13 ms·

Poll: Do you smoke marijuana?

57 points by BigCanOfTuna 17y ago

I'm curious to know how canabis affects hacking abilities.

petercooper 17y ago
I wonder what the results would be if the question were slightly tweaked to.. Have you ever smoked marijuana?
ErrantX 17y ago
No. But I did live in a house with a weed smoker for 2 years. Never really worried me except the living room always smelt stuffy in the mornings. Oh and I had a really hilarious mix up with a dealer once. Mistook him for the pizza delivery guy and got all the way down a side street and too his car before I twigged. doh.
yesimahuman 17y ago
I know of no one who (knowingly) has had any negative effects from smoking weed, apart from a few who did it too often because they had nothing better to do. It is harmless in my opinion (compared to other things people can legally do). Also, I know of people who find it extremely enlightening and helps them think of new ways to solve problems.
- dhughes 17y ago
  I have friends who smoke it daily and a few them, the women in particular, seem to have problems with it. One friend who gave it up (for now) had trouble trying to get to sleep for weeks after giving it up and has mysterious aches and pains; stomach aches, upper back pain and other vague aches. I figured it was just, you know, women stuff since another female friend who is also a regular user of it is also having trouble with mysterious aches. Only two people certainly not a solid study but who knows, it may be something. Of the guys I know none have mentioned any mysterious aches, pains other than the usual stuff. Then again if they did we'd call them a pussy. I'm not against it but who knows what it will do, that cardboard rolled up 'filter' is pretty useless. If you eat or drink the same thing, anything, every day you're bound to have some negative reaction.
- darshan 17y ago
  The few times I tried it, I felt really awesome for about 10 minutes, then suffered terrible anxiety and insomnia for at least a week. I've spoken to several other people who've had a similar experience with it. Those are pretty negative effects, in my opinion, but maybe you mean permanent, physical damage, or something like that?
  - yesimahuman 17y ago
    Some people do have anxiety, and I agree that it's extremely negative, but a lot of people don't. (I do get panicky, which is why I don't smoke, but my friends don't). My whole point is that if you do get too anxious and freak out with it, DON'T DO IT! Lots of people don't get those effects, and would like those who do to stay out of their business!
sailormoon 17y ago
No, but absolutely nothing against those who do, which is perhaps 60% of my friends. In my opinion it is not good for my hacking abilities, in that I find it very difficult to take seriously the concept of "work" at all when high. I can be very productive, just probably not on the same thing I was planning to do ..
humbledrone 17y ago
I've found that I'm terrible at laying down code when I've been smoking. My short term memory goes down the drain, which makes it difficult to remember, e.g., variable and function names. However, I've also found that I'm quite good at other creative tasks that don't require such technical skills, like brainstorming about where a project should go, or thinking about high-level design details.
SleepHitter86 17y ago
youre god damn right i do
potatolicious 17y ago
Nope, do not do it regularly. Never tried it while hacking though, I suspect I wouldn't get much done... I mean, it's not like it opened any crazy doors for me. Things just got funnier and I just got hungrier. To be honest I'm not a big fan of the ganja, but that's mostly because I lived with people who had a pot problem, as opposed to a pot hobby. When you're blowing all of your limited student income on pot instead, say, feeding yourself, you got a problem. The people they brought over weren't much better.
novum 17y ago
Yes, quite frequently. It makes you a terrible coder, but I wouldn't go to a live concert now without it.
nihilocrat 17y ago
I smoke very rarely. However, I distinctly remember one of the only times I actually felt "happy" in my life was while stoned. Such a thing is so rare that I don't really mind the fact that "the drugs did it". I only like smoking a little at a time. This will generally improve my mood and actually help me concentrate on things a little easier and worry less about problems that come up, so it's really useful for composing music. Smoking a lot will just make me feel really out of touch with reality, and the next day will be a complete loss, as I don't have the mental capacity to do anything really useful, I can still think straight but there is a long delay between beginning and finishing a thought. If I smoke not long before I go to bed, it seems to multiply this effect.
pibefision 17y ago
No. Protect your brain.
- Devils-Avacado 17y ago
  Thanks mom.
  - Locke1689 17y ago
    Poorly worded. I think what he meant to say was, "Marijuana is a psychoactive drug that has an effect on the brain. Therefore, I prefer to protect my most valuable asset against inadvertent harm." :)
    - jrockway 17y ago
      Do you ever stay up too late? You're harming your brain.
      - jodrellblank 17y ago
        Since harm is cumulative, the more harmful behaviours I already partake in, the less desirable it is for me to add more, no?
      - Locke1689 17y ago
        Just to be clear, I was translating, not giving my own views on the subject.
Eliezer 17y ago
