what does marijuana do?

[Jamash]

It makes you high and because it's illegal you get paranoid about the cops, also you get "the munchies".

wtf are the munchies??

The munchies are when the cannabis causes your metabolism to slow down, to such an extent that your stomach practically stops.

This causes a false feeling that your stomach is empty, which translates to your brain as intense hunger, so you eat and eat in an attempt to 'fill the gap'.
I think it also lowers your blood sugar level, which gives you a craving for sweet things.

It can be quite bad, since you experience an unnatural sense of hunger (you would never normally let you stomach become completely empty) and even though you're eating a lot of food, if you continue smoking then the empty feeling can return, causing you to shove more and more food into your 'static' digestive system.
This can lead to chronic constipation and/or diarrhoea the next day, when the effects of the cannabis wear off and your metabolism starts up again.

However, the endorphins released by eating when you have the munchies, and the heightened taste sensations you experience make it quite hard not to stuff yourself.

 

[ExodusinFlames]

im fairly uneducated about the effects of weed. i keep hearing different things, has anyone done a medical study??

Speaking from experience, alot of it in high school (no pun intended), there are two distinguished types of prime cannabinoids: Cannbis Sativa and Cannabis Indica. The two will have differing effects based largely on the mental state of the smoker/imbiber.

Things will become funnier, and more commonly Sativa will calm the body down, resulting in that dopey, giggly high. Indica on the other hand, can cause advanced awareness, and make things equally humourous, but it commonly triggers a response to move (Being jitters or "Jimmy Leg", or just the desire to go outside and walk around.)

so marijuana causes:
extreme funnyness
slow senses
driving impairment
delusion
you get hungry
you smell badddd
, so why is it illegal again

I'm not sure if this one was meant to be funny, still gonna give a point by point.
- Whats wrong with laughter
- Slowed senses depend on what you are smoking and personal reaction. The only way I can expert "Through Fire and Flames" on GH3 is when I was cooked
- Driving Impairment??? Couple standard reaction time with moderate paranoia? You get one of the safest drivers out there. You'll be hard pressed to find a news article in which someone has smoked a joint and then went on a vehicular manslaughter rampage, its not alcohol.
For the most part, potsmokers will be perfect speed limit, hands at "10 and 2" checking their signals and blind spots, because they want to not get caught being high.
- I won't disagree with moderate delusion
- Hunger = Bad?
- Get Axe Body Spray, whether you smoke weed or not.

Not soap boxing by any stretch, but this anti-marijuana thing is silly. (If it were in fact a serious response)
Canada has already decriminalized it, which is a step. The next two being legalization and then public market. Given the amount of smokers in Canada and the US, if both governments began selling it in legalized channels (like stores) and began collecting taxes on it, it'd get em closer to "Out of the Woods" economically.

And all that coming from someone who rarely smokes anymore

 

[ExodusinFlames]

The munchies are when the cannabis causes your metabolism to slow down, to such an extent that your stomach practically stops.

This causes a false feeling that your stomach is empty, which translates to your brain as intense hunger, so you eat and eat in an attempt to 'fill the gap'.
I think it also lowers your blood sugar level, which gives you a craving for sweet things.

It can be quite bad, since you experience an unnatural sense of hunger (you would never normally let you stomach become completely empty) and even though you're eating a lot of food, if you continue smoking then the empty feeling can return, causing you to shove more and more food into your 'static' digestive system.
This can lead to chronic constipation and/or diarrhoea the next day, when the effects of the cannabis wear off and your metabolism starts up again.

However, the endorphins released by eating when you have the munchies, and the heightened taste sensations you experience make it quite hard not to stuff yourself.

I wish your post had been there while I was novelizing.
I'm a chef, and some of the best ideas ever for food came while whilst being high.
The munchies combined with intensified sensations (taste being the most obvious) can get alot of things done.

 

[nathan-dts]

so marijuana causes:
extreme funnyness
slow senses
driving impairment
delusion
you get hungry
you smell bad
so why is it illegal again

Slow senses are a bad thing for anyone who need their wits about them: Military, Medical, Fire fighters, Police etc.

Or just any time you have to drive.

 

[Samuel Cook]

From what I've seen, it's effect varies on the strength and how much you take.. and it doesn't have a standard effect on people, it can make one person really happy and energetic, and another really depressed and lazy. I've found the effect changes if I'm in a bad mood or good mood.

 

[almaster88]

im fairly uneducated about the effects of weed. i keep hearing different things, has anyone done a medical study??

Its different for everyone, some people say it makes you high, relax etc. Some people it doesnt affect that much, personally I've done it a few times, doesnt do anything for me. I just felt a bit lighter and calmer, but I wasnt nearly as baked as my friends and we had the same amount.

