Weed can certainly be addictive or cause dependency. That is a fact. I do not think painting weed as something innocent is helpful because people think it’s a “safe” choice. It’s simply harmful in different ways. It’s better than a myriad of other drugs, but we should not lose sight of its drawbacks. FWIW I feel compelled to smoke daily.
Ok, but I’m talking about hard drugs here, such as heroin and alcohol
Edit: I feel compelled to elaborate, hopefully to discourage more responses like that above.
First, I’ve already admitted cannabis has some unwanted side effects. For example, we have already mentioned childhood development. My comment assumed an audience of adults. There are many things I wouldn’t recommend to children. For example, I wouldn’t recommend that children use welding equipment, but when I see my neighbor, an adult, welding – well, I’m not going out of my way to tell him it’s bad for children, I just kinda assume. I’d also never recommend using heavy machinery while using cannabis, which goes for many substances that we consider beneficial in certain situations. Then there’s the smoke damage to lungs. It all comes down to weighing the benefits against the drawbacks and determining if it’s worth the risks. My doctor put me on Zoloft, and I’m one of the unlucky few who experienced suicidal thoughts as a side effect, but I’d not go around saying Zoloft is bad, since it improves the QOL for many users. On the other hand, barring external applications such as disinfection, alcohol is universally harmful to all users.
Imagine you mentioned that Snickers bars contain sugar and contribute to obesity. Now, imagine I respond that carrots also contain sugar and can contribute to obesity. While technically correct, it would be absurd for me to say so.
In addition to admitting there are undesirable side effects with cannabis, I’ve also admitted that I rarely use it. I’ve never understood the appeal, recreationally. It makes me feel unpleasantly disoriented and then puts me to sleep. While it’s helped with occasional insomnia, it’s not a thing I particularly enjoy.
Conversely, my husband consumes it every day and has a medical card. Why? He has ADHD, PTSD, and chronic pain (bulging disc). He used to be on three or four medications, which had some nasty side effects. Now, he’s on cannabis. I’m trying to talk my dad into getting a card and at least trying it for his Parkinson’s because he has some pretty nasty side effects as well. In my husband’s case, it has greatly improved his QOL. Sure, there are certain unwanted side effects, such as disorientation, but the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.
“But you stoners always talk like it’s a miracle drug with no bad effects,” I sense someone typing. I’m not a stoner, and I’ve admitted to these effects. It’s not a miracle, it’s not a panacea, but it is my carrot to your Snickers. Moreover, most of the supposedly harmful effects we associate with cannabis are based on racist and xenophobic lies, and that’s a historic truth.
Weed can certainly be addictive or cause dependency. That is a fact. I do not think painting weed as something innocent is helpful because people think it’s a “safe” choice. It’s simply harmful in different ways. It’s better than a myriad of other drugs, but we should not lose sight of its drawbacks. FWIW I feel compelled to smoke daily.
Ok, but I’m talking about hard drugs here, such as heroin and alcohol
Edit: I feel compelled to elaborate, hopefully to discourage more responses like that above.
First, I’ve already admitted cannabis has some unwanted side effects. For example, we have already mentioned childhood development. My comment assumed an audience of adults. There are many things I wouldn’t recommend to children. For example, I wouldn’t recommend that children use welding equipment, but when I see my neighbor, an adult, welding – well, I’m not going out of my way to tell him it’s bad for children, I just kinda assume. I’d also never recommend using heavy machinery while using cannabis, which goes for many substances that we consider beneficial in certain situations. Then there’s the smoke damage to lungs. It all comes down to weighing the benefits against the drawbacks and determining if it’s worth the risks. My doctor put me on Zoloft, and I’m one of the unlucky few who experienced suicidal thoughts as a side effect, but I’d not go around saying Zoloft is bad, since it improves the QOL for many users. On the other hand, barring external applications such as disinfection, alcohol is universally harmful to all users.
Imagine you mentioned that Snickers bars contain sugar and contribute to obesity. Now, imagine I respond that carrots also contain sugar and can contribute to obesity. While technically correct, it would be absurd for me to say so.
In addition to admitting there are undesirable side effects with cannabis, I’ve also admitted that I rarely use it. I’ve never understood the appeal, recreationally. It makes me feel unpleasantly disoriented and then puts me to sleep. While it’s helped with occasional insomnia, it’s not a thing I particularly enjoy.
Conversely, my husband consumes it every day and has a medical card. Why? He has ADHD, PTSD, and chronic pain (bulging disc). He used to be on three or four medications, which had some nasty side effects. Now, he’s on cannabis. I’m trying to talk my dad into getting a card and at least trying it for his Parkinson’s because he has some pretty nasty side effects as well. In my husband’s case, it has greatly improved his QOL. Sure, there are certain unwanted side effects, such as disorientation, but the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.
“But you stoners always talk like it’s a miracle drug with no bad effects,” I sense someone typing. I’m not a stoner, and I’ve admitted to these effects. It’s not a miracle, it’s not a panacea, but it is my carrot to your Snickers. Moreover, most of the supposedly harmful effects we associate with cannabis are based on racist and xenophobic lies, and that’s a historic truth.