Ever wonder why the studies purporting to ‘prove’ marijuana’s health risks only recruit subjects who smoke pot 24 hours a day, seven days a week?
Heavy marijuana use shrinks brain parts
via Reuters
Brain scans showed the hippocampus and amygdala were smaller in men who were heavy marijuana users compared to nonusers. … The men had smoked at least five marijuana cigarettes daily for on average 20 years.
The answer: If they didn’t, there wouldn’t be any purported risks left to write about.
I mean, seriously, imagine if these scientists had tried recruiting 15 subjects who drank at least five shots of vodka every day for 20 years? That is, if they could find 15 subjects who were still alive.
Marijuana may up heart attack, stroke risk
via Reuters
Heavy marijuana use can boost blood levels of a particular protein, perhaps raising a person’s risk of a heart attack or stroke, U.S. government researchers said on Tuesday. …The marijuana users in the study averaged smoking 78 to 350 marijuana cigarettes per week.
The study did not look at whether the heavy marijuana users actually had heart disease.
So here we go again. Three-hundred and fifty joints per week?! Who are these people? And what’s with the caveat at the end of the story? If the purpose of the study is to assess whether there might be a link between ridiculously heavy pot use and heart disease, then why not, you know, look to see whether the subjects actually suffered from heart disease? (Likely answer: Aside from the abnormal protein level, the patients were probably otherwise healthy.)
Bottom line: smoking pot all day, every day probably isn’t good for you (though I find it interesting that, even among the most prolific pot users, most of the herb’s purported dangers are either speculative or are only apparent on hyper-sensitive brain scans and multi-tiered neurocognitive tests). Fortunately, 99.9 percent of pot smokers don’t behave this way.
And no, it’s not prohibition that curbs their use habits; it’s the recognition that too much pot is not conducive to an otherwise healthy, responsible lifestyle (just as pounding five shots a day wouldn’t be conducive to, well, life).
So what lesson can be learned from the two studies above (aside from the fact that our government has no interest in investigating the health of ordinary cannabis consumers)? It’s that pot, like alcohol, is best consumed in moderation, and that pot prohibition — even when compared to the excessive use of the drug itself — still poses the greatest threat to health.
How come they never do tests on deaths of people who have smoked to much pot, or death from using marijuana? Oh right because there hasn’t yet been a case of that. Honestly why would anyone believe any of the doctors or medical issues that come from the Bush Administration. There isn’t enough drugs for me to believe anything they say.
I think you stretched the truth too far on the alcohol comparison. 5 shots at day may be more than the doctor recommends but that’s only equivalent to a few drinks. You could find many reasonably healthy folks who drink that much. Your point is taken about the stupidity of the research but I don’t think it serves the cause to exaggerate the risk of another enjoyable substance.
Too much of anything not just alcohol or marijuana are harmful. Food being the most clear example of something perceived by society as acceptable that if not used in moderation taking into account the other variables in a persons life will result in increased medial issues, cost, and ultimately death. As stated in the article truth and accurate science is not the objective the results of these studies are simply propaganda to manipulate people into perceiving things in a way that is favorable to an already established agenda. While I am not a conspiracy theorist any hope I had of significant change in this legislation is fading.
If I smoked that much pot I would never tell a government scientist, I wonder if those “Pot Heads” are going to get busted.
Life is about moderation…
Drink to much, smoke to much, each to much, sleep to much, hell even exercise too much.
If you do ANYTHING 24/7 it is going to control your life, actually, it already has.
I smoke it all day long and probably do shrink my brain. I hope so. I have a WAIS score of 156, which I can tell you is ONE MAJOR IMPEDIMENT in this society.
My life has already been compromised, corrupted and greatly shortened by stupid people. If being more stupid means less pain I have to endure before I cash out, so be it!
Wow 300 something weed cigarette a week!? If I even had a life time supply of weed I wouldn’t want to smoke that much, thats way too ridiculous.
