OPINION
I have very little patience with the “medicial marijuana” lobby, not to mention the “harm minimisation” and “pill testing” shills. Not because I’m against adults getting wasted. Like drinkers, if that’s what they want to do, then good luck to them.
Just don’t try and shine me on that you’re trying to legalise your high for altruistic reasons.
The basic dishonesty of the “medical marijuana” gambit is shown by the evidence that in jurisdictions where sale and use are decriminalised, medical dispensaries are going out of business, while straight-out pot shops are booming.
Meanwhile, the evidence for the medicinal benefits of cannabis is equivocal, at best.
In short, the “medical marijuana” line is about as honest as the old-school tobacco lobby lying that “Doctors recommend smoking Camel!”
And there is plenty of evidence that heavy marijuana use, especially smoking, comes with plenty of medical complications of its own.
New research suggests people who regularly smoke marijuana may be increasing their risk for a heart attack, heart failure, or stroke.
That’s according to two new non-published studies presented Monday at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Philadelphia.
Older adults who don’t smoke tobacco but do use marijuana were at higher risk of both heart attack and stroke when hospitalized. In contrast, people who use marijuana daily were 34% more likely to develop heart failure.
WGN9
Again, of course, risk has to be put into perspective. If you’re generally healthy and your risk of heart failure is low (for argument’s sake, 5%), then increasing it even by 34% is still going to be low (in our putative example, still only 6.7%). If, however, you’re at high risk of heart failure (let’s assume 30%), then a 34% increase (all the way up to 40%) is a very big deal indeed.
Take note, ageing hippy stoners.
Now, I’m not going to be a raging hypocrite and thunder against marijuana use altogether. But, never having been a cigarette smoker, I just hate smoking marijuana, too. But even using edibles in excess isn’t a great idea.
Ongoing and mounting research links marijuana use with depression, schizophrenia, and even violent aggression. The risk is even greater among youth, whose brains are still developing.
The BFD
Contrary to stoner mythology, too, marijuana use can be addictive (about one in ten users).
This means you can’t stop using it even if it harms your relationships, school, job, health, or finances. The CDC states that you have a 10% risk of a cannabis use disorder if you use marijuana […]
Marijuana can make it harder for you to focus, learn, and remember things. This seems to be a short-term effect that lasts for 24 hours or longer after you stop smoking.
But using pot heavily, especially in your teen years, may leave more permanent effects.
WebMD
All in all, there seems a good argument to treat marijuana much the same as alcohol: recognise its detrimental health effects, but also recognise that what adults do to get messed up is their own business (at least, until it impacts others; in which case, prosecute it every bit as harshly as drink-driving).
Just don’t shine me on that you’re only thinking of other people’s health.