Does habitual Marijuana consumption really lower intellectual potential?Because I have been habitually toking for approximately two months and am a highly accomplished, successful high school student (cumulative GPA= 3.99 despite rigorous academic courses, ASB president, 110 hours of community service) who most would say is a role model and do not desire to reduce my potential for success in the future by lowering my intellectual capacity.
(I don't wish to sound braggadocious, I just want you to know more about me so you can analyze this situation completely and thoroughly in an objective manner.)
Is it alright if I just toke on weekends (1-3x/week) to ameliorate my stress & mild depression?
And if it does truly have these negative effects on intelligence, then how drastic are these effects?
Honestly, were it not for the ridiculous social stigma associated with Marijuana consumption, I do not see anything wrong with it (except for the obvious respiratory physical health effects of smoking, which can be avoided by eating or vaporizing). The only thing I might be concerned about is the effects on the brain...
Because I am 16 and trying to find a job and when a potential employer reviewed my application letter, she said that after reviewing thousands of resumes and application letters, mine was "up there with MBA's," which definitely riled me up about my potential in the future.
I don't know what to do...
I stopped toking cold turkey 3 days ago after toking daily for 2 weeks in order to lower my tolerance and now I feel more clear-minded and better overall (despite the withdrawal symptoms which pestered me but have now mostly subsided.) However, these results cannot directly be attributed to my cessation from weed consumption because, at the same time that I began my break from smoking, I fixed my circadian rhythm; prior to the break, I had my sleep cycle reversed: I was sleeping during the day and awake at night, but I have now successfully regulated my sleep cycle and am back to normal (waking a couple hours after sunup, sleeping a few hours after sundown).
I need some advice. Help a brother out, please.
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PS: Now you know that not all people who consume marijuana are moronic buffoons. Open your mind and analyze the situation for what it's worth. Do not take ideologies into consideration; consider only scientific facts from personal research and your own experiences in life. Stimulate your mind, for however cliche the saying may be, "a mind is a terrible thing to waste," which is why I am now beginning to reconsider my habitual toking...
By reconsider I mean lower frequency of consumption... I don't want to stop completely because Marijuana does have medicinal value (legal for rx use in CA!!! YAY!!!) and is a great way to unwind after a hard day's work (or hard week's work.)
essentiallysolo
if you are as intelligent as you infer that you are, then you can and should do your own research on the physical effects on the brain and body of marijuana use. Frankly what you have written here sounds like a lot of rationalizations to make continued use an ok thing for you to do. It isn't ok, damage is done to more than just the brain. I could go into chapter and verse and talk about what I've seen in my professional career, but why should I reinvent the wheel? Everything I could tell you, is already documented and available to any serious researcher that truly wants to know.
Jeff P
I read this article a while back and had to dig it up for you.
http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20030701/heavy-marijuana-use-doesnt-damage-brain
it is a web MD article which is very creditable. Basicly says they couldn't really tell the difference between "heavy users" , "mild users" and those who don't use at all.
It is interesting.
Burn outs would be burn outs regardless of smoking weed or not.
After quiting smoking weed you notice slight changes. You may feel a little bit sharper. That much is true. But I do not believe that continued use makes you dumb or kills brain cells. Its just that if you are high all the time you are in a bit of a cloud. Once a couple of days goes by without smoking the cloud is lifted and you are back to normal. The cloud does not get worse and worse over time.
And yes what a great way to relax, is it really that much different from having a beer? I think not.
webjnke1
I agree it doesn't turn you into a buffoon. But I can say I feel a lot more clear-headed after quitting. I toked for 20 years, almost daily. But I've been totally clean now for 12 years. I'd say it's maybe different for different people.
Michael
You have to consider the accuracy of your extreme intellectual prowess estimation when you use your school issued GPA as a measuring tool. Since you may value your mind far more than anyone I have ever met in my entire life, maybe you should consider trying to learn more.
Pertaining more to your inquiry, it can cause permanent damage to your brain. This is usually accomplished through toking ten or more time per week, or "heavy user's" level of smoking. It is a dangerous mental experiment that all of the friends I've ever had have taken. Being one year younger than you (15), I haven't found out what will happen to them, but I already have an idea. (Since they are heavy users.)
You won't really be the same person anymore, you'll lose motivation and you would be more than mildly depressed if you were a HEAVY USER. after many years of using it.
Try to limit consumption.
Don't forget that although it does have medical use, that you aren't a cancer patient or afflicted with glaucoma or AIDS.
Smoke on.. ehh..not frequently!
Ari
The question you are asking is an age old one, and the repercussions of habitual usage are still unclear. The averse affects are undeniable, yet the physically detrimental affects are still unproven. If you wish to preserve your GPA, the truly intelligent course of action would be to cease all consumption before any effects become permanent, or damaging. If you claim that it is used to unwind, or as an antidepressant, then you cannot be as intelligent as you claim, as self medication is responsible for thousands of deaths every year. If you are truly troubled by work, seek help, and if you find yourself depressed, only a true professional can help you, not a plant you seem to know very little about. After many studies of drug users, the results found were not necessarily a decrease in intellect or aptitude, yet a sluggish affect is almost always the case, or in layman's terms, a permanent burn-out. If you are aiming for a successful carreer, then for your own sake, stop smoking before it becomes part of your life. and if it already has become part of it, then you should invest some of your stellar academic motivation to a worthy cause, and that would be to cut this idiocy from you life, and to invest it in worthier habits of someone who is clearly meant for something as great as you.
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