More threads by keuriseudo

Is marijuana a dangerous drug? Please discuss. :grouphug:

You may wish to consider these points in the discussion:
- The molecular events through which marijuana acts
- Changes to the brain and behaviour as a result of marijuana use
- Medical uses of marijuana

Just being inquisitive... lolx
 

cindylo

Member
K

I will be interested to see what others write about this topic. It seems that there is increasing evidence that drugs and alcohol actually affect the chemical structure of the brain and also these changes can be viewed by imaging techniques. Historically I believe that psychology has believed that particular personality types are more likely to use drugs and that their bad behaviour is due to the disinhibiting effects of the drugs (and alcohol) ie the real self is coming out (psychopaths are big drug users). AA seems to believe that the alcohol causes the bad behaviour and that some people have a predisposition to addiction. They believe it is a disease. And there are many addiction groups now NA OA etc.The answers are probably more complex than either view. Yes Psychopaths and other PD's use for stimulation but there are also people that use to reduce stress. If the drugs affect the structure of the brain then you could expect some out of the ordinary behaviour even if they are from the users for stress group. One thing I am certain of is that if you use any mind altering substances in large quantities it is not going to be pretty. I have read evidence that young users of marijuana have a huge increased risk for mental illness later in life. I just cannot believe that regular use of a mind altering hallucinogenics can be good for anyone.

Will be interested to see other views

Cindy
 

Serenity

Member
I don't know the medical side of its use but I do know it's effect on me personally. I suffer from Panic Disorder/Generalized Anxiety/Agoraphobia and the first two panic attacks I suffered were immediately following the inhalation of marjiuanna and..in both cases, it wasn't pretty. Many years later, I discovered that many people with a similar condition cannot smoke this stuff because of the way it changes our bodies chemically. I was astonished to see the link but I know personally, there is no way I would ever do it again. Both of those incidents of panic were some of the worst that I have ever had and believe me when I say, I've had many terrible ones.
 

Halo

Member
Serenity,

I just wanted to say that a friend of mine had a very similar experience to yours and never touched the stuff again. It came out of the blue after smoking for about 2 years. Why it happened that day we will never know but it definitely affected her differently than it did me. She still suffers from Panic Disorder and GAD but her Agoraphobia has gotten better over time. For about 4 years after that day she didn't leave her house.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know that it happened to a frienf of mine too and that you are not alone.

Take care
 

David Baxter PhD

Late Founder
Serenity said:
the first two panic attacks I suffered were immediately following the inhalation of marjiuanna
You might be surprised (or maybe not) to find out how common that is.

Beyond the changes in brain chemistry (and if those didn't occur, you wouldn't feel high, so don't kid yourself about them not occurring), with marijuana you also have to worry about the toxic effect on your lungs, which is probably more severe than tobacco because of the way it is smoked.

... and that is without even raising the topic of junk that dealers add in to jazz up the weed...
 

ThatLady

Member
Any drug is dangerous when misused. It's really that simple. If it messes with your body chemistry, it's liable to do damage. Even the best drugs we have to fight various diseases cause side-effects that can be problematic if not monitored. Then, there are the ideosyncratic effects of drugs on individual people. Not everyone is alike, and not everyone reacts the same way to changes in body chemistry.

Let's face it. Aspirin is dangerous if misused, and using something for the purpose of experiencing feelings that are not natural to you, or to your current situation, is misusing that something.
 

stargazer

Member
I think what ThatLady said hits the nail on the head. One man's meat is another man's poison, and also the motive for using the drug needs to be taken into consideration. In my case, I would probably fall into the camp of having anxiety increased after smoking pot. The last two times I did so, I took one hit, each time at a party, and each time I fell prey to the same paranoia: that all of a sudden, all of the Internet trolls were lurking outside the windows, having tracked me down in real life, with some kind of malintent. It was really scary.

One of those times was approximately a year ago (true confessions!) and the other time about a year before that. Now that I recall, the same thing happened about a year before that, for the same reason. I might be spending too much time looking at trolls, but it doesn't seem particularly logical for me to smoke marijuana again and expect to have a good experience.

But that's just me. Kids have told me that in their generation, marijuana is not even regarded as a drug, and I've seen them go to work and back on it and not bat an eye. I can't do that, and never could.
 
I smoke it and I studied its affects for a very long time before trying it. For extensive information on it, go to www.erowid.com they have alot of info on alot of different drugs.

The short version is basically that in the brain there are receptors built to utilize thc that enters the body. Theyre called cannabinoid receptors. They are linked to the nervous system, and the periphery glands. Thus, when you smoke weed, these nerves and hormones associated, will in turn, be affected. These range from everything from your muscle coordination, on a small scale, or to affecting your seratonin, which is what causes you to habitually smoke.
 

cindylo

Member
I have noticed that alcoholics and drug users can be very nasty and self centred. Do you think this is the drug or the person. Does anyone have experience of that or know people that there personality changes that way or was it their own personality coming through??

I will look at that link it sounds interesting

Cindy
 
In general not really, But it has the potential to be dangerous.

This lies in the person using the drug, if they disrespect it and use it for the wrong reasons it can be dangerous.

If people use it for example to lift thier mood, i think they can become dependant on it. Also every substance needs to be respected. Many of my past friends smoke Cannabis EVERY day and have for years. Even though it is natural and generally safe id be surprised if this level of usage didnt cause any changes in the brain.

I know the way it acts in the brain is it mimics a Chemical that is released in feedback to downregulate activity of a Neurotransmitter. So it artificially downregulates a system. Too much of this can Increase dopamine levels i believe, which can lead to negative psychological effects.

