Little – if any – impact on liver and kidney health.
Thus a great pain medication – especially compared to opiates – in particular for chronic pain and cancer patients but also for example for menstruation cramps.
Hm. Ok. I was a heavy to moderate user for ten years. I will have to go against this list. I have quit many times. And each time I have had physical withdrawal symptoms. Such as sweating a lot, having nightmares for months after quitting. Reduced appetite the first month. Irritability and so on. So I simply do not agree.
Kidney health i do not know about. My kidneys are fine, I think, and I haven’t seen any studies done on this. One could argue that it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. Because not many things causes liver issues- other than drugs and alcohol that is.
I haven’t had cancer, but I’ve had menstrual cramps. And I can’t vouch for it helping with cramps.
But hey, I’m not everyone.
I do have diabetes tho, so I can speak for that. Weed is horrible for diabetics, since smoking reduces your sensitivity to insulin. It also makes you uncontrollably hungry, impulsive and forgetful. So it’s an awful combo. Imagine you just had the worst munchies, but you forgot to take your medicine before you ate and now your body is struggling with a high blood sugar. Not the best of times.
The only two other things on your list i can speak for is anxiety and depression, there are studies that show that it can worsen those. Of course, it all depends on how you take it. In a controlled environment and with purpose, or just willy nilly. How often and so on. But I would of course not give weed to someone feeling bad without seeing what the root of the problem is, seeing as narcotics most likely will worsen the situation. So I respectfully disagree. But I understand you point of view, especially since I used to think the exact same thing in my twenties.
So in many respects, I’m right there with you. I do not believe the ‘it’s not physically addictive’ bit beyond ‘it’s not physically addictive with the same severity as cocaine, caffeine, alcohol if a heavy user, etc.’. People often do get physical withdrawl symptoms if they are heavy users that don’t taper off. Long-term heavy use can exacerbate depression and anxiety symptoms, though I do wonder about the impact of environmental factors here (the habits that get cemented in some folk’s smoking routine). Some people do have pre-existing psychiatric conditions that cannabis can trigger or worsen, and those folks should stay as far away from cannabis as possible for their health.
From a rec drug perspective though, as an occasional thing it can be pretty great for others. We live in stressful times - something that is acutely relaxing with a shortish duration, no hangover, and comparatively few side effects with casual/occasional use is pretty damn useful. The amount of trouble you can find yourself in at high levels of intoxication is pretty low v. many alternatives. And for many people who use it medicinally, it allows for better quality of life compared to drugs with much more severe, acute side effects.
My general take at this point is this: Cannabis is not right for all people at all times. It can be right, or useful, for some people sometimes. In places where it’s legal, that’s good because fuck going to prison for a plant. But it’s legal - not mandatory. Use should be a function of personal choice, with risk management in mind. Ideally, we should be creating a space to think about cannabis in terms of its pros and cons, and provide guidance for those who find themselves getting more of the cons - either around RoA, frequency of use, dosage, or whether it’s something they should be using in the first place if things are really bad. But with compassion and a clear-eyed view of what it’s actually doing for them on the whole.
Can’t have an overdose either. Worst that’ll happen is you’ll pass out after a bad trip.
Hm. Ok. I was a heavy to moderate user for ten years. I will have to go against this list. I have quit many times. And each time I have had physical withdrawal symptoms. Such as sweating a lot, having nightmares for months after quitting. Reduced appetite the first month. Irritability and so on. So I simply do not agree. Kidney health i do not know about. My kidneys are fine, I think, and I haven’t seen any studies done on this. One could argue that it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. Because not many things causes liver issues- other than drugs and alcohol that is. I haven’t had cancer, but I’ve had menstrual cramps. And I can’t vouch for it helping with cramps. But hey, I’m not everyone. I do have diabetes tho, so I can speak for that. Weed is horrible for diabetics, since smoking reduces your sensitivity to insulin. It also makes you uncontrollably hungry, impulsive and forgetful. So it’s an awful combo. Imagine you just had the worst munchies, but you forgot to take your medicine before you ate and now your body is struggling with a high blood sugar. Not the best of times. The only two other things on your list i can speak for is anxiety and depression, there are studies that show that it can worsen those. Of course, it all depends on how you take it. In a controlled environment and with purpose, or just willy nilly. How often and so on. But I would of course not give weed to someone feeling bad without seeing what the root of the problem is, seeing as narcotics most likely will worsen the situation. So I respectfully disagree. But I understand you point of view, especially since I used to think the exact same thing in my twenties.
So in many respects, I’m right there with you. I do not believe the ‘it’s not physically addictive’ bit beyond ‘it’s not physically addictive with the same severity as cocaine, caffeine, alcohol if a heavy user, etc.’. People often do get physical withdrawl symptoms if they are heavy users that don’t taper off. Long-term heavy use can exacerbate depression and anxiety symptoms, though I do wonder about the impact of environmental factors here (the habits that get cemented in some folk’s smoking routine). Some people do have pre-existing psychiatric conditions that cannabis can trigger or worsen, and those folks should stay as far away from cannabis as possible for their health.
From a rec drug perspective though, as an occasional thing it can be pretty great for others. We live in stressful times - something that is acutely relaxing with a shortish duration, no hangover, and comparatively few side effects with casual/occasional use is pretty damn useful. The amount of trouble you can find yourself in at high levels of intoxication is pretty low v. many alternatives. And for many people who use it medicinally, it allows for better quality of life compared to drugs with much more severe, acute side effects.
My general take at this point is this: Cannabis is not right for all people at all times. It can be right, or useful, for some people sometimes. In places where it’s legal, that’s good because fuck going to prison for a plant. But it’s legal - not mandatory. Use should be a function of personal choice, with risk management in mind. Ideally, we should be creating a space to think about cannabis in terms of its pros and cons, and provide guidance for those who find themselves getting more of the cons - either around RoA, frequency of use, dosage, or whether it’s something they should be using in the first place if things are really bad. But with compassion and a clear-eyed view of what it’s actually doing for them on the whole.