Dr. Kari Franson from the University of Colorado's Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences shares information on the long-term negative outcomes marijuana use has on developing adolescents.
did she just say edibles have a higher amount of thc than smoking?? yes they get you higher but that’s because thc in edibles is converted into 11-OH thc which is more potent than delta-9 thc (the thc delivered to the brain when smoking). in fact edibles deliver LESS thc to the brain: around 20% reaches the blood plasma when eaten and around 50-60% when smoking.
My story - I've been smoking daily (2-3+ a day) since I was 16 turning 17. Now I am 19 turning 20 and have quit for 3 weeks and 5 days because I have experienced tremendous cognitive deficits. Before smoking weed I was very sociable and smart, I was set on the premedical tract. I smoked strong thc 9 cartridges and started smoking delta 8 as well. I have read every string on this community and multiple studies and am so afraid that this damage to my brain is permanent I've decided to be abstinent for a year and then contemplate giving my life up. When I first started smoking in high-school, I noticed my ability to communicate and understand others was weakened so I hid from people and everyone left me alone. Towards the end of school I had a harder time in class, cheated more, and even skipped my last class of the day sometimes to catch a movie which I never imagined myself doing. In college and covid, my habits got worse but I was getting by. Sophomore year to current I would lay in bed most of the day because my ability to do long term planning was weakened and I struggled initiate tasks. I can't absorb information around me, my emotions are dulled or nonexistent, and my short term memory is terrible. Simple tasks seem like mountains to me. I can barely understand what people are saying anymore, my language processing ability is also dulled. My imagination is weakened, and I can't plan well. Changing my surroundings (like going to a different room) does little to change my mind. My spacial recognition and reaction time are so poor. My motor function and coordination seems impaired. I also have a tremendous head pain that is chronic, It's been getting better and I hope it means my brain is healing itself. I quit because I woke up one day and nothing entered my brain, it's like i was a zombie and that scared the crap outta me. But damn these studies don't give me hope. I think I've damaged my prefrontal cortex and connectivity in brain which is permanent. I started to excercise which helped and met with a therapist once but I don't know if I can keep living like a zombie anymore. Anyone have advice?
You are still very sociable and smart, you just haven't been practicing those skills. Keep abstaining, a year is usually how long it takes for your body to recalibrate. It's no different when a cigarette smoker quits, they see changes daily, weekly and it takes up to a year for some of the other changes to occur. Thc leeches minerals, vitamin c as well as a lot of water. Eat as much fresh fruits and vegetables as you can, you want to rehydrate and remineralize yourself. E-Vaping is the worst way to consume cannabis and I'll give you one huge reason and that is you have no idea unless you made it yourself what the concentrate was made from. I haven't read the info you have but i was in the medical industry and studied health and wellness as well as the endocannabinoid system in depth. Most of the concentrate in dispensaries is made from trim and is made using cheap and dirty extraction methods. There are VERY few companies out there that extract in any pure method which is much more expensive. To try to keep it short, you're risking your health every single time unless you've done the extraction yourself. Regenerating the brain requires lots of good fats. I recommend avocados and coconuts, I try to eat 1-2 avocados a day because they are one of the most powerful brain building foods along with walnuts but those can be hard to digest. Also ironically cold pressed hemp oil/seeds would be great for you too because of the fatty omega oils which are amazing and essential for your brain. Keep in mind most products contain obscenely high amounts of THC and usually NO cbd (cbd counteracts the degenerative properties of thc) I personally keep a cbd tincture that I take when I consume cannabis as cbd without thc is useless because it needs some thc in order to activate and pass the blood brain barrier. It works quite well at removing the paranoia especially. I'd recommend consuming something high in vitamins, especially vitamin C, every time you consume cannabis in the future. It also enhances the high, part of the reason people smoke with apples and use fruit with cannabis often, cannabis is a synergistic healing herb. But with all plant medicines, it is not meant to be taken every single day. I also advocate for flower, buy flower and make your own concentrate if you want to. I definitely think it is bad to consume cannabis daily long term for cognitive function, there isn't enough information or studies out there to confirm anything but based on my observations, experiences, and intuition, I would say cannabis is best suited for short term use or periodic use. Daily use never gives you the time to clear your head and recover. The recovery time and the amount of minerals and vitamins you have in your system very much impact how much you feel and notice your high as well. Also as far as the social thing. Most people nowadays have used cannabis, it will be a lot easier to get past your issues when you realize many others have been through something similar or much worse. Get a job that requires you to be social for tips or commission. You will quickly overcome any social issues. Make sure you're not high when you are around other people. Smoking weed changes your energy and vibration and people pick up on that and it is why you feel socially awkward. When you're high you want to be either alone or with other high people, smoking and mingling with sober people is hardly ever a good time. When this is a chronic issue you can become socially isolated. Coming out of it may seem hard but its like jumping into cold water. Once you make the leap you adjust and it isn't so bad. I was a