Are there permanent side-effects associated with smoking joints(pot)?
474267
There are no permanent to my knowledge, other than you'll be a hypocritical parent someday.  Short term effects... cotton mouth, short term memory loss, finding stupid things hilarious (Blue Beard the Pirate or the Tick) and couch potatoitis.  How to combat the effects drink Arizona Green Ice Tea or Mountain Dew and get outdoors.\n\n(All my high school friends smoked, but I never did.  My mom used to smoke so it was a form of rebellion.)  : )
81603
not sure if it is directly related to lung cancer as there have been no studies or real studies onthe direct coralation between the 2lots of things can cause lung cancer and many people that smoke marijuana usually smoke cigarettes so we cant say it does cause cancer but it does have some carcinogens.yes it does help reduce nausea and fever some nerve pain and other things
859649
red eyes\nshortness of breath\nincreased risk of cancer\nshort term memory loss\nlowered sperm count\nerectile dysfunction\nbirth defects\nincreased chances of miscarriage in women\ndifficulty becoming pregnant\ndepression\nincreased chance of mental problems eg paranoid schyzophrenia\npotential jail time\nmonsters in your closet.\n\nKeep in mind the chances of all these things increase with prolonged usage. I have not tried it.  I had to do an assignment on it is high school.  I don't really have a problem with people doing it.  The effects of weed are not that different from the effects of alcohol, except it makes you slower.  Some people are capable of using it in small amounts and others are not capable of controlling the addiction.  It is all dependant on the individual.\n\nI forgot to add ( thankyou Sangre Y Leche) that these are potential side effects and do not necessarily happen to everyone who uses.  The risks are increased with very heavy usage but many people with moderate levels of usage do not display any of the above.
396047
Yes, any smoking for any period of time can cause it...\nI have actually seen people who at the age of 18 had it and only smoked for a year
485770
Alcohol acts primarily on the nerve cells within the brain. Alcohol interferes with communication between nerve cells and all other cells, suppressing the activities of excitatory nerve pathways and increasing the activities of inhibitory nerve pathways. \n\nIn addition to the brain, the side effects of marijuana reach many other parts of the body. Marijuana is filled with hundreds of chemicals, and when it is burned, hundreds of additional compounds are produced. When marijuana is inhaled or ingested in some other form, several short-term effects occur. Some of the marijuana's side effects are: \nProblems with memory and learning \nDistorted perception \nDifficulty with thinking and problem solving \nLoss of coordination \nIncreased heart rate \nAnxiety, paranoia and panic attacks \n\n\nAs you can see neither is better than the other.  Except for the fact that marijuana does have medicinal qualities, an I think it should be legalized for that purpose. Also, just a side note. marijuana is legal in Alaska.. At least, the last I heard.. You could grow it for you own use.. not to sale..
605740
In low single doses (200 to 400 mg) and daily doses of up to 1,200 mg the incidence of side effects is low. However, in patients treated on a long-term basis with more than 1,200 mg daily discontinuation rates are as high as 10 to 15%.This includes smoking, injecting or any form of absorption.\n\nCommon adverse effects include: nausea, dyspepsia, gastrointestinal ulceration/bleeding, raised liver enzymes, diarrhoea, headache, dizziness, salt and fluid retention, hypertension.\n\nInfrequent adverse effects include: oesophageal ulceration, heart failure, hyperkalaemia, renal impairment, confusion, bronchospasm, rash
816529
Hi Tawnee S,\nSounds good to me (hamster & fish get high too) shouldn't have any effect except to be stoned-2 tokes for the road!! \nIgnore all the ones that say this is bad! Unless you smoke marijuana & know the difference.  If you are one of those few that believes everything the damn government says then you really don't have the clue.  And should read for your yourselves & get some knowledge while at it!  The effects of pot- on MS patients, glaucoma, Cancer patients, AIDS patients, radiation patients.  People that have other mind blowing sicknesses & medical problems will know the difference. Yes my doctor knows so for all those others GO READ & GET SOME KNOWLEGEMENT DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING THE GOVERNMENT SAYS!    Have a good day :0)
214284
i have smoked pot daily for years as well as my on/off boyfriend of three years and i have never noticed his boobs growing! we are both in good shape and quite slender naturally so pot hasn't even made us gain weight from munchies. side effects i guess are the typical lowered sex drive, lowered sperm count and amotivational syndrome in some people although it's typically associated with an already lowered motivation/depressed mood and is not causally linked to pot. incidentally, munchies might just be a learned behavior but there is some evidence that it stimulates parts of the hypothalamus that stimulate appetite. as for boobs hurting, i have never felt that and neither has my guy! if they are, maybe you should get checked, guys can get breast cancer too, in fact it is more common than most realize.
