Is weed bad?

Coming from a reserved Asian society, I've been brought up to believe that certain things are "bad". I want to know more though, from both sides, about these things; and I trust SP.

So, is weed bad? Is it addictive? Does it cause worrisome physical/mental issues? Is one likely not to think straight when high? (similarly to getting easily turned on when drunk)

And 1000th Speakeasy thread. :3

Coming from the stoner capitol of Texas, yes, yes, yes, yes in order.

Although in all of the above the yes rates as 'equivalent to alcohol' on the scale so draw your own conclusions.

It can be bad, and it can be addictive. It kills brain cells so I guess that could be a mental issue to worry about, and obviously people don't think straight when high. To help you understand how "bad" weed is in comparison to other "bad" things, cigars/cigarettes are a hell of a lot more addictive and do a lot more damage to the body than weed does, so it's not really that harmful in that aspect.

You should've just Googled this or something.

There's a reason that it's illegal.

There's a reason that it's illegal.

And what would that be?
More people die from Cigarettes and Alcohol can weed. Hell, no one in the history of the world has ever ODed on weed. ODed on crap that's added in because that's what black markets do to make it addictive? Sure. But Weed itself has never killed someone from ODing. Weed doesn't rape your liver or give you lung cancer.

There are a lot worse drugs out there. See Wiki's Physical Harm VS Dependence Graph thingie

I know there's been threads like this before, lemme go see what I can dig up and make a more organized post.

Edit1:

I'd be more interested in seeing:
Marijuana legalized
or
Alcohol made illegal

Reasoning -
Marijuana, while having judgement impairing and brain-damaging side effects, does nothing worse to the user than alcohol would, and is non-addictive. It has medical benefits, and generally results in a relaxed, muchy-craving personality.

Alcohol, on the other hand, can have wildly varying affects on mood and personality, is highly addictive, has limited to no medical benefits (discounting mild consumption of wine), and can cause severe damage to your kidneys.

If alcohol is legal, marijuana has no reason not to be...

Edit2:

There's a reason that it's illegal.

1900-20s
Mexican immigrants introduce recreational use of marijuana leaf
After the Mexican Revolution of 1910, Mexican immigrants flooded into the U.S., introducing to American culture the recreational use of marijuana.
The drug became associated with the immigrants, and the fear and prejudice about the Spanish speaking newcomers became associated with marijuana. Anti-drug campaigners warned against the encroaching Marijuana Menace, and terrible crimes were attributed to marijuana and the Mexicans who used it.

1930s
Fear of marijuana
During the Great Depression, massive unemployment increased public resentment and fear of Mexican immigrants, escalating public and governmental concern about the problem of marijuana.
This instigated a flurry of research which linked the use of marijuana with violence, crime and other socially deviant behaviors, primarily committed by racially inferior or underclass communities. By 1931, 29 states had outlawed marijuana.


http://www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/mj005.htm


It's illegal because of racism. Not because of large scale scientific efforts to definitively prove that the drug is a danger to society.

And what would that be?
More people die from Cigarettes and Alcohol can weed. Hell, no one in the history of the world has ever ODed on weed. ODed on crap that's added in because that's what black markets do to make it addictive? Sure. But Weed itself has never killed someone from ODing. Weed doesn't rape your liver or give you lung cancer.

There are a lot worse drugs out there. See Wiki's Physical Harm VS Dependence Graph thingie

I know there's been threads like this before, lemme go see what I can dig up and make a more organized post.

I totally agreed with this. But it is better if you dont do it at all.

It can be bad, and it can be addictive. It kills brain cells so I guess that could be a mental issue to worry about, and obviously people don't think straight when high. To help you understand how "bad" weed is in comparison to other "bad" things, cigars/cigarettes are a hell of a lot more addictive and do a lot more damage to the body than weed does, so it's not really that harmful in that aspect.

You should've just Googled this or something.

This. Though thinking straight is a relative term, as it differs from person to person, so I've been told. One of my stoner friends explained the impact of weed on thought process as "heightening one's focus on a specific thing." In many cases this can be good, as my stoner friend described how, when high, he performs better on tests and actually finds sitting and doing homework for hours on end enjoyable. The negative side of this comes into play for some, such as the example he provided of a student who got high before a test and failed because the drug drew his focus to his pencil the entire period.

On top of that, the dependence is very different from nicotine/alcohol dependence. While the two aforementioned substances are shown to be physically addictive, cannabis is not. However, THC is indirectly addictive in that, if one takes it in order to perform well at work, school, etc., not taking it lowers their performance, and thus they become "addicted" in the sense that the only way to maintain a stable lifestyle is through the drug.

Again, I'm getting all of this from my stoner friends, so take it as you will. If you really want to know, do what Greg said: Google.

