Terthna
Professional Lurker
That's not exactly true; it is worse in the sense that smoking it can cause just as much permanent damage to your body as smoking tobacco does.
You mind explaining why? And what about alcohol and tobacco?
Culture The One Stop Cannabis Culture and Knowledge Thread
No, that's propaganda.
Tabacco and cannabis have different reactions in the lungs.
Tabacco dries the lungs out, and lodges in the lungs.
Cannabis causes the opposite reaction, by overstimulating mucus production in the lungs, which keeps particulates from lodging much, and just results in having to hack up more flemm when it's in your system.
Edit: Now if people are mixing cannabis and tabacco in spliffs, then you do have some of the same issues.
Terthna
Professional Lurker
I'm talking about the smoke; and as far as I'm aware, smoke damages your lungs, no matter their source.
I know, and I understand why you would operate off that assumption for cannabis. I used to think that way as well.
However, I got to know a lot of life-long cannabis smokers when I was in the cannabis industry, and not a single one had lung cancer issues.
I asked why that was, and they laid out the difference in chemical reactions in the body to tabacco vs cannabis particulates. Cannabis particulates, because they stimulate mucus production, rarely get as deep into the lungs as tabacco particulates, which dry the lungs out. Cannabis particulates also rarely if ever have the chemicals on them that are added to most tabacco products.
What cannabis particulates get into the lungs usually get ejected with the mucus they create, instead of lodging there long term.
Edit: As well, none of this even accounts for the fact that most cannabis smokers will use bongs, bubblers, or the like to reduce particulates that get into the airway, while allowing the THC/CBD vapors to pass through unhindered.
JasonSanjo
Your Overlord and Jester
As a non-smoker living in a country where marijuana use is still illegal, all I can do is go by statistics and empirical research.
Worldwide deaths from alcohol, per year: >3 million (includes drunk driving, drunk drowning, etc)
Worldwide deaths from tobacco, per year: >8 million (includes second-hand smoke, which kills about 1.2 million per year)
Worldwide deaths from marijuana, per year: Too low to be statistically measured, apparently
I did find an article making an estimate of 30,000 potential deaths from marijuana per year based on the number of users, but... it assumed an identical death rate to tobacco, which several decades' worth of empirical research has shown simply isn't the case. While breathing in marijuana smoke does have an effect on the lungs' ability to extract oxygen from the air during the actual act of smoking it (since, you know, the smoke takes up space in the lungs), unlike tobacco there appears to be little, if any, long-term build-up of toxic substances to cause cancer or reduce lung capacity (the lack of tar in marijuana, unlike tobacco, is a big factor).
Responsible marijuana use appears to have a death rate hovering around 0 per year. Looking over a bunch of different sources, I was able to find a grand total of two deaths directly attributable to marijuana itself... and those consisted of two young men (23 and 28 years old) who were both suffering from serious cardiovascular issues, one from a birth defect, the other due to a long history of heavy alcohol and drug abuse. Both died due to heart complications while high. All in all, it appears that unless you have severe cardiovascular issues - the kind that may well kill you just from walking up a flight of stairs too fast - marijuana can't really kill you all on its own (biochemical research indicates the needed amount to cause an overdose in humans is significantly higher than the total intake over an average marijuana user's entire lifetime; in other words, unless you're a multimillionaire or a very determined grower and chemist you're gonna have a hard time even acquiring the amount needed to kill you in the first place, let alone be able to smoke it all fast enough to do so).
That said, there have been a number of deaths (estimates appear to be less than 1,000 per year, world-wide) due to people walking into traffic or falling off balconies while high or from being poisoned by added chemicals (primarily pesticides) in low-quality marijuana, or in rare cases becoming suicidal while high due to ingesting high doses of marijuana while having preexisting mental issues. Again, not directly caused by marijuana itself, but still noteworthy.
While it could of course be argued that the number of deaths per year will rise as marijuana use becomes more common, at present it appears to be one of the least deadly drugs out there, whether going by total deaths or deaths in relation to number of users.
At the same time, the CBD in marijuana has shown itself highly effective in treating a variety of diseases, including some that are normally lethal. That said, you don't actually need to smoke marijuana to get CBD; you can just buy CBD oil or pills (from reputable sellers, of course).
So, yeah... authorities going after marijuana use while freely allowing tobacco use is a lot like Superman going after jaywalkers while ignoring the massive asteroid that's about to render Earth uninhabitable (it's called illustrative hyperbole, people, don't take it literally).
Worldwide deaths from alcohol, per year: >3 million (includes drunk driving, drunk drowning, etc)
Worldwide deaths from tobacco, per year: >8 million (includes second-hand smoke, which kills about 1.2 million per year)
Worldwide deaths from marijuana, per year: Too low to be statistically measured, apparently
I did find an article making an estimate of 30,000 potential deaths from marijuana per year based on the number of users, but... it assumed an identical death rate to tobacco, which several decades' worth of empirical research has shown simply isn't the case. While breathing in marijuana smoke does have an effect on the lungs' ability to extract oxygen from the air during the actual act of smoking it (since, you know, the smoke takes up space in the lungs), unlike tobacco there appears to be little, if any, long-term build-up of toxic substances to cause cancer or reduce lung capacity (the lack of tar in marijuana, unlike tobacco, is a big factor).