21949
There is some evidence from human studies that long-term marijuana use\ncan have adverse effects, although it seems that the spectrum of these\neffects is narrower than previously thought and mainly centres around\ncognitive (intellectual) function.\n\nA paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) vol.\n287 No. 9, March 6, 2002, pp. 1123-1131) found that long-term cannabis\nusers performed less well than shorter-term users and controls (people\nwho didn’t use cannabis) in tests of memory and attention.  The\nlong-term users averaged 23.9 years of use, compared with 10.2 years\nin the shorter-term users. You can find an abstract at the American\nMedical Association web site: \nhttp://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v287n9/abs/joc11416.html , but access\nto the full text requires subscription to the journal.  Note that the\ncomments associated with the article (links to them are underneath the\nabstract) indicate that some other investigators do not agree with\nthis conclusion.\n\nAnother study published in a Canadian medical journal (CMAJ 2002 Apr\n2;166(7):887-91 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11949984&dopt=Abstract)\nfound that: “Current marijuana use had a negative effect on global IQ\nscore only in subjects who smoked 5 or more joints per week. A\nnegative effect was not observed among subjects who had previously\nbeen heavy users but were no longer using the substance. We conclude\nthat marijuana does not have a long-term negative impact on global\nintelligence.”  This study compared IQ scores of individuals aged 9-12\nyears before they started using cannabis, with their scores at 17-20\nyears.  Light users, former users and non-users showed a gain in IQ\nover the same period.\n\nOne reason for the decreased IQ and memory in consistent heavy users\ncould be the fact that long-term cannabis use has been found to\ndecrease blood flow to the front areas of the brain (Neurotoxicology\nand Teratology 2001 Sep-Oct; vol 23 pp. 437-43  Frontal lobe\ndysfunction in long-term cannabis users by  Lundqvist T, Jonsson S,\nWarkentin S. of the Division of Medical Neurochemistry, Lund\nUniversity Hospital, 221 85, Lund, Sweden  \nhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11711246&dopt=Abstract\n\nA study published in Public Health and Nutrition, June 2001, vol. 4\npp. 781-786 (Dietary intake and nutritional status of US adult\nmarijuana users: results from the Third National Health and Nutrition\nExamination Survey. By Smit E, Crespo CJ. of the Department of Social\nand Preventive Medicine, SUNY School of Medicine, University at\nBuffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA.\nhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11415485&dopt=Abstract\n) found that marijuana users have lower levels of carotenoids in the\nserum.  The authors concluded this was associated with different\ndietary habits: “We found higher cigarette-smoking rates and higher\nconsumption of sodas and alcohol, specifically beer, among marijuana\nusers than among non-current marijuana users. Marijuana users also\nconsumed more sodium, fewer fruits, and more pork, cheese, and salty\nsnacks.”  Carotenoids are important anti-oxidants which help to\nprevent cancer and other diseases.  An increased risk of these\ndiseases might be due not so much to marijuana use itself as to the\nlifestyle led by many who use it.  Better attention to nutrition, in\norder to ensure a good intake of fresh fruit and vegetables,\nparticularly the red, yellow and orange ones, will help to boost\nantioxidant status (see below)\n\nA review of various studies came to the conclusion that: “Regular\nmarijuana use can lead to extensive airway injury and alterations in\nthe structure and function of alveolar macrophages, potentially\npredisposing to pulmonary infection and respiratory cancer.”  Alveolar\nmacrophages are cells in the lungs that help clear away debris and\nba
1062325
My brother did pot to the age 46, he said he smoke about three to four times a week .He started getting head akes, two weeks later he DIED........Doctors said , his intake of this DRUG was the reasen he past  , SO VISIT THE MORG!!!!!! POT HEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
27306
Addictive Potential\n\nLong-term marijuana use can lead to addiction for some people; that is, they use the drug compulsively even though it interferes with family, school, work, and recreational activities. Drug craving and withdrawal symptoms can make it hard for long-term marijuana smokers to stop using the drug. People trying to quit report irritability, sleeplessness, and anxiety(38). They also display increased aggression on psychological tests, peaking approximately one week after the last use of the drug(39).