Remember, just because people who advocate keeping marijuana illegal are horrible human beings, doesn't change the fact that marijuana is a psychoactive drug and we don't really understand the human brain all that well. My own brain is idiosyncratic and doesn't always react as expected (e.g. to caffeine) and I've heard friends say that they think that taking marijuana during college might have permanently dulled the edge of their intelligence - which isn't exactly a controlled study or anything - but is enough to scare me away from ever trying the stuff. And yes, I also never drink alcohol, and try to steer away from large doses of caffeine. Drugs scare me, legal or not. Consider the risks and rewards very carefully before whacking on your brain with any sort of neuropharmeceutical - everything we have nowadays will be regarded by future times as the equivalent of a sledgehammer. The people trying to decriminalize and legalize drugs are, without ambiguity, the good guys. Don't confuse that with the proposition that drugs themselves are good.
- zimbabwe 17y ago
  Elizer, I'm going to respond to you not because I disagree with what you said, but because you stated concisely the view that's opposite the one I hold, and I figure it might be neat to provide the foil view. I don't hold my mind's current state sacrosanct. That is to say, I respect my mind incredibly, but I don't have any belief that says my mind was built the way it was for a reason, or that there's something wrong with experimenting with it. That doesn't mean I abuse it incredibly, but I'm fine with drugs and find the infrequent experiences I have with them to be worth the negligible cost they have on my mind. I won't say "drugs are good" because I think it's stupid to assign a moral value to drugs either way. Hence, the idea that the brain should be preserved and altering chemicals avoided isn't one that I find offensive in the least. But it's worth pointing out the beneficial effects they can have on you. For one thing, realizing the limits of your perception can be fascinating. Weed doesn't have that effect on me so much, but alcohol and salvia both certainly made me realize things I wouldn't have realized otherwise. Alcohol's emotional effects certainly taught me that our moods are tenuous and that we shouldn't equate our emotional states to any sort of logical truth about the world. Regarding weed and dulled intelligence - yes, I feel like that sometimes. I feel like that without using weed. Right now I'm in an emotive state where I feel like I'm going to grow fat and die without ever moving. Weed has nothing to do with those downer feelings. Since I first took weed, though, last February, I wrote a novel, designed a handful of web sites that I'm proud of, finished a few projects, etc., and I did it in between infrequent weed hits. It's worth pointing out that many great artists were users - Miles Davis and heroin most famously - and that using drugs doesn't instantly make you less creative. It might make you creative in a different way, but creativity is not something which can be gained and lost. It is a potential that we all have regardless of intelligence. Think of it more as a muscle than as a trait. We're affected by chemicals no matter how we live. You live your life according to a mixture of fats, proteins, carbohydrates, and nutrients. In my mind, worrying too much about weed is like worrying about eating fats - it's certainly possible that if you take too much, there'll be adverse effects, but assuming that a single contact with a substance will change you forever is silly. Regarding the initial question, though, hacking on weed probably won't work too well. Weed affects the sort of focus you'd need. (For certain other activities, however, like playing music, weed can help. It's not a black-and-white all-or-nothing deal.) My advice would be to try it, since you can't really be hurt trying, but if you decide not to then all power to you.
dylanz 17y ago
Usually only before sitting down to watch a movie.
thunk 17y ago
It affects different people in different ways, but I find it incredibly beneficial when used in moderation and for a purpose. A cup of tea and a glass bowl of dank will often enhance my ability to visualize whatever problem I'm wrestling with to such an extent that the solution is obvious. Couple that with a brisk 45 minute walk on a peaceful night, and it's like the scales fall from your eyes (just don't forget a pen and paper!).
stevedekorte 17y ago
Is it really a good idea to have people confess in writing to what the the federal government and many states consider a crime? I'd suggest the instead asking: "Do you think canabis negatively effects one's hacking abilities?"
- humbledrone 17y ago
  Maybe I'm too laid back, but I don't really get the impression that the DEA is trolling the Hacker News comments, recording usernames, sending subpoenas to ISPs, obtaining search warrants, and busting down doors. Somehow I just don't see an online comment holding up in court as "probable cause".
  - brl 17y ago
    It's not the only thing to worry about: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070427/095314.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070427/095314.shtml
- BigCanOfTuna 17y ago
  I don't give a shit about peoples' opinions. I want to know how it affects someone's ability to code, not how someone THINKS it might affect one's ability to code. Also, I don't want to assume that it's negative, so I like my question better than yours.
Devils-Avacado 17y ago
I voted up on both
jsz0 17y ago
I find marijuana is a great tool for brainstorming if used in moderation but I advise people keep it away from their actual work process. It's good to approach it like having a beer to relax after a hard day.
- froo 17y ago
  I think too many people often confuse creativity with a controlled state of madness. Just this morning, I found myself singing "Alouette" while dancing the robot after I just got out of the shower (true story) with no explainable reason why I was doing it... I just was. Shortly after, I thought I was just being creative. Now I'm currently questioning my sanity.
