Marijuana use linked to depression

Anti said:

I try to do the rest of the world a favor and stay high as often as possible.

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I can appreciate this Anti, and I thank you for it. A few tokes always makes me feel better too, works well to brighten my day.

bb

zbenjii said:

of course, people make money off of marijuana. quoting studies about the dangers of tobacco to a tobacco farmer would likely get the same type of responses

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No, you are just reading selective studies-- There are many out there which go both ways...but the one thing they all have in common, is that there is never been a direct correlation between Depression and Cannabis...except that Depressed ppl seem to prefer it...IMHO, because it helps them--

Some research suggests that marijuana smokers are diagnosed with depression more often than are nonsmokers — particularly regular or heavy marijuana users. However, it doesn't appear that marijuana directly causes depression. It's likely that the genetic, environmental or other factors that trigger depression also lead to using marijuana. For example, some people may use marijuana as a way to cope with depression symptoms.

There are also links between marijuana and other mental health conditions. Marijuana use may trigger schizophrenia or detachment from reality (psychosis) in certain people. There is also some evidence that adolescents who attempt suicide may be more likely to use marijuana than those who don't. As with marijuana use and depression, more research is needed to better understand these associations.

The bottom line: Marijuana use and depression accompany each other more often than you might expect by chance, but there's no clear evidence that marijuana directly causes depression.

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http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/marijuana-and-depression/AN01900

I smoked for depression when I was down and out many years ago and am very thankful it got me through rough times. All my friends whacked out on anti-depressants from big pharma are still snorting rails and blaming everyone else for their problems.

yourcorpse said:

zbenjii, whats with all the anti cannabis posts today?

you forget what site you are on?

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zbenjii said:

I've been a heavy smoker for a couple of years and have realized marijuana has pros and cons. There are certain aspects of marijuana use that should be known by everyone..especially those who grow and smoke the most.

Although I love marijuana and it's short term effects, i should have known a few things before I ever got started. The same way cigarette packs have warning signs, marijuana should have it's own warning signs.

- feeling of depression and anxiety may become stronger once high has worn off
- feelings of apathy may increase after use
- decreases motivation to accomplish tasks
- decreases ability to connect with non-medicated individuals

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OK zbenjii,

You realized that there is no free lunch. Great. Everything comes with a price, including the gifts that cannabis brings. Substance abuse is no joke. Cannabis can help a person relate to life, but if they use it to escape from life it doesn't work so well. There are a number of people here who can discuss this rationally with you.

And no, don't smoke a big fatty before doing your taxes.

But you've got to learn how to read those cannabis science articles. There are lots of people out there who are brainwashed from the nearly century old organized propaganda campaign against this plant. It shows in their work and how they relate to cannabis users. There is also plenty of money for those who can write anti-cannabis science articles. When reading these you have to look out for assumptions and loaded language to tell where the writer is coming from. It usually shows itself early in the article. The articles you have chosen to share here show this preconceived anti-cannabis mindset.

You might be interested in these threads:

Smoking and productivity and success
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=118343

For longtime habitual smokers ONLY... health?
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=181906

Do you think cannabis is harmless?
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=162423

id say, after years of experience and countless conversation with others with similar experience, anyone saying that marijuana causes depression is either monetarily motivated or simply

speaking out of their ass with no real evidence to back it up.

zbenjii said:

I've been a heavy smoker for a couple of years and have realized marijuana has pros and cons. There are certain aspects of marijuana use that should be known by everyone..especially those who grow and smoke the most.

Although I love marijuana and it's short term effects, i should have known a few things before I ever got started. The same way cigarette packs have warning signs, marijuana should have it's own warning signs.

- feeling of depression and anxiety may become stronger once high has worn off
- feelings of apathy may increase after use
- decreases motivation to accomplish tasks
- decreases ability to connect with non-medicated individuals

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As a medical user, who I can nearly guarantee consumes more then you do on a regular basis, I completely disagree. Been smoking/vaping 1/2-1oz weekly, plus roughly 10grams worth of edibles, for several years now. A decent amount of hash sprinkled in there as well.



Cannabis gives me motivation, gets me out of bed/off the couch, gets me to eat, and increases desire to interact with the world.



A summation being, my experience is the exact opposite as yours.

Anti said:

On the con side... if you smoke too much for too long, you can end up with COPD, which is bad news. If you alternate your smoking with vaping/medibles, you can avoid this. Don't be the guy who takes the biggest bong load and never coughs. That shit DOES come back to haunt you. Sensibility in all things.

Too much water will kill you.

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Well said,

If you are smoking Regs/Swag/Imported Beasters that have been covered in pesticides and other chemicals to preserve their growth - you are going to get a lot of different results than subjects who used Top Shelf Medical Cannabis from a dispensary. Stay away from low quality cannabis if you economically can... seriously..

If you were smoking top end SFV OG Kush or Bubba Kush I doubt you would be able to really be in much of a state of depression or lack of enjoyment in the day. Sure if you had some of the worst PTSD ever, it may not fully bring you back - but those high euphoria / anti-depression cannabis strains are not going to bring you deeper into a depressive funk. Hell, they have been shown time and time again to essentially fully treat PTSD on many cases of veterans and severe cases...

Poorly Grown cannabis will not be helpful in modulating the natural cannabinoids in our body - just like incorrectly synthesized prescriptions are going to give you different effects, many more in the negative direction. And anyone who has popped 10+ seeds knows that some phenos just are not good buzzes or counterproductive sometimes to the effect you want - while other strains/phenos will have exactly the psychoactive effects one seeks.

These studies you post assume that THC is synonymous (Identical) with Cannabis (Which is not true) Cannabis's effects are a result of the ratio of the different cannabinoids in each strain/grow and goes well beyond the one area they are looking at in these studies you posted which is THC. It would be comparable to scientist studying the brain by only looking at "Dopamine" and ignoring "Serotonin, norepinephrine and the many other neurotransmitters". This is the opposite of scientific method and rational thinking in terms of looking at the evidence - if they purposely choose to ignore all cannabinoids but THC when discussing cannabis.

Again:

Just wanted to clear this up cannabis doesn't damage the brain or cognitive abilities (see below) =) Also if you are looking for a motivation high smoke a sativa or sativa dominant hybrid and stay away from over-mature (Flowered too long) and overly-potent pure indicas in the morning. Some indica dominants are fine in the morning if you have a nice tolerance and strong determination for the activities of the day.

Heavy Marijuana Use Doesn't Damage Brain:
Analysis of Studies Finds Little Effect From Long-Term Use

Full Article @ http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20030701/heavy-marijuana-use-doesnt-damage-brain

The researchers found only a "very small" impairment in memory and learning among long-term marijuana users. Otherwise, scores on thinking tests were similar to those who don't smoke marijuana, according to a new analysis of 15 previous studies.

In those studies, some 700 regular marijuana users were compared with 484 non-users on various aspects of brain function -- including reaction time, language and motor skills, reasoning ability, memory, and the ability to learn new information.

"We were somewhat surprised by our finding, especially since there's been a controversy for some years on whether long-term cannabis use causes brain damage," says lead researcher and psychiatrist Igor Grant, MD.

"I suppose we expected to see some differences in people who were heavy users, but in fact the differences were very minimal."

(Continued in Full Article @ http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20030701/heavy-marijuana-use-doesnt-damage-brain)