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Is this really surprising? Any time I had used cannabis I felt like my IQ dropped 20-30 points and I would lose hours of my day where it was difficult for me t

Is this really surprising? Any time I had used cannabis I felt like my IQ dropped 20-30 points and I would lose hours of my day where it was difficult for me to learn. It made doing household chores not terrible, but brought out a lot of panic inducing moments and erratic behavior. I was thinking about a 100k other things while doing one thing. Later on I realized I wasn't even doing that one thing so well. Anything that drops cognitive abilities for a moment is going to be awful long term and especially for babies. I know a lot of people think cannabis isn't bad, but it is intellectually dishonest to disregard the broader effects of effects on cognition. I say that as someone who used to smoke a ton of cannabis. Not having to rely on drugs to find calmness has made a profound change in my life, and I can't believe that I used to turn to weed, alcohol, etc. when all I needed to be permanently (key word) happy was already present within me. Prior, when the effects went away I spent just as much time craving and suffering heavily. That being said I don't think it should be criminalized or anything like that. It is up to adults to do whatever, but it is useful to be honest as well. Not everyone uses it for epilepsy, none of the dispensaries here sell CBD products. Its all high THC products meant to "fuck you up"

subpixel 4y ago
Sounds like you and I have similar reactions to marijuana. From “that smells great” to “I’m talking, but I can’t remember what I was going to say” in just three tokes. What I’ve come to understand though is that for many other people, marijuana makes them feel great - sharp, alert, at ease and in control. I can empathize with the idea that “this can’t be bad!” even while acknowledging you’d have to be very deluded to smoke anything or consume any psychoactive drug while pregnant just because definitive proof of harm is lacking.
- Animats 4y ago
  > What I’ve come to understand though is that for many other people, marijuana makes them feel great - sharp, alert, at ease and in control. Many recreational drugs, including alcohol, make people feel that way. But not actually make them be that way.
- lukas099 4y ago
  I don't understand how weed could make anyone feel sharp and alert, but good for them. Most use it to feel relaxed I would say.
  - danielbln 4y ago
    Most people use waaaaay more than they need, and then are surprised(?) that their cognition temporarily turns into mush.
puttycat 4y ago
My experience exactly. Thank you for describing this so well. I think the greatest problem with marijuana discourse is that it ignores the large variability in effects. For me, and apparently for you and for many others, the description above is exact (which I found entire extremely enjoyable, of course). For others it’s very different, allowing them to function completely normally.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
newsclues 4y ago
Lots of productive people use cannabis. But would lots of highly intelligent people avoid drugs during pregnancy thus skewing the sample of who has kids while using drugs?
- mountainriver 4y ago
  Ooof hadn’t thought of that, entirely possible
cududa 4y ago
31 year old adult that smoked weed daily from like 16 on until about 28. Always thought I was "treating my anxiety" with weed. Nope, it absolutely was just making it worse. I quit for a few months and the anxiety got worse. Dad then died of a congenital heart condition. Symptoms of the heart condition mimic anxiety. Took 9 years of doctors telling me "it was a fluke" my dad died of it/ that there's no way I had that condition showing symptoms in my 20's. That it was weed and smoking cigarettes. Finally had a doctor take me seriously. EKG showed nothing (Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia symptoms aren't just gonna show up on command). Got a 30 day halter monitor. Proved I have it and would've died within a few years without meds. Got on heart meds and 80% of my anxiety dried up. Didn't really feel the need to smoke weed anymore outside of for fun. Not trying to say everyone that can empathize with this post has IST - but, self medicating is real, and you need to advocate for yourself in medicine to try and get true care. Every other month I do a Twitter thread on being a young adult with heart symptoms and not being taken seriously because of young age or smoking cigarettes, etc. We have a little club of 12 now - 11 people I've helped walk through the bullshit Byzantine procedures a young adult needs to go through to get a heart condition diagnosis. Always happy to walk anyone through the process who might see this post. Basically shoots and ladders and logic puzzles with medical professionals to get your 30 day halter monitor - but it's so worth it for a diagnosis.
- lukas099 4y ago
  Pretty common for self-medication to be a sign of an underlying issue, but damn. Glad things are better for you.
- Dylan16807 4y ago
  You say the weed was "making it worse" but then talk about how 80% of your constantly-increasing anxiety was caused by the heart problem? I don't really understand your explanation. In what way was the weed making things worse?
- GordonS 4y ago
  As a counterpoint, there are plenty of people here in the UK legally treating anxiety with cannabis, who do so because it greatly helps them.
lukas099 4y ago
Not necessarily surprising, but important research. There is a big difference between that 20-30 IQ acute effect and lifelong disorders from exposure across the placenta. We will have to see if research continues to point to morbidity; in the meantime, probably best to stay away from pot while pregnant.
dubeye 4y ago
It's a lesser of evils in my case. If you can give up weed and everything else too, great. But for me personally, I tend to drink a bit more when I have no weed, not hugely more, but I'd be very surprised if having no weed around is better for my health, vs increased alcohol consumption. Obivously no drugs at would be the ideal. But often this kind of health stuff is about compromises.