  - blatta 17y ago
    You're not alone. Yesterday I improvised an opera with toys.
    - jambalaya 17y ago
      That 'tis brilliant! Put that online!
  - cb5 17y ago
    What is life for if not 'singing "Alouette" while dancing the robot'
brg 17y ago
No, and never have but that is probably an effect of not having any inclination to seek it out as a younger person. I don't much care either way.
FishSpine 17y ago
nope on dope. especially for start ups and entreprenures Do you think the Google guys were taking bong breaks between writing code? My opinion is hacking + business needs a mind as sharp as a samurai sword
- jpierce420 17y ago
  No, but the Google guys are taking LSD, because they are definitely tripping right now!
  - FishSpine 17y ago
    I guess they are taking Steve Jobs' advice to heart.
    - jpierce420 17y ago
      hahaha good one!
- zimbabwe 17y ago
  Bill Gates and Steve Jobs both dropped acid. I'd bet they both did weed, too. The magic secret of entrepreneurship is that the people with big ideas and strong work ethics know who they are already, and them doing drugs doesn't stop them from being themselves. Similarly, avoiding drugs doesn't instantly give you power.
  - tokenadult 17y ago
    Evidence for the biographical statement in your post?
    - zimbabwe 17y ago
      http://beginnersinvest.about.com/od/billgates/l/blbillgatesint5.htm http://beginnersinvest.about.com/od/billgates/l/blbillgatesi... PLAYBOY: Ever take LSD? GATES: My errant youth ended a long time ago. PLAYBOY: What does that mean? GATES: That means there were things I did under the age of 25 that I ended up not doing subsequently. PLAYBOY: One LSD story involved you staring at a table and thinking the corner was going to plunge into your eye. GATES: [Smiles] PLAYBOY: Ah, a glimmer of recognition. GATES: That was on the other side of that boundary. The young mind can deal with certain kinds of gooping around that I don't think at this age I could. I don't think you're as capable of handling lack of sleep or whatever challenges you throw at your body as you get older. However, I never missed a day of work. Hopefully I don't have to provide evidence of Steve Jobs's drug-using past, since that's a famous part of hacker history. The Gates admission surprised me, though: I just discovered it a few days ago from the Hacker News post about Jobs's relationship with Timothy Leary.
jpierce420 17y ago
I used to smoke but can't anymore because of legal constraints and of course drug testing, and the stuff stays in your system for at least a month (at least for me) :-(. This varies in between different kinds of bud, but 5 out of 6 kinds I'd smoke throughout the month made me very lazy, so I couldn't see myself getting much done. Every now and then I'd find some stuff that didn't make me lazy, but it was rare. As far as brainstorming ideas though I think it would be great for that. As for dulling your intelligence, completely untrue. Maybe while high, but nothing permanent for sure.
dylanz 17y ago
Do you eat marijuana? That is an entirely, if not more appropriate, question. Smoking is obviously the prominent method of use, but it seems like nobody actually ingests it, or talks about ingesting it. I've made glycerin tinctures out of it, put it on pizza, pasta, in salads, and of course... used its oil in cookies and brownies. Of course, it's a strong herb, so you don't use "too" much. I can hack fine when I eat it. No anxiety, insomnia, short term memory loss, etc... it's just a nice "warm and fuzzy" muscle relaxer (I have bad spinal problems, and it helps ease the pain and relax my nerves better than anything off the shelves).
- jambalaya 17y ago
  I'm looking to obtain a card to ingest for minor arthritis.
jrockway 17y ago
I like how people here advocate never trying psychoactive drugs, because they want to keep their mind in good shape; but then in other posts recommend only eating rice and beans and that sleep and exercise are an unnecessary waste of time. Being out of shape, not eating right, and being sleep-deprived is going to be a lot worse for you than having a few miligrams of a psychoactive substance once in a while. Inaction is often worse than action.
- chris11 17y ago
  Are you really sure that the same people have both views? I have generally gotten the impression here that a lot of people are health conscious, or at least knowledgeable about diet and health. At least in all the exercise/sleep submissions I have been reading, a lot of posts are on the benefits of getting enough sleep and exercise.
malbiniak 17y ago
Pot affects everyone differently. If you haven't smoked, don't. If you have, great. But if you start smoking because of an online poll, you should reassess your decision making process.
- bretthoerner 17y ago
  > If you haven't smoked, don't. If you have, great. Hm... > But if you start smoking because of an online poll, you should reassess your decision making process. What if you don't because of an online comment?
guelo 17y ago
I mainly get high before having sex, really enhances the experience. Haven't noticed any effects to my hacking but there's no way to do a controlled experience, is there?
- petercooper 17y ago
  You have sex? You must be the odd one out on this site :)
  - zimbabwe 17y ago
    Hacker News is where the literate, success/money-minded bright people come. Perhaps this is elitist, but I'd bet that this community is thinner, richer, and more socially capable than most communities online. Probably younger as well, since there's the whole core of high school/college YC wannabes, myself included.
    - bdr 17y ago
      Besides us being thin, the bigger problem is that his joke is totally cliche.
      - petercooper 17y ago
