Should I be concerned about my friends who regularly use marijuana?

[archcommus]

So I have a few friends that since college have begun using marijuana sort of frequently. Definitely not daily, but definitely every weekend, often in conjunction with drinking. Some of them have been doing this for two to three years and don't plan to stop any time soon. To me, they all seem fine, normal, and not addicted. I did some research and the harms seem to be almost non-existent. But then I read other sites that seem pretty legit, such as .gov sites, and they consistently talk about the memory, social, depression, cognitive, and other mental/health effects that they seem to say WILL ensure from using marijuana.

So what websites are lying here, and why are they? Do I have any need to be concerned for these friends or to try to influence them to stop in the slightest?

 

[RedArmy]

How about you go try it out yourself and tell us?

 

[IAteYourMother]

stupidity is correlated with excessive smoking of pot, but correlation!=causation

 

[nonameo]

I don't think that weekly is going to mess them up. Honestly, I don't think daily would mess them up as long as it wasn't all day long.

But then again, even once a week could get expensive(depending on the variables)

NOTE: I am not a doctor.

Cliffs: don't worry.

 

[ballmode]

yes

 

[effowe]

You are referring to .gov sites for your information on weed. That's quite the biased source if you're looking for the long term ramifications of using marijuana. Look into independent studies that aren't government funded, and you will get much more reliable information. I wouldn't worry about your friends as it has been shown in many studies that pot is less harmful than drinking and/or smoking cigarettes.

 

[Safeway]

There are long term side effects associated with smoking marijuana. By this, I mean there are studies that have explicitly stated that smoking marijuana decreases mental capacity over time, causation, not correlation. This is after 40 or 50 years of continued use, however. They are mainly referring to the people that started smoking pot in the 60s and never stopped.

 

[kami333]

Originally posted by: nonameo
IBut then again, even once a week could get expensive(depending on the variables)

meh, it's (usually) cheaper than going out every weekend.

Do they have jobs?

 

[Crono]

The side effects from marijuana are less severe than many prescription drugs or even OTC meds. The question is, do you need marijuana to feel good? The answer should be no, but if it isn't, you have to ask yourself why you need to use it. You should never do something because of peer pressure, and just because something feels good doesn't mean it's right (contrary to various marketing campaigns). Plus there's the whole fact that it's illegal.

Bottom line is that you don't need to smoke weed, and shouldn't. Drinking (to get drunk or heavily buzzed) is even stupider. Who are people trying to fool when they say it's fun or try and drink away their problems? You just end up getting worse off than you were before, trying to impress people who are acting equally stupid. Those "above the influence" ads may be cheesy, but they do hit a valid point.

 

[potato28]

Nah. Look at the Dutch. They smoke pot most of their lives and are ok.

 

[Excelsior]

IMO, there is a difference between a pothead and someone who smokes MJ occasionally (while still performing decently at work/schoo/etc).

 

[Flyback]

You should be concerned only if they refuse to share

If you notice that they lose their jobs, become more anti-social, become easily irritable when not high--those would be cause for concern (as would be for any other sort of drug or alcohol).

If they can manage fine then you shouldn't think twice about it.

Some of the most successful career professionals and self-made millionaires I know are regular tokers *shrug*. (I'd argue that it's because they are educated people with open minds who don't let the anti-drug propaganda dictate how they perceive recreational use of mostly harmless substances...same kind of thing that led to their success in the first place aka being rational beyond what policy says.)

 

[BigJ]

Just make sure they don't start dealing. People get lured in by the easy money dealing in small quantities. I was at a party the other night and it was astounding how many of the people I knew in HS had started dealing. There were a lot of people with a few ounces on them.

 

[narzy]

Cheech Martin
Tommy Chong

they seem smart and healthy enough to me...

'nuff said.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Seems like your friend's lives are their own business, and not yours. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[CKent]

Originally posted by: IAteYourMother
stupidity is correlated with excessive smoking of pot, but correlation!=causation

Indeed, the stigma feeds on itself as stupid people are attracted by its taboo status. Every weekend is fine. If they're past college age and smoking daily, as with drinking daily or eating a bad diet, there could be long-term effects.

 

[doze]

Alcohol is much more dangerous, a little pot is really nothing to be concerned with.

 

[JEDIYoda]

yessums

 

[meltdown75]

Everyone has their own row to hoe. It doesn't matter how concerned you may or may not be. If they are going to get in deep with weed, there's not much you can do to stop them. Some people are born to learn things the hard way.

What you SHOULD be concerned about is if it progresses to harder drugs. If they start getting a little sniffly on the side, that can be a problem.

Nothing wrong with burning doobs on the weekend though, IMHO - and I don't even do it any more.

 

[natep]

The .gov websites are probably going to be more biased, simply because cannabis has been a target for a while by the government. Especially if the website said that it would cause depression. When was the last time you saw a really depressed hippie?

They are fine. Only intervene if you can tell that it is directly causing a problem in their life. This goes for any substance or activity.

Like meltdown75 said, just make sure they don't move to anything harder. I had a friend who moved from pot to cocaine, and he was a wreck for years until he gave it up.

 

[vrbaba]

Originally posted by: archcommus
So I have a few friends that since college have begun using marijuana sort of frequently. Definitely not daily, but definitely every weekend, often in conjunction with drinking. Some of them have been doing this for two to three years and don't plan to stop any time soon. To me, they all seem fine, normal, and not addicted. I did some research and the harms seem to be almost non-existent. But then I read other sites that seem pretty legit, such as .gov sites, and they consistently talk about the memory, social, depression, cognitive, and other mental/health effects that they seem to say WILL ensure from using marijuana.

So what websites are lying here, and why are they? Do I have any need to be concerned for these friends or to try to influence them to stop in the slightest?

If you think "legit" = right, better wake up read some politics

Disclaimer: nothing to do with your actual question

 

[theprodigalrebel]

Are you more worried about their health or legal/societal issues?
Smoking pot on the weekend is nothing to worry about. Just make sure they aren't doing it in public places where they might get caught or some holier-than-thou angel could call and report them.

I don't like people who advertise their marijuana-usage on t-shirts because people form strange conclusions about them - and it can have a negative effect at work/school etc. Keep it private and enjoy!

 

[Pepsi90919]

no

 

[TheGizmo]

hey hey hey, smoke weed, everyday, well thats what i say anyway

edit: you should not be concerned. stop worrying/getting in their business. if you're too square to partake, thats cool. but don't hurt people for no reason opiates and coke/crack are a whole nother story tho. that stuff is bad tsk tsk

 

[Auryg]

I've known 2 people to get their minds totally wasted by pot, and another that's halfway there.

One is from probably 30 years of use (not sure on how frequent), one was on quite frequent use for about 3 years. The one that's halfway there was really infrequent until about a year ago..and it's very easy to see how much it's dulled her mind.

It's not that heavy/long term pot smokers get stupid, it's that it takes things longer to get through their brain. Like..they'll have a thought, but it'll take a few seconds to form and come to words.

(note: this is all in my experience, and yes, infrequent use isn't going to do that much harm..but why do something that does harm at all?)