# Is cannabis actually healthy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 12, 2013, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cannabis-actually-healthy/658140 "2013-05-12T10:43:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stoneburg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Stoneburg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoneburg)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cannabis-actually-healthy/658140/1 "2013-05-12T10:43:27Z")
I would say that this board sways heavily towards a liberal/evidence based attitude towards cannabis and drugs in general, so I expect some objective and balanced reasoning. Basically my question is: Is cannabis actually healthy? And if so, what should be done (if anything)? I share the view presented by most scientist today that legalisation and decriminalisation is a more effective way of countering drug problems than prohibition, and that either way cannabis is not a very dangerous drug. But when doing some research because of another debate, I stumbled on an interesting fact(?): \*\*Obesity is significantly lower in cannabis user than in the average population, even after being adjusted for other factors. \*\*[Cite](http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2011/08/24/aje.kwr200.abstract) Now since obesity is such a major health issue (costing the US $147 Billion per year [cite](http://obesityinamerica.org/) ), it seems plausible that you could make the case that cannabis is an overall positive contributor to public health. Especially if you add in the supposed medicinal effects on a variety of other diseases. So could we end up with the conclusion that cannabis is not just a relatively “safe” recreational drug, but actually something healthy? And if so, does that mean we should treat it more like vitamins than like alcohol or other drugs? It seems to have no significant adverse mental or psychological effects: > [@](#): > > Researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine failed to show substantial, systemic neurological effects from long-term recreational use of cannabis. Their findings were published in the July 2003 issue of the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. The research team, headed by Dr Igor Grant, found that cannabis use did affect perception, but did not cause permanent brain damage. Researchers looked at data from 15 previously published controlled studies involving 704 long-term cannabis users and 484 nonusers. The results showed long-term cannabis use was only marginally harmful on the memory and learning. Other functions such as reaction time, attention, language, reasoning ability, perceptual and motor skills were unaffected. The observed effects on memory and learning, they said, showed long-term cannabis use caused “selective memory defects”, but that the impact was “of a very small magnitude”. > [http://health.ucsd.edu/news/2003/06\_27\_grant.html](http://health.ucsd.edu/news/2003/06_27_grant.html) It doesn’t seem to have any bad pshysical effects at all: > [@](#): > > According to a 2006 United Kingdom government report, using cannabis is much less dangerous than tobacco, prescription drugs, and alcohol in social harms, physical harm, and addiction. Harvard’s Dr. Lester Grinspoon, has stated in a newspaper editorial that “herbal marijuana is remarkably nontoxic”. > [http://www.sfbg.com/politics/2010/02/18/marijuana-really-medicine-0](http://www.sfbg.com/politics/2010/02/18/marijuana-really-medicine-0) Oddly enough it doesn’t even mess up your lungs, like you’d think it does: > [@](#): > > Dr. Donald Tashkin commented on the study, saying it confirmed findings from several other studies showing “that essentially there is no significant relationship between marijuana exposure and impairment in lung function.” He noted despite containing similar noxious ingredients, one reason cannabis smoke may not be as harmful as tobacco smoke may be due to the anti-inflammatory effects of THC. “We don’t know for sure but a very reasonable possibility is that THC may actually interfere with the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease”, Tashkin elaborated. In his own research, Tashkin unexpectedly found that smoking up to three joints a day appeared to have no decrease in lung function. Tashkin said, “I think that the bottom line is that there does not appear to be any negative impact on lung function of marijuana smoking.” > [Moderate Marijuana Use Does Not Impair Lung Function, Study Finds - The New York Times](http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/11/marijuana-smoking-does-not-harm-lungs-study-finds/) So while I started out just looking for evidence that cannabis isn’t as dangerous as some people think, I ended up with a bunch of stuff indicating it’s might even be good for you. Should we be encouraging people to smoke weed and feel bad about not doing it ourselves? Doesn’t that sound like something you’d have to be high to come up with? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cannabis-actually-healthy/658140/2 "2013-05-12T13:14:09Z")