In general drugs that mimic activity of natural chemicals, like this one are safer then other psychoactive drugs though.
 
Cannabis IS a [WIKIPEDIA]psychoactive drug[/WIKIPEDIA] though.

yup. I wasnt implying cannabis isnt a psychoactive drug sorry. let me clarify. Just meant to say that it is a psychoactive drug that works by mimicking a natural chemical more so then other psychoactive drugs.

For instance opium acts like an endorphin in the body and just stimulates a endorphin receptor. Due to this opium is relatively non toxic. On the other hand some thing like MDMA- It doesnt just directly stimulate a receptor normally. And there is no natural chemical that acts on the nervous system with the same method as mdma. That is why the LD 50 for Cannabis is so high, it quite safe relatively.
 
yup. I wasnt implying cannabis isnt a psychoactive drug sorry. let me clarify. Just meant to say that it is a psychoactive drug that works by mimicking a natural chemical more so then other psychoactive drugs.

For instance opium acts like an endorphin in the body and just stimulates a endorphin receptor. Due to this opium is relatively non toxic. On the other hand some thing like MDMA- It doesnt just directly stimulate a receptor normally. And there is no natural chemical that acts on the nervous system with the same method as mdma. That is why the LD 50 for Cannabis is so high, it quite safe relatively.

May I know what is LD 50?

From what I understand, Marijuana contains THC and cannabinoids which the cannabinoid receptors in the brain react when cannabis is consumed. It can bring some long term side effects and harm to the brain as well as to the body.. whether it is taken in any quantity, huge or small.

However, this often confuses me if Marijuana is a safe drug to be used on patients. My current stand is that it is only dangerous when abused and may be useful only in certain circumstances when the patients need it.

Please, explicate more on your explanation. Would like to hear more of Marijuana's effects on a person. thanks.
 

stargazer

Member
Strangely, I keep getting notifications about topic replies on this thread, which doesn't really interest me, and in fact is aggravating my anger issues; and I am not getting notifications on the threads I'm actually subscribed to. Or at least, that I think I'm subscribed to. I wish you people weren't so obsessed with marijuana and would stop rationalizing. It's a plain dangerous drug, and its use for medical reasons is basically by default. When something better comes along, hopefully it won't even have those uses. Your curiosity about the evil substance is distasteful in a forum that ought to be devoted to people's serious mental health issues. I personally come here for help and support with my own problems, and not to discuss the pros and cons of an illegal drug.
 

foghlaim

Member
St: if you go to your user cp.. you can see a list of threads you are currently subscribed to and then edit your subscriptions. Forgive me for saying this, but you do have the choice not to read or respond to this thread. I personally am interested in this discussion as i have a cpl of sons who believe that cannabis will do them no harm, where i on the other hand believe it will. (do harm)
This thread is helping to inform me of the dangers of this and other drugs that ppl take, either because they are addicted to them or they use on occassion in the mistaken belief that no harm is being done. I'm sure the moderators here will remove or edit anything that is not helpful or informative.

I'm not argueing with you here, just reminding you of your choices. I hope this is okay.
 

stargazer

Member
No that's fine, foghlaim. My point is, I have anger issues, and after ignoring several successive posts on a subject that doesn't interest me, I simply broke down and impulsively said something. Later, I regretted it. But that's my problem, and it's part of the reason I go to therapy in the first place. It's fine for you to remind me I have choices, as sometimes I forget that I do, especially when I see myself acting on impulse. I am also surprised at how many people don't understand or relate to this, and rarely does anyone accept my apology, so I feel constantly misunderstood and invalidated. It's gotten to the point where I don't even bother to apologize anymore.

It may also be that I misinterpreted the point of the thread. Also, I left a PM with Dr. Baxter because apparently the settings on my control panel aren't working properly, as I do not get notifications on the several topics I am purposely TRYING to follow. So that's been the source of my frustration.
 

Serenity

Member
I agree with Foghlaim. Taking this stuff began the onset of 30 years of Panic Disorder for me. therefore as in my case, may indeed be relevant to others with emotional/mental health issues. There are many topics which are not applicable to me, I simply skip over them. While I undertstand being subscribed to a topic you are not interested in may be annoying, simply unsubscribe and leave others to speak freely about issues that relate to them.
 

ThatLady

Member
May I know what is LD 50?

From what I understand, Marijuana contains THC and cannabinoids which the cannabinoid receptors in the brain react when cannabis is consumed. It can bring some long term side effects and harm to the brain as well as to the body.. whether it is taken in any quantity, huge or small.

However, this often confuses me if Marijuana is a safe drug to be used on patients. My current stand is that it is only dangerous when abused and may be useful only in certain circumstances when the patients need it.

Please, explicate more on your explanation. Would like to hear more of Marijuana's effects on a person. thanks.

Perhaps it will help you to know when, and where, marinol (a THC derivative used in medical treatment - there may be others) is used. It's used to help with some of the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation for cancer patients. These patients are at risk of life, and are plagued with sores in their mouths and stomachs, making it very difficult for them to take medication because it makes them nauseated. Marinol helps with this, and also acts a a pain-reducer of sorts (though, not a particularly strong one). It's also used to reduce the pressure in the eye, which is a treatment for glaucoma. People with glaucoma are at risk of blindness.

What I'm trying to point out is that THC used to thwart the miseries of those who have what may well be a terminal disease, the treatment of which is miserable to say the least, or used to help fend off total blindness, is a lot different than using the same substance just to induce a "high". In the first case, the gains outweigh the losses. Living is better than dying. Seeing is better than blindness. There's your difference.
 
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