# What are the long-term effects of marijuana? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [April 24, 2018, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-long-term-effects-of-marijuana/813053 "2018-04-24T17:26:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-long-term-effects-of-marijuana/813053/1 "2018-04-24T17:26:41Z")
[Cecil’s column from 2006.](https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2648/still-smokin-what-are-the-long-term-effects-of-marijuana/) There surely must be a whole ton of research since then. Has any consensus been reached? I’d love to read an update by Cecil on this one. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-long-term-effects-of-marijuana/813053/2 "2018-04-24T17:55:52Z")
The most recent article I could find with a quick Google search was a 2014 article, [\*\*Long-term effects of marijuana use on the brain \*\*](http://www.pnas.org/content/111/47/16913.short) > [@](#): > > Questions surrounding the effects of chronic marijuana use on brain structure continue to increase. To date, however, findings remain inconclusive. Note that the statement refers to CHRONIC usage, not recreational usage. Not a whole lot of damming evidence there to say the least. It is becoming increasingly clear as time goes by that the deleterious effects of alcohol are far greater than any marijuana may have. ---
**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:** [April 24, 2018, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-long-term-effects-of-marijuana/813053/3 "2018-04-24T20:12:57Z")
There haven’t been as many studies done as you might think, due to it being a schedule 1 narcotic. Most researchers aren’t willing to touch it because of the chances of getting busted. About the only testing that has been done extensively has been to find out how addictive it is (not very, as it turns out). This may change in states where it’s now legalish, but it’ll take a while to do a long-term test. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-long-term-effects-of-marijuana/813053/4 "2018-04-24T21:22:38Z")
There will be no shortage of volunteers for that test study. I only know one person in her 40s who has used weed on a regular basis since she was a teen. She isn’t as sharp as she used to be, but she also has MS, so there is no way to know what causes her impairments. She isn’t markedly impaired unless you’re very observant. She has a full time career and raised a couple of kids on her own. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2018, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-long-term-effects-of-marijuana/813053/5 "2018-04-24T23:21:35Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > There haven’t been as many studies done as you might think, due to it being a schedule 1 narcotic. . And I remember the stuff from the sixties – the stuff with the frankly incredible warnings. I understand now that the early warnings that dope would make you psychotic were obviously done with far higher doses than any of my friends or acquaintances were giving themselves in the 1970’s. So we’ve gone from a situation then where the older research had been done with unreasonably large doses, to the situation now where the long term experience is with, by modern standards, quite small doses. Which has to add to the uncertainty of the whole exercise. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2018, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-long-term-effects-of-marijuana/813053/6 "2018-04-25T00:34:10Z")
> [@](#): > > And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. > > And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. > > And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. > > Genesis 1:29-31 **The Master** is right that _smoking_ pot is bad for the lungs, although moderate smokers probably don’t need to worry about this as much as cigarette smokes … but it’s still a concern … otherwise The Bible is clear that marijuana is God’s gift to mankind … it’s clean in every way and humans are allowed to use it for whatever they can … POT DOESN’T TURN PEOPLE INTO FROTHING MANIACS … Lord Almighty, how the hell can one froth with cotton mouth … yeesh … ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2018, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-long-term-effects-of-marijuana/813053/8 "2018-05-02T13:26:47Z")
> [@Natalen](#): > > memory is gradually lost Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2018, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-long-term-effects-of-marijuana/813053/9 "2018-05-02T18:53:46Z")
Cite for what? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2018, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-long-term-effects-of-marijuana/813053/10 "2018-05-03T01:37:19Z")
Cite for the assertion that use of marijuana causes memory loss. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2018, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-long-term-effects-of-marijuana/813053/11 "2018-05-03T01:47:39Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Cite for the assertion that use of marijuana causes memory loss. When was that asked? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2018, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-long-term-effects-of-marijuana/813053/12 "2018-05-03T11:20:38Z")
Dave’s not here, man. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2018, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-long-term-effects-of-marijuana/813053/13 "2018-05-03T18:46:54Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > What are the long-term effects of marijuana? Weight gain from years of the munchies. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2018, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-long-term-effects-of-marijuana/813053/14 "2018-05-03T20:48:15Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Cite for what? I see now that I should not have bit on this :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Doyle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doyle/32/439_2.png) [@Doyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doyle)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2018, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-long-term-effects-of-marijuana/813053/15 "2018-05-03T20:48:59Z")
