Marijuana and Philosophy
Over the last year, after becoming a more substantial marijuana user, i have tried to access studies regarding marijuana's affect on the mind/cognitive abilities, including of course, abstract thought (inherent to philosophy of course).
I'm curious to what extent people have had experience with marijuana and philosophical thought/discussion. I can say from experience that I don't conceive of much original philosophical thought when I'm high (nor do I write as clearly) but I have on occasion, made some breakthroughs while in discussion with someone else when I'm high...also I tend to appreciate philosophy more when I'm high. ie. Once I spent an entire day watching documentaries on Sartre, something I wouldn't have probably done sober.
But on the flip side, marijuana I have noticed also impairs good mental functioning the following day. Also, there's those who have no background/understanding of philosophy yet when they're high, start saying cliched phrases like "what if nothing is real bro".
I guess I just feel like one overlooked area in philosophical inquiry, particularly philosophy of the mind, is drug use-particularly 'natural' drugs like marijuana (or mushrooms, but they are more commonly cited).
I'm curious to what extent people have had experience with marijuana and philosophical thought/discussion. I can say from experience that I don't conceive of much original philosophical thought when I'm high (nor do I write as clearly) but I have on occasion, made some breakthroughs while in discussion with someone else when I'm high...also I tend to appreciate philosophy more when I'm high. ie. Once I spent an entire day watching documentaries on Sartre, something I wouldn't have probably done sober.
But on the flip side, marijuana I have noticed also impairs good mental functioning the following day. Also, there's those who have no background/understanding of philosophy yet when they're high, start saying cliched phrases like "what if nothing is real bro".
I guess I just feel like one overlooked area in philosophical inquiry, particularly philosophy of the mind, is drug use-particularly 'natural' drugs like marijuana (or mushrooms, but they are more commonly cited).
Comments (115)
There’s gotta be a joke in there somewhere! Make your own punchline folks. :razz:
Here’s something related:
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/experiences-of-ultimate-reality-or-god-confer-lasting-benefits-to-mental-health?fbclid=IwAR1hTS29kyFqpygHtfmJUQYtPzo46qhq0cJ48HW3oxvKAGmQR3CO0DBfXsY
There's only one time I've found it helpful, specifically for revising one idea in maths I knew the formulas and algorithms for inside out, but didn't really understand precisely why the formula was defined the way it was. It required a ritual of sorts. I studied the definition (soberly) thoroughly for about 3 hours straight, focussed on the definition, taking apart every term in it and linking it to a sketch of the idea, but I couldn't synthesise all the sketches and sub-formulas in my head at once. I got frustrated, because I'd been banging my head against a conceptual wall for hours, and decided to lock myself in my room and smoke up while studying the definition and the sketches.
I can still remember the definition to this day 'the pair correlation function of r of a spatial point pattern is the rate of change of the expected number of points in a ball of radius r divided by the volume of the ball with respect to the ball radius normalised with the average intensity of the pattern', and the trippy visualisation I got for it.
But that was it working well once. After.... err... many other failed attempts on other things.
In summary: I don't think it actually helps you think rigorously, but it might help you make associations if you already understand something rigorously.
Been through the CORE Curriculum upwards of 7 times. Sadly, all of academia for the last century plus hasn't cared about addiction or anything meaningful, it was lost in their quest for moral neutrality.
CORE is Co-Occurring Recovery Education, the CO = Mental illness & drug addiction.
Sometimes the mental clinic gets it right by accident. Most of the workers in the mental health field actually care about the people they're being paid to cure and stumble across one of very few people in this world who have the answers.
Johann Hari - TED Talks - Everything you think you know about addiction is wrong.
"What if addiction isn't about your chemical hooks? What if addiction is about your cage, what if an addiction is an adaptation to your environment?" - Hari.
It was early on in the six plus years I've been participating in therapy groups where I had a breakthrough. It was a Behavioral Health Specialist III and about my favorite worker at the clinic, a peer support specialist, who were both helping me get to the root of my addiction when I realized I started smoking pot as a gateway drug after my brother was hooked based on our dad marrying a horrific, diabolical, backstabbing bitch of an outhouse whore. It was our environment, "It's not your fault, it's not your fault, it's not your fault." - Good Will Hunting.
It's that word, "substantial." That's why my love is saying, "Get a support group." I've learned as much from other patients to be free as I have the so-called "professionals." Look at the core of the comments here, we all know that recreational marijuana use (I was King at one time) doesn't help our education.
If I have a lot on my mind, and I need to exert some mental effort toward something that is very boring, then THC will help me be comfortable while forcing myself to confront it. Normally when people are "stoned", their minds will ramble and wander through a series of seemingly random subjects, which causes stoners to generally accomplish nothing. For whatever reason, I'm able to instead use it like a Ritalin (although it doesn't improve my thinking per se; it just makes me mentally relaxed and comfortable despite the situation).
Maybe it helps me with creativity in some ways, but I know that when I'm not high I'm quicker-witted and that I write better.
If it does help me think, it's because it allows me to control my emotions.
I've been involved in the nootropics movement for a good 8 years. Marijuana by most standards is not considered a "nootropic". So, whatever falls under the category (which you seem to be searching for) of "nootropic" seems to imply that has some benefit to the discussion.
Now, there's the case of "behavioral effects" that are independent of what is considered "nootropic" in-of-itself. Is that the case here? I think so.
Ritalin is considered a "nootropic" due to its effects on memory consolidation and cognitive function.
Amphetamine is not typically considered a nootropic, yet, is more effective than Ritalin at treating ADHD.
Both are used to treat ADHD.
So, what gives? Again, behavioral effects are independent of cognitive enhancing effects.
I was thinking about the effect THC has on patients with severe Parkinson's disease. Studies have shown that they regain a lot of control over their muscles and movements after taking it. By my observations, it might be that Parkinson's disease disjoints the nerve signals so that the intention to move and the movement gets fractured and overlap. So after my observations, the separation of intention to move and the movement itself might be why patients with Parkinson's disease experience an improvement in movement, since the overlapping and disjointed nerve signals separate so far between intention and movement that it no longer overlaps as much as without it.
Wow! Keep thinking Christoffer! If you wish you can read thru my mostly emotional posts in my history but let me just touch on a few things you are pondering and see what you think.