I have a couple of mild disagreements with some of your assertions/assumptions, and a few assertions/assumptions of my own. First, I think what we’re really talking about is occasional or very moderate use. Too much of _anything_ will cause problems. If you stick to that level of use alcohol is arguably healthy as well, as low level use of beer and wine have some benefits provided you don’t do something stupid like drink sufficiently to become intoxicated then attempt to drive or perform other tasks with diminished reaction times and judgement could be a bad thing. And that’s my first disagreement - pot DOES alter one’s judgement and reactions and thus I would say that mixing pot use with driving or other such activity is probably not a good idea, as it would increase the risk of accidents. Second, no doubt there are some people who have medical conditions that might be aggravated by pot use. Asthmatics, for example, probably should not be smoking anything (although alternate routes of administration may be fine). Really, I find the notion that inhaling smoke of any sort could be innocuous is bizarre, it might be better to say that pot smoke is less harmful than some other types of smoke Third, although the effects on memory and learning are not large they actually are present. Thus, for marginal students, people with other sorts of memory impairment, and the like adding pot to the mix may not be a good idea. And finally, I’ve noted that some people really do over use pot. Right now, I’m dealing with someone who, instead of dealing directly with problems in their life, is retreating into a haze of pot which comes under abuse in my book - the money spent on the drug is affecting her ability to meet her financial obligations in life, she’s not fixing what’s wrong, and everything is going to hell as she mellows out from dawn to bedtime. So while pot may be relatively harmless it is still possible to use it to help screw up your life. That’s not a problem inherent to pot, she could just as easily be drinking her problems away, or compulsively gambling, or whatever, but the point is that people can get into trouble using it beyond just the legal issues of a banned (in most places) drug. But yes, for the majority of healthy adults using pot is probably about as awful and drinking coffee or having wine with dinner. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cannabis-actually-healthy/658140/3 "2013-05-12T14:01:27Z")
More recent research has indicated that there is a link between cannabis use and psychosis. It’s not clear at this point if cannabis in fact causes psychosis or if there is some other relationship at work, but if someone has a family history of schizophrenia or anything else like that then I would say that it’s an especially bad idea to use pot. ---
**Author:** ![congoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@congoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congoo)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cannabis-actually-healthy/658140/4 "2013-05-12T17:24:26Z")
i would say over the population it will be a good outcome.the come down of it is about a million times better than alcohol. and it is my theory that the law of it beening ilegal causes the psychosis. what would happen if it wasnt ilegal is fear (not psychosis)and that is normal and would not lead to psychosis.fear also controls use to some extent. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cannabis-actually-healthy/658140/5 "2013-05-12T18:07:05Z")
It probably depends a lot on the user, as with any drug. My wife tried some and nearly died because she has asthma. A co-worker of mine who had a past murder conviction would smoke it and get really irrational, paranoid, and violent, like a mean drunk. So I guess it’s fine to smoke pot if you do it a little bit and you’re a well balanced, healthy person. Contraindications would be asthma or any mental illness. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cannabis-actually-healthy/658140/6 "2013-05-12T18:34:56Z")
The question is nonsensical, if you take a pharmacological approach. There’s nothing inherently “healthy” about any sort of medication. Medications have effects on your health, that doesn’t mean the medication \*itself _can be called healthy or unhealthy. It would just be contraindicated for your condition. And whether the effect a medication has is good or bad depends on your existing health problems. A blood-thinner would have a positive effect on your health if you had a pulmonary embolism. The same blood-thinner would have a negative effect on your health if you had hemophilia. But it doesn’t make any sense to say that the blood-thinners themselves are healthy or unhealthy. You can’t evaluate a drug’s healthiness independently of the patient for whom it’s prescribed._ Cannabis is a more complicated drug than blood-thinners, of course. Because it affects mental health, and we haven’t advanced our understanding of psychology