What You Aren’t Hearing About Marijuana’s Health Effects

Wall Street Journal ^ | May 10, 2024 | Allysia Finley

[karpov]

Young people who smoked marijuana in the 1960s were seen as part of the counterculture. Now the cannabis culture is mainstream. A 2022 survey sponsored by the National Institutes of Health found that 28.8% of Americans age 19 to 30 had used marijuana in the preceding 30 days—more than three times as many as smoked cigarettes. Among those 35 to 50, 17.3% had used weed in the previous month, versus 12.2% for cigarettes.

While marijuana use remains a federal crime, 24 states have legalized it and another 14 permit it for medical purposes. Last week media outlets reported that the Biden administration is moving to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous Schedule III drug—on par with anabolic steroids and Tylenol with codeine—which would provide tax benefits and a financial boon to the pot industry.

Bertha Madras thinks this would be a colossal mistake. Ms. Madras, 81, is a psychobiology professor at Harvard Medical School and one of the foremost experts on marijuana. “It’s a political decision, not a scientific one,” she says. “And it’s a tragic one.” In 2024, that is a countercultural view.

Ms. Madras has spent 60 years studying drugs, starting with LSD when she was a graduate student at Allan Memorial Institute of Psychiatry, an affiliate of Montreal’s McGill University, in the 1960s. “I was interested in psychoactive drugs because I thought they could not only give us some insight into how the brain works, but also on how the brain undergoes dysfunction and disease states,” she says.

In 2015 the World Health Organization asked her to do a detailed review of cannabis and its medical uses. The 41-page report documented scant evidence of marijuana’s medicinal benefits and reams of research on its harms, from cognitive impairment and psychosis to car accidents.

[DUMBGRUNT]

I’m sorry for your loss.
Made worse by governments making safety claims.

—”You will never convince me that marijuana is not a gateway drug for at least some people. “

Until an article posted here about emergency room doctors and marijuana users in Colorado with users extreme reactions, I was ambivalent. (Years ago)

Our son a teacher in one of Illinois’ top schools, said nothing new, he sees it occasionally. And more, not in the classroom.

His opinion was that today marijuana is far more potent and harmful as new cultivars increase potency, also noted in the article.

My brother worked in the same building as a former school chum, who was consumed by MJ. He said to come by his office and we’d have lunch with him.

I would have never recognized him, just a shadow of before.
Once the son of a prominent family...I could not believe my eyes. He passed from natural causes at age 60.

...It’s safe for adults and the state will collect tax instead of the street dealers...

And the state pays more to help those damaged by marijuana.

[Leep]

I know people claim marijuana mellows you out but I’ve seen instances where people became very aggressive. Altough, no way of knowing what is in someone’s system.

[DUMBGRUNT]

“All things are poison, and nothing is without poison; the dosage alone makes it so a thing is not a poison.”

Said an old white guy; therefore probably incorrect.

[DUMBGRUNT]

--"- research has only just begun due to the fact of previous difficulties in studying schedule 1 drugs."

Not exactly.

From the article:

Advocates of legalization assert that cannabis can’t be properly studied unless the federal government removes it from Schedule I. Bunk, Ms. Madras says: “I have been able to study THC in my research program.” It requires more paperwork, but “I did all the paperwork. . . . It’s not too difficult.”

[Colinsky]

I suppose inexperienced users would be more likely to overdose.

No one has ever died of a marijuana overdose.

[deport]

You will never convince me that marijuana didn’t cause his schizophrenia. You will never convince me that marijuana is not a gateway drug for at least some people. I am 100% against legalization of marijuana for any reason.

‘’’’’’’’’’’’’

The exact cause of schizophrenia isn’t known, but a combination of genetics, environment,
and altered brain chemistry and structure may play a role. Schizophrenia is characterized
by thoughts or experiences that seem out of touch with reality, disorganized speech or behavior,
and decreased participation in daily activities. Difficulty with concentration and memory may
also be present. Treatment is usually lifelong and often involves a combination of medications,
psychotherapy, and coordinated specialty care services. Treatment can help, but this condition
can’t be cured.

https://www.google.com/search?q=schizophrenia&rlz=1CAXGER_enUS1094&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[willk]

I wonder how much of the expotential rise of homelessness over the past decade is due to the increased legalization of marijuana.

[firebrand]

Anything that makes you feel good while it distorts your perception of reality is destroying your mind.

[libertylover]

14 permit it for medical purposes.

