Several studies have linked marijuana use to increased risk for mental illnesses, including psychosis (schizophrenia), depression, and anxiety, but whether and to what extent it actually causes these conditions is not always easy to determine.19 The amount of drug used, the age at first use, and genetic vulnerability have all been shown to influence this relationship. The strongest evidence to date concerns the link between marijuana use and psychotic disorders in those with a preexisting genetic or other vulnerability.42 Recent research (see AKT1 Gene Variations and Psychosis) has found that marijuana users who carry a specific variant of the AKT1 gene, which codes for an enzyme that affects dopamine signaling in the striatum, are at increased risk of developing psychosis. The striatum is an area of the brain that becomes activated and flooded with dopamine when certain stimuli are present. One study found that the risk for those with this variant was seven times higher for daily marijuana users compared with infrequent- or non-users.43
So we are talking pre-existing conditions. This usually is relevant to teens.
Quote from: "RW"
When I googled it, I also found this RW..
And I recently read that was bullshit Fash.
Quote from: "RW"
I am not a health care professional, so all I can share is what I have read.
Read the other side too :)
Quote from: "RW"
Maybe I will when I have the chance..
It would not surprise me if long term marijuana usage did increase the risk of psychosis.
Peer reviewed studies out of Harvard are claiming no links to schizophrenia and marijuana use. Most studies dealing with psychosis involve teenage use.
Quote from: "Fashionista"
Quote from: "RW"
Maybe I will when I have the chance..
It would not surprise me if long term marijuana usage did increase the risk of psychosis.
Until you experience the pain some people have nothing else matters.
And yes i speak from experience.
Quote from: "Fashionista"
Quote from: "RW"
When I googled it, I also found this RW..
You seem to assume everyone who enjoys a sip of mine is a lush and everyone who takes an occasional toke is chronic. Nothing could be further from the truth. The key to handling either is moderation.
It is true that adolescent usage of marijuana is the most dangerous.
Australian researchers have showed for the first time that the earlier people start their marijuana habit, the worse the brain damage.
"Our results suggest that long-term cannabis use is hazardous to white matter in the developing brain. This was especially true for those who had started in adolescence, as we know the brain is still developing during this time," Lead researcher Dr. Marc Seal, from Melbourne's Murdoch Children's Research Institute said in a university release.
Scientists from MCRI, Melbourne University and Wollongong University compared MRI scans of the brain for 59 people who had been using marijuana for an average of 15 years to 33 healthy people who had never used the drug.
After measuring changes to the volume, strength and integrity of white matter in the brains of all participants, researchers found that long-term heavy cannabis users had disruptions in their white matter fibers.
The brain's white matter is responsible for information passed between different areas of grey matter within the nervous system, and unlike grey matter, which are the brain's thinking areas that peaks at age eight, white matter continues to develop as people age.
Seal and his team found that there was more than 80 percent reduction of white matter in the brains of users.
Additionally, researchers found that the average age of participants in the study started using cannabis when they were 16 years old, participants who started using the drug at a younger age like 10 or 11 had even more severe brain damage.
"This is the first study to demonstrate the age at which regular cannabis use begins is a key factor in determining the severity of the brain damage," Seal said, according to AAP.
He explained that marijuana interferes with naturally occurring cannabinoid receptors in the brain and by introducing external cannabinoids into a person's system it stops their white matter from maturing.
Researchers linked the significant changes in the white matter in the brain's hippocampus and commissural fibers, suggesting that long-term marijuana use may lead to memory impairment and deficits in learning and concentration ability.
"These people can have trouble learning new things and they are going to have trouble remembering things," Seal said.
"We don't know if the changes are irreversible but we do know that these changes are quite significant," he added.
Researchers said that the findings could not be explained by recreational drug and alcohol use. Researchers will monitor participants for the next two years to detect any further changes.
The latest findings add to results from previous smaller studies that showed that the brain's memory center, the hippocampus, shrunk in heavy marijuana users.
Quote from: "Shen Li"
Quote from: "Fashionista"
Quote from: "RW"
When I googled it, I also found this RW..
You seem to assume everyone who enjoys a sip of mine is a lush and everyone who takes an occasional toke is chronic. Nothing could be further from the truth. The key to handling either is moderation.
Moderation is the key. And not operating any heavy equipment.
Quote from: "Annie"
Moderation is the key. And not operating any heavy equipment.
I don't smoke myself, but I know there are lots of people that can handle it without becoming chronic. This does not even take into consideration those that use pot for medicinal purposes.
Quote from: "Shen Li"
Quote from: "Annie"
Moderation is the key. And not operating any heavy equipment.
I don't smoke myself, but I know there are lots of people that can handle it without becoming chronic. This does not even take into consideration those that use pot for medicinal purposes.
I am not opposed to anyone using marijuana as a pain medication.
Quote from: "Fashionista"
Quote from: "Shen Li"
Quote from: "Annie"
Moderation is the key. And not operating any heavy equipment.
I don't smoke myself, but I know there are lots of people that can handle it without becoming chronic. This does not even take into consideration those that use pot for medicinal purposes.
I am not opposed to anyone using marijuana as a pain medication.
That's a good thing because sometimes I get this big pain in my ass that I need to forget about and recently weed has become my "go to" remedy. ac_gumpop
Quote from: "Fashionista"
Quote from: "RW"
I am not a health care professional, so all I can share is what I have read.