beyond the beginner’s level, it’s difficult to say exactly when cannabis use is contraindicated. If you have existing psychosis, maybe you should avoid it. If it makes you paranoid and unhappy, you should definitely avoid it. If you’re depressed, it might help lift you out of the fog–or it might just make you feel really lazy and ignore your problems. If you have anxiety, it might decrease your anxiety–or it might make you have a panic attack. If you’re mentally-healthy, it’ll probably make you feel pretty good, but won’t necessarily have any positive effects since you don’t have a health problem in the first place. Because we understand so little about the mind (as opposed to the cardiovascular system), it’s really difficult to know how cannabis will affect a person before they actually try it. But again, that doesn’t make the drug itself healthy or unhealthy. It’s just a drug, a means to an end. \*with exceptions for things that are universally poisonous/deadly to humans, of course ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cannabis-actually-healthy/658140/7 "2013-05-12T18:37:08Z")
> [@Stoneburg](#): > > \*\*Obesity is significantly lower in cannabis user than in the average population, even after being adjusted for other factors. \*\*[Cite](http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2011/08/24/aje.kwr200.abstract) !!! That seems [munch] very counterintuitive! ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cannabis-actually-healthy/658140/8 "2013-05-12T18:40:01Z")
According to [RationalWiki,](http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Marijuana#Bio-neurological_use) you might want to be careful with the stuff if you’re a teenager: > [@](#): > > **“Chronic”** > > Have you ever looked at your hand? I mean really looked at your hand?..oh, yeah. Sorry, man…Chronic misuse of marijuana has been widely identified as a significant risk factor for those with a predisposition towards developing various mental illnesses, particularly schizophrenia. However, it should be noted that people with mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar mood disorder often “self-medicate” to relieve the symptoms of their disorders. Scientific studies of marijuana use, like the one released on 26 June 2007,[1] rarely take into account that the mental disorders of habitual users often go undiagnosed until after the patient has become a habitual marijuana user. It’s possible that studies like the one mentioned above are politically motivated. People with pre-existing mental disorders also tend to abuse alcohol and tobacco. Yet, similar studies linking booze and cigarettes - both legal and heavily taxed - to mental illnesses are less common than those that focus just on marijuana. Therefore, the link between marijuana use and mental illness may be an instance when correlation does not equal causation. > > Recent studies also indicated that brain structures such as the amygdala and hippocampus may shrink due to extremely chronic use, on the order of five “marijuana cigarettes” a day for upwards of twenty years, in the case of one study. **Preliminary research also suggests that regular cannabis use may lower IQ especially in teenagers who use regularly while their brains are developing.** Further research is needed. [2] ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cannabis-actually-healthy/658140/9 "2013-05-12T18:43:03Z")
Define healthy. There are plenty of things that can either improve or degrade health depending on the circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cannabis-actually-healthy/658140/10 "2013-05-12T19:45:53Z")
I’m in the moderate to heavy category when it comes to marijuana use. And I believe its use is not for everyone. Pot effects different people in vastly different ways. Even different strains will effect the same person differently. Not everyone has a pleasant experience while on weed. PSA: If you are under a Doctors care for any reason be sure to let them know of any use of marijuana use. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cannabis-actually-healthy/658140/11 "2013-05-12T19:55:37Z")
> [@congoo](#): > > i would say over the population it will be a good outcome.the come down of it is about a million times better than alcohol. > and\*\* it is my theory that the law of it beening ilegal causes the psychosis.\*\* > what would happen if it wasnt ilegal is fear (not psychosis)and that is normal and would not lead to psychosis.fear also controls use to some extent. um… what? You feel that some people are insane _because_ pot is illegal? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cannabis-actually-healthy/658140/12 "2013-05-12T22:15:17Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > It probably depends a lot on the user, as with any drug. My wife tried some and nearly died because she has asthma. It didn’t occur to her, having asthma, to try it in food, or tea, or a tincture, or an inhaler? I interviewed the owners of a medical marijuana dispensary for a newspaper article a few years ago, and they offered a staggering (heh!) number of ways to use cannabis without setting it on fire and sucking it into your lungs. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cannabis-actually-healthy/658140/13 "2013-05-12T22:40:35Z")