521350
From an overdose, no. The theorical quanitity of THC that can cause death can't be reached my smoking marijuana. THC would put you to sleep before you reached half of the quanitity. Of coarse, long term abuse is likely to cause cancer and other health problems.  \n\nThen again, most deaths due to alcohol are from what they do while under the influence. Yes, marijuana has the same problem and some people have died due to injuries.
614651
not at all. It's your body and your choice. I used to smoke everyday too. Try giving it up for a couple of weeks. YOu will feel higher then you have in the last thrree years.
1109829
Of course not.  This has been tried and proven that any medical use of pot quickly gets converted over to use by addicts.  The whole issue is one hundred percent fraudulent.
581551
I was told by my doc that smokers generally feel pain more that non-smokers anyway, but yes, it can aggravate any joint problem you may have.
412506
As a former long term user (10+ years) I haven't really noticed a whole lot of long term side affects.  All of the side affects that I noticed stopped after about 2 months of being clean.  Some of those were short term memory loss, lack of motivation to the point of procrastination, laziness/tiredness, and social anxiety problems.  It is also thought that a person who uses does not mature mentally or emotionally past the point they were at when they started using until after they stop using.  Never noticed any kind of paranoid/schizophrenic type of stuff.  Also smoking seeds is supposed to cause sterility.  There is the possibility that it causes cancer or other respiratory diseases although as far as I know it has not been proven.  Also, I can state that I have not had any lasting affects to my memory or attention.  I am currently enrolled in college and am maintaining a 3.76 GPA with a lot less studying than a lot of people.  In addition I smoked before taking my ACT (was high when took) and scored a 27 composite score.
882335
The negative side effects of smoking are damage to throat and lungs;\nadded risk of heart disease;\ndepletion of certain vitamins, especially Vitamin C, which might cause some health problems, \ndiscolouration of teeth and fingernails and even the skin around the fingernails on the hand that holds the cigarette,\nostracism due to smelling like an ashtray;\nostracism due to being a smoker in the first place;\na weakened immune system due to depletion of vitamins in part, but  mainly due to being forced to smoke outdoors in the freezing cold:\nLung disease; respiratory diseases; and sometimes cancer;\ndamage to an unborn foetus;\ncosts of decorating (white walls will yellow quickly);\ncosts of buying the cigarettes;\ncosts of getting private health care for your emphysema or whatever, which your G.P. doesn't care to treat as you a smoker;\ncost of tissues which you need to hack up the daily ten oysters or so ...\nprobably more!\nThe positive side-effects should get a mention too, for the sake of an unbiased  report.\ngood for the digestion;\ngood for certain types of dental problems;\naids concentration and focussing skills;\nreduces stress;\nreduces the toxic effects of alcohol.\nProbably a lot more there too!\nIn the neutral box, premature ageing is often cited as a negative side-effect, but that probably depends on the person (By premature ageing, I mean wrinkled skin and not breathlessness due to lung capacity or heart)\nDepending on the how much nicotine and tar the cigarette contains, and on personal hygiene, smelling bad is no longer an "option".\n\nPeople who suffer from stress-related diseases are discouraged to cold turkey because their conditon would get worse. Until they can find an alternative way of managing their stress, smoking is acceptable, but hopefully they try to cut down.\nBreathing exercises are useful to delay lighting up, as is holding the cigarette in your fingers when you feel the urge to smoke, and counting to ten or whatever, in the hope that a distraction will stop you from smoking it for yet a longer while .\n\nYet why is it that after WW2, so many pregnant mothers smoked, and produced healthy babies? How did all those 60-a-day smokers live into ripe old age, with only a cough to show for it, if that? Could it be that modern cigarettes contain dangerous chemicals these days? Chemicals which are far worse than tobacco itself?