Marijuana Costs IQ Points ... Still Want to Legalize It?
We all know the tropes about stoners - but now there's evidence that smoking weed actually does permanent damage to your brain. Indeed, it has now been officially noted that getting loaded on the Acapulco Gold causes this: “Persistent users” who started as teenagers suffered a drop of eight IQ points at the age of 38, compared to when they were 13."
While that might not seem like much, for most people this represents the difference between being average and being subnormal. So, if you grew up around spleef-jockies and got the strange impression that they were off by just a notch... you may have been right!
Having never touched a leaf of the bud in my life -- and being mocked by friends and associates as a "square," a "rube," or a "narc" -- I feel justified in my long-held position that I couldn't afford to give up any of the few brain cells that I had to rub together for the sake of Mary Jane.
If you're libertarian about this sort of thing on the premise that "it's no worse than booze," does your position change even slightly given the evidence that pot actually does permanent damage to your brain, especially if you use it when you're young?
Editor's Note: Image of marijuana courtesy of Shutterstock
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Comments:
Jun '10
Re: Marijuana Costs IQ Points ... Still Want to Legalize It?
I have second-hand long-term....what were we talking about....?
Jul '12
Re: Marijuana Costs IQ Points ... Still Want to Legalize It?
"It's mostly Maui-Waui, but it has some labradour in it." I love the van made out weed.
Mar '12
Re: Marijuana Costs IQ Points ... Still Want to Legalize It?
what was the question?
Jul '11
Re: Marijuana Costs IQ Points ... Still Want to Legalize It?
Ha, "Hey officer I just thought of something funny." Of course it does. On a side note, daily alcohol enough to get you significant buzzed will have substantial long term effects most likely as well.
Jul '12
Re: Marijuana Costs IQ Points ... Still Want to Legalize It?
Oh God I really hope that's the case.
Sep '10
Re: Marijuana Costs IQ Points ... Still Want to Legalize It?
Imagine how super wicked smaht Obama would be if not for the influence of the choom gang.
Jul '12
Re: Marijuana Costs IQ Points ... Still Want to Legalize It?
I had not made that connection, but it does explain a great deal.
Dec '10
Re: Marijuana Costs IQ Points ... Still Want to Legalize It?
Majestyk
If you're Libertarian about this sort of thing on the premise that "it's no worse than booze,"· 21 minutes ago
1. It is not that "it is no worse than booze", booze is a lot worse. Nobody has ever died from overdosing pot. Nobody has ever had liver failure from pot. I could go on for a long time.
2. I advocate that ADULTS have the option to use pot if they choose.
Dec '10
Re: Marijuana Costs IQ Points ... Still Want to Legalize It?
One more thing. I'd like to see independant verification.
Jul '12
Re: Marijuana Costs IQ Points ... Still Want to Legalize It?
Foxman
Majestyk
If you're Libertarian about this sort of thing on the premise that "it's no worse than booze,"· 21 minutes ago
1. It is not that "it is no worse than booze", booze is a lot worse. Nobody has ever died from overdosing pot. Nobody has ever had liver failure from pot. I could go on for a long time.
2. I advocate that ADULTS have the option to use pot if they choose. · 0 minutes ago
I can drink one beer and not suffer ill-effects. You cannot tell me that if I smoke a joint that I won't be significantly more impaired than if I drank that one beer.
Add to that the fact that alcohol is water-soluble and doesn't leave trace chemicals behind in your fatty tissues and keratin the same way that pot does and I'm not buying that argument.
Of course people can get tanked and die of alcohol - you can do the same thing with water.
Sep '10
Re: Marijuana Costs IQ Points ... Still Want to Legalize It?
Reading the New York Times probably has a similar effect. That doesn't mean it should be illegal. People do a lot of stupid, self-destructive things. Letting them do so is part of what we mean by liberty.
Dec '10
Re: Marijuana Costs IQ Points ... Still Want to Legalize It?
Majestyk
I can drink one beer and not suffer ill-effects. You cannot tell me that if I smoke a joint that I won't be significantly more impaired than if I drank that one beer.
Add to that the fact that alcohol is water-soluble and doesn't leave trace chemicals behind in your fatty tissues and keratin the same way that pot does and I'm not buying that argument.
Of course people can get tanked and die of alcohol - you can do the same thing with water. · 4 minutes ago
You can have one beer and it will not much affect you. It will just take the edge off. A person can take one or two hit of pot. There are devices specifically designed for this purpose. They are unimaginitively named one-hitters. If a person takes one or two hits of pot he will not be much affected.
You may point to people you know who always get baked when they smoke. I can point to people who always get ripped when they drink.
You speculate about the trace elements in fatty tissue. Talk to ER personnel about alcohol. Fact not speculation.
May '11
Re: Marijuana Costs IQ Points ... Still Want to Legalize It?
@ Foxman: I'm not entirely sure whether it's possible to not get high when you smoke. I do have some experience with this, and I know that MJ is not quite like alcohol, which you can kind of regulate.