I agree with RW..you need to read the other side. There are pros and cons to everything..and like someone stated...EVERYTHING in moderation...and that goes for cannabis too. I have depression and I take a medication...it works, but I get anxiety off it...so in order to edge that off...the docs give me another prescription med to tape it off...which does nothing but make me brain dead...so I use the tincture drops (cannabis) and it works for me.
You can find whatever it is you are looking for online..all the bad about cannabis you can find will be there...my ex was so fixed on trying to take LO away from me (so he didn't have to pay child support) and the opnly thing he could use was the fact I use cannabis...he tried to argue in court how it was fucking up my brain and leaving me as an unfit mother...sorry but judge didn't agree...and yes, I admitted in court of my cannabis usage...judge didn't care...just warned me that it was illegal and for me to obtain a medical cannabis card...in which I have...so my ex's dreams of taking LO away from me to save a few bucks is shattered...
If you read about the positive side of cannabis, you will see how it fits some people medically...it kills cancer, it stops seizures. it can help regulate depression, anxiety and other mental disorders, as long as it is used within means...people think people with depression will suffer smoking cannabis because the dopamine levels rise and causes a crash and burn effect or just more depression in the long run...yes it does increase the dopamine levels, if you use it to an extent...and not going overboard...BUT, then again, same can be said for prescription drugs, some people take too much and abuse it as well...so why is that legal, but not cannabis? And this is exactly what prescription meds do...the exact same shit...but everyone is ok with it...you might want to ask...what exacly is the government putting in your regulated prescription meds? Do you really know?
I think many people see cannabis as "criminal" and "illegal" just because it has been placed in that category for so long...but ask yourself...have you ever seen a mentally fucked up cannabis user?
I have tried various prescription drugs and some of them are very funky...some of them addictive...one day cannabis will legalized, and int he future we will look back intot he past on cannabis culture and wonder why so many people were up the ass about cannabis.
If you had a child that was suffering from this and cannabis oil worked...wouldn't you fight for that right? Lots of doctors benefit off prescribing drugs just to make a quick buck. Use your own judgment, not what a doctor says or the government says...anyone who does is a total sheep...be a lion and find out for yourself...
Quote from: "Berry Sweet"
Quote from: "Fashionista"
Quote from: "RW"
I am not a health care professional, so all I can share is what I have read.
I agree with RW..you need to read the other side. There are pros and cons to everything..and like someone stated...EVERYTHING in moderation...and that goes for cannabis too. I have depression and I take a medication...it works, but I get anxiety off it...so in order to edge that off...the docs give me another prescription med to tape it off...which does nothing but make me brain dead...so I use the tincture drops (cannabis) and it works for me.
You can find whatever it is you are looking for online..all the bad about cannabis you can find will be there...my ex was so fixed on trying to take LO away from me (so he didn't have to pay child support) and the opnly thing he could use was the fact I use cannabis...he tried to argue in court how it was fucking up my brain and leaving me as an unfit mother...sorry but judge didn't agree...and yes, I admitted in court of my cannabis usage...judge didn't care...just warned me that it was illegal and for me to obtain a medical cannabis card...in which I have...so my ex's dreams of taking LO away from me to save a few bucks is shattered...
If you read about the positive side of cannabis, you will see how it fits some people medically...it kills cancer, it stops seizures. it can help regulate depression, anxiety and other mental disorders, as long as it is used within means...people think people with depression will suffer smoking cannabis because the dopamine levels rise and causes a crash and burn effect or just more depression in the long run...yes it does increase the dopamine levels, if you use it to an extent...and not going overboard...BUT, then again, same can be said for prescription drugs, some people take too much and abuse it as well...so why is that legal, but not cannabis? And this is exactly what prescription meds do...the exact same shit...but everyone is ok with it...you might want to ask...what exacly is the government putting in your regulated prescription meds? Do you really know?
I think many people see cannabis as "criminal" and "illegal" just because it has been placed in that category for so long...but ask yourself...have you ever seen a mentally fucked up cannabis user?
I have tried various prescription drugs and some of them are very funky...some of them addictive...one day cannabis will legalized, and int he future we will look back intot he past on cannabis culture and wonder why so many people were up the ass about cannabis.
Thank you for sharing some very personal information Berry Sweet..
You use it for it's medicinal purposes.
I don't really like to smoke weed. I am introverted and anxious enough. I find that marijuana simply increases these feelings... I don't want them increased.
I find no relaxation consuming THC. Alcohol on the other hand? Love it...
Many people I know smoke. I don't. I either go drug free, or drink when time warrants...
And that's how it is... Brains react somewhat differently to certain substances.
Quote from: "Mel Gibson"
I find no relaxation consuming THC. Alcohol on the other hand? Love it...
Many people I know smoke. I don't. I either go drug free, or drink when time warrants...
And that's how it is... Brains react somewhat differently to certain substances.
But wouldn't a person who has a problem with one substance likely develop a problem with another substance if they gave up the first one?
People consume substances for a benefit. If the pros don't outweigh the cons, people aren't drawn to it. There MUST be a benefit.
For many, there is with weed. And that is fine!
For me, I just don't get that benefit. As an example... If something minor is on my mind, weed makes that worse... I'll think about it more. For me, THC works completely opposite in my brain as compared to most others.
I'm all for legalizing it, don't get me wrong!
It's just something that really doesn't "do it" for me... I don't smoke it, or rarely so...
Quote from: "Mel Gibson"
It's just something that really doesn't "do it" for me... I don't smoke it, or rarely so...
I'm in favour od legalization of pot too.