        In Soviet Russia, cliches are jokes.
yesyesyes 17y ago
anonymously for obvious reasons: Echoing someone above, I'm fairly sure smoking weed has dulled the edge of my intelligence more or less permanently. On the other hand, I think it's probably made me a much nicer, well-rounded, and balanced person. I've no regrets. But I never found it expanded my mind - just made me relaxed and happy. Personally, I find hallucinogens/entheogens much more conducive to hack-like tasks.
jaekwon 17y ago
I don't smoke regularly anymore. I find that abstaining from pot helps me concentrate on a project in the long haul, and I'm currently working on a fun side project. Marijuana seems to give a short initial peak of motivation/enthusiasm for any project, but overall appears to be a net negative in productivity (esp since the the "low" tail is so long). I had experimented with long periods of continuous canabis usage (at low doses, never bong rips) both before and after college. I can't say for certain, but I think it had the following effects: - more introspection - i was better able to understand my own thought processes. - shorter attention span - my attention would wander easily, and i would often dive deep into (often insigificant) problems. - more creativity / exploration - unpredictable and possibly net negative motivation / enthusiasm I think, having experienced being stupid for extended periods of time, I am better able to structure and document my code. (documentation and consistent code structure / principle of least surprise become essential when you're stupid).
deleted 17y ago
[deleted]
mdarby 17y ago
Don't, but have. Enjoyed it to a point. Great times (again to a point). Should be legal, but it's not, and that's the real danger.
mathogre 17y ago
The terrible thing about pot is that it makes you two things: lazy; and happy to be lazy. It quells the fire within. Pot may be fun and may feel good, but it keeps you from being anyone.
jgalvez 17y ago
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=509614 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=509614
pwmanagerdied 17y ago
It seems to me like it would have been helpful to split yes in to "Yes, and I feel that it makes me a better hacker" vs. "Yes, and I feel that it has a negative or nonexistent effect on my hacking abilities." Right now the question seems a little too vague. :(
justlearning 17y ago
I read on reddit that hemp was banned by the lobbyists of the lumber/timber corporations, as hemp was dirt cheap to grow and process it to make paper, which of course would have killed these big paper corps. Marijuana being a cousin and seemingly looking alike was banned together with it. any truth in this? Ok. marijuana affecting hacking abilities (in terms of driving) video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3zou4F00Ic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3zou4F00Ic (i think this is from channel-4 UK) In there he says he is "concentrating more and driving slower".
silvertab 17y ago
I smoke pot because it helps me sleep. In any other cases I find pot to be counter-productive... Sure it might've help me come up with some interesting essay in my Philosophy class back in college but besides that I find it really hurts my productivity. I can code when I'm high but everything takes at least 2-3x longer than it would've taken me if I were sober. Then again, I guess it affects everyone differently. Some of my friends (usually the more "artsy" type of people) find that it helps boost their productivity. As for me, well, I have trouble sleeping and I'm not interested in sleeping pills so, as long as pot will help me with that, I will keep on smoking it. In any other situation (especially any "social" situation) I avoid it as it makes me more awkward, paranoid and anxious.
TFrancis 17y ago
I like Bill Hicks take on Marijuana: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSH6ofHbeUw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSH6ofHbeUw
- sharpn 17y ago
  Hicks was a great comic, but if you're going to take his act as lifestyle advice then do bear in mind how & when he died.
  - rms 17y ago
    >mind how & when he died. Um... pancreatic cancer?
    - sharpn 17y ago
      yes, at age 32. It seems his lifestyle (not just pot-smoking of course, but it likely didn't help) contributed to his early death.
      - jongraehl 17y ago
        In the same vein (not likely), Lyle Alzado claimed his cancer was due to steroid use - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyle_Alzado#Steroid_use_and_death http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyle_Alzado#Steroid_use_and_dea... Cancer is pretty random. I'd guess that smoking unfiltered anything would increase the risk of lung/throat/oral cancer, but beyond that, you're really grasping.
anc2020 17y ago
Have smoked infrequently and enjoyed it, but can't see it as being useful for programming personally, so I'll vote no. I'd view it simply as a social drug like alcohol.
bddbbdb 17y ago
THC does not make you a better programmer, though I suppose there could be some Balmer-peak like point of intoxication out there. I did once have an interesting insight into the my mind on drugs, though, in writing a simple TI-83+ program for use in a rangefinder my friends and I decided to build while high. The final product worked exactly correctly, but when I examined the code in a non-intoxicated state, I saw that I had used some fairly elaborate trig identities, when the most appropriate solution would have simply been the tangent. That said, cannabis does tend to get me doing something right away, even if I dispense with the original work half the time. The sense of pure fascination is sometimes of great value. Now the real question is whether LSD improves my math skills.