Coming from a stoner:

Is it bad? Yes, but NOWHERE near as bad as alcohol or ciggarettes. I abuse neither of these substances.
Is it addictive? Everything in life is addictive if you are a weak person. It is extremely easy to stop using weed. If i go to my beach house with my parents, i wont smoke. If i'm at my grandparents house, i wont smoke. Will i smoke if i want to any other time? Usually, yes.
Does it create harmful states of mind? Lol. If you want an analogy for how fun the experience is...imagine playing every video game you've ever played, except playing them all again for the first time. In general, i've thought up so many good ideas while high than ever before.

In societies point of view, it is bad. However, there is absolutely nothing dangerous about the drug nor the people who use it. We are harmless.

Edit: By the way, it is very possible to resist the "munchies" while high.

Weed doesn't rape your liver or give you lung cancer.

sorry pal, but anything you inhale that is more than just oxygen damages your lungs. smoke from weed will build up in there just as much as cigarette smoke will.

Except ciggarette smoke will eventually kill you, lmao.

sorry pal, but anything you inhale that is more than just oxygen damages your lungs. smoke from weed will build up in there just as much as cigarette smoke will.

There are other ways to do weed than smoking.

Users that are already stupid will become even more stupid, but users that have common sense and decent intelligence will not deteriorate whatsoever mentally.
It's not a gateway drug any more than lighting candles is a gateway to pyromania. Yeah, some people do it, but it's something you can control.
It's only addictive in the way that masturbation is addictive. You're bored and want something to kill time, or just to have some fun, so you do it.

There are other ways to do weed than smoking.

There are other ways to get high than to use weed, too. You can smoke plenty of things that are both legal and cheaper than weed.

There are other ways to get high than to use weed, too. You can smoke plenty of things that are both legal and cheaper than weed.

Smoking's bad, m'kay.

Smoking's bad, m'kay.

So is sleeping on your side or cracking your knuckles but no one is complaining about that.

• Kills brain cells
  
• Your smoking, hurts lungs and etcs
  
• Probably won't live as long as someone who never smoked anything.
  
• Addictive (People say, "I could quit anytime", please note that this is an classic line)
  

Besides that, its not the worst drug out there, but it still isn't good for you unless you need medical marijuana, for good reasons. (most of you will never need medical marijuana)

I don't care whether or not marijuana get legalized, if it does, it will:

• Be heavily taxed
  
• Be more expensive than cigarettes
  
• If legalized everywhere for medical purposes, it would require a doctor's prescription
  
• Turn into a quickly dying fad
  
• Turn into the taboo that cigarettes have (a legalized taboo)
  

"I don't need to smoke pot or do drugs to get high, natural high FTW."

So is sleeping on your side or cracking your knuckles but no one is complaining about that.

lolwut, sources plox.

• Kills brain cells
  
• Your smoking, hurts lungs and etcs
  
• Probably won't live as long as someone who never smoked anything.
  
• Addictive (People say, "I could quit anytime", please note that this is an classic line)
  

• Source on brain cell death? I've been told smelling gasoline does that too. No laws against that.
  
• Source on life expectancy cut? Getting a Job has the same effect - it can be noticed in the increase of women with heart problems in correlation to an increase in women presence in the work force.
  
• Coffee is more addictive. No laws against coffee consumption.
  

Can I punch you in the face because it's not as bad as stabbing you?

• Source on brain cell death? I've been told smelling gasoline does that too. No laws against that.
  
• Source on life expectancy cut? Getting a Job has the same effect - it can be noticed in the increase of women with heart problems in correlation to an increase in women presence in the work force.
  
• Coffee is more addictive. No laws against coffee consumption.
  

let me rephrase:

• Marijuana makes people a bit more stupid, only a bit.
  

Did I say it killed a billion brain cells and that you would become mentally retarded?

• Smoking, in general is bad for your health.
  

Even when i italicized probably, you didn't seem to get it, I meant that it might, no guarantee, gosh.

• If so many people say they do it when there 'bored', why not be productive, or, be lazy and do something else.
  

I hate when people make stupid comparisons.
That's like saying: PEOPLE STAB PEOPLE WITH KNIFES (AND KILL THEM), PEOPLE STAB PEOPLE WITH PENCILS (AND KILL THEM), BAN BOTH OF THEM, SINCE THEYRE DANGEROUS!!!!!!!!!

It's not a stupid comparison. You said it's addictive, and I posted a graph to show that it's not. Coffee is more addictive than weed. To claim that addictiveness makes something bad would imply coffee is a bad substance.
Alcohol and nicotine are both far more addictive than weed yet both are legal, albeit with age restrictions. To label weed illegal or even bad because of it's addictiveness is just flat out not true.