We all know that smoking pot regularly just isn't good for our health. It can impair learning, affect memory retention and retrieval, and cause perceptual abnormalities (where you think you hear or see something that isn't there). The smoke from marijuana is also linked to lung cancer, and now research shows that chronic pot smoking can raise a person's risk of a heart attack or stroke. 
When blood protein levels were measured in heavy pot smokers, they were especially elevated — by 30 percent as compared to non pot smokers. These high levels of blood proteins increase the level of triglycerides. This is a type of fat found in the blood, that can contribute to hardening of the arteries and thickening of the artery walls, all of which raise a person's risk for stroke, heart attack, and heart disease.
As if that's not bad enough, smoking pot regularly could cause or worsen psychiatric problems such as anxiety and depression in teens. Now that I am a mom, I'm certainly cataloging all the reasons to just say "No."
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I'm glad you talked about this. Too often people underestimate the long-term effects of what they mistakenly consider an "innocuous" drug.
1Uh oh. I have a feeling the comments on this post are going to be extra long.
2thank you! I spend so much time on Digg, I was begining to think the stuff was good for you! lol. Seriously, reading the articles there, you'd think it was the miracle drug that cured everything.
3Anything that alters your brain is going to have side effects, particularly when not used in moderation. As a comparision to alcohol though, chronic pot use seems to have far, far fewer negative side effects than chronic alcohol use.
4Ick.
5Oh blah. ANYTHING you do is bad for you nowadays
6the most intelligent people i know are potheads, but in a good way : )
7And how do we know that these problems were caused by the pot and not the munchies?
8True MarinerMandy, until I see proof that munchie food was strictly controlled during this study I say it holds no water! lol
Also, doesn't practically ANYTHING increase anxiety and depression in teens? All those unsettled hormones flying around the body during the teen years probably have more to do with that than any pot use.
How about an article on the positive effects of pot on ADULTS who suffer from anxiety, depression and other health issues....
9I was gonna sing a song...but then I got high...
10I think it's pretty clear that sometimes it doesn't matter what evidence is presented, people will believe what they want.
11Interesting to note that it doesn't necessarily say which aspect of pot consumption causes these problems--is it the smoke inhalation or THC? Because THC in it's natural state is proven to be incredibly beneficial for a multitude of reasons.
12what about pot brownies?
13"The marijuana users in the study averaged smoking 78 to 350 marijuana cigarettes per week, based on self-reported drug history, the researchers said."
Not that I'm advocating pot here, but come on..anyone who smokes up to 50 joints a day is bound to have some issues, right!?
1478-350 joints a week??? That's ridiculous! Who actually does that? This is just another one of those "findings" that Fit posted about last week (I think). Do we "believe" everything we read? Not that these statements aren't true, but there's a lot to be taken into consideration. A lot of what we read is based on research that begins with the same statement "Prove to me why (fill in the blank) is bad/good/etc." You could probably find a study that started with the exact opposite statement. I agree with Mariner...I think the negative side effects of pot are less damaging than alcohol...although I still think kids/teens should stay away until they're mentally devlopped enough to make an educated decision on their own...not just fall to peer pressure. Just like with alcohol.Besides, the drugs du jour can be found in many families garages and medicine cabinets. That's what we should be worried about. Our livers are not designed to flush out the crap that's in pharmaceuticals.
15ErieIndiana - funny!
16This kind of news makes me feel very neurotic....
pot smoking is SMOKING. Who would have thought it could be bad for your lungs!?!?
1778-350 joints/week... OMG, are they ever not high?
18That is a tremendous amount of weed to smoke per week. Being a college student, I can assure you that someone smoking that much is very, very rare.
19I agree with MarinerMandy, unless they restricted the food intake of all involved, it's not really a true study. You smoke pot, you get the munchies, you eat crappy foods. Crappy foods equal clogged arteries!
20Solution: next time you smoke pot eat a bunch of fruit and veggies instead. lol
lol, babybeluga I'm sure it's only rare cause of how much it would cost!
21Even the low number of 78 per week breaks down to 11+ per day, which is a LOT of pot. I smoke what I consider to be a lot of pot, and it doesn't even approach that much.
Also, I wonder how much more damage smoking joints does due to the burning paper, as opposed to a bowl or bong. I never smoke joints, too much smoke and the burning paper is harsh.
I've been considering getting a vaporizer because there's no smoke to damage your lungs. $150 or $200 to save my lungs from smoke really isn't much to ask, now that I think about it. I wonder if anyone will ever do a study with people using a vaporizer to see if there are any ill effects once the smoke is removed from the equation.
22Also, FWIW, I do go for the fruits & veggies if I have the munchies, although I don't usually get them. I'm a lot more likely to eat garbage if I've been drinking too much.
23Deadly Lemur I am the same way drunk equals horrible food choices. Smoking equals me making some really great and actually more heathy choices snacks/meals my peeps like to say it inspires the inner chef in me haha!
24I had healthy munchies today, i had a can of pineapples in their own juice.
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