victim of the spice (fake weed) scam and it caused brain swelling and god knows what else as I smoked a few different brands like a retard when i was in my early 20s. It's hard for me to say I don't have permanent damage because i don't know what i would've been like otherwise, but I can say I regenerated and no longer feel at all how i felt then at 19-20 and im 28 now. Next time you consume cannabis make sure its from a friend and not a store. I live in the safest state (lab testing wise) for dispensary cannabis and it's still really shady here. Quick tl;dr - Abstain from cannabis for a year, Get a job where you have to engage with others to be compensated, Eat more fruits and vegetables, Avocados and Coconuts, Stay hydrated and get good sleep, Take cbd when consuming a thc product, Consume every other day or weekly if you do consume, Remove stressors from your life, smoke/vape flower or make your own concentrates, buy weed from friends/growers and not stores. P.S. Start working out, if you're male then start lifting weights. It isn't common knowledge but lifting weights has an amazing effect on your brain as well as your confidence. Every male needs testosterone for cognitive function and mental clarity. Personally I work out, eat well and smoke weed and am much smarter than majority of my peers at 28. P.S.S. The least harmful and most enjoyable highs are from 1:1 ratio thc/cbd flower strains. I'd recommend that to anyone because the cbd is medicinal and neuroprotective and it NEEDS SOME THC in order to work. 2:1 and 1:2 are good too if you want less or more of a head high. Good luck to you with everything and god bless. edit for grammar
i smoked weed everyday for 3 months and i feel perfectly fine and it had helped with my anxiety and depression, i know it is not healthy but id rather be happy then not be for a cheap price
I started smoking pot when I was 12. I'm 13 now. A year of smoking weed almost everyday and I'm still perfectly fine. If anything I feel wiser. I get straight A's , I understand absolutely everything I'm being taught. I'm really active and good at track. And I'm still up going and positive. So far I'm perfectly fine. I honestly think this girl is talking bull. I think she hasn't tried it and that's why she's against it. Until you experience it and under stand it I suggest you don't talk about it. You're only one one side of the line. At least try to be on the actual line. (Side note) I am well educated and I am aware of the long term effects for me. I've seen tons of articles and news videos saying it only does little damage and that's only if you smoke every day for 5 years.
Bigtime Fan Well said, I'm 15 and I've smoked a couple times a week since I was 14. It actually replaced my habit of sugar, I would literally blow through $30 or so worth of junk food a day. Now weed makes me feel happy instead of sugar. It's also WAY healthier and so much cheaper. I do fine in school, swim, run track and cross country, and play baseball. I'm in great shape and have lots of friends. And I love it when they "teach" us about marijuana dangers in health class, almost everyone in the class is holding back laughter. We know propaganda when we see it, kids can think for themselves, like you. Keep smoking and stay happy!
this "girl" my friend has knowledge beyond your understanding of human neurochemistry and pre-natal/post-natal development of mammalian brains so u better be listening to her or u end up with shrinked brain... go on smoke more u will find out in your twenties..
WEED HAS CURING EFFECTS. THE PLANT ITSELF IS NOT BAD FOR YOU (the only problem is consuming - smoking -> at the bottom of the comment) READ THIS IF YOU WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH!!!! these information (later developing depression, mental diseases ect.) are from people who often have signs of those before they started smoking (family problems, signs of diseases from genes ect.). they use marijuana to stop depression and anxiety, but when they stop smoking the effect of weed also stops and then depression, anxiety and other mental diseases appears which would appear anyway even if there was no weed. Marijuana just cures these bad thing in short term, if you stop using it, the curing effect stops. besides canabinoids (main cemicals in weed) in weed works just the same as other canabinoids we naturally have in our body (same effect of canabinoids just that our body made them) - these canabinoids stick to cb1 receptors in our brain and it stops releasing the gaba (hormone that disables releasing of dopamine) so there is more dopamine releasing (hormone of happiness) because of that when people are high they feel happy and everything seems right, but THC (the one canabinoid that sticks to CB1 receptor and causes high) is degraded itself in the matter of hours (but there are still small amounts of it in our body for a few days but it does not effect our brain anymore), but the difference is that when we smoke weed, these canabinoids (THC) come in bigger ammounts so we can feel that greater high feeling, which we cannot when we are sober. The only problem of weed is consuming - smoking. Smoking is definitely bad (i think we all agree) - because the tar and stuff that are made when anything burns - inhaling any smoke is unhealthy. BUT, its probably not much worse than smoking tobacco right? so its not worse than smoking ciggarets + it has curing effects. also we can consume weed in different ways - eating or drinking it (by making edibles) and vaporizing it (make the canabinoids from weed go t VAPOR which is not harmless) i hope this has been helpful and that people now understand that weed has not killed or hurt anyone from the begging of humans growing weed for consuming - getting high (that was 6000 years ago, many of china emperors and pharaons smoked weed and it was found beside them in their graves) :D here you have it science
I’m actually 16 and I had been smoking almost everyday since I was 14 and it’s not really the issue of it makes you dumb, because you can actually be more aware of yourself when you’re high. It’s more that the THC effects parts of your brain that controls hormones and memory and it can make your brain and thoughts of reality slightly altered after a long time of using it especially if you’re young.