You are the first who I have seen focusing on the effects of the THC which because of the Reefer Madness bs has been summarily dismissed for the CBD and it's antinflamitory affects. The path you are on is the one less travelled, one which you are ahead of me on and that is impressive to me seeing as how long I have been on this pursuit measures in the decades. My Dad passed away last summer from complications of Parkinson's disease and as an advocate for Cannabis, I thought a lot about what I could have done for him had he lived in my state. 10+ years into his disease he was as sharp mentally as he ever was. I listened to him as he would tell me his struggles as he became confined to a nursing home. When we would eat, his shaking would be impacted to the degree that 10% of what he started with made it to his mouth. As a practicing Mormon, it was the best I could do to get him to drink caffeine to help control the tremors. Caffeine helped but made him "think" about the next in life and he didn't want to think more about the inevitable, which is when I stopped pushing the caffeine. But Cannabis...to have the fresh, never explored, Endocannabinoid receptor system already in place in the patient? I will be accused of seeing Cannabis as a panacea and at times I let it stifle my words but not in my actions.
As you look for the effects on Parkinson's, I am in active pursuit of the impact Cannabis can have not just treating the symptoms of Alzheimer's dis-ease but in using Cannabis profolactictly, to keep the plaque from ever forming.
Part of my theory is based on the idea that if someone is administered a concentrated dose of Cannabis within 48 hrs of an event that has a history of producing traumatic result, it can keep the nueropathways from holding onto the stress and has the potential to reduce the chances of PTS in soldiers and maybe onto the general population at some point.
Whether it is Parkinson's and the muscle memory I think you are speaking of which has been shown to be overcome with music that the patient knows the dance beat to with no shuffle or Parkinson's instability. My thought is that music crosses both sides of the brain barrier and muscles have enough memory within them, that somehow that connection is stable again.
Just before I go, when I talk about muscle memory, I use the analogy of a coiled garden hose. If you wrap the hose the right way, the way it knows, it coils easily. But when you try to reverse coil the hose, you are likely in for a fight to keep it from getting tangled up in it's efforts to return to it's original coil. That which you are fighting to reverse coil is similar to the 'memory' that muscles have and in a Parkinson's patient I wonder if you are onto something with Cannabis, specifically THC, and tapping into the muscle memory in the way music does.
Keep thinking Christoffer and keep posting your ideas for we are here, standing beside you, even if it doesn't always feel that way. The impact we have on one life at a time adds up but maybe more importantly is when we can help those we love most in life. :sparkle:
Oh and Welcome to The Philosophy Forum!
Oh, thank you. I've never experienced it myself. I didn't know it was mainly novices that suffer.
Please be careful about theorising what people with neurological conditions might experience - unless you have Parkinson's yourself? I have MS, and your 'explanation' seems garbled to me. How much do you know about the human CNS, and how it actually works?
I could never get around the anxiety and paranoia that MJ produces. Every time I smoke it I become hyper-aware of my surroundings. A rather uncomfortable feeling, despite what others might say. Your mileage may vary.
It affects everyone differently, and your attitude going into it will probably color your experience, should you choose to do so. Novice smokers get a lot more "high", so results vary most greatly with initial usage.
From personal experience, marijuana can certainly heighten paranoia when done in ituations/circumstances that are uncomfortable/negative or otherwise, as you point out, experience with marijuana and the various strain.
When I first smoked/ate edibles back in high school (15-16) I was incredibly anxious and unhappy, I was worried I would be caught, and was friends with a "rougher" more judgmental crowd that laughed at me and made me feel insecure on a regular basis. Then I went to university and everything changed, I made good friends and started vaping it regularly, often in the comfort of my own room. My experienced changed drastically. Now I take medicinal marijuana (indica) almost every night to help combat my anxiety and depression, yes I will admit, it does make you lazy and not a lot of "productive" philosophy is done while high, only brainstorming and random research. But I'm not productive at all when I'm anxious, my anxiety has gotten so bad that I could not sit down and read let alone, write something of merit.
Also true about the impact on productivity, which is one of the few reasons I don't smoke it constantly!
Hmm, self medication tends to be a dead end. But, my experience is similar to yours in that I vaped cannabis a lot in college. Everyone at my college was on some kind of drug. Though, it helped me read material related to studies. Many people claim that marijuana helps ease ADHD, which is most likely true.
There are some studies linking cannabis use with an intensification of social anxiety by the very use of the drug, which is one of the reasons I don't smoke it anymore.
I'm all for social anxiety. If everyone in society smoked the fine herbals, and it amplified their anxiety, they would be forced to live with it, or deal with it. But that would also mean they couldn't resort to the big pharma drug lords with all their demonic poison. I think everyone would chill out, man.
Impressive. Pick your poison?
Right?
Thank God for the free world.
I think this thread would've got more hits if it was titled: Marijuana for Philosophy .
Indeed.
Do you see any breakthroughs?
Plenty, I imagine. ... Provided, of course, we remember to spend some time in sober reflection, following our stoned insights. :smile: Some of those insights are thoroughly worthwhile; others prove to be less, er, useful. :up: It's our creative faculties that can be enhanced by marijuana, but this enhancement is matched by a similar dis-benefit when carrying out more rigorous tasks, like a code review (if you're into software), or the like.
I think again, it depends on context and circumstance. I certainly would feel anxious if I was smoking around my family/or with people I didn't particularly like or trust (or at least, I used to).
But marijuana helps me so much with my generalized anxiety because it allows me 1) to sleep, or at least, calm myself down enough to sleep/relax 2) eat, when I was severely depressed and anxious in the winter I could not usually bring myself to eat more than a bagel a day-the only time I could stop feeling anxious long enough to really eat (and enjoy the food I ate) was when I was high, it was scary watching myself lose so much weight and having no energy and 3) marijuana makes anxiety/fears less 'real'; my anxiety means that I often overthink/evaluate certain events, and I seem to perceive threats and react, even when the threat is not really there-my anxiety thus threatened all my relationships with people; being anxious all the time + not eating meant not only did I not have the energy to properly socialize, but that I was often extremely emotional/depressed/and worried consistently that I was too 'anxious', making me, LOL, more anxious ect. Marijuana helped break that cycle, because of course I got anxious/had bad thoughts when I was high, but then, I was able to dismiss them more easily, because everyone gets anxious when they're high sometimes and I was just 'too high'-by inducing anxiety, it helped me feel normal and put things in perspective. I also spoke a lot to my bestfriend when we used to 'sesh' together almost every night-it felt great to decompress and let me feel safe enough to share a little about how I was feeling.