As everyone can read this though, I recomend you dont try it * wink wink nudge nudge

 

[super bunny]

It makes you act like an idiot for a while, can be addicting and kills you faster than smoking. That's it.

Haha, no.

Researchers have rated the addictiveness of cannabis to be lower than caffeine, based on relapse rate, withdrawal symptoms, and willingness to stop use on their own.

Cannabis can improve lung function in those with bronchal spasm related asthma, because many of the compounds in cannabis expand the large airways in the lungs, that is what causes the tingling pressure in your chest. Several of the cannabonoids in cannabis shrink tumors and prevent lung cancer from forming.

The smoke from cannabis does not cause emphysema, brown lung, or cancer. Patients who suffer from Alzheimer's, dementia, Parkinson's, MS, and other diseases that damage the nerves have been successfully treated with compounds found in cannabis, the same ones that have a pyschoactive affect also strengthen the shell around nerves that protect them.

Stop believing the mindless propaganda machine and educate yourself. Every study used by the DEA and other agencies has either been discredited due to the way the experiments were carried out, or overturned by new studies.

I live in the Netherlands, where you usually find more pro-cannabis propaganda than against it.

The problem with weed is that everyone reacts on it differently. For some people it will turn out very addictive and for some people this is not the case. It is true that it usually is less addictive as smoking but it still can cause lung cancer, if you keep using it for the rest of your life you even have a larger chance of getting it than a smoker. Some people also experience hallugenic effects or can even, after prolonged use, get brain damage. The severity of this once again differs per person.

There is of course a difference between Dutch and American marijunana, the latter being much lighter. Still, I would highly recommend against using it. Just like I would highly recommend against smoking.

And yes, marijuana can be an effective painkiller or medicine for certain diseases, just like heroin or LSD...

Once and for all, use of cannabis does not cause brain damage. The Schafer report, commissioned by Richard Nixon, stated that smoking cannabis caused brain damage.

What they didn't say, for 8 years after the study was released, is that the reason they found brain damage was because they suffocated the monkeys while administering the cannabis smoke. Instead of having them smoke for one year, they cut down the time to one month by fitting the monkeys with gas masks, and forcing the equivilant of about 30 joints into their lungs over the course of 6 minutes, doing this several times a day.

They provided no extra oxygen, so the monkeys suffocated, and we all know that suffocation causes brain damage.

Again, cannabis is not addicting in and of itself. It can become a habit, just like brushing your teeth, or washing the dishes before you go to bed, but it is not addictive. There are no physical cravings or withdrawals once you stop smoking. Do you want to keep smoking? Yes, of course, smoking is pleasurable. Does it make you withdrawal, shake, vomit, etc? No.

Why are hallucinogenic properties a bad thing? That's kind of the whole point of smoking.

 

[Lord George]

I tell you one thing about it.

I am schizophrenic. You have no idea how amazing marajuana is for helping me at times.

I can support this, I didn't try weed for ages actually because I'd read that it would just make me even more paranoid and anxious, but I tried it once when things were really getting to me and it just made my mind so at peace and carefree. Definitely think it should be prescribed for it.

 

[CIA]

It kills you dead. First puff.

 

[teisjm]

It depends on your current mood I think, if you are already in a good mood it gets you higher, if you aren't it can make you depressed. And occasionally you hallucinate, at least I think thats it...

I'm pretty sure you don't hallucinate. I guess the people who says they do are the same hwo thinks they see pink elephants when they're drunk. correct me if i'm wrong.

 

[7moreDead_v1legacy]

im fairly uneducated about the effects of weed. i keep hearing different things, has anyone done a medical study??

DO NOT BELIEVE MOST OF THE CRAP YOU READ HERE!

Spoiler

I really hope I have your attention now. Most of what's being posted is complete malarkey. So, why should you listen to me?
1) I do medical science as a hobby and was taught by some of the best in my country.
2) Unlike a lot of people here I actually bother to do my homework and not just spout crap I heard somewhere.
3) I have a really weird heart problem that I've had since birth.
4) I've been a hardcore stoner in the past and because of 1-3 I've studied everything available on pot that I could get my hands on.

The best post so far is from Kakul. The worst physical affects of weed CAN (but not always) include
Tachycardia (heart speeds up). For most people this is not a problem as it's minor. I have to be careful but that's me.
Paranoia. Worst cases are as bad as a full blown panic/anxiety attack. Scary as hell but harmless if you are with other people who will keep you from dealing with your fear in a stupid way.
If you are already prone to mental illness, it can make it worse. Well regulated use can easily keep this in check. If you turn into a couch potato or yell at people every time you use, DO NOT USE.

