I recently had a protracted discussion about the risks of marijuana with someone who is a heavy habitual user.
I gave three major reasons why I encouraged him to reduce consumption with the goal of quitting/overcoming dependency.
1. It affects memory.
2. I forgot #2.
2. Just kidding. Tolerance leads to greater and greater dependency (although tolerance does not appear to be permanent). That is, if the goal is to feel better, you will need to continually increase the regular dosage.
3. Being high, especially as a way to cope with unhealed trauma and emotional pain, inhibits healing by keeping you from being present. When you aren’t present you cannot process and heal from past hurts. You also cannot be present to experience the proper emotions necessary for relationships. So, things like empathy or gratitude may be lacking or absent.
A lot of people might add to this list the financial and legal implications.
Spiritually, I consider it to be a lot like alcohol. I think that is a fair comparison even if there are some major differences in how these substances affect people.
Or take regular "tolerance breaks" which most stoners I know, myself included, do from time to time.
Being high, especially as a way to cope with unhealed trauma and emotional pain, inhibits healing by keeping you from being present.
To an extent, you are right about keeping one "present", and that is the point. I have been through a lot of loss in life, and I've raw dogged the emotions while other times I've checked out for a bit with cannabis until I could be at a point where I could deal with the loss without the excruciating pain and constant wondering if I'm going to make it through this loss.
Spiritually, I consider it to be a lot like alcohol.
Alcohol is addictive. I've watched it several times throughout life. Don't get me wrong, I also enjoy a good drunk from time to time, but the folks I know that forgo the devil's lettuce for alcohol all seem to be heavily addicted to it, to the point that they shake and, in one friend's experience, she almost died from the withdrawals of alcohol. I've gone plenty of stretches without the jazz cabbage (and alcohol, for that matter) and do not suffer any negative affects, physically emotionally or mentally.
And not once has the ganja ever had me thinking, "Gee, I should vote for a democrat!" Not ever.