YES, especially now in Canada with weed legalized, it represents a huge threat to big Pharma, especially Pharma for mental health-which, I agree with, I think is more 'placebo' than anything. I considered looking for an anti-anxiety medication; but I read a lot of research and not only are many addicting, they are also expensive, and need to be monitored closely by a mental health professional. I had 1) no money for expensive prescriptions 2) struggling to hide my deteriorating mental illness from my parents 3) have no family doctor let alone a psychiatrist who could prescribe such a medication let alone monitor its effects. I was also worried about side effects and how it would change my personality. I recommend trying weed for anyone who has severe anxiety/problems sleeping, before I would recommend prescription sleep medication.
Laughed a bit when I read that the James only understood Hegel when high, the first time I watched a documentary on Hegel I was pretty baked myself. But it didn't help with comprehension. Not sure WTF Hegel was on back in the day-but I could sure use some of it (joke).
Not sure about break throughs-perhaps we'll never know how much of philosophy, let alone art or science, are thanks to break throughs made while high. Its worthy to note that many of the best writers in the world/history are known alcoholics or ex-drug addicts...interesting correlation between substance abuse and long-term abstract conceptional thinking...I think that the majority of artists/philosophers experimented with drugs and alcohol because substance using attracts a certain kind of person, just like philosophy attracts a certain kind of person, thus the two overlap (ie. introspective tendencies, curiosity, mental illnesses/life issues/need to escape). This is a big mistake that people make when talking about marijuana 'causing' mental illness-it doesn't, marijuana attracts a kind of person already pre-disposed to or suffering the mental illnesses-in many ways, that's why people often seek out drugs, due to uncomfortable circumstances. I stopped smoking weed for more than a year-and i admit, it was one of my most productive self-improvement years of my life, but that's not because I stopped smoking weed, but because my life circumstances more generally, got better.
Yeah, your milage may vary. Set and setting also...
I'm surprised you have such a positive reaction to THC. Do you smoke pot rich in CBD? CBD binds to the 5-HTA1 receptor that mediates the stress response of an individual through the limbic system. It also is a potent antidepressant.
I tried even growing pot in my backyard. Some strains are rich in CBD, like ACDC or Harlequin or Cannatinic, which you can look up on Leafly.com. Give it a shot and see if it suites your needs.
Best regards.
Yes I've tried smoking high high CBD weed (I think it only had trace amounts of THC) but this was about two months ago when I was still smoking regular weed every day, so, didn't notice that much of a difference. I recently bought Indica oil (restock my own), I'm not sure what percentage of CBD it has in comparison to the 10 mg of ThC per ml but I will look into it. I've heard CBD helps with muscle cramps and have begun researching to what extent it could help with menstrual cramps-another big health issue that big Pharma fails to address that I feel marijuana could. Again, since it is legal now in my country I'm looking forward to a burst of innovations, research, and more reliable results in the next decade or so regarding its various benefits. Just felt like debunking some of the myths.
What failed with your growing venture, if you don't mind me asking? My best friend/roommate and his friends set up a substantial grow-op in our rental house basement all year and it was quite successful, a good 19-25 plants/clones and some good weed came of it. At one point every cubbord in our hallway was filled with plants HAHA.
Well, initially I wanted to grow indoors. Cannabis (indica) likes that high altitude climate where it originated from Afghanistan and Iran if I'm not mistaken. Sativas (green crack, kinda bad name; but it's awesome) are my favorite, despite them being harder to grow and have lesser yields than indicas. Indicas are just heavy hitters and have the best yields. Anyway, long story short, I couldn't grow indoors like I wanted to with Ceramic Metal Halide lamps, which are twice as efficient as the normal HPS lamps.
So, I grew outdoors; but, my dad at the time and mom were pretty much against the whole venture and told me to stop growing it. The laws are strange in California, counties ultimately decide if growing cannabis outdoors is OK or not. I live in Ventura County where everyone has a stick up their ass. Los Angeles is much more liberal.
I intend to grow inside my home some 16 plants to supplement our income to pay off the mortgage and stuff. I'm still working on convincing my mom about the whole thing. There's also the issue of high electricity costs in my part of the world. I wanted to save enough to put a solar array on my roof.
Best regards.
Perhaps there's some truth in drugs augmenting the mental faculty. I knew somebody who claimed it helped him be creative in problem solving and he was well-known as a very intelligent person - "tactical" would be the correct word here.
This is also my belief and experience. :up:
I'm not theorizing in any scientific matter, how can you make that interpretation? I was speculating based on what I've read about cannabis research for Parkinson's and the observations I've made both on others and myself. It's speculation, a hypothesis, not a theory. And having CNS problems does not equal being an expert or telling others that they cannot think or speculate about such things. It's like saying people can't talk about cancer if they don't have it themselves. I would much rather break down the hypothetical ideas I had, in order to find out if they aren't valid because of... if they are incomplete because of... or if they are valid because of... If you have knowledge on this subject that counter-argues or help expand the ideas presented that would be much more welcomed.
Indeed. And not having CNS problems probably equates to being even less of an expert, don't you think? But I wouldn't dream of telling anyone "they cannot think or speculate about such things". Speculate all you like, as far as I'm concerned. :up:
Having said that, I'm here to tell you that the effects of CNS problems are often difficult to describe, or even to imagine, if you don't have such problems. I experience sensations for which there are no words. I.e. no words have been coined to describe these things, partly because so few of us (sufferers) need them, and partly because the effect of a partly-functioning/partly-damaged nerve gives rise to feelings that are ... indescribable. The explanation is easy. Living with it is less so. And, for most CNS conditions, there is no cure, which is a little depressing.
A person without MS can still be more of an expert, otherwise, you wouldn't have experts in the medical field researching it. In my case, however, I wouldn't dare to question your knowledge in MS since having it would equal you knowing more both through experience but also the knowledge gained around it. :up:
Quoting Pattern-chaser
And I wouldn't try to explain or argue about such experiences. What I referred to here specifically was an observation by my own CNS reaction to THC. And after having read about the cannabis research on Parkinson patients, I tried to induce why such improvements occur based on the observation of "lag" in intention and movement that I experienced. As you mentioned, it's hard to put into words those experiences you have subjectively within a framework of a hypothesis. I can only say that the CNS reaction to THC was very interesting and worth taking notice of. As long as I don't present anything as a theory of any scientific truth-claim I think it's worth mentioning this experience as I think even without having any problems myself I am, as well as everyone, interested in reaching progress with finding cures and solutions to things like this.
There are some health benefits associated with marijuana but from what I understand most of it has to do with anxiety, cancer pain as well as well being, spontaneity and so on... Obviously, there are some who take it to say listen to music or socialize as well, which I think is a benefit.
