Study Suggests That Marijuana Is More Dangerous Than Thought

[Perigrina]

I saw the article a while ago, dunno why. Dont really care.

 

Marijuana has not been proven to be harmful either vs Alcohol that has been the cause of tons of deaths and violence yet people never mention it. People are obsessed with marijuana based on an old misconception that its bad for you which has completely colored how it is perceived in society.

 

I would suggest you go do some personal research into the matter on a scientific search engine like PubMed and read more articles on marijuana instead of making a decision based on this one alone.  And like I said, this article still has no substantial conclusion; its merely making some observations that have no proof in any correlation to marijuana use. 

 

Could you at least wait until I have said what my opinion is before you start arguing with it.  

[Perigrina]

Did I say that?

 

I was trying to recreate the thought process that led you to conclude that I did not have an open mind on this subject.  I posted an article without comment on it.  

[Nihil Obstat]

I am surprised that you have seen so many people clinging to this one article.  The study was only published in the Journal of Neuroscience this week.  http://www.sfn.org/Press-Room/News-Release-Archives/2014/Brain-Changes-Are-Associated-with-Casual-Marijuana-Use-in-Young-Adults
 
I think it is foolish to change laws based on the assumption that marijuana is harmless when there is no scientific consensus on this hypothesis.

It was actually published about two months ago (April 16). But yeah, I actually thought I had read that study a year or more ago. There must have been a similar one that we are thinking of.
 
The study found an association between marijuana use in young people, and "exposure-dependent alterations of the neural matrix of core reward structures", but it is equally true that the existence of such an association does not necessarily indicate causation. What it does mean is that further studies are required in order to find out exactly what is going on, whether it is causation one way or the other, or something else.

[CrossCuT]

The study found an association between marijuana use in young people, and "exposure-dependent alterations of the neural matrix of core reward structures", but it is equally true that the existence of such an association does not necessarily indicate causation. What it does mean is that further studies are required in order to find out exactly what is going on, whether it is causation one way or the other, or something else.

:winner:

 

 

 

These data therefore suggest that recreational marijuana use in young adults may lead to alterations in the core reward structures. It's important to remember, however, that correlation does not imply causation- the study can infer an association but not a definitive cause. The number of participants was also small and the study did not investigate whether cannabis use affected cognition as well as brain morphology. Therefore although this particular study is important, it also lays the foundations for further in-depth research into this interesting area. 

Edited June 20, 2014 by CrossCuT

[Perigrina]

It was actually published about two months ago (April 16). But yeah, I actually thought I had read that study a year or more ago. There must have been a similar one that we are thinking of.
 
The study found an association between marijuana use in young people, and "exposure-dependent alterations of the neural matrix of core reward structures", but it is equally true that the existence of such an association does not necessarily indicate causation. What it does mean is that further studies are required in order to find out exactly what is going on, whether it is causation one way or the other, or something else.

 

I knew that it was published in April; I just forgot that this was June.   :hehe2:

 

The article that I posted also concluded that further research is required.  I only posted the beginning of it.

[PhuturePriest]

I saw the article a while ago, dunno why. Dont really care.

 

Marijuana has not been proven to be harmful either vs Alcohol that has been the cause of tons of deaths and violence yet people never mention it. People are obsessed with marijuana based on an old misconception that its bad for you which has completely colored how it is perceived in society.

 

I would suggest you go do some personal research into the matter on a scientific search engine like PubMed and read more articles on marijuana instead of making a decision based on this one alone.  And like I said, this article still has no substantial conclusion; its merely making some observations that have no proof in any correlation to marijuana use. 

 

It's worth noting the Church says using pot for "recreational use" is a sin. I'm not using that as a reason to make it illegal, but you're making pot out to be as harmless as water.

[CrossCuT]

It's worth noting the Church says using pot for "recreational use" is a sin. I'm not using that as a reason to make it illegal, but you're making pot out to be as harmless as water.

 

Water can kill you

[Perigrina]

I found an interesting article on the origins of anti-marijuana laws: http://www.alternet.org/story/77339/debunking_the_hemp_conspiracy_theory

 

I have come across the Hearst conspiracy theory many times.  I found it interesting to see that theory debunked and an alternate theory proposed.

[Perigrina]

Here is a follow-up article from the same source: http://mic.com/articles/87875/here-s-the-real-story-behind-that-marijuana-changes-your-brain-study

There's way more research that needs to be done and that's Gilman's largest takeaway for others.