Responsible marijuana use appears to have a death rate hovering around 0 per year. Looking over a bunch of different sources, I was able to find a grand total of two deaths directly attributable to marijuana itself... and those consisted of two young men (23 and 28 years old) who were both suffering from serious cardiovascular issues, one from a birth defect, the other due to a long history of heavy alcohol and drug abuse. Both died due to heart complications while high. All in all, it appears that unless you have severe cardiovascular issues - the kind that may well kill you just from walking up a flight of stairs too fast - marijuana can't really kill you all on its own (biochemical research indicates the needed amount to cause an overdose in humans is significantly higher than the total intake over an average marijuana user's entire lifetime; in other words, unless you're a multimillionaire or a very determined grower and chemist you're gonna have a hard time even acquiring the amount needed to kill you in the first place, let alone be able to smoke it all fast enough to do so).
That said, there have been a number of deaths (estimates appear to be less than 1,000 per year, world-wide) due to people walking into traffic or falling off balconies while high or from being poisoned by added chemicals (primarily pesticides) in low-quality marijuana, or in rare cases becoming suicidal while high due to ingesting high doses of marijuana while having preexisting mental issues. Again, not directly caused by marijuana itself, but still noteworthy.
While it could of course be argued that the number of deaths per year will rise as marijuana use becomes more common, at present it appears to be one of the least deadly drugs out there, whether going by total deaths or deaths in relation to number of users.
At the same time, the CBD in marijuana has shown itself highly effective in treating a variety of diseases, including some that are normally lethal. That said, you don't actually need to smoke marijuana to get CBD; you can just buy CBD oil or pills (from reputable sellers, of course).
So, yeah... authorities going after marijuana use while freely allowing tobacco use is a lot like Superman going after jaywalkers while ignoring the massive asteroid that's about to render Earth uninhabitable (it's called illustrative hyperbole, people, don't take it literally).
I want to thank you for doing that break down of the stats related to cannabis. Finding reliable hard data on it is a challenge in itself, because for a long time you could not get grants for studies in it unless you were setting out to show harmful effects from the get go.
Also, the 'suicide while high thing' rarely happens at all, but is more likely with edibles vs when people smoke it. The liver processes THC differently than the lungs, and edibles make THC 12x more potent than if smoked due to how it catalyzes in the liver.
The one case I know of directly was a young tourist who came to CO for his 21st and downed at least one high potency (think like 500mg or above per serving) 'cookie' edible and then ended up jumping off a 12th floor balcony. Rookies need to be very careful with edibles, because they will fuck you up way more than smoking will, but can take a half hour to two hours to kick in.
Colorado actually passed a law limiting edibles to 10 mg per serving, and no more than 100 mg per package, in response to a few incidents like that. People also had breathing difficulties because the edible slowed down their bodies reactions so far, or had bad interactions with other drugs/meds. Had too many first time partakers ending up in the hospital after they downed high potency edibles while not understanding how edibles act differently.
While active in your system, it can, depending on strain type.
Sativa's create a more 'active, energitic' high with more 'cerebral' experiences, a 'head high', but comes with increased paranoia as well.
Indicas create more of the classic 'lazy stoner' high that relaxs people, relieves pain, and causes drowsiness, a 'body high', but comes with issues with suppressing appetite as well in high concentrations.
Either way, the military probably wouldn't want soldiers, sailors, or airmen to get high while on duty, or while in active reserve. On leave...I think a rule about no cannabis within 24-48 hours of returning to duty would remove most issues.
They may just ban it u less medically issues.
Because chaptering someone out unless they have a profile is a lot better then people deciding to smoke it and something happen and cause an issue
I could understand that, even if I support it for recreational use.
I think the military would probably be ok with CBD use, as it has no psycho-active components and has a lot of medical benefits over other pain treatments.
There’s enough bread and circuses to make you weak and pathetic. We don’t need more.
Buba
A total creep
More or less the current regulations on alcohol in many countries ...
This made me smile - a close friend of mine firmly - and very vocally - believes that as Homo Sapiens evolved in smoke filled caverns being immersed in smog is humans' natural environment
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I mean, I dont think it does that. Looking at Elon Musk gladly smokes it and is a genius
Terthna
Professional Lurker
That has more to do with people being people, than anything else. We don't need bread and circuses to make us weak and pathetic; that's our natural state as a species. Some are just better at hiding it than others, even from themselves.
Yeah and there was an amphetamine addict who did great math. Exceptions aren’t relevant.
Also, the FBI and such had to drop thier 'no cannabis use' requirement for IT security consultants/gov hackers, from what I have heard.
Turns out a lot of the best programmers and hackers tend to also enjoy cannabis, and you cannot employ the best of that lot if you exclude people who partake from your potential employment pool.
I'm pretty ambivalent... though I suppose personally against the recreational use of Marijuana. HOWEVER one thing I would make illegal is the annoying af Stoner/Hip Cannabis Culture and suppress it with all possible means, including judicial or extra-judicial force that may or may not violate the 4th Amendment if need be.
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