But long term I think it isn't that healthy and even impairs cognitive function.
To be fair though this would depend on dosages and how one chooses to smoke it, vaping as opposed to a water pipe or bong is a sharp contrast.
But if you have MS, as I do...?
I will smoke with you and anyone that tells you that you shouldn't I will slap on your behalf
Sorry to hear @Pattern-chaser. My memory is somewhat fuzzy on the matter; but, I've heard pregnenolone helps with the myelin sheath damage also along with feelings of weakness. And, you have already read all about the benefits of THC in the condition, so I won't waste your time on that issue.
EDIT: Lithium is pretty darn neuroprotective also. Look into it if you have some spare time.
Cheers.
To cut to the chase: at this point in my life, I have excellent concentration and focus on scholarly activities when I vape Cannabis, or take it as tincture. It has completely changed the way I think and feel, producing a kind of elder revolution in my life which is most welcome and invigorating.
I've done a lot of research on Cannabis in the areas of cultivation, ethnohistory, making concentrates and Cannabis as medicine and spirit plant (instead of animal). It deepens my insights every day; it's the best medicine I can imagine.
Hey there!
I'm glad someone was interested in bumping this thread, as since my posts five months previously I've come across several relevant points,
-There has been a direct link between big Pharma paying off well-known medical professionals to denounce marijuana as harmful or of no benefit
-due to its history, much of the discrimination towards marijuana comes from entrenched racism and xenophobia, funny how drinking is an established "right" and cultural norm in much of Europe and North America, everyone drinks-its okay as long as you do it in moderation...yet marijuana, a drug from central Africa/Asia originally (or in some cases, like hallucinogenics in Indigenous cultures) has received historical persecution from eurocentric countries and cultures...hmmm
There is also an interesting link between the act of growing marijuana (substance farming/horticulture) and the spiritual connection people feel for the drug and its effects. It's like a reverting to some form of primitivism, something that in our highly industrialized and urban lifestyles has otherwise been taken from us...I think this is another thing that threatens big pharma and perhaps, our entire industrial system, imagine the people being able to grow their own drugs! Not have to pay inflated insurance, be subject to marketing ect. ect.
I'm also really glad to hear that cannabis has allowed you to better continue your research...I will always hold that mairjuana helped me in a time that I didn't have a lot of other options; at least not short term stop-gap solutions, I'm disappointed in modern philosophy for not taking more of a lead in drug use-especially philosophy of mind, but that is a symptom of a bigger flaw in academia in general I think
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/eci.12920
Hey Grre, I'm glad to know that there are others interested in this topic. I've been growing my own for a little over 3 years now, and that did indeed totally change my relationship to the the drug. I fell in love with the plants themselves, and I'm honored to be able to tend to them. Plus it's the best bud I ever had, considering how disrespectfully most folks treat their bud on the streets.
I belong to a Cannabis-growing forum where numerous people have written about getting off opoids and other prescription drugs with the help of weed. This must send the big pharma demons screaming and tearing their hair out. There is just too much that is right about Cannabis for the economy and the environment, but I understand that this is extremely threatening to so many. One more sad comment about the state of our culture in the usa.
When I was younger, I couldn't read when I was high, but I certainly can now; amazing how we grow into Cannabis--or how she envelops us...
I will read the article!
Maybe it is the set and/or setting; maybe on other occasions I had had more beer; maybe I don't find my internal musings as amusing as I used to -- don't know. I definitely didn't find concentration, memory, insight, perception, or anything else changed for the better. 50 years have passed since the first effective use, so maybe the old gray horse isn't what he used to be. Very disappointing.
On the other hand, I feel like my brain is working better now than it has for quite some time.
Fascinating article, I dont have a lot of history in biology/neuroscience, but I did get the gist, especially this part.
Seems once more that so-called "objective" science is not objective at all is it? Irritates me though, when cultural values-especially those based primarily on racism, withhold scientific progress that could improve people's quality of life. AD is a terrible disease.
I watched my friend grow and tend cannabis all year, and it was a hobby that brought us all closer together. Plants and horticulture are not valued in our society-economically or culturally, probably because of the industrial food system and how we can just go to any grocery store at any time of night and get any type of food-packaged, pressed, and injected with chemicals-yum! But what can we do? This is our reality-"vegan" or organic food or whatever people wish to market it as, are just that much more expensive, and there is still that central and inherent denaturalization element-we do not produce what we make, instead we sell our labor/time-there is something isolating about the worker being isolated from this final product (as Marx pointed out).
People against cannabis often argue that cannabis produces ineffective/random results in different people...this is correct to an extent, but consider the method people use for cannabis, the majority of cannabis is consumed haphazardly by untrained amateurs through trial and error-and this cannabis is bought from random sources, untested, no growing procedures ect. Of course this produces a wide array of results...I am proud of my country (Canada) as we have just fully legalized weed, and now that removes the barriers for science...I'm hoping in the next decade I will see Canadian scientists testing, formulating, and marketing forms of cannabis directly synthesized for various issues, including sleeping, menstrual/muscle pain, mental illness ect. I want us to pioneer a better future, one that leaves big pharma behind.
On that note-since I moved to the United Kingdom, I've noticed my sleep quality has decreased...sometimes I take to taking over the counter sleeping pills, not what I want to do. I feel big pharma breathing down my throat, all I want is my weed...
I too learned to read better on cannabis, and write... A lot of the posts I wrote on this forum even, were written incredibly high. It helps take the anxiety I always feel with regards to writing, it feels softer; more sensual an activity, rather than a vigorous and fast-paced activity. Also, as an individual with autism-I suffer at times with hyper-focus, meaning I struggle to change the course of my focus or to pull my attention away from a thought or project, which is primarily why I struggle to sleep at night and induce a lot of my own anxiety...I love the distractibility weed brings.
I think it does have a lot to do with mindset and environment. The mind is always in flux, is it not? So at times, some mind altering substances, such as alcohol or marijuana, will affect you in different ways and at different times in your life. It also depends a lot (and this is understated in literature but unanimous with every marijuana user I know) on the method...bongs, vaping, edibles ... all induce different responses and feelings. Vaping for me is kind of "tedious" like you mentioned, it just feels kind of muted and fuzzy-I much prefer the intensity of edibles or the sudden rush of bongs.