57 points by BigCanOfTuna 17y ago

I'm curious to know how canabis affects hacking abilities.

petercooper 17y ago

I wonder what the results would be if the question were slightly tweaked to.. Have you ever smoked marijuana?

ErrantX 17y ago

No. But I did live in a house with a weed smoker for 2 years. Never really worried me except the living room always smelt stuffy in the mornings. Oh and I had a really hilarious mix up with a dealer once. Mistook him for the pizza delivery guy and got all the way down a side street and too his car before I twigged. doh.

yesimahuman 17y ago

I know of no one who (knowingly) has had any negative effects from smoking weed, apart from a few who did it too often because they had nothing better to do. It is harmless in my opinion (compared to other things people can legally do). Also, I know of people who find it extremely enlightening and helps them think of new ways to solve problems.

dhughes 17y ago
I have friends who smoke it daily and a few them, the women in particular, seem to have problems with it. One friend who gave it up (for now) had trouble trying to get to sleep for weeks after giving it up and has mysterious aches and pains; stomach aches, upper back pain and other vague aches. I figured it was just, you know, women stuff since another female friend who is also a regular user of it is also having trouble with mysterious aches. Only two people certainly not a solid study but who knows, it may be something. Of the guys I know none have mentioned any mysterious aches, pains other than the usual stuff. Then again if they did we'd call them a pussy. I'm not against it but who knows what it will do, that cardboard rolled up 'filter' is pretty useless. If you eat or drink the same thing, anything, every day you're bound to have some negative reaction.
darshan 17y ago
The few times I tried it, I felt really awesome for about 10 minutes, then suffered terrible anxiety and insomnia for at least a week. I've spoken to several other people who've had a similar experience with it. Those are pretty negative effects, in my opinion, but maybe you mean permanent, physical damage, or something like that?
- yesimahuman 17y ago
  Some people do have anxiety, and I agree that it's extremely negative, but a lot of people don't. (I do get panicky, which is why I don't smoke, but my friends don't). My whole point is that if you do get too anxious and freak out with it, DON'T DO IT! Lots of people don't get those effects, and would like those who do to stay out of their business!

sailormoon 17y ago

No, but absolutely nothing against those who do, which is perhaps 60% of my friends. In my opinion it is not good for my hacking abilities, in that I find it very difficult to take seriously the concept of "work" at all when high. I can be very productive, just probably not on the same thing I was planning to do ..

humbledrone 17y ago

I've found that I'm terrible at laying down code when I've been smoking. My short term memory goes down the drain, which makes it difficult to remember, e.g., variable and function names. However, I've also found that I'm quite good at other creative tasks that don't require such technical skills, like brainstorming about where a project should go, or thinking about high-level design details.

SleepHitter86 17y ago

youre god damn right i do

potatolicious 17y ago

Nope, do not do it regularly. Never tried it while hacking though, I suspect I wouldn't get much done... I mean, it's not like it opened any crazy doors for me. Things just got funnier and I just got hungrier. To be honest I'm not a big fan of the ganja, but that's mostly because I lived with people who had a pot problem, as opposed to a pot hobby. When you're blowing all of your limited student income on pot instead, say, feeding yourself, you got a problem. The people they brought over weren't much better.

novum 17y ago

Yes, quite frequently. It makes you a terrible coder, but I wouldn't go to a live concert now without it.

nihilocrat 17y ago

I smoke very rarely. However, I distinctly remember one of the only times I actually felt "happy" in my life was while stoned. Such a thing is so rare that I don't really mind the fact that "the drugs did it". I only like smoking a little at a time. This will generally improve my mood and actually help me concentrate on things a little easier and worry less about problems that come up, so it's really useful for composing music. Smoking a lot will just make me feel really out of touch with reality, and the next day will be a complete loss, as I don't have the mental capacity to do anything really useful, I can still think straight but there is a long delay between beginning and finishing a thought. If I smoke not long before I go to bed, it seems to multiply this effect.

pibefision 17y ago

No. Protect your brain.

Devils-Avacado 17y ago
Thanks mom.
- Locke1689 17y ago
  Poorly worded. I think what he meant to say was, "Marijuana is a psychoactive drug that has an effect on the brain. Therefore, I prefer to protect my most valuable asset against inadvertent harm." :)
  - jrockway 17y ago
    Do you ever stay up too late? You're harming your brain.
    - jodrellblank 17y ago
      Since harm is cumulative, the more harmful behaviours I already partake in, the less desirable it is for me to add more, no?
    - Locke1689 17y ago
      Just to be clear, I was translating, not giving my own views on the subject.