Since the study came out, Gilman has received a range of feedback. Some people criticize the small sample size — she states that the next step is to conduct the study with a larger group — or the funding source, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, among others (which got a laugh out of Gilman: "Your data is your data").

"Since this paper has come out, some people think I'm a crazy conservative against legalization," she says. "I don't think anyone should go to jail for using marijuana — people can do what they want — I just want them to know what's happening to the brain."

The reality, for even pro-legalization people like myself, is that there's a dearth of research on the effects of marijuana — a psychoactive substance that many states are considering legalizing. It'd be illogical to think that a psychoactive substance that gets you high doesn't affect the brain. By definition, it does and we should be honest about that.

"It took us 40 years to convince people that smoking cigarettes was bad for them and by then, people had all these negative effects. I don't want it to take 40 years to figure out the effects of marijuana," Gilman said.

[CrossCuT]

Here is a follow-up article from the same source: http://mic.com/articles/87875/here-s-the-real-story-behind-that-marijuana-changes-your-brain-study

There's way more research that needs to be done and that's Gilman's largest takeaway for others.

Since the study came out, Gilman has received a range of feedback. Some people criticize the small sample size — she states that the next step is to conduct the study with a larger group — or the funding source, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, among others (which got a laugh out of Gilman: "Your data is your data").

"Since this paper has come out, some people think I'm a crazy conservative against legalization," she says. "I don't think anyone should go to jail for using marijuana — people can do what they want — I just want them to know what's happening to the brain."

The reality, for even pro-legalization people like myself, is that there's a dearth of research on the effects of marijuana — a psychoactive substance that many states are considering legalizing. It'd be illogical to think that a psychoactive substance that gets you high doesn't affect the brain. By definition, it does and we should be honest about that.

"It took us 40 years to convince people that smoking cigarettes was bad for them and by then, people had all these negative effects. I don't want it to take 40 years to figure out the effects of marijuana," Gilman said.

 

Thats all well and good and I am on board with her. Im interested too!

But its worth noting that there have been no deaths associated with marijuana use. And people have been using it for a long time.

[Perigrina]

Thats all well and good and I am on board with her. Im interested too!

But its worth noting that there have been no deaths associated with marijuana use. And people have been using it for a long time.

 

Just because something isn't fatal doesn't make it harmless.  I would hate to see anyone that I cared about turn into a pot-head.  

[CrossCuT]

Just because something isn't fatal doesn't make it harmless.  I would hate to see anyone that I cared about turn into a pot-head.  

 

lol so what is your opinion then? Youre open minded? Doesnt seem like you have any interest in alternative studies about all them pot heads yo.

 

I used to be like that. Thought it was evil evil evil sin infested green stuff. Everyone who smoked it was a stupid loser hole. But then I read things. 

 

Edited June 20, 2014 by CrossCuT

[CrossCuT]

I found an interesting article on the origins of anti-marijuana laws: http://www.alternet.org/story/77339/debunking_the_hemp_conspiracy_theory

This is another interesting thought though. For instance, the difference in penalties for crack cocaine vs powder cocaine. There is a huge racial element to it that people generally dont like to touch because we are a prim and proper society where no racism exists anymore, right? Not really. 

 

The same thing happened with opium as well as marijuana. Criminalizing it because it was an easy way to target minorities. 

 

The laws surrounding the drugs targeted these groups

Opium - Chinese

Marijuana - Mexican

crack cocaine - African Americans

Edited June 20, 2014 by CrossCuT

[Perigrina]

lol so what is your opinion then? Youre open minded? Doesnt seem like you have any interest in alternative studies about all them pot heads yo.

 

I used to be like that. Thought it was evil evil evil sin infested green stuff. Everyone who smoked it was a stupid loser hole. But then I read things. 

 

 

I think that it is immoral to use it, other than for medicinal purposes.  I have not reached a conclusion about whether it should be legal.  At this point, I do not see grounds to claim that it is worse than alcohol or tobacco, which are legal.   I think there should be more research.

 

I used to be strongly in favour of legalization until I became acquainted with people who had their lives ruined by using it.

[Perigrina]

This is another interesting thought though. For instance, the difference in penalties for crack cocaine vs powder cocaine. There is a huge racial element to it that people generally dont like to touch because we are a prim and proper society where no racism exists anymore, right? Not really. 

 

The same thing happened with opium as well as marijuana. Criminalizing it because it was an easy way to target minorities. 

 

The laws surrounding the drugs targeted these groups

Opium - Chinese

Marijuana - Mexican

crack cocaine - African Americans

 

I had not come across this idea before, but the article made a compelling case that there is a connection between drug laws and racism.