I agree and love your point. Reality changing and subversive experiences are inherently important to better exploring and interacting with the world around us. Close minded and rigid thinking is, in my opinion, a great crime one can do oneself-our lives being meaningless and all, we must learn and experience all we can-we must always seek to overcome our subjective lives that we are so horribly tied to.
Enjoy.
Also the entourage effect is worth researching if you want to understand the whole reason why there are a gazillion strains out there of cannabis. It's MUCH more complex than THC only.
Lastly, Israel is on the forefront of medical marijuana research. O vey!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entourage_effect
Quoting uncanni
I like the way you summarized that. Perhaps I should frame it on my wall?
I know exactly what you are talking about. The amount of parochial posts and threads I've read on here is concerning for what is supposed to be a community of critical thinkers...if I see one more post lambasting social media or how silly youth are now ect.. I posted a thread a while back (also in the field of philosophy of mind) discussing concepts of neurodiversity and I was met with just backlash of disbelief in basic learning disabilities...no academic discussion.
I will look into your essay you posted. I have a reading list a mile long and no time to do it; my days are overtaken by law law law, the only time I can allot to philosophy is in lecture; am not the type to be able to learn in a lecture hall so at least i can stay productive.
Another tidbit you might find cool. After doing a lot of reading on cybernetics and neural nets, something struck me. Neural nets are "trained up" by a trial and error (or self-correcting but same thing) process of matching specific inputs to desired outputs. What this implies is that there must be "hidden connections" existing between specific data in our cognitive fields. In other words, the dimensions of our perception and/or cognition are much more limited than the actual dimensions in which events occur.
So, in this context, you can really see how relaxing the constraints on cognition could potentially be very...enlightening.
Marijuana doesn't just "open" your mind in the cliche sense, I mean, it does, it lets you pay more attention to sensory input and all that-but for me at least, its a different way of operating my mind; it slows it down, but it also speeds it up; it lets me work through things in a different manner/light, especially when I really put my head to it (like a creative high brainstorming session)..in this way I think marijuana and other psychedelics can be especially effective in trauma therapy and working with other forms of neurodiversity; like with my autism. It slows my mind down enough to let me compute certain things (like enjoy watching television or youtube channels more)--and it lets you examine trauma/circumstances/"reality" in a different light, that, when it fades away, you can still remember and reflect on that perception and then work on replacing your current perception with your new one.
Idk i'm just rambling here. but remember DRUGS R BAD and CAUSE SCHIZOPHRENIA duh BAD BAD BAD totally not the illicit nature of drugs...or the criminalization/stigma factor...or the lack of research...or the cause and effect---i was already fucking depressed and anxious before i took drugs...it didn't "heighten" my mental illness; and there's no way to prove that my mental illnesses wouldn't have progressed "worse" if I hadn't smoked during that time..sorry i just feel big pharma smirking right now...
I looked at it, but I see a lot of that research as, well, quite partial. Why on earth test THC on animals? This makes no sense to me. Further, there is a lot of research out there on how Cannabis (not an isolated cananbinoid or a synthetic version of THC, but rather the whole plant and all the chemicals in synergy, helps with ADHD. A few of my students say Cannabis tincture helps them to focus and concentrate better.
It's quite mysterious how it can have such different effects on different people. But I see that as part of the nature of Cannabis. How I feel using it now is nothing like what I felt in the 1970s.
To begin, it acts as a stimulus, increasing heart rate and things like that, so its not surprising that many thoughts can start flying across one's mind. It can bring you into a new space regarding an old problem, or maybe get you interested in something that was never quite your cup of tea. Studies on increased heart rate have findings along the line of this: someone is on a stable bridge during a conversation will not have as much interest in the person they are speaking to as someone that has a conversation on a bridge that is dangerous. This is because the increased heart rate is confused as arousal in the other person. Tying this in, one's physiological arousal can lead them to thinking that what they are saying is more profound than it actually is. So, when experiencing something new for the first time while high, someone may find this thing exceedingly interesting. The down fall would be a decreased arousal experience the next time someone engages in the same activity. I've had this issue with studying a topic that I went to class stoned for. In this way, if someone is not stoned all the time, or at least in the same state of mind that they were when they came across the topic, it can have negative effects on understanding. This is also confirmed in psychological studies, which note that memory is influenced by things such as mental state or location. For example, studies show that students do better on tests if the exam is in the same room that they learned the information, opposed to a different room.
This all being said, it looks like marijuana may not be good for learning, even though it can increase attention for periods of time. Unless, one stays stoned all the time, but this leads to increased degradation in areas of the brain as well, and should be avoided for physiological and psychological reasons, of course unless the marijuana is to assist some disorder. I believe it has wonderful medical advantages for many, but to use it irresponsibly can cause ADHD like symptoms, according to some studies, in those that have never displayed them previously. So it has its pros and cons like everything else.
Though marijuana may seem like a good way to get into something new, I personally believe it is more efficient to use it to enhance something familiar. Once something, like a paper or song for example, is composed and edited, smoking marijuana before a final viewing could really open up the perspective and allow for a "break through." It may allow for something new to be seem due to a higher analysis, propagated by increased physiological attention processing. Furthermore, the hallucinogenic like effects of marijuana give it an edge that you will not experience with cocaine or caffeine intake, but is not as over bearing as something like mushrooms or LSD (which are more useful for self and relational aspect recognition, often beyond what language can accomplish). After understanding the fundamentals of some theory well, which is arguably much easier to do and remember while sober, marijuana can be used to discover new variables and functional possibilities. It loosens the constraint on what is being processed and allows for a improvisation that can lead to wonderful and novel results.
For example, learning how to play the piano well requires discipline and practice. One must follow the established rules to learn where the keys are and how the scales go; until one becomes nearly perfect and can perform them without thinking. But these scales are not interesting to listen to! Someone must come up with new things, build upon these scales, and combine them in new ways in order to create something beautiful. But you cannot begin with randomness. One must control themselves in constraints, until they know well enough how to perform without them. I find this to be an analogy with marijuana. Get good at something a familiarize yourself with it sober, so that it can reliably be retained and practiced in a stable mental situation that does not require any additional additives to achieve. Once that is accomplished, I believe marijuana can definitely be used to reach new heights.
I apologize for not having references for the studies I claim about, but I assure you they are out there! I am open to any response!
I never heard before that Cannabis degrades the brain.
So, all in all, it seems that it can cause effects on the brain that are similar to that of aging, or rather, increase the speed at which these negative effects begin to have an impact. So, "brain degradation" sounds a little intense, but in a sense, it does happen.