subpixel 4y ago

Sounds like you and I have similar reactions to marijuana. From “that smells great” to “I’m talking, but I can’t remember what I was going to say” in just three tokes. What I’ve come to understand though is that for many other people, marijuana makes them feel great - sharp, alert, at ease and in control. I can empathize with the idea that “this can’t be bad!” even while acknowledging you’d have to be very deluded to smoke anything or consume any psychoactive drug while pregnant just because definitive proof of harm is lacking.

Animats 4y ago
> What I’ve come to understand though is that for many other people, marijuana makes them feel great - sharp, alert, at ease and in control. Many recreational drugs, including alcohol, make people feel that way. But not actually make them be that way.
lukas099 4y ago
I don't understand how weed could make anyone feel sharp and alert, but good for them. Most use it to feel relaxed I would say.
- danielbln 4y ago
  Most people use waaaaay more than they need, and then are surprised(?) that their cognition temporarily turns into mush.

puttycat 4y ago

My experience exactly. Thank you for describing this so well. I think the greatest problem with marijuana discourse is that it ignores the large variability in effects. For me, and apparently for you and for many others, the description above is exact (which I found entire extremely enjoyable, of course). For others it’s very different, allowing them to function completely normally.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

newsclues 4y ago

Lots of productive people use cannabis. But would lots of highly intelligent people avoid drugs during pregnancy thus skewing the sample of who has kids while using drugs?

mountainriver 4y ago
Ooof hadn’t thought of that, entirely possible

cududa 4y ago

31 year old adult that smoked weed daily from like 16 on until about 28. Always thought I was "treating my anxiety" with weed. Nope, it absolutely was just making it worse. I quit for a few months and the anxiety got worse. Dad then died of a congenital heart condition. Symptoms of the heart condition mimic anxiety. Took 9 years of doctors telling me "it was a fluke" my dad died of it/ that there's no way I had that condition showing symptoms in my 20's. That it was weed and smoking cigarettes. Finally had a doctor take me seriously. EKG showed nothing (Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia symptoms aren't just gonna show up on command). Got a 30 day halter monitor. Proved I have it and would've died within a few years without meds. Got on heart meds and 80% of my anxiety dried up. Didn't really feel the need to smoke weed anymore outside of for fun. Not trying to say everyone that can empathize with this post has IST - but, self medicating is real, and you need to advocate for yourself in medicine to try and get true care. Every other month I do a Twitter thread on being a young adult with heart symptoms and not being taken seriously because of young age or smoking cigarettes, etc. We have a little club of 12 now - 11 people I've helped walk through the bullshit Byzantine procedures a young adult needs to go through to get a heart condition diagnosis. Always happy to walk anyone through the process who might see this post. Basically shoots and ladders and logic puzzles with medical professionals to get your 30 day halter monitor - but it's so worth it for a diagnosis.

lukas099 4y ago
Pretty common for self-medication to be a sign of an underlying issue, but damn. Glad things are better for you.
Dylan16807 4y ago
You say the weed was "making it worse" but then talk about how 80% of your constantly-increasing anxiety was caused by the heart problem? I don't really understand your explanation. In what way was the weed making things worse?
GordonS 4y ago
As a counterpoint, there are plenty of people here in the UK legally treating anxiety with cannabis, who do so because it greatly helps them.

lukas099 4y ago

Not necessarily surprising, but important research. There is a big difference between that 20-30 IQ acute effect and lifelong disorders from exposure across the placenta. We will have to see if research continues to point to morbidity; in the meantime, probably best to stay away from pot while pregnant.

dubeye 4y ago

It's a lesser of evils in my case. If you can give up weed and everything else too, great. But for me personally, I tend to drink a bit more when I have no weed, not hugely more, but I'd be very surprised if having no weed around is better for my health, vs increased alcohol consumption. Obivously no drugs at would be the ideal. But often this kind of health stuff is about compromises.