So lets get this settled once and for all - is weed bad for you?
Like pretty much everything in life, the answer is......it depends.
Big bag of weed
I'm going to try and attempt to tackle this topic completely unbiased. So I'm not here to advertise marijuana and tell you how it can slow down or kill cancer cells (which it can), or demonize it and go on about how it can trigger psychosis and contribute to the destruction of your life (also true).
Instead I'm going to give you guys a unique perspective and basically say it how it is.
There are so many factors to consider when answering this question.
Where does the weed come from? Who's smoking it? What's their history? How often and under what circumstances is he/she smoking it?
I'm also going to keep it fairly simple and broad, and not go too deep because there is just way too much to cover, instead ill talk about these other aspects of cannabis in future blogs.
My history
Drugs are bad mkay Image Source: https://flic.kr/p/nxJrnF
You could say I have partaken in the odd joint or two. As a matter of fact... I was in the world of Mary Jane and let her consume my soul for about a decade. The first time I met this divine mistress plant, I was a wee little lad. I fell in love with her instantly, and before I knew it, I was pulling bongs on a daily basis like it was a religious ritual.
I would wag school with my mates and even turn up high to class (even exams). It even got to the point where I would rely on weed just so I can eat breakfast, sleep, have a conversation, or even watch TV.
To keep a long story short, my life was put in a dark place. I completely let Mary Jane control my life, which completely robbed me of my drive and motivation in life - that invisible force that pushes us forward. By the end I was getting symptoms of brain fog, paranoia, insomnia, depression, anxiety, and chronic fatigue. I even had to sell the stuff just to support my habit.
I knew I had to stop or else things would have gone much worse very quickly. I am not completely blaming the weed for all my problems because even after I did stop, I still had MANY issues, but weed was definitely a contributing factor that made things worse.
The point of my story?
To let you guys know that I have had experience with this plant and know what I'm talking about. I have met countless people through weed, and have made many friendships along the way. I do not regret any of it, in fact, it has shaped me into who I am today, and besides I've gotten many priceless stories out of it which I wouldn't trade for the world.
I want to use my experience to help others who are consumed by this plant by giving them an outside perspective
We tell ourselves all sorts of excuses that smoking weed isn't bad, in fact, we publicize it and advertise how great it is, how it's great for cancer, arthritis, back pain, blah, blah, blah.
I've heard it all, because I've said it all.
But we must understand that the stoners who are smoking weed and do nothing with their lives are the LAST people who have the right to advertise it, because they are the last people on earth who need it, and instead give weed a bad name. I mean I think that any sensible person would agree that the pros of weed ASTRONOMICALLY outweigh the cons. Of course there are the brainwashed ignorants from older generations that still believe all the propaganda that was shoved down their throats about how cannabis is bad for them. And I could almost guarantee you that NONE of these people would have a clue on WHY cannabis was made illegal in the first place.
This might be a hard pill to swallow but there are ACTUAL people out there who NEED this medicinal plant to heal them from their ailments. These are the people who suffer from seizures, cancers, tumours, arthritis and so on. There are numerous studies that have proven that marijuana can help stop the growth of tumours and can in fact be a potential cure for cancer.
image source: https://flic.kr/p/nTJH8Z
Well, Is Weed Bad For You?
I can already hear people going "GET TO THE FUCKING POINT ALREADY!"
As I said before....it depends on a number of things:
A) Your history
Who are you? Are you someone who has a big ego and can never shut the fuck up and never chill out? Then maybe weed can help you because it dissolves the ego and helps you look at life with a different perspective.
Beautiful Marijuana Strain Image Source: https://flic.kr/p/fBeqM4
Are you an unmotivated, shy, person with an addictive personality? Because if so, weed is probably NOT going to be the answer as it will make you content with who you are, and won't give you the drive to change anything.
Are you prone to any psychosis like schizophrenia? Because if you are, then guess what? Weed is going to do nothing but further fuck your mind up.