…all things in moderation… try drinking WATER all day, every day for twenty years. Or, as the comment above suggests, try EATING hamburgers all day every day, taking TYLENOL all day every day, etc. for 20 years and compare the results with these “all day every day” pot smokers – who’s alive and/or healthier at the end of the study?
you know sometimes i think that these studys are simple fabricated, or they might as well be. the point of a medical study is to run experiements and analyize the data to see the pros amd cons of the subject matter. not to intentionally look for the slightest possibly harmful effects of a substance and exagerate them.
man. i hope OBAMA is just keepin a low profile about his marijuana views till he gets elected. then BAM!! says he for-marijuana legalization, thats the change i want to believe in.(man im stoned)
Everything in moderation… even moderation!
Marijuana is the answer to all side-effect riddled psychiatric medications, and if 50 cent is going to spend his life on holidays whilst iam forced into working for underpaid wages, I feel the relief and rest MJ brings freely are fantastic and deserved. Give it a try..
just remember guys….smokin makes you crazy 60 years ago….this is another propagated thing to make you question your IifestyIe
I myself smoke everyday. Im not a “cigarette smoker”..I just have a small bowl I smoke out of..But, honestly, Im healthier than I was when I didnt smoke. I have less anxiety, no hypertension, and I sleep well. I have only seen the benefits of pot..Im sure it will shrink my brain or whatever…but what else do I expect to happen when Im old? The same thing. So I plan on smoking pot forever..at least Im happy and I can think alot more clearly. Id rather be happy and stable not only mentally but physically..then all annoyed and crabby…No one wants to tell the truth about pot b/c it is so Taboo..people need to realize that a drunk is 10 times worse than a pot head. I dont know many pot heads who have killed someone driving. Nor do I know many pot heads who beat their wives up. I hope someday its legal. It is for medicinal purposes in my state of nj..and Im trying to see how I can jump on that band wagon. That would be awesome..
how the fuck do i become a test dummy?
wow, I don’t understand your being ok with smoking weed all day long every day; – and only have a nice time on top of it! My sister starting smoking all day every day and I don’t know her anymore. She has almost totally lost her sense of humour, has huge raging temper tantrums; she can’t organize herself out of a paper bag – talks nonstop – inane and usually nonsense. She is totally obnoxious. Because she is our sister and we love her we try to put up with her but even her family can only stand her in small doses. Life with her has been hell the last few years.
350 joints a week that’s 50 per day @15 minutes each that’s 12.5 hours of none stop smoking. With a half an hour for each meal that’s 14 hours.So if a stoner gets up at 8:00 am and goes to bed at 10:00 they will not have the time to roll all of these joints or go to the store for munchies.So this is not possible.Also when are they going to take the time to enjoy the buzz and get more buds .Just not possible .
The only thing I see wrong with weed is munches, it’s gonna get me fat!
my friends and I all smoke to a level similar to this probably between 90 – 120 a week each and all I can tell you is that anyone smoking 50 a day is way too in the sky to be worried about their potential health problems hahaha
I think it’s very hard for people who do smoke all the time to come to terms with this subject matter. I used to wake and bake and smoke all the time, but as i get older and realize how many responsibilities i have, i begin to see how unproductive this behavior becomes. I had a significant other however who did smoke consistently throughout the day and i found it put a significant amount of strain on our relationship. I’m all for smoking, but in excess, though not fatal, definitely transforms people. As i read some of these comments, i can sense the denial of people who have probably been accused in the past of smoking too much. I can see the excuses of using marijuana to deal with other people’s stupidity or whatever too. I think marijuana should enrich your life and make you happy, but i don’t think it should be used as a way to deal with everything in life and i do believe it is healthy to indulge in it, but excess is just… well, excessive.
i smoke a few times a weekend and im wondering if its too much. also my friend started when he was around 15 and only smoked the amount that i do with some breaks and wants to know if there wud be adverse side affects to his smoking
Three-hundred and fifty joints per week?! Who are these people? – Thats ridiculous.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I CAN DO IT