Eliezer 17y ago

Remember, just because people who advocate keeping marijuana illegal are horrible human beings, doesn't change the fact that marijuana is a psychoactive drug and we don't really understand the human brain all that well. My own brain is idiosyncratic and doesn't always react as expected (e.g. to caffeine) and I've heard friends say that they think that taking marijuana during college might have permanently dulled the edge of their intelligence - which isn't exactly a controlled study or anything - but is enough to scare me away from ever trying the stuff. And yes, I also never drink alcohol, and try to steer away from large doses of caffeine. Drugs scare me, legal or not. Consider the risks and rewards very carefully before whacking on your brain with any sort of neuropharmeceutical - everything we have nowadays will be regarded by future times as the equivalent of a sledgehammer. The people trying to decriminalize and legalize drugs are, without ambiguity, the good guys. Don't confuse that with the proposition that drugs themselves are good.

zimbabwe 17y ago
Elizer, I'm going to respond to you not because I disagree with what you said, but because you stated concisely the view that's opposite the one I hold, and I figure it might be neat to provide the foil view. I don't hold my mind's current state sacrosanct. That is to say, I respect my mind incredibly, but I don't have any belief that says my mind was built the way it was for a reason, or that there's something wrong with experimenting with it. That doesn't mean I abuse it incredibly, but I'm fine with drugs and find the infrequent experiences I have with them to be worth the negligible cost they have on my mind. I won't say "drugs are good" because I think it's stupid to assign a moral value to drugs either way. Hence, the idea that the brain should be preserved and altering chemicals avoided isn't one that I find offensive in the least. But it's worth pointing out the beneficial effects they can have on you. For one thing, realizing the limits of your perception can be fascinating. Weed doesn't have that effect on me so much, but alcohol and salvia both certainly made me realize things I wouldn't have realized otherwise. Alcohol's emotional effects certainly taught me that our moods are tenuous and that we shouldn't equate our emotional states to any sort of logical truth about the world. Regarding weed and dulled intelligence - yes, I feel like that sometimes. I feel like that without using weed. Right now I'm in an emotive state where I feel like I'm going to grow fat and die without ever moving. Weed has nothing to do with those downer feelings. Since I first took weed, though, last February, I wrote a novel, designed a handful of web sites that I'm proud of, finished a few projects, etc., and I did it in between infrequent weed hits. It's worth pointing out that many great artists were users - Miles Davis and heroin most famously - and that using drugs doesn't instantly make you less creative. It might make you creative in a different way, but creativity is not something which can be gained and lost. It is a potential that we all have regardless of intelligence. Think of it more as a muscle than as a trait. We're affected by chemicals no matter how we live. You live your life according to a mixture of fats, proteins, carbohydrates, and nutrients. In my mind, worrying too much about weed is like worrying about eating fats - it's certainly possible that if you take too much, there'll be adverse effects, but assuming that a single contact with a substance will change you forever is silly. Regarding the initial question, though, hacking on weed probably won't work too well. Weed affects the sort of focus you'd need. (For certain other activities, however, like playing music, weed can help. It's not a black-and-white all-or-nothing deal.) My advice would be to try it, since you can't really be hurt trying, but if you decide not to then all power to you.

dylanz 17y ago

Usually only before sitting down to watch a movie.

thunk 17y ago

It affects different people in different ways, but I find it incredibly beneficial when used in moderation and for a purpose. A cup of tea and a glass bowl of dank will often enhance my ability to visualize whatever problem I'm wrestling with to such an extent that the solution is obvious. Couple that with a brisk 45 minute walk on a peaceful night, and it's like the scales fall from your eyes (just don't forget a pen and paper!).

stevedekorte 17y ago

Is it really a good idea to have people confess in writing to what the the federal government and many states consider a crime? I'd suggest the instead asking: "Do you think canabis negatively effects one's hacking abilities?"

humbledrone 17y ago
Maybe I'm too laid back, but I don't really get the impression that the DEA is trolling the Hacker News comments, recording usernames, sending subpoenas to ISPs, obtaining search warrants, and busting down doors. Somehow I just don't see an online comment holding up in court as "probable cause".
- brl 17y ago
  It's not the only thing to worry about: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070427/095314.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070427/095314.shtml
BigCanOfTuna 17y ago
I don't give a shit about peoples' opinions. I want to know how it affects someone's ability to code, not how someone THINKS it might affect one's ability to code. Also, I don't want to assume that it's negative, so I like my question better than yours.

Devils-Avacado 17y ago

I voted up on both

jsz0 17y ago

I find marijuana is a great tool for brainstorming if used in moderation but I advise people keep it away from their actual work process. It's good to approach it like having a beer to relax after a hard day.

froo 17y ago
I think too many people often confuse creativity with a controlled state of madness. Just this morning, I found myself singing "Alouette" while dancing the robot after I just got out of the shower (true story) with no explainable reason why I was doing it... I just was. Shortly after, I thought I was just being creative. Now I'm currently questioning my sanity.
- blatta 17y ago
  You're not alone. Yesterday I improvised an opera with toys.
  - jambalaya 17y ago
    That 'tis brilliant! Put that online!
- cb5 17y ago
  What is life for if not 'singing "Alouette" while dancing the robot'

brg 17y ago

No, and never have but that is probably an effect of not having any inclination to seek it out as a younger person. I don't much care either way.

