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BTW — out of pure curiosity do we have any long term mental health studies on marijuana? Like 20+ year studies where people consumed X amount per day contrasted with people who consumed none for 20+ years? Perhaps the propensity of mental/physical health problems occurring?
That's always been the case. People who are depressed, bipolar or just plain self-destructive will always start with what they can get their hands on first (like alcohol, tobacco & weed) and move onto the other stuff if they want something stronger. Blaming the lower-level substance which millions consume without issue for the effects of hard drugs is asinine.
People with untreated mental illness and even untreated disorders like ADD do have a much higher propensity to try to self-treat, because unconsciously they are trying to normalize an abnormal brain. I have been self-medicating my ADD for decades. Because stimulants balance the brains of people with ADD, rather than Ritalin or something like it that I don't want to take, I instead abused caffeine, Monster-type drinks, nicotine and other legal stimulants. It's not the fault of the drug, it's that their disorder is untreated and their brains out of balance. I have found though that pot acts in a way that is stimulant-like on my brain and helps me focus and get things done like cleaning the house. It has helped me quit more harmful substances like cigarette smoking, which used to be a pack-a-day habit for me. Never has it made me want to take stronger drugs. In fact I am still untreated for my ADD precisely because I don't want to take things like Ritalin or Adderall, and the only non-stimulant ADD medication, Straterra, didn't work for me.
BTW — out of pure curiosity do we have any long term mental health studies on marijuana? Like 20+ year studies where people consumed X amount per day contrasted with people who consumed none for 20+ years? Perhaps the propensity of mental/physical health problems occurring?
I don't think that type of study would have been possible or legal before legalization. I don't know how you'd be able to say the 40 people were all equal in terms of mental health at the start of the study in any case. I don't know how you could control whether they consumed other substances like alcohol or other drugs, even prescribed drugs, all of which would alter the results. I don't know how you'd control that that the pot group stuck to the prescribed amount, or that the non-pot group was actually pot-free for the entire 20 years.
BTW — out of pure curiosity do we have any long term mental health studies on marijuana? Like 20+ year studies where people consumed X amount per day contrasted with people who consumed none for 20+ years? Perhaps the propensity of mental/physical health problems occurring?
For most of the last 20+ years, it has been against federal law AND state law in most states to possess cannabis. So no, there are no long-term mental health studies. Anyone who participated in any would've ended up in federal prison.
There is no evidence of that. If anything, booze is what most start out with. Beer was our original gateway drug as teens.
How many legit studies have we seen that trace the course of marijuana consumers — specifically regular users throughout adulthood? Plenty of anecdotal stories of people replacing their highs that made everything better/more engaging with alcohol for example.
How many legit studies have we seen that trace the course of marijuana consumers — specifically regular users throughout adulthood? Plenty of anecdotal stories of people replacing their highs that made everything better/more engaging with alcohol for example.
Legitimate studies can't be done in the U.S. because cannabis is classified as a Schedule I drug (high potential for abuse; no medical value). This means that universities and other scientific researchers cannot study them legally. They also cannot receive any Federal funds to do research. This is unfortunate, but I hope someday it will change. Cannabis has so much potential, and there's much we still don't know about it, but until its Schedule I status changes, the studies we need to assess its potential and its risks can't be done in the U.S. This means that what we do know comes from studies done in countries where the laws are not as restrictive.
Legitimate studies can't be done in the U.S. because cannabis is classified as a Schedule I drug (high potential for abuse; no medical value). This means that universities and other scientific researchers cannot study them legally. They also cannot receive any Federal funds to do research. This is unfortunate, but I hope someday it will change. Cannabis has so much potential, and there's much we still don't know about it, but until its Schedule I status changes, the studies we need to assess its potential and its risks can't be done in the U.S. This means that what we do know comes from studies done in countries where the laws are not as restrictive.
So in other words we don’t know other than stories from individuals who could be any number of days/months/years into it? How do we know it has potential if we haven’t seen long term studies? Surely there would be some for something that has been around so long — legality issues or no. Perhaps there are plenty of other options that when under study are more effective at treating whatever ailment. Granted, without the possible high that many enjoy...which could also be a possible source of bias.
So in other words we don’t know other than stories from individuals who could be any number of days/months/years into it? How do we know it has potential if we haven’t seen long term studies? Surely there would be some for something that has been around so long — legality issues or no. Perhaps there are plenty of other options that when under study are more effective at treating whatever ailment. Granted, without the possible high that many enjoy...which could also be a possible source of bias.
They would have to be studies from countries where it is not federally illegal, and most countries where that is the case have only done so recently (and usually for medical purposes), so a 20+ year study wouldn't have been possible yet. So maybe Portugal or Netherlands?
Actually many studies have been done in the Universities of the United States. You don't have to administer cannabis in order to do comparison studies of the neurobiology of users vs. non-users.
If you research "studies of long-term cannabis use" you will see that there have been a variety of lengthy studies being done all over the world including the United States. You may also note that the negative effects are similar.
I understand the importance of validating medical assertions with empirical evidence but am of the belief that you could get similarly accurate results just by polling the friends and relatives of users as to what they've noticed.
And, of course, vice versa for positive effects.
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