Persistent cannabis users show neuropsychological decline from childhood to midlife

just throwing this out there as a conversation topic

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2012/08/22/1206820109.abstract
http://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/yx7k3/persistent_cannabis_users_show_neuropsychological/

we just had a big thing in NZ on how kids are smoking at school and its making them stupid lol. Its rediculous, i mean how many of histories most famous and influencial people smoked pot as adolescents or dropped out of high school. It seems that the people lacking intelligence are the ones too simple minded to experiment as we are meant to growing up. They dont go on about the kids drinking alcohol and having fights etc. Maybe if they spent more on educating kids and less on putting gardeners in jail then young people would make wiser decisions

gaztron3030 said:

we just had a big thing in NZ on how kids are smoking at school and its making them stupid lol. Its rediculous, i mean how many of histories most famous and influencial people smoked pot as adolescents or dropped out of high school. It seems that the people lacking intelligence are the ones too simple minded to experiment as we are meant to growing up. They dont go on about the kids drinking alcohol and having fights etc. Maybe if they spent more on educating kids and less on putting gardeners in jail then young people would make wiser decisions

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nice point!

I believe cannabis is the key to life, but i think it should definitely be used in moderation. I believe it regulates the body and should be treated as a medicine....Which doesn't really have bad side effects. But i do think when you over use it constantly things of this nature can happen. But i still think the quality of your life will be better high overall than if you didn't use it at all. Basically i think it's best not to take use to either extremes...keep it right in the middle

what................

Fucking retarded..... they could probably come to the same conclusions about teens and video games.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19396351

'Too laid back' A consultant psychiatrist at Kings College London, Dr Zerrin Atakan, believes cannabis may be bit of a double-whammy for the brain.
She said using the drug could directly affect the brain and was "bound to leave its imprint".
But she thought heavy use could make you "too laid back to want to do anything". From not participating fully in school or not reading a book, or not meeting new people, she argues the experiences that can shape the mind are lost, meaning the brain does not develop.
What we do not know is if cannabis is any worse than very heavy use of any other psychoactive drug in your teenage years?
Prof Curran argues: "You would probably find the same thing in heavy drinking. We should not put cannabis on a pedestal."

too laid back. only in the context of this twisted nightmare we call civilization. not to laid back to be hunter-gatherer-gardeners................like we're supposed to be

Put them all on ritalin and anti depressants that'll sort em out n make em normal again

Oh dear, I've been smoking at school since 16... I'm doing a degree and still intend to toke up but starting at 14 is craziness. And they are focussing on smoking being a daily habit at a young age rather than just a joint here and there. Maybe I was lucky to have my psychological crisis peak before I started smoking..

They are talking about an average 8 point difference in IQ. Look up the IQ scale and you'll see that this is a moot point and meant to "inform" those who fail to look past one article.

In all fairness my mother smoked way too much when she was young and is as intelligent as ever, but has a hard time recalling words... I got her high for the first time in years on the weekend and I hope we can enjoy toking together MODERATELY, not all day every day sessions. Responsibility and all that.

xKuroiTaimax said:

In all fairness my mother smoked way too much when she was young and is as intelligent as ever, but has a hard time recalling words... I got her high for the first time in years on the weekend and I hope we can enjoy toking together MODERATELY, not all day every day sessions. Responsibility and all that.

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My dad smoked his whole life pretty much and hes a geologist, At 54 he went back to uni and did a 3 year degree graduating with honors. I smoke with him alot and hes full of knowledge and wisdom. I think its like obesity if you dont exercise your mind and feed it lotsa "mind altering" substances it will get weak.

True. My ma has always been a smart one, invited to join Mensa etc but didn't regularly engage in intellectually stimulating hobbies. This is precisely why I do lots of sports, skills, read, write and draw all the time. I'd also smoke then immediately get back to work rather than sit there stoned all through my lunchbreak.

Did you draw the pic in your avatar Kuroi?

There's no doubt in my mind that any mind altering substance affects the development of the brain. But I would blame society and popular culture more for the laziness and lack of giving any fucks.

Balzac89 said:

There's no doubt in my mind that any mind altering substance affects the development of the brain. But I would blame society and popular culture more for the laziness and lack of giving any fucks.

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Our brains and bodies actually have a large amount of receptors which fit perfectly with cannabinoids and nothing else, so its almost as if we were meant to ingest cannabinoids naturally

i'm probably gonna smoke daily till i die. 22 now started at 17. first as a party type every once in a while then in a year escalated to 10-15 blunts almost daily of that stanky dank cuz i was servin a lil bit with some other fake dealers. then i toned it down once i got on probation, probably once every few days or a week, then picked it back up in the beginning of 2011 smoking daily at least twice a day but bowls. sometimes 3-4 bowls a day. and recently probably from 2012 i've been smoking about once a day or once every couple days but because i been broke and been having to make my friends smoke me out. i'll probably pick up my before and after work smoke schedule again in a few and keep my daily bowls at 2. but i blaze half a bowl not a full bowl when i do. regardless.....FUCK THAT STUDY SMOKE WEED ALL DAY.

gaztron3030 said:

Our brains and bodies actually have a large amount of receptors which fit perfectly with cannabinoids and nothing else, so its almost as if we were meant to ingest cannabinoids naturally

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The same is true of opioids ... but many of us run afoul of unintended consequences. cn

I've always assumed that it knocked 10 points off my IQ.
But I had plenty to spare.
Really, this is not me making shit up.
I started a job a few years back and explained to a co-worker that I did a LOT of drugs in my youth.
She nodded and told me it was probably good for me, since it dropped me down to the range of regular people and allowed me to communicate with them.
She refused to talk to me on each Monday until we had a "so, how was the weekend" discussion.
No work, no project, no nothing.
FORCED me to engage in small talk.
It was a training exercise. I miss her. She knew what I needed.

Ok, that me, and maybe a couple of people out there reading this. What about the rest of people, the normal ones. The ones that end up in the 90 points range when they are done. Do you really think it is a good idea for most of them?

Sorry. I'm not saying I'm stopping, I'm just trying to accept reality.

The thing that i realized about using cannabis is that is has many purposes. The purposes i see are 1. A Great thinking tool, A great forgetting tool, and a great relaxing tool (of course cannabinoids help with many health issues too) ...I don't just use it to relax and feel good, alot of the time i use it to think. It is the greatest thinking tool in my life. I get high, get many good ideas, when i come down i can further process what i learned if necessary. What i have nothing more to learn at the moment then i just feel like relaxing and getting high for that purpose alone. I think if you control how you feel about your use and you are comfortable with it mentally then you are doing what your body is telling you and shouldn't have "negative" effects.... But i do think cannabis should be used more than just for "fun" at times