I’ve got friends that have used pot daily for over forty years now and they’re doing just fine. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2018, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-long-term-effects-of-marijuana/813053/16 "2018-05-04T18:18:00Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > [Cecil’s column from 2006.](https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2648/still-smokin-what-are-the-long-term-effects-of-marijuana/) There surely must be a whole ton of research since then. Has any consensus been reached? I’d love to read an update by Cecil on this one. I recall reading something about the effects on younger people (i.e. before 18) wrt development issues, but from memory they were approximately what they say about similar development issues with alcohol or tobacco on developing kids. I think the general consensus is something along [these](https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/31/opinion/what-science-says-about-marijuana.html) lines: > [@](#): > > Her testimony neatly illustrates the vast gap between antiquated federal law enforcement policies and the clear consensus of science that marijuana is far less harmful to human health than most other banned drugs and is less dangerous than the highly addictive but perfectly legal substances known as alcohol and tobacco. Marijuana cannot lead to a fatal overdose. There is little evidence that it causes cancer. Its addictive properties, while present, are low, and the myth that it leads users to more powerful drugs has long since been disproved. > > That doesn’t mean marijuana is harmless; in fact, the potency of current strains may shock those who haven’t tried it for decades, particularly when ingested as food. It can produce a serious dependency, and constant use would interfere with job and school performance. It needs to be kept out of the hands of minors. But, on balance, its downsides are not reasons to impose criminal penalties on its possession, particularly not in a society that permits nicotine use and celebrates drinking. > > Marijuana’s negative health effects are arguments for the same strong regulation that has been effective in curbing abuse of legal substances. Science and government have learned a great deal, for example, about how to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors. Mandatory underage drinking laws and effective marketing campaigns have reduced underage alcohol use to 24.8 percent in 2011, compared with 33.4 percent in 1991. Cigarette use among high school students is at its lowest point ever, largely thanks to tobacco taxes and growing municipal smoking limits. There is already some early evidence that regulation would also help combat teen marijuana use, which fell after Colorado began broadly regulating medical marijuana in 2010. > > Comparing the Dangers As with other recreational substances, marijuana’s health effects depend on the frequency of use, the potency and amount of marijuana consumed, and the age of the consumer. Casual use by adults poses little or no risk for healthy people. Its effects are mostly euphoric and mild, whereas alcohol turns some drinkers into barroom brawlers, domestic abusers or maniacs behind the wheel. > > An independent scientific committee in Britain compared 20 drugs in 2010 for the harms they caused to individual users and to society as a whole through crime, family breakdown, absenteeism, and other social ills. Adding up all the damage, the panel estimated that alcohol was the most harmful drug, followed by heroin and crack cocaine. Marijuana ranked eighth, having slightly more than one-fourth the harm of alcohol. > [@](#): > > Most of the risks of marijuana use are “small to moderate in size,” the study said. “In aggregate, they are unlikely to produce public health problems comparable in scale to those currently produced by alcohol and tobacco.” > > While tobacco causes cancer, and alcohol abuse can lead to cirrhosis, no clear causal connection between marijuana and a deadly disease has been made. Experts at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the scientific arm of the federal anti-drug campaign, published a review of the adverse health effects of marijuana in June that pointed to a few disease risks but was remarkably frank in acknowledging widespread uncertainties. Though the authors believed that legalization would expose more people to health hazards, they said the link to lung cancer is “unclear,” and that it is lower than the risk of smoking tobacco. > > The very heaviest users can experience symptoms of bronchitis, such as wheezing and coughing, but moderate smoking poses little risk. A 2012 study found that smoking a joint a day for seven years was not associated with adverse effects on pulmonary function. Experts say that marijuana increases the heart rate and the volume of blood pumped by the heart, but that poses a risk mostly to older users who already have cardiac or other health problems. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2018, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-long-term-effects-of-marijuana/813053/17 "2018-05-04T18:26:08Z")
> [@Doyle](#): > > I’ve got friends that have used pot daily for over forty years now and they’re doing just fine. Nothing like a well-structured randomized controlled trial with formally defined metrics to settle the matter once and for all! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2018, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-long-term-effects-of-marijuana/813053/18 "2018-05-04T19:05:08Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Nothing like a well-structured randomized controlled trial with formally defined metrics to settle the matter once and for all! 😉 Definitely. I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of data in that post. I was going to ask if it had been peer reviewed, but then just looking at it I could tell it would just be a silly question on my part, since clearly it had it all. ---
**Author:** ![Doyle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doyle/32/439_2.png) [@Doyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doyle)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2018, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-long-term-effects-of-marijuana/813053/19 "2018-05-04T20:30:34Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Nothing like a well-structured randomized controlled trial with formally defined metrics to settle the matter once and for all! 😉 You have my permission to use the conclusions from my findings in any of your further studies. ---
**Author:** ![4d3fect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/4d3fect/32/9728_2.png) [@4d3fect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/4d3fect)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2018, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-long-term-effects-of-marijuana/813053/20 "2018-05-11T05:38:05Z")
“I’ve been doing it all my life and I’m not dead y-- urk!”