8 ms·

Cannabis users no less likely to be motivated or able to enjoy life’s pleasure

38 points by voisin 4y ago

deaddodo 4y ago
In other news, MDMA users don't have holes in their brain. Turns out that when the funders of a study are biased and leading, they get the results they want.
- tsol 4y ago
  MDMA is indeed neurotoxic though, and should be used responsibly. Just because people were puritanical about drugs doesn't mean we need to go in the total opposite direction
  - deaddodo 4y ago
    Certainly. I'm not claiming that drugs have zero effects on brain chemistry or structure. I'm saying that most of the research that was used for general scare tactics was heavily exaggerated or misconstrued. Is MDMA neurotoxic? Without a doubt. Is it anymore so than many prescription drugs that are used on a far more regular basis? Most research points to no. And, in fact, most research has shown that it's neurotoxicity is far more acute (vs chronic/long-lasting) than many prescription drugs.
whateveracct 4y ago
makes sense - cannabis is one of life's pleasures, after all
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
imwillofficial 4y ago
xupybd 4y ago
I grew up around heavy users. When those guys hit their late 60s it wasn't pretty. It's not scientific but the number of horrible health conditions I've seen have put me off. Of course that was mixed with loads of smoking and drinking. It's left an emotional reaction to that lifestyle that I can't shake. It could be that my families friends all had very bad genetics. It could be that they were exposed to something else that got them all sick but what stands out in my memory is their party culture.
- eurasiantiger 4y ago
  Uh… that was just the tobacco and alcohol.
- voisin 4y ago
  > Of course that was mixed with loads of smoking and drinking. I think you have some confounding variables there.
- channel_t 4y ago
  Stereotype much? Pretty sure a relatively small segment of cannabis users out there are embedded in bar/party culture, although it might be safe to say that a significant number of people in party culture are also cannabis users.
  - nyokodo 4y ago
    > relatively small segment of cannabis users out there are embedded in bar/party culture I’d love some statistics to back up this assertion as from what I have seen regular recreational pot smoking and regular excessive drinking have a big overlap.
- antisthenes 4y ago
  > When those guys hit their late 60s it wasn't pretty. When anyone is hitting late 60s, it's not pretty. In many countries, late 60's is the life expectancy. A lot of things in your body are worn out by that point. Teeth, eyes, joints. Your heart could be in decent shape, if you were in good health all your life.
kleinsch 4y ago
Heavily editorialized headline, like most news coverage of scientific studies. They found that cannabis users answer survey questions about apathy similarly to non-users. And that cannabis users will push buttons for candy similarly to non-cannabis users, even if they have to do it a lot to get the candy. You can decide how that maps to real life.
- notahacker 4y ago
  > And that cannabis users will push buttons for candy similarly to non-cannabis users, even if they have to do it a lot to get the candy. > You can decide how that maps to real life. Reduced overall motivation cancelled out by the munchies :D
- zikzak 4y ago
  That's, like, your opinion, man.
Krasnol 4y ago
Well I was that cliche stone once. However I was lazy before and weed kinda was my drug because it fit my lazy lifestyle. I guess this is where the cliche actually comes from.

38 points by voisin 4y ago

In other news, MDMA users don't have holes in their brain. Turns out that when the funders of a study are biased and leading, they get the results they want.

tsol 4y ago
MDMA is indeed neurotoxic though, and should be used responsibly. Just because people were puritanical about drugs doesn't mean we need to go in the total opposite direction
- deaddodo 4y ago
  Certainly. I'm not claiming that drugs have zero effects on brain chemistry or structure. I'm saying that most of the research that was used for general scare tactics was heavily exaggerated or misconstrued. Is MDMA neurotoxic? Without a doubt. Is it anymore so than many prescription drugs that are used on a far more regular basis? Most research points to no. And, in fact, most research has shown that it's neurotoxicity is far more acute (vs chronic/long-lasting) than many prescription drugs.

whateveracct 4y ago

makes sense - cannabis is one of life's pleasures, after all

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

imwillofficial 4y ago

xupybd 4y ago

I grew up around heavy users. When those guys hit their late 60s it wasn't pretty. It's not scientific but the number of horrible health conditions I've seen have put me off. Of course that was mixed with loads of smoking and drinking. It's left an emotional reaction to that lifestyle that I can't shake. It could be that my families friends all had very bad genetics. It could be that they were exposed to something else that got them all sick but what stands out in my memory is their party culture.

eurasiantiger 4y ago
Uh… that was just the tobacco and alcohol.
voisin 4y ago
> Of course that was mixed with loads of smoking and drinking. I think you have some confounding variables there.
channel_t 4y ago
Stereotype much? Pretty sure a relatively small segment of cannabis users out there are embedded in bar/party culture, although it might be safe to say that a significant number of people in party culture are also cannabis users.
- nyokodo 4y ago
  > relatively small segment of cannabis users out there are embedded in bar/party culture I’d love some statistics to back up this assertion as from what I have seen regular recreational pot smoking and regular excessive drinking have a big overlap.
antisthenes 4y ago
> When those guys hit their late 60s it wasn't pretty. When anyone is hitting late 60s, it's not pretty. In many countries, late 60's is the life expectancy. A lot of things in your body are worn out by that point. Teeth, eyes, joints. Your heart could be in decent shape, if you were in good health all your life.

kleinsch 4y ago

Heavily editorialized headline, like most news coverage of scientific studies. They found that cannabis users answer survey questions about apathy similarly to non-users. And that cannabis users will push buttons for candy similarly to non-cannabis users, even if they have to do it a lot to get the candy. You can decide how that maps to real life.

notahacker 4y ago
> And that cannabis users will push buttons for candy similarly to non-cannabis users, even if they have to do it a lot to get the candy. > You can decide how that maps to real life. Reduced overall motivation cancelled out by the munchies :D
zikzak 4y ago
That's, like, your opinion, man.

Krasnol 4y ago

Well I was that cliche stone once. However I was lazy before and weed kinda was my drug because it fit my lazy lifestyle. I guess this is where the cliche actually comes from.