Some things pot does NOT do:
Cause cancer. Marijuana has a higher level of carcinogens than cigarettes when smoked. Despite this, to the best of my knowledge there is not one single case of cancer due to pot recorded. Ever. The latest study out may explain that, as marijuana may "eat" cancer cells although I wouldn't believe this last one without a lot more studies done.
Kill people. No one has EVER died of OD. There are a FEW cases where someone got stupid and got themselves or someone else killed and no other drugs were involved. Every case the person was stupid to begin with. Some people should never be allowed a gun. Some people should never be allowed to get stoned on their own.

As far as driving goes driving under the influence is dangerous and stupid. However I had to test that out for myself as well. I have well over 1500 hours driving time stoned out of my gourd with no accidents, no tickets, no problems at all. That's enough to get a pilot's license. Do NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! The reason I post this last bit? The misinformation about pot is obscene. I know for a fact what it does and does not do.

So, why is pot illegal? There are theories and such, some relating to business and profit for some industries. In the end it comes down to one reason above all others:

The Puritan mindset is alive and well and running the planet in interesting ways. I love how many people at the Escapist consider themselves intelligent educated atheists who are far better than any theist. Then pot comes up and Escapist after Escapist comes out with the same tired pack of crap regarding pot parroting lies first published in "Reefer Madness." Brilliant.

BAN ALCOHOL NOW AND LEGALIZE POT! Never gonna happen but I would make the world a better place. For certain.

Good post...I do love and par-take in the occasionally joint/bong, less so now that I am living on my own.

What Cpt.Blackout posted was pretty much what I was going to type out. If your gonna try it, do it with some people you know, don't over do it and whitey

I mean if you want a sort of reference I go off for pot vs beer - watch Platoon where they are in the camp.The drinkers are all angst and the stoners are having a good time...Probably not the best form of comparison but it sticks with me.

I've driven under the power of the weed, and if anything my driving has been better...Well I was actually sticking to the speed limit and so forth.

Reading the posts about tripping out and seeing things...So far in my years of Smoking weed, that has not happened to me, if you want that try acid -.-

 

[Darkmark44]

Well, the thing to me is that I enjoy weed over Drinking alcohol. With weed it wont kill you, you cant really overdose and honestly, i see it as safer. Alcohol is more dangerous in my opinion and I just simply hate hangovers.

Weed gets a bad rep from all these anti-drug commercials, yet, any substance can fuck your life up. How about an anti-alcohol commercial? Apparently, there have not been enough lives screwed up from the stuff. But off course, beer, liquor and all of that have a major part in the economy today, so we really cant get rid of it.

I just prefer Weed to alcohol

 

[similar.squirrel]

im fairly uneducated about the effects of weed. i keep hearing different things, has anyone done a medical study??

It depends on who's smoking it. For me, it makes things somewhat more interesting, but destroys my ability to focus on more than one thing.

That's scientific objectivity for you =/

 

[Jamash]

SNIP

I wish your post had been there while I was novelizing.
I'm a chef, and some of the best ideas ever for food came while whilst being high.
The munchies combined with intensified sensations (taste being the most obvious) can get alot of things done.

I know what you mean, I've made some pretty delicious culinary concoctions when I've been stoned.

One on my favourites it a tick slice of smoked cheese and a slice of lemon or lime, sandwiched between two chocolate covered pretzels.

You get a taste sensation overload, with both salt and sweet, plus the bitterness of the lemons, and the creaminess of the chocolate and cheese compliment each other really well.

A weird experience I tried was eating a frozen chilli pepper (a deep frozen Dorset Naga works best).
Your temperature sensation tells your brain it's very, very cold (enough to hurt your teeth and give you brain freeze), but you taste buds tells your brain it's very, very hot.

While not being a particular tasty experience, it's worth trying once for the sheer headfuck it gives you, but I recommend sitting down as the sensory overload you experience could caused you to fall over!

 

[Arwarman]

Various negative and positive effects. All in all its less harmful than Alcohol. But is surrounded my more stigma and has less of a lobby for it. If they started taxing and selling Marijuana crops, a lot of money could be made. I'm just not sure why they don't.

 

[hannahdonno]

Makes even wallpaper seem a great and interesting topic.

 

[LCP]

Various negative and positive effects. All in all its less harmful than Alcohol. But is surrounded my more stigma and has less of a lobby for it. If they started taxing and selling Marijuana crops, a lot of money could be made. I'm just not sure why they don't.

Because government is there to protect people from their own stupidity.

 

[Captain Schpack]

It does good, wonderful things. heh heh heh