Cannabis, the cure all?

allnurses Guide · Apr 21, 2015

[quote=NurseOnAMotorcycle;8460144

My opinion on marijuana is the same as alcohol: don't drive on it, don't come to work on it, and if someone says "no thank you" then stop badgering them about how good it is for them and move on.

I couldn't care less if it was legalized as long as there are the same laws applied to it as alcohol since it is a sensory altering substance.

(I have never used, have family/friends who do)

Actually this is the same way I feel about it.

My concern about marijuana over alcohol is that it stores in fat cells and as such stays in the body a very long time. Whether that constant seeping is enough to impair a user, likely not, but I have never seen data on that.

Sent from my iPhone.

spacecheetah · Apr 21, 2015

When I lived in San Francisco there was this old guy with dreadlocks who used to ride buses around all day singing about how eating pot would make all your problems go away. He was delightful. Would that he were right...

There is obviously some interesting research about the benefits of cannabis, as well as tons of anecdotal evidence, but it bugs me when I hear people call it "harmless."

I was seeing a psych NP for a while about my anxiety disorder, and she told me she honestly didn't know if my 3.5 years of daily marijuana use in my late teens - early 20s caused my disorder. She said I would probably never know, but she firmly believed the pot-smoking at least exacerbated my issues.

I had my first panic attack while stoned, and continued to have them daily, even after I stopped smoking, for a few years. Eventually my PD morphed into GAD and then into health anxiety. It's milder now but I still deal with it. It kept me out of nursing school for a few years. I didn't know if I could handle constant exposure to discussions, study, and examination of disease and people dealing with diseases. I'm strong enough now, but it took a long time. Thanks, pot!

Maybe I would have had this anyway, and maybe not. But I'm not the only person I know who firmly believes pot kicked off their anxiety disorder.

And then there's the motivation-smashing effects. I have 3 adult brothers who are long-time habitual potheads, and I think all three of them would have accomplished more with their lives if they weren't perpetually stoned. They're all brilliant, but instead of doing something with their brilliance, they get high and play video games. (None of them are total losers. All work, one goes to school.)

Like most things, marijuana is a double-edged sword.

RNperdiem, RN · Apr 21, 2015

I guess it depends who is pushing the drug. If the big pharmaceutical companies were the ones promoting MJ, there would be lots of conspiracy theories, mention of the studies linking it to mental disorders, second hand smoke and all sorts of terrible symptoms and side effects.

If the promoters of the cure-all seem like a grass-roots movement of true believers with positive anecdotes, it is recieved differently.

Farawyn · Apr 21, 2015

When I lived in San Francisco there was this old guy with dreadlocks who used to ride buses around all day singing about how eating pot would make all your problems go away. He was delightful. Would that he were right...
There is obviously some interesting research about the benefits of cannabis, as well as tons of anecdotal evidence, but it bugs me when I hear people call it "harmless."
I was seeing a psych NP for a while about my anxiety disorder, and she told me she honestly didn't know if my 3.5 years of daily marijuana use in my late teens - early 20s caused my disorder. She said I would probably never know, but she firmly believed the pot-smoking at least exacerbated my issues.
I had my first panic attack while stoned, and continued to have them daily, even after I stopped smoking, for a few years. Eventually my PD morphed into GAD and then into health anxiety. It's milder now but I still deal with it. It kept me out of nursing school for a few years. I didn't know if I could handle constant exposure to discussions, study, and examination of disease and people dealing with diseases. I'm strong enough now, but it took a long time. Thanks, pot!
Maybe I would have had this anyway, and maybe not. But I'm not the only person I know who firmly believes pot kicked off their anxiety disorder.
And then there's the motivation-smashing effects. I have 3 adult brothers who are long-time habitual potheads, and I think all three of them would have accomplished more with their lives if they weren't perpetually stoned. They're all brilliant, but instead of doing something with their brilliance, they get high and play video games. (None of them are total losers. All work, one goes to school.)
Like most things, marijuana is a double-edged sword.