Someone with asthma probably shouldn’t use it with an inhaler either. Really, if you have asthma you want to avoid getting stuff in your lungs that isn’t there with normal lung use. ---
**Author:** ![congoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@congoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congoo)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cannabis-actually-healthy/658140/14 "2013-05-12T23:06:31Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > um… what? You feel that some people are insane _because_ pot is illegal? A very simple example is someone takes cannibis and can not tell there parents.over time this creates problems. they should beable to tell there parents and they know this.this creates a hidden area with in themselfs a sperate state that becomes confusing to the person.if it goes on long enough it can turn into schizophrenia. if there is no law they can tell who ever they want.and the difficult feeling you can get with cannibis are fear of death.that is normal with mind altering drugs.but shouldnt lead to schizophrenia.It will lead you to whether you really want to do it.or not. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cannabis-actually-healthy/658140/15 "2013-05-12T23:38:37Z")
Does cannabis use lead to the inability to capitalize and poor sentence construction as well? I understand what you’re saying but your presentation is poor enough that it detracts from the credibility of your opinion. Also - I don’t think hiding something from your parents causes schizophrenia, or any other mental illness. I’ve hidden lots of things from my parents, most of them not being their business anyway, and I’ve yet to go crazy from it. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cannabis-actually-healthy/658140/16 "2013-05-13T03:15:41Z")
I started smoking dope when it was decriminalized in California in 1976. Let’s just say, anecdotal evidence, I’ve never seen someone injesting cannabis on a regular basis get smarter, stronger, achieve superhuman powers, etc. In fact, anecdotal evidence suggests the opposite. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![congoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@congoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congoo)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cannabis-actually-healthy/658140/17 "2013-05-13T03:19:30Z")
i went to a party.then i smoked a chillum/pipe.walked up the stairs met a girl talked ,then i thought she was conected with the poilce.then for a period of time after this(at party) other things are starting to become more like a plot set to catch dope smokers it is very worrying and annoying(it is a illusion).this has created a pattern in the mind/brian/thoughts, that will happen again uder the influnce.then it starts to happen when i am at home i think strange/police people are outside coming to get me.this pattern gets trigged more and more and grows some how.this is all being created by the law. in the end this will lead to schizophrenia.if you get rid of the law this will not happen atall,you will get fear of dying that is all.or fear of the effects it has on your body.all thoughts of this nature should beable to be expressed to anyone (not just some people)without fear of law. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cannabis-actually-healthy/658140/18 "2013-05-13T03:25:34Z")
> [@congoo](#): > > i went to a party.then i smoked a chillum/pipe.walked up the stairs met a girl talked ,then i thought she was conected with the poilce.then for a period of time after this(at party) other things are starting to become more like a plot set to catch dope smokers it is very worrying and annoying(it is a illusion).this has created a pattern in the mind/brian/thoughts, that will happen again uder the influnce.then it starts to happen when i am at home i think strange/police people are outside coming to get me.this pattern gets trigged more and more and grows some how.this is all being created by the law. > in the end this will lead to schizophrenia.if you get rid of the law this will not happen atall,you will get fear of dying that is all.or fear of the effects it has on your body.all thoughts of this nature should beable to be expressed to anyone (not just some people)without fear of law. I must really be doing it wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cannabis-actually-healthy/658140/19 "2013-05-13T03:27:54Z")
Dude, if you seriously think carrying secrets of having broken the law makes people schizophrenic… then we’re all nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cannabis-actually-healthy/658140/20 "2013-05-13T03:29:59Z")
I think he’s doing it now. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-cannabis-actually-healthy/658140.md?page=2)