Is marijuana really bad?

Lots and lots of personal stories in this thread, and while I have hundreds I could share myself, I'll refrain and post some "technical" info for the original poster..

Over 50 percent of people will use marijuana sometime in their life. While intoxication lasts two to three hours, the active ingredient in marijuana, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, can accumulate in fatty tissues, including the brain and testes. Adverse effects from marijuana use include decreased coordination, epithelial damage to the lungs, increased risk of infection, cardiovascular effects and cognitive deficits. Unexplained behavior changes, altered social relationships and poor performance at school or work can signify a drug problem. Treatment requires a combination of education, social support, drug monitoring and attention to comorbid medical and psychiatric conditions. (Am Fam Physician 1999;60:2583-93.)

Many people first use marijuana because of curiosity, peer pressure, or both. Use is often continued for the desired effects of euphoria, relaxation, sexual arousal, heightened sensations and socialization with other users. Easy access, expectation of few or no legal consequences, attempts at self-medication (for physical and emotional problems) and eventual dependence contribute to chronic use.
www.aafp.org...

Most users are moderate consumers who smoke it
socially to relax. We now know that 10% of our population have
"addictive personalities" and they are neither more nor less
likely to overindulge in cannabis than in anything else. On a
relative scale, marijuana is less habit forming than either sugar
or chocolate but more so than anchovies. Sociologists report a general
pattern of marijuana use that peaks in the early adult years, followed
by a period of levelling off and then a gradual reduction in use
paranoia.lycaeum.org...

Heavy marijuana smokers show less evidence
of lung injury than heavy tobacco smokers, and it may be
cannabinoids that are protecting them from developing a condition
like emphysema.
paranoia.lycaeum.org...

Just as most experts agree that occasional or moderate use of marijuana is innocuous, they also agree that excessive use can be harmful. Research shows that the two major risks of excessive marijuana use are:

1. respiratory disease due to smoking and
2. accidental injuries due to impairment.

paranoia.lycaeum.org...
(Link references several Myths)

Two new scientific studies have failed to find evidence
of brain damage in monkeys exposed to marijuana, undercutting
claims that marijuana causes brain damage in humans.
paranoia.lycaeum.org...

www.erowid.org...
www.google.com...

I highly suggest reading into the drug extensivly before attempting it (or any other drug for that matter). Read with an open mind and steer clear of the unbias websites that promote fear. Look for facts, medical implications, and phycological effects.. not scare tactics.

Yes, pot is bad for one's health. One joint has the carcinogens of a pack of Marlboros. It is just as deadly when a stoner is behind the wheel as it is when a drunk is. I've seen both, arrested both and gone to the tragic scenes of accidents of both. Only a someone who is stoned would have the lack of mental capacity to think otherwise, since it, like alcohol, impairs judgement and response time.

Now, having said that, let me say this. It is my opinion that the war on drugs is also a war on the American constitution. The same ones who "wage war on drugs" are the same people who foster a national climate that is damaging our nation's spiritual and moral fabric. The dumber and more amoral we are, the more we do dumb things like drugs, and the more of our property they can seize with their unconstitutional "laws".

Originally posted by syrinx high priest

and I would have to say a glass pipe with a little air chamber to catch the ashes and a carb is the way to go. the metal bowls in bongs aren't good long term.

That is actually the WORST way to smoke.

In a joint the smoke passes through two or three inches of material, which acts as a filter (why the joint is always brown at the tip)

A pipe does not filter out anything except for signifigant size particulates (and that's only IF you use a metallic screen, the effects of that is another story all together).

I am not trying to say water pipes negate all the effects of smoking. But everyone knows that H2O is a purifying agent. The higher the volume of water that smoke travels through, the cleaner the smoke becomes. Which is why double chamber water pipes are actually the best, as far as purifying effects of the smoke are concerned.

Using a bong (especially with ice water) will reduce damage from hot unfiltered smoke. Water bongs cool the smoke, filter out solids, and absorb the most harmful tars in the water.
www.norml.org.nz...

Another fact : Hot water filters smoke better than cold water. But who wants a hot ,humid water pipe hit? If one is going to smoke, the best way to clean the smoke of as many particulates, etc...is to have a double chambered pipe with hot water in the bottom chamber, and cool water in the top.....

Crap! I forgot!
We do not allow conversations about drugs on this board. That was the last word I got at the mod meeting. Well, the last one I attended, anyway. I'm locking the thread, and if an admin happens by and figures its ok, he can unlock it.