On a side note, I am not against marijuana in any way and have enjoyed it on many occasions in my life. I just support it in moderation, pretty much like anything else.
I hope this helped make the comment more clear, and I look forward to any response!
That being said, however, of all the many things that impact the brain negatively--alcohol, cigarettes, air pollution, stress, poor diet, etc.--I'll stick with Cannabis.
I also definitely think the obvious positive effects for many outweigh the potential negative side effects in most cases, but ignoring any side of a scientific argument can be dangerous unless it is clearly ridiculous.
You still need that money you asked from me in PM, herr doktor?
These days, I use it more recreationally than medicinally. When I have been playing my drum set for while and find myself repeating the same beats over and over, I like to take a nice hit. It really puts me in a different place and I can connect more with what I'm trying to accomplish. I don't know exactly what place it put me in. I wouldn't say it makes me more creative, per se, but rather opens up and changes the way that I play. I guess that could be interpreted as creativity, but I'd search for a more clear definition before subscribing to that. Also, when writing a paper and forming an argument, I like to smoke before I review the paper. Not for grammar or anything, though it does give me an eagle eye for those kind of things, at least the first time I smoke that day. (Successive smoking in one day tends to just make me tired and my thoughts can't get organized, but the first go-round is always up=lifting and productive). It really helps me think of counter-examples to my argument that may have not been present when writing. So, it augments my ability to think outside of the box.
As for your claims about humans not understanding one another; I agree. There is a degree of empathy that can be expressed. And there have been cases where one may be able to explain a problem to someone that that person can't seem to understand about themselves. I believe introspection is really good for looking into oneself and attempting to find a pattern that one may call a self, but sometimes an outside view can really provide insight into how one relates to the world that they are in. And that is the self, in my opinion; a relation to others in the world. (that debate is thrilling as well!). But, there is something that it is like to be me, or for anyone, that cannot be experienced by anything else and which I have a special right to. There are aspects of being me that are for me alone and that will not be comprehended by anyone else, at least with the level of connection now shared in the world. Some neuro scientists and philosopher claim that one day we will bridge this gap, but I am skeptical. There seems to be something, in principle, that it is like to be me that no amount of brain scanning could possibly expand on. But this sounds a lot like dualism, which I do not subscribe to. Its just a perspective that another simply cannot take. Its part of being an individual.
This strong sense of individuality; this, "you cannot understand me" leads to a lot of issues I think. Though, it seems to be our natural state of mind. We do not function like an ant hill does. Some even argue that anthills are one super organism, while we clearly have boundaries. We communicate well, but language has its boundaries. Many of our thoughts are not articulated in language, but may appear as images, or merely feelings that have more meaning than words can so far describe. Its all far more complicated than anything I claim to be able to expand on.
And for existential pains, I think it goes both ways. It can be worse or better while under the influence. It depends on many things, such as setting, openess to other views and the people who are in your life. Drug use, mainly psychedelics and marijuana, are potentiating. That create a potential for great thoughts and realization, or anxiety and despair. And yes, I think that even un-laced weed can provide with despair. Its all about how and when one uses the substance. If one is thinking really hard about not having a job and gets stoned, one may either fret even harder because they are smoking instead of going out a doing something about it, or they may re conceptualize the issue and immediately get to work. It depends on the person and the circumstances. Cannabis can provide the potential "energy" but its up to the person to use it wisely.
This is a good discussion! I find being stoned breaks me out of my (mild) autistic bubble. Not that I'm diagnosed - I'm self-diagnosed and self-medicating. (Ending prohibition is a long way off here in the UK.) Medicinal use is considered good, unlike that bad old recreational use. Heres the thing, though: recreational use is medicinal. It can cure, for instance, existential nausea. Have you read Sartre’s Nausea? Me neither. But I know what I think he means: Stuff, the world, it makes you sick. Have a toke - it helps you tick. It helps me think - I think. Half of what I've written on this forum, I've written stoned.
Big fan of Sartre, lot's of people participating in this discussion probably are.
Interesting that you identify as mildly autistic-I too, kind of self-diagnose myself as that, and people close to me have agreed. Am currently working my way through the long public channels to get a proper diagnosis, could use the extra support in post secondary ect. also for my own peace of mind.
Not sure diagnosis helps (unless you're a parent of a severely autistic child needing serious help). Peace of mind can come from acceptance, I'd say. I've found I can now reach out from my bubble. Have fun!
It's really paradoxical that for open-minded people who want to explore space, to be so militant against a harmless mind-expanding compound. I suppose the people at NASA and engineers still think it's the 50's or something??
EDIT: And, he didn't even inhale!
Crazy shitpost maaan.
That's a good point. How many people have been high when watching 2001? And consider the term psychonauts. Obviously one should be careful, but at the same time Neil Armstrong (as a recent movie makes vivid) was not careful. And philosophy is dangerous in the same way drugs and space exploration are. Anyone who wanders away from Everyone runs a risk. We call them heroes or fools depending on their success or failure as we interpret it.
Elon was/is also getting a piece of Grimes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9SGYBHY0qs
He is doing something right.
That's a misunderstanding of the film. Sure it was released in the 60's, and you had the audience at the time either high or inebriated in some sense. But, according to what I've seen in regards to commentary about the film by Spielberg, that wasn't the intended message.
It's Kubrick's film. But my point wasn't about any message of the film but simply to connect space exploration with the exploration of rare mental states. Outer space and inner space. I don't use drugs much these days, but I did when I was younger. (Added for context.)
Kubrick and Spielberg were the closest of friends, and since Kubrick is dead, I'm going to take Spielberg's view on the matter that the film wasn't all about altered states. In fact, the protagonist of the film being HAL, couldn't really be puffing on marijuana, sipping on mescaline, or taking LSD, whether he/she/it liked it or not.
Right. Not saying it was about altered states. I'm saying the notion of exploration is involved in both space travel and in altered states of mind.
[quote=Wiki]
After reading Osmond's paper, Huxley sent him a letter on Thursday, 10 April 1952, expressing interest in the research and putting himself forward as an experimental subject. His letter explained his motivations as being rooted in an idea that the brain is a reducing valve that restricts consciousness and hoping mescaline might help access a greater degree of awareness (an idea he later included in the book).[19] Reflecting on his stated motivations, Woodcock wrote that Huxley had realised that the ways to enlightenment were many, including prayer and meditation. He hoped drugs might also break down the barriers of the ego, and both draw him closer to spiritual enlightenment and satisfy his quest as a seeker of knowledge.[20]
[/quote]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Doors_of_Perception
Explorers run risks, often with the hope of bringing something home to the tribe.