FishSpine 17y ago

nope on dope. especially for start ups and entreprenures Do you think the Google guys were taking bong breaks between writing code? My opinion is hacking + business needs a mind as sharp as a samurai sword

jpierce420 17y ago
No, but the Google guys are taking LSD, because they are definitely tripping right now!
- FishSpine 17y ago
  I guess they are taking Steve Jobs' advice to heart.
  - jpierce420 17y ago
    hahaha good one!
zimbabwe 17y ago
Bill Gates and Steve Jobs both dropped acid. I'd bet they both did weed, too. The magic secret of entrepreneurship is that the people with big ideas and strong work ethics know who they are already, and them doing drugs doesn't stop them from being themselves. Similarly, avoiding drugs doesn't instantly give you power.
- tokenadult 17y ago
  Evidence for the biographical statement in your post?
  - zimbabwe 17y ago
    http://beginnersinvest.about.com/od/billgates/l/blbillgatesint5.htm http://beginnersinvest.about.com/od/billgates/l/blbillgatesi... PLAYBOY: Ever take LSD? GATES: My errant youth ended a long time ago. PLAYBOY: What does that mean? GATES: That means there were things I did under the age of 25 that I ended up not doing subsequently. PLAYBOY: One LSD story involved you staring at a table and thinking the corner was going to plunge into your eye. GATES: [Smiles] PLAYBOY: Ah, a glimmer of recognition. GATES: That was on the other side of that boundary. The young mind can deal with certain kinds of gooping around that I don't think at this age I could. I don't think you're as capable of handling lack of sleep or whatever challenges you throw at your body as you get older. However, I never missed a day of work. Hopefully I don't have to provide evidence of Steve Jobs's drug-using past, since that's a famous part of hacker history. The Gates admission surprised me, though: I just discovered it a few days ago from the Hacker News post about Jobs's relationship with Timothy Leary.

jpierce420 17y ago

I used to smoke but can't anymore because of legal constraints and of course drug testing, and the stuff stays in your system for at least a month (at least for me) :-(. This varies in between different kinds of bud, but 5 out of 6 kinds I'd smoke throughout the month made me very lazy, so I couldn't see myself getting much done. Every now and then I'd find some stuff that didn't make me lazy, but it was rare. As far as brainstorming ideas though I think it would be great for that. As for dulling your intelligence, completely untrue. Maybe while high, but nothing permanent for sure.

dylanz 17y ago

Do you eat marijuana? That is an entirely, if not more appropriate, question. Smoking is obviously the prominent method of use, but it seems like nobody actually ingests it, or talks about ingesting it. I've made glycerin tinctures out of it, put it on pizza, pasta, in salads, and of course... used its oil in cookies and brownies. Of course, it's a strong herb, so you don't use "too" much. I can hack fine when I eat it. No anxiety, insomnia, short term memory loss, etc... it's just a nice "warm and fuzzy" muscle relaxer (I have bad spinal problems, and it helps ease the pain and relax my nerves better than anything off the shelves).

jambalaya 17y ago
I'm looking to obtain a card to ingest for minor arthritis.

jrockway 17y ago

I like how people here advocate never trying psychoactive drugs, because they want to keep their mind in good shape; but then in other posts recommend only eating rice and beans and that sleep and exercise are an unnecessary waste of time. Being out of shape, not eating right, and being sleep-deprived is going to be a lot worse for you than having a few miligrams of a psychoactive substance once in a while. Inaction is often worse than action.

chris11 17y ago
Are you really sure that the same people have both views? I have generally gotten the impression here that a lot of people are health conscious, or at least knowledgeable about diet and health. At least in all the exercise/sleep submissions I have been reading, a lot of posts are on the benefits of getting enough sleep and exercise.

malbiniak 17y ago

Pot affects everyone differently. If you haven't smoked, don't. If you have, great. But if you start smoking because of an online poll, you should reassess your decision making process.

bretthoerner 17y ago
> If you haven't smoked, don't. If you have, great. Hm... > But if you start smoking because of an online poll, you should reassess your decision making process. What if you don't because of an online comment?

guelo 17y ago

I mainly get high before having sex, really enhances the experience. Haven't noticed any effects to my hacking but there's no way to do a controlled experience, is there?

petercooper 17y ago
You have sex? You must be the odd one out on this site :)
- zimbabwe 17y ago
  Hacker News is where the literate, success/money-minded bright people come. Perhaps this is elitist, but I'd bet that this community is thinner, richer, and more socially capable than most communities online. Probably younger as well, since there's the whole core of high school/college YC wannabes, myself included.
  - bdr 17y ago
    Besides us being thin, the bigger problem is that his joke is totally cliche.
    - petercooper 17y ago
      In Soviet Russia, cliches are jokes.