B) Where's the source coming from?
Is the weed you're smoking coming from a good source? Is it bush weed or skunk weed? Studies have shown that skunk weed (normally grown indoors) has a much higher percentage of THC which is the chemical compound that gets you 'high'.
Bush weed gives you a much cleaner high and is not as potent. This is the real shit, as I'm sure any experienced stoner would agree. And you can throw all your science at me about this, but my logic says that plants that get their energy from the sun (that red ball of flame which gives energy and life to our solar system), is going to be much more beneficial for plants than artificial lights.
C) How often are you smoking it?
If you have a joint once in a while, it's likely that it is not going to do you any harm, instead it will probably give most people some health benefits. But if you smoke everyday, you are robbing your body's ability to build resilience (just like any drug). This is the resistance we need to deal with life's problems and learning to deal with the feelings of anxiety and depression or whatever you may have, instead of repressing it and putting it on 'hold' by smoking weed.
And besides smoking weed is the BIGGEST motivation killer and makes you lazy, I think almost everyone will agree on that. This is basically because being stoned makes being bored fun. It makes you content with your life no matter what your situation is.
Just look around at how most stoners are, and how little ambition and drive they have in life. I recall countless hours sitting on the couch numbing my brain with stupid TV programs, and I would be having the time of my life!
D) How are you consuming it?
Are you smoking it, eating it, drinking it, vaporising it?
weed cookies
There have been studies on how smoking marijuana does not significantly affect your lungs, but I'm going to call BULLSHIT on that one. One of the most IMPORTANT principles of health is LISTENING to your body. When you take a hit of that dense marijuana smoke, is your throat and lungs going "Yes please give me more, it's so smooth it's like drinking honey lemon tea!"?
No it's not.
Most of the time people cough their fucking lungs out, no matter how experienced they are.
Believe it or not marijuana was not meant for smoking, it was made to be EATEN. It's actually common sense if you really think about it. As soon as you burn pretty much ANYTHING, it turns toxic. Even heating up olive oil makes it unhealthy for you, somehing that is very good for you in its original form. This principle also applies to vegetables. As soon as you heat up broccoli by frying them, you are in fact robbing them of their nutrients and enzymes. So why would weed be any different?
If you insist on smoking it, I would recommend using a vaporiser. It is much more efficient and your lungs will thank you for it in the long run (and besides it actually gets you more high). But eating it is the definitely the way to go, the high lasts a lot longer too.
Final Words
One of the most important things I have taken away from my experience with Mary Jane, is that she's a trickster.
She'll promise you many things like creativity, aspirations, motivation and so forth. But as soon as you come down from the high, you can't be fucked doing anything, so you do nothing and rely on her to get these feelings.
Many of us (including myself) struggle to quit weed because of our identification with it. We feel that letting go of weed would be like letting go a part of ourselves. Our ego makes it very difficult for us when it comes to change, as it grabs onto the current paradigm and holds on very tightly.
But just like most other plants, cannabis is used for healing. But the question is: healing what?
What are you using it for? Are you using it to escape from the harsh realities of life? Or are you using it to help your spiritual growth and healing?
If you are one of those people who can smoke weed on a regular basis and can still function in your daily life with no problems, then more power to you! Do whatever works for you.
At the end of the day you have to experiment with marijuana yourselves to know how you react to it.
In my personal opinion I think smoking weed once a month or a couple times a year is completely fine for most people. In fact I would argue that drinking a beer is probably worse for your health than smoking one joint.
I personally don't smoke weed any more because of my history with it, and besides I want to keep my mind clear. I'm not saying that I will never smoke it again but I've learnt everything I can from the cannabis plant, so it's time for me to move on.
So if you truly want to know if weed is bad for you or not, just ask yourselves these questions:
- Is it serving your life or hindering it?
- Is it helping you grow as a person or is it causing you to be stuck in life?
- What are you using it for?
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Cheers.
“It’s a very strange thing when you make nature illegal”