Yeah, them meeting with the monolith at the start of the film must have been quite an experience, eh?
I think a lot of the legal repercussions of marijuana are still related in some moralistic fad-partly due to control, and partly due to people's sheer fear. Also a bit of racism and classism...(hatred of the poor black people often stereotyped of using the drug). The American government has always been a regressive and moralistic cess post of control, prohibition, sexual morality rooted in judeo-christianity ect. all just about control. The bran enjoys various washes of hormones, whether through sex, drugs, or alcohol, and these are potentially destabilizing-not just individually, but politically (look at the counter-culture of the 60s ect).
Timothy Leary was sentenced to thirty years in jail for marijuana possession (back in the 50s) before his appeal overturned the Marijuana Act of Texas 1937.
Yep, people or governments will get high on whatever they choose... Be it control (profound power trips) or something else.
Indeed! The madness of the human unleashed...
It seems to be a consensus that marijuana plays some role in imaginative, abstract thinking and can be used spiritually or as a mental healing mechanism...whether or not it actually leads to concrete philosophy/academic work is disputed, but its role via this imagination/relaxation/opening consciousness, seems to be a general tool to those inclined to philosophy...so where is the modern philosophical thought and theory on this topic? There has been some work done on hallucinogens to be fair, but I haven't seen much of a body of academic and philosophical work on marijuana, beyond some psychiatrical reports; with the typical label that marijuana can cause schizophrenia (something largely disputed in other studies, but nonetheless in Canada, forced to be printed on all marijuana sold).
Your example is a good one and captures both the nature of the thoughts that flit across the minds of drug bugs and also how they're a caricature of what philosophy is.
After all "nothing" and "real" do feature in serious philosophy e.g. ex nihilo nihil fit and reality is a philosophical subject in its own right. In fact if one considers how much progress has been made in these topics I think philosophers, even great ones, have barely managed to drop the "bro" from the question "what if nothing is real bro?"
Perhaps it's not like I put it. Druggies aren't caricatures of real philosophers and their thoughts are serious philosophical issues that have boggled the minds of entire generations of great thinkers. However it must be noted that druggies needed assistance to reach what is to a philosopher just a routine. We can take this the other way of course; that philosophers are those with an abnormal mind - they talk like drug addicts.
To say that such thoughts as emanate from the junkie is cliched may be true but only in terms of being oft repeated and not in the sense of uninteresting.
Yay!
Haha. Nicely turned.
You're probably right. Perhaps this connection between drugs and this frame of mindset is the inherent thing that needs to be explored then.
"Right now, federally, marijuana is a highly restricted Schedule 1 substance, making research on the drug hard to conduct even as its use spreads widely and law enforcement efforts become ever more difficult to justify. If the bill does becomes law—and that’s a big if—cannabis would be reclassified as unrestricted and people who’ve been charged or convicted of certain marijuana-related crimes as of the act’s passage would not face criminal penalties and could have their records expunged."
I think theres an important difference between decriminalization and legalization. Canada (my country) legalized weed, largely because the government needed the revenue such a large legal market would produce (the illegal marijuana trade was considered worth something upwards of 2billion dollars). Legalization eschews economic opportunism, while decriminalizing focuses on 1) overturning wrongful sentencing for possession 2) research; both of which in my opinion, are more important than big $$. Proud of the United States for this.
Yeah, I suppose leave it to the States to further the cause if people want it legalized. Ultimately I want to drive to my local Shell station where I buy my cigs and instead substitute that with some high CBD cigarettes.
Unfortunately I can't really tolerate THC. Paranoia and all that...
Have tried CBD, will probably will return to it at sometime in the future. Funny how you can drive to your local Shell station and buy cigarettes (directly linked to death and every other bad physical health effect) or any number of over the counter medications which have unpleasant side effects or addictive potential (diphydramine, paracetamol, pseduophederine) ect. ect. or in the United States and the UK alcohol! Which is also directly linked to addiction and death ect. but still no CBD or THC which still, have not been shown to have any long term isolated health effects....
Super long Wikipedia page if anyone is interested for some reading...I'm in a boring public law review lecture right now; teaching us how to write a discussion question...so am enjoying the good reading material.
There are so many studies out there and conflicting interests in regards to THC effects in the brain. Now, I do think that chronic smokers of cannabis suffer from avolition and decreased productivity, in otherwise healthy adults. I also do believe that people with a genetic predisposition towards psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia and psychotic disorders should not be puffing on marijuana, as there's something like a 3-fold jump in developing said disorders. Strangely enough I've also read reports about cognitive enhancing effects of small doses of THC on cognitive function in already schizophrenics.
As a matter of authority at the moment Israel is pretty much the authority on cannabis science.
What do you think?
I'm no scientist in any form. Merely someone with some time on my hands and a laptop and an enjoyment for random academic reading.
I think that cannabis can certainly affect "productivity" and generally result in some disorganization in areas of life...like any substance with temporary effects, it does effect behaviour during that time and after. But in no way is that a comparable longterm health effect. A case could be made that having a romantic partner also affects "productivity" ect.
I think that genetic predispositions to schizo diseases and their relation to psychiatric effects of marijuana is an interesting correlation. I read somewhere that while there is some evidence that marijuana can trigger these predispositions, I also read in a conflicting study that there is a cause and effect reversal, people already suffering from subconscious/underlying/untreated effects of psychiatric illnesses, schizophrenia, depression etc. are just that much more likely to use marijuana, therefore the health effects exist prior to any smoking of marijuana, and therefore marijuana can be considered only minimally impactful, if it all, and no effects diverging independently from cannabis use.
From personal experience? I have gone through periods of depression and anxiety that really have no correlation with my personal cannabis use at the time, exempting the fact that I generally use cannabis more when I am suffering from extreme anxiety or depression.
Do I notice any long term effects that I can isolate as solely from marijuana? No. Depression and anxiety has at times effected my focus, my ability to read, eat, sleep, socialize appropriately ect.
Yeah... So, much disinformation has been legitimized by funding from the government that you always have to read the conflict of interest stub at the end of each paper.
Anandamide, known in Hindu scripture or deriving from it as the molecule of bliss makes otherwise motivated and go-getters somewhat apathetic, although I think the scientific cause isn't related to the complex effects on CB1 receptors in the VTA and striatum which colocalize with the dopamine reward pathways.
My main focus in college was trying to deal with my ADHD tendencies, and it's pretty much an ideal non-tolerance forming drug for this purpose.