Paranoia is an effect of pot, which I guess can result in anxiety disorder. ??? I honestly don't know, but it sounds plausible.

Or it could have been something else in the pot that did it to you. That's the thing with it being illegal, anything can be put in to it.

spacecheetah · Apr 22, 2015

Paranoia is an effect of pot, which I guess can result in anxiety disorder. ??? I honestly don't know, but it sounds plausible.
Or it could have been something else in the pot that did it to you. That's the thing with it being illegal, anything can be put in to it.

It took me a couple months to connect the dots that my panic attacks were triggered by smoking. (Probably would have been quicker on the draw of I weren't stotally toned all the time.) In that time I smoked a lot of weed from a lot of different sources. And the anxiety persisted long after I quit. Severe for months. Bad for a few years. Up and down from mild to moderate for... hell, going on 12 or 13 years or so now...

There is a lot of information out there about the connection between marijuana abuse and anxiety issues. I haven't explored it in great detail because it makes me feel a bit regretful and stupid. Instead I've focused on dealing with the anxiety itself. But the info is out there if you care to look. My NP was very aware of it, and had no doubt my problems were either caused, triggered, or made worse by smoking weed.

I recognize my experience, while not unique, is uncommon. And I recognize cannabis has beneficial applications. But while it doesn't bother me when people smoke, even around me, and while I totally get the OP was being facetious, in real life I sometimes feel the need to correct people who think it's harmless. Because I'm proof that it isn't.

I do believe in decriminalization, by the way.

And coconut oil. That stuff is awesome.

chachibella · Apr 22, 2015

LOL I swear I said the same thing this past week but it has a lot of effective properties. I'm actually looking forward to see how this "magic plant" progresses in medicinal use!! :yes:

WookieeRN, BSN, MSN, RN · Apr 22, 2015

The only problem I have with pot is that my roommates are always paying their rent late (sometimes not at all) because they spent all their money on pot, and that when they get the munchies they have a tendency to eat all of my food. However, that doesn't affect me (except for the food which I dealt with my own way and they learned their lesson pretty quick) because we rent by the room and the landlord deals with that part. I don't have a problem legalizing it because that doesn't really affect me (same thing with gay marriage, etc, etc) and I don't do it, so I really don't care. I just can't stand the smell.

Wb808 · Apr 22, 2015

Delete

GHGoonette, BSN, RN · Apr 22, 2015

Living in a country where huge economically depressed regions make their primary income from growing and selling weed, I can state with absolute certainty that there is ONE thing legalization will definitely cure, and that is - the depressed economy. If there is one crop that will make thousands of poor people wealthy, create thousands of jobs, and boost "green tourism", it's marijuana. Remember, it wasn't just the recreational and medicinal weed that was banned, it was the source of clothing fabric, matting, soft furnishings, paper etc. All without cutting down a single tree. The first Levi jeans were apparently made from hemp.

Red Kryptonite · Apr 22, 2015

I don't deny that cannabis has some beneficial effects for some people. But most advocates just want to get high, and I will never have any respect for that. Legalize uses and forms that actually help people. Hang the stoners out to dry.

MarcieMar · Apr 22, 2015

I have seen the amazed looks on diabetics faces when there sugar has maintained 145 ALL night long after a simple dose of 5 mg cannabis tincture.... There are cannabinoids that regulate blood sugar found in cannabis! Go to NIH.Gov and search "cannabis and diabetes". Prepare to scream!

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Apr 22, 2015

I've never had an issue with MJ, in fact I've long been a proponent of its legalization. I used to smoke regularly years ago, and the only negative effect was a lack of motivation.

Fast forward about 30 years. I'm not working, nor do I expect to. My husband (who uses it for cancer pain) and I were at our daughter's home, and since she and her husband also use, we decided that we were all going to smoke a bowl.

I was severely depressed at the time and figured it might help. It did, temporarily. So I did some more the next day, and the next. The following night, I was in the hospital for suicidal ideation and intent. Now, I'll never know if the weed caused that, but I do know that I'll never chance it again. I can be around it, but I'm too scared to partake.