yesyesyes 17y ago

anonymously for obvious reasons: Echoing someone above, I'm fairly sure smoking weed has dulled the edge of my intelligence more or less permanently. On the other hand, I think it's probably made me a much nicer, well-rounded, and balanced person. I've no regrets. But I never found it expanded my mind - just made me relaxed and happy. Personally, I find hallucinogens/entheogens much more conducive to hack-like tasks.

jaekwon 17y ago

I don't smoke regularly anymore. I find that abstaining from pot helps me concentrate on a project in the long haul, and I'm currently working on a fun side project. Marijuana seems to give a short initial peak of motivation/enthusiasm for any project, but overall appears to be a net negative in productivity (esp since the the "low" tail is so long). I had experimented with long periods of continuous canabis usage (at low doses, never bong rips) both before and after college. I can't say for certain, but I think it had the following effects: - more introspection - i was better able to understand my own thought processes. - shorter attention span - my attention would wander easily, and i would often dive deep into (often insigificant) problems. - more creativity / exploration - unpredictable and possibly net negative motivation / enthusiasm I think, having experienced being stupid for extended periods of time, I am better able to structure and document my code. (documentation and consistent code structure / principle of least surprise become essential when you're stupid).

deleted 17y ago

[deleted]

mdarby 17y ago

Don't, but have. Enjoyed it to a point. Great times (again to a point). Should be legal, but it's not, and that's the real danger.

mathogre 17y ago

The terrible thing about pot is that it makes you two things: lazy; and happy to be lazy. It quells the fire within. Pot may be fun and may feel good, but it keeps you from being anyone.

jgalvez 17y ago

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=509614 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=509614

pwmanagerdied 17y ago

It seems to me like it would have been helpful to split yes in to "Yes, and I feel that it makes me a better hacker" vs. "Yes, and I feel that it has a negative or nonexistent effect on my hacking abilities." Right now the question seems a little too vague. :(

justlearning 17y ago

I read on reddit that hemp was banned by the lobbyists of the lumber/timber corporations, as hemp was dirt cheap to grow and process it to make paper, which of course would have killed these big paper corps. Marijuana being a cousin and seemingly looking alike was banned together with it. any truth in this? Ok. marijuana affecting hacking abilities (in terms of driving) video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3zou4F00Ic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3zou4F00Ic (i think this is from channel-4 UK) In there he says he is "concentrating more and driving slower".

silvertab 17y ago

I smoke pot because it helps me sleep. In any other cases I find pot to be counter-productive... Sure it might've help me come up with some interesting essay in my Philosophy class back in college but besides that I find it really hurts my productivity. I can code when I'm high but everything takes at least 2-3x longer than it would've taken me if I were sober. Then again, I guess it affects everyone differently. Some of my friends (usually the more "artsy" type of people) find that it helps boost their productivity. As for me, well, I have trouble sleeping and I'm not interested in sleeping pills so, as long as pot will help me with that, I will keep on smoking it. In any other situation (especially any "social" situation) I avoid it as it makes me more awkward, paranoid and anxious.

TFrancis 17y ago

I like Bill Hicks take on Marijuana: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSH6ofHbeUw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSH6ofHbeUw

sharpn 17y ago
Hicks was a great comic, but if you're going to take his act as lifestyle advice then do bear in mind how & when he died.
- rms 17y ago
  >mind how & when he died. Um... pancreatic cancer?
  - sharpn 17y ago
    yes, at age 32. It seems his lifestyle (not just pot-smoking of course, but it likely didn't help) contributed to his early death.
    - jongraehl 17y ago
      In the same vein (not likely), Lyle Alzado claimed his cancer was due to steroid use - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyle_Alzado#Steroid_use_and_death http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyle_Alzado#Steroid_use_and_dea... Cancer is pretty random. I'd guess that smoking unfiltered anything would increase the risk of lung/throat/oral cancer, but beyond that, you're really grasping.

anc2020 17y ago

Have smoked infrequently and enjoyed it, but can't see it as being useful for programming personally, so I'll vote no. I'd view it simply as a social drug like alcohol.

bddbbdb 17y ago

THC does not make you a better programmer, though I suppose there could be some Balmer-peak like point of intoxication out there. I did once have an interesting insight into the my mind on drugs, though, in writing a simple TI-83+ program for use in a rangefinder my friends and I decided to build while high. The final product worked exactly correctly, but when I examined the code in a non-intoxicated state, I saw that I had used some fairly elaborate trig identities, when the most appropriate solution would have simply been the tangent. That said, cannabis does tend to get me doing something right away, even if I dispense with the original work half the time. The sense of pure fascination is sometimes of great value. Now the real question is whether LSD improves my math skills.