You might want to check out the synergistic effects of caffeine and THC, which is amazing! God I wish I was back in college and didn't self destruct by altering my neurochemistry too much...
You should really look into cannabidiol for this purpose. The research is really solid, specifically for anxiety and depression. Also, lavender extract is potent stuff. I believe diffusing it into the air is more satisfying and enhances effectiveness. Otherwise, Silexan in a German-made formulation of lavender extract that has been put through testing mostly for anxiety and depression.
Now I wallow to sleep though my body keeps on telling me that night is day and day is night. Ahh.
I have the opposite of ADHD in many regards, not really having any issue focusing so much as only motivation when I go through my periods of severe depression/anxiety...I do enjoy getting high to do 'fun' research (ie. not research for a marked paper but rather for my own projects/interest). All summer I dealt with my anxiety at having to move countries and end a long term relationship quite productively, that is getting insanely high via cannabis oil (legal in my country) and surfing the web while my parents watched TV. I had never been able to sit and really watch TV before-at least enjoy it in the same way. Marijuana not helped me sleep, eat, and 'relax' (to some degree). I have ASD so...not sure about the links between cannabis use and autism, but I'd be interested in seeing some studies.
Given my limited understanding of THC and autism, I do know that CBD and autism go wonderfully well together.
The takeaway message of autism is that (again take this with a grain of salt), the brain of people with autism is overactive due to some kind of excess in glutamate activity. CBD is often used by parents to manage autistic tendencies. I can provide you with a good Google search query to expand your knowledge.
Try: (Cannabidiol and autism "ncbi")
Low power study with 18 participants:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6834767/
Cool. I wouldn't necessarily try and obtain CBD from smoking it, although the bioavailability of CBD is much higher that route, yet with a shorter half life.
There are plenty of CBD oils available for personal use.
Anyway, good luck!
:grin:
My first point in choosing between legalization and decriminalization of Cannabis is the proof of science that Cannabis is a healthy alternative to big phama's options for pain relief. A couple of society hurdles have still to be cleared to 1) remove the stigma of fallacies of the past regarding the person consuming Cannabis 2) the medical community that graduated before the year 2000 AND has not been educated since on Cannabis have no schooling that the Endocannabinoid system exists in every living mammal and it's receptor system.
One of the main problems in regards to the scientific research Cannabis is that the Cannabis the Government was using in any quasi trials were using a Cannabis with less than 3% THC and unknown % CBD. The consumption of the government Cannabis at that % is ineffective in inducing any psychoactive effect and since the CBD % was unknown, they the government really don't know the positive or negative effects of either.
My second point follows the first in that the decriminalization of Cannabis would still restrict research on a Federal level which will keep Medical Research at any University, University based medical center and the Veterans adminstration from performing the studies needed to consider Cannabis as a viable option for patients.
My third point in regards to decriminalization of Cannabis is that it still encourages a black market for the sale of Cannabis, even if it is considered an infraction to posses Cannabis. The laws now vary widely from State to state and it is truly unfair to put the onus on the Police Officer or the patient who are citizens trying to navigate a law during a traffic stop.
My fourth point is that the decriminalization of Cannabis does not necessarily/automatically mean expongrment of citizens records who have criminal charges involving a non-violent Cannabis conviction. The citizens caught up in this final point deserve to have their personal rights restored: their ability to vote and carry a firearm.
My feelings are that decriminalization of Cannabis does not go far enough to change our laws, society stigmas and the limiting factors that Cannabis is not yet considered to have any medicinal value.
Does that mean I am demanding full legalization?
I do support full legalization with a degree of regulation, age restrictions and with the conditions to restore nonviolent convicted citizens rights.
I don't really have anything to add. Thanks.
Yes sounds about right. Any dictatorship that relies upon the servility, docility, and imperative obedience of its people will limit access to potentially destabilizing substances, or substances/activities that they feel misrepresent the values that underpin the said dictatorship.
On the other hand, it's fucking incredible for my chronic pain (it was the reason I got medical marijuana card in san diego and started smoking), and it's definitely kept me going, as it's more helpful than any medication I've been given by doctors.
Big pharma would like you to think that medical marijuana is not a good choice for chronic pain. It decentralizes the power they have, especially in countries like America, you can grow it on your own, experiment on your own ect. Imagine that. Power over our bodies and what we put into them back in the hands of the people, no tax money or fees to be made. The medical industry is screaming.
I don't think its that difficult a point to be made if you look at the socio-historical patterns, such as the criminalization of minority groups (ie.the hyper imprisonment rate of Blacks), the history of White America and their spite for anything deemed not White-including the poor...statistics show that people of all demographic use and smoke marijuanaa, but it is particularly associated with a particular type of person. There is a stigma that isn't attached to other things, such as drinking, which can be seen as an activity of all races and classes (even though it is arguably more harmful).
The defamation of marijuana across history and to contemporary times comes from sheer moralism, nothing else. Moralism as constructed to protect power structures. Not only the race thing (though that is a BIG thing in countries such as the United States), but due to the way it alters the mind, questioning things ect. Not always a good thing. It's funny that drinking is cited so much in the Bible, but where is the weed? In other religions any mind altering substance is supposedly banned ect. but why? Maybe because it destabilizes the mind, makes it less susceptible to cultural bullshit, and encourages spontaneous and impulsive activities? Which of course in the era of drinking and driving is a bad thing, impulse activities are cited as one as the biggest dangers of alcohol abuse, but it isn't always dangerous, at least not physically...
You are right that its effects are very subjective and varied. But my point doesn't even necessarily rest on the general effects of marijuana, but rather the unfair moralistic treatment it has hitherto received, disallowing it from even being tested effectively or on any wide scale.
Interesting you note this. Of course when I'm high, I also feel that way, its one of the things I love about it...especially as a person with autism, its so difficult for me to focus or really focus my mind-even watch television or Youtube (at least without subtitles) my mind just starts wandering...running away. But that's not my point.
My point is I read a really interesting book last week on the effects of hormonal birth control, physiologically that is-people are under the belief that birth control only really affects the reproductive system, ie. stopping you from getting pregnant, but since this is done by altering and replacing hormones in the body, and hormones function to do basically everything in the body from eating to feeling ect. you are really completely altering your mind in a way more potentially affective than any temporary substance could-and its normalized, and barely investigated area of health. Interesting. Some of the studies featured in the book reported women who stopped taking birth control (after so many years) of being able to "taste foods again" or "enjoy music more"...