigh that. Not only that, I'm happier.