Is Granny's jug permitted? For medical purposes I mean?

[fireman15]

I smoked a joint a couple of years ago. I was nearly catatonic, the crap was so strong. My buddies were laughing as I sat there staring at the TV saying “this sucks”. The stuff is way too strong nowadays. Give me back my dirtweed!

My friend called me the other day and he was laughing uncontrollably while he was trying to tell me a story one of his close friends. She is a lady who is alone and in her 80s. She had a longtime pet, a small dog who was starting to have old age issues. She decided that it was time to get another dog in case something happened to her longtime companion.

She adopted a retired greyhound racing dog. The two dogs seemed to get along fine for about a month. She went to the grocery store and when she came back there was blood everywhere in her house and she found the greyhound eating from the carcass of the little dog which was in pieces all around her home.

My friend could not stop laughing while describing this scene of gruesome mayhem. I am very familiar with “gallows humor” from my longtime profession. But this was something different; it was obvious to me that my friend had been using marijuana. In some people the drug causes a complete lack of empathy for others which I have seen numerous times. This is a person who I have known nearly my entire life who normally does not find the misery of little old ladies to be so hilarious that he can barely describe the situation.

[9422WMR]

“ O man pots cool, you know?
Like it makes me real chill!
Man I just don’t worry about stuff, you know!
Like its just the best.”

Says the stoner pothead who has fried their brain smoking weed. You can’t carry on a conversation with someone who smokes pot all the time…

[fireman15]

People don't buy weed from strangers in the park anymore. You know what you are getting. I suppose inexperienced users would be more likely to overdose.

I have no idea where you are from. All up and down the West Coast the amount of marijuana consumed from illegal sources is greater than the amount consumed from legal sources... Why? Because it is cheaper and the drug pushers add other illicit substances to “enhance” the users experiences. A lot of people have died smoking or eating marijuana which was laced with fentanyl.

Overdose deaths are up 800% since 1999 which I think is an indicator that the number of people buying drugs from “strangers in the park” is way up... not down. People who use mind altering drugs especially "experienced users" are on average just plain stupid. And they tend to trust "strangers in the park" whether it is to save a few bucks or to get a more vivid experience.

[GSWarrior]

Where is this cheap pot you speak of? I must be overpaying.

Silly me, going to a pot store to buy my stash……where it is safe…where I know what I’m purchasing.

[fireman15]

No one has ever died of a marijuana overdose.

Ahh, they favorite Pothead mantra of all time...

As a longtime Hazmat Officer I can tell you that too much of anything can kill you including water.

“A Virginia woman is facing murder and neglect charges following the death of her 4-year-old son, which authorities said was caused by consuming THC, the main active ingredient in marijuana.” The kid got into her stash of THC infused gummies and then died.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article267654522.html#storylink=cpy

This is not to mention the thousands of people who have died after consuming illegal "marijuana" that was laced with fentanyl. Most of them had no idea it was anything but good pot...

[fireman15]

Where is this cheap pot you speak of? I must be overpaying.

Just about every kid in the area we live in could find you a source in ten minutes or less.

Silly me, going to a pot store to buy my stash……where it is safe…where I know what I'm purchasing.

Yes, all the most trustworthy people I know own or work in legal pot shops. /s Bargain hunting may not be your strong suit, but good for you!

[Reno89519]

It is a bad idea to legitimize and legalize pot. Every community that has done so has suffered, every family has suffered. For the few who make up claims of positive benefits, that is 1 for every 1000 hurt. Go see a doctor and get help. The sooner pot in all forms is again banned, the better we will be.

[GSWarrior]

I don’t know where you live, but here in Oakland the majority of pot smokers seem to be middle aged white men.

Allowing OTC purchase of cannabis products has reduced the likelihood of buying weed with god-knows-what added to it. And reduced the likelihood of the inexperienced bringing home a powerful strain, as opposed to something a little less overwhelming.

These are facts. You are free to interpret them how you choose.

[Chickensoup]

https://www.psychotherapynetworker.org/article/in-the-weeds/

Interesting article I recommend it.

also interesting articles on psychedelic’s and mental health

[zeestephen]

Re: "You will never convince me that marijuana is not a gateway drug for at least some people."

How old were you when you first drank alcohol?

Alcohol is usually the first gateway drug.

Yet, almost no one thinks alcohol should be banned.

Very strange, since the human toll of alcohol abuse is very well documented, too.

[GSWarrior]

What kind of doctor would you recommend? How about MA?