@docjay: I've actually been curious about that for a while, as a homebrewer who enjoys quite a bit of beer but very rarely drinks to the point of intoxication. I asked my doctor (a long time ago) about alcohol and health, and he said that you'd need to actually drink quite a bit over a sustained period of time in order to do liver damage. Obviously, there are other kinds of damage as well, but it is tough to get an unbiased opinion. Most people are CYA about enabling an alcoholic and are unlikely to say "no, that pint of beer is ok, just don't overdo it."
@ majestyk: Your friends are calling you "square," "rube," and "narc?" Who are your friends? The fonz? Sheesh! oh, wait... does anyone say "sheesh" anymore?
Jul '12
Re: Marijuana Costs IQ Points ... Still Want to Legalize It?
Foxman
You can have one beer and it will not much affect you. It will just take the edge off. A person can take one or two hit of pot. There are devices specifically designed for this purpose. They are unimaginitively named one-hitters. If a person takes one or two hits of pot he will not be much affected.
You may point to people you know who always get baked when they smoke. I can point to people who always get ripped when they drink.
You speculate about the trace elements in fatty tissue. Talk to ER personnel about alcohol. Fact not speculation. · 17 minutes ago
Sure, plenty more people die because of alcohol than pot because it's legal. Those same people whom you complain about being unable to hold their liquor are probably not going to do any better with your bong.
And as far as "speculation" about trace chemicals being left behind in your body goes? Fact.
Feb '12
Re: Marijuana Costs IQ Points ... Still Want to Legalize It?
I've always thought the best argument against smoking weed was to spend any time talking to stoners.
Jul '12
Re: Marijuana Costs IQ Points ... Still Want to Legalize It?
Ryan M: @ Foxman: I'm not entirely sure whether it's possible to not get high when you smoke. I do have some experience with this, and I know that MJ is not quite like alcohol, which you can kind of regulate.
@docjay: I've actually been curious about that for a while, as a homebrewer who enjoys quite a bit of beer but very rarely drinks to the point of intoxication. I asked my doctor (a long time ago) about alcohol and health, and he said that you'd need to actually drink quite a bit over a sustained period of time in order to do liver damage. Obviously, there are other kinds of damage as well, but it is tough to get an unbiased opinion. Most people are CYA about enabling an alcoholic and are unlikely to say "no, that pint of beer is ok, just don't overdo it."
@ majestyk: Your friends are calling you "square," "rube," and "narc?" Who are your friends? The fonz? Sheesh! oh, wait... does anyone say "sheesh" anymore?
I know! What a bunch of poindexters, right?
EDIT: The names I've been called would be non-COC compliant, hence the nerdery.
Edited on August 28, 2012 at 6:41pmMay '11
Re: Marijuana Costs IQ Points ... Still Want to Legalize It?
Majestyk
Foxman
You can have one beer and it will not much affect you. It will just take the edge off. A person can take one or two hit of pot. There are devices specifically designed for this purpose. They are unimaginitively named one-hitters. If a person takes one or two hits of pot he will not be much affected.
You may point to people you know who always get baked when they smoke. I can point to people who always get ripped when they drink.
You speculate about the trace elements in fatty tissue. Talk to ER personnel about alcohol. Fact not speculation. · 17 minutes ago
Sure, plenty more people die because of alcohol than pot because it's legal. Those same people whom you complain about being unable to hold their liquor are probably not going to do any better with your bong.
And as far as "speculation" about trace chemicals being left behind in your body goes? Fact. · 6 minutes ago
... I think the question is whether those chemicals do any damage. Remember all of the hand wringing over DDT and what that got us. People love to talk about "chemicals," don't they?
May '11
Re: Marijuana Costs IQ Points ... Still Want to Legalize It?
Majestyk
I know! What a bunch of poindexters, right? · 2 minutes ago
I made a joke about a nerd friend of mine who kept texting me. I called him a pointexter. I was with a bunch of hipsters and not a one of them got it. Sad.
Jul '12
Re: Marijuana Costs IQ Points ... Still Want to Legalize It?
Ryan M
Majestyk
I know! What a bunch of poindexters, right? · 2 minutes ago
I made a joke about a nerd friend of mine who kept texting me. I called him a pointexter. I was with a bunch of hipsters and not a one of them got it. Sad. · 6 minutes ago
It wasn't sufficiently ironic. Or was it???
Jul '12
Re: Marijuana Costs IQ Points ... Still Want to Legalize It?
drlorentz
Reading the New York Times probably has a similar effect. That doesn't mean it should be illegal. People do a lot of stupid, self-destructive things. Letting them do so is part of what we mean by liberty. · 41 minutes ago
One of the things about liberty is that it requires a sober and judicious electorate. If you think overtly allowing this nation to become a society full of stoners is going to lead us to continue to be the leading nation of the world I rather doubt it.