Teens who Smoke Weed Daily Less Likely...

[Independent voter]

"Teenagers who smoke marijuana daily are over 60 percent less likely to complete high school than those who never use. They're also 60 percent less likely to graduate college and seven times more likely to attempt suicide."

I stopped using a while ago. My friend who I knew since I was 5 smokes daily, dropped out of high school and has always been a little suicidal. It's hard to talk to him now cause he's always stoned. All his current friends besides me stay stoned all day long.

Thinking he was self medicating I talked to him about the new anti depressants be he's not interested.

His dad was an alcoholic and so is his brother and sister.

[isuridedes]

It is the height of hubris for these researchers to reach any conclusion where marijuana was a significant factor in any of these results. We're talking about sociological outcomes... those are the result of any myriad number of factors. I'm glad that they raise the question of how these numbers might differ if the legal status of marijuana were to change.

Personally I've never had the desire to smoke (anything) but those that do with whom I am acquainted? They run the gamut. Some are 'stoners' by every stereotype you can imagine; others are highly successful small-business owners, or educators at a University level or otherwise trained in highly-skilled fields.

As with most things, the outcomes of marijuana are more about the individual than the average. If you have a predisposition toward addiction/substance abuse then perhaps marijuana isn't for you. If your life is so awful that you have to 'escape' any chance you get then again ... a substance like marijuana should probably be avoided as you'll be more prone to overindulge.

[Arkenaw]

This just in: 100% of people that drink water die!

Oh look, I can make unrelated correlations too (for the record I don't support drug use, but I don't support stupid "studies" even more)

[Deleted]

"Teenagers who smoke marijuana daily are over 60 percent less likely to complete high school than those who never use. They're also 60 percent less likely to graduate college and seven times more likely to attempt suicide."

I stopped using a while ago. My friend who I knew since I was 5 smokes daily, dropped out of high school and has always been a little suicidal. It's hard to talk to him now cause he's always stoned. All his current friends besides me stay stoned all day long.

Thinking he was self medicating I talked to him about the new anti depressants be he's not interested.

His dad was an alcoholic and so is his brother and sister.

so, what they are saying really is, no good idiots are very likely to take drugs...that is a really new and shocking conclussion

[Deleted]

It's scientifically known excessive cannabis use during teen years is damaging because the body is still developing, that's why if it becomes legal it should be 18+

[Catta]

There seems to be an american sentiment that cannabis is totally harmless.

[Farseer]

I'm fine with legalizing weed as it's less dangerous than most drugs, including alcohol, in the sense that there's no chance of ODing. And I agree that (especially in America, it seems) people are unnecessarily trying to criminalize it.

But let's be honest. There are a lot of people who have a problem with weed addiction. Smoking it on a daily basis is too much. Eventually your threshold increases meaning you spend more money achieving the same high. Being in that dull state every day has a lot of downsides, like neglecting work/school/relationships. It's hard being sober and enjoying a conversation with someone who is high. If you constantly need to get high to enjoy your evening, that can get really irritating for people around you. Plus it's not uncommon for someone with a weed addiction (and I know a lot of stoners would say 'it's not an addiction I can stop any time I want') to develop symptoms like paranoia and depression.

I know I'll probably get flamed to death by weed enthousiasts, but I don't think this article is bullshit at all. It may not prove that weed is a direct cause of dropping out and committing suicide (if you've any knowledge about scientific research you'd understand that such claims are impossible to prove), but anyone with half a brain can figure out that smoking weed on a daily basis isn't good for you. I'm not against recreational use, but in moderation. Teens have no business smoking weed at all.

[Deleted]

The problem with weed is that it is pshychologicly very addictive, I'm speaking from experience. In itself it is a completly harmless thing to do every now and then, but if using it becomes a habit its just as bad as being an alcoholic.

[Deleted]

If you need to smoke daily then that's an addiction

[Mitters]

I don't even know why people do it, same as getting drunk.

My father was a drug addict and a alcoholic, so maybe thats part of why I dont understand and dont do any of it.

[Deleted]

I know I'll probably get flamed to death by weed enthousiasts, but I don't think this article is bullshit at all. It may not prove that weed is a direct cause of dropping out and committing suicide (if you've any knowledge about scientific research you'd understand that such claims are impossible to prove), but anyone with half a brain can figure out that smoking weed on a daily basis isn't good for you. I'm not against recreational use, but in moderation. Teens have no business smoking weed at all.

I'm a weed 'enthousiast' and I agree with you.

[Pendulous]

I'm guessing, to the OP, that your friend's depression is more than likely linked to his entire family being alcoholics.

[Deleted]

Heavy use of drugs is usually an effect of something else, not exactly a cause. No one becomes an addict because his life is oh so great.

[Wilian]

They won't listen. The "don't tell me how to live my life" crowd doesn't care.

Actually we do listen and we do care. I haven't seen anyone proposing that people of all ages, speficially kids should be out there smoking or drinking. It's typically other way around, you lot stick fingers into ears and go "la la la" when pointing out that you're wrong with accusations like that.

[Dch48]

The results aren't surprising since it's also now known that pot causes brain abnormalities in people under 20.

[Deleted]

It is a fact that smoking it before your mid twenties can have neurological impacts on brain development.

Correlations do not always mean causation, but this is a strong correlation. Wherein we know that smoking weed can have an affect on the brain, and that it may be linked to educational outcomes isn't surprising.

Legalize it, and make it available at 25 for recreation.

[Pull My Finger]

Every pothead I've ever met in my life was a total jackass and really slow in the head.

Don't know if the weed makes them like that or is it more that dumbasses are drawn to smoking weed, but one way or the other, there cleary is a correlation.

[Faroth]

This just in: 100% of people that drink water die!

Oh look, I can make unrelated correlations too (for the record I don't support drug use, but I don't support stupid "studies" even more)

Water is also the leading cause of drowning. /sagely nod


Never had any interest in dulling my awareness. Had a friend who completely swore off touching it after a single bad experience where he found himself sitting on the couch terrified to move. As he tells it, he afraid if we went outside, birds would attack him and if he moved from where he was, he'd bite his tongue and bleed to death.

He wasn't exactly a stranger to the occasional weekend of use and he said he really had no clue why he had such a weird experience that time, but he was content to never experience it again. Hearing him tell the story, with the escalation of the building paranoia of things that made no sense, is quite hilarious.

Sinbad's stand up on his rommate being high is even better, though.

[Deleted]

Alcohol abuse and speeding cars have cause 10000% more victims than drugs. I don't see alcohol being banned nor cars having their engines limited to 60km/h.

[cFortyfive]

Who would have thought that using too many drugs while growing up is probably not a good idea.