Marijuana Use and Quitting Smoking: Do Risks Outweigh Benefits?

Thanks so much for your post Carol.  Your breakdown of this drug is easy to read and full of important information.  I hope folks take it and use it in whatever way they feel can help them or their loved one.

Readers can fin help with understanding addiction or learning to live a smoke free life, check out our site material.

Hope this helps and all the best, sue

When comparing the health impacts of marijuana use to tobacco use, the method in which the user inhales the smoke would seem to be a contributing factor. For instance, someone who smokes marijuana from a water pipe inhales "cleaner" smoke than someone who smokes a marijuana joint or filtered cigarettes.

I agree partly with the author.  I do think however, that there are other ways to use marijuna than smoking.  I know that most people or that you see people on tv smoking marijuna.  There are other ways to take the drug and you get the same benefits from it.  You can make it into a tincture or tea.  You can bake it into food.  The government now makes it in pill form.  So completely throwing out a drug that possibly has medical benefits is wrong.

I have chronic pain and I tried once to use it to help with my pain.  In my case it did not work. I got high but it seemed to make me more aware of my pain rather than lessen it.  Also I was high for almost 8 hours so it seemed a waste of one entire day.   One thing we patients with chronic pain learn early is that one medicine does not always work with everyone. So even though it does not work for me it could work very well for another person. 

I think that more research needs to be done and we need to consider the benefits of the medical use of marijuna.  By the way, I went to collage and used marijuna for non medical reasons.  I had no withdrawal symtoms what so ever.

I also do agree with the author on some parts and how people have different effects of Marijuana. And saying the negitive things about it out way it in good is not true. Because people are effected by the drug differently. some people need it for medical reasons. Like Cancer patients, Depression, etc.

I think people over react on how it is used. And they never ask why its used to the person who is either using it or used it. They could be for good reasons.

I have smoked marijuana off and on for several years. I had quit for about 5 months then came back to it in the last 3 months or so. I am epileptic and sometimes get dizzy or confused for no reason when i'm not smoking, pre-seizure symptoms. When i get those symptoms i go smoke a little bit and it seems to go away. Recently however my roomates have become intollerant of it and banned it from the house on penalty of eviction so I had to quit. The first day not smoking marijuana at all I was fine up until about midnight when I got acute nausea and vomitted several times I don't know if this is an effect of withdrawl or something else. Does someone know about this?

Ok so I don't know exactly how to start so I guess ill go right into it... What would you rather have? A tabacoo smoker or marijana smoker... As it has been stated that marijana effects people differently. So it it were to effect me in a good way would i be more prone to smoking it? I know ur asking your self How could it help... But see with out marijana i would of never learned the whole phycological part of life. Such as reality in it's self, Self anilization, and proly the big one would be Sociology. Without the use of marijana i wouldn't of been in an alternite state to see what is the real preseption... And don't take alternite state in a bad way... we are affected differently by the THC. I beleave it healped me open my mind to be more optimistic on opposeing opioins. I someone were to set up a controled experiment for the use of marijana and introduced a conflict to the group and got them riled up. then introduced THC into the equasion. Do you think the conflict would filter out or get worse... i bleave that it would filter out because of the stoner aspect on life... Of peace not war... maybe after a short discrepincy im shure that they would drop there problum and focouse on more of the good effect they are feeling sorta say. I dont' know what exactly would happen but from my aspect of life i bleave that would happen... If you look at the Stoner cultrure how much anger and hate is fused into it... HARDLY ANY... Besides towards the Police which is totally understandable... If someone can smoke a ciggeret next to me and put me in danger of second hand smoke which is just as bad as taking a puff for my self i would rather have a marijana smoker there. And dont' get me started on drinking acholoic bevergages aposing to marijana becase i wouldn't stop talking about it but i am gunna give u somthin to think about. Would you rather have a paranoid stoner driving around that is on the wach for cops and being in a aware state of mind or would u have an intoxicated drunk driving and swerving on the road that ain't paying attition to anythang other than trying to stay strait. I Bleave if you can get a DUI (Driving under the Influence) for somking you should be able to leagaly smoke weed in a smoke shop... and if you decide to leave the person at the door can check to make shure you are at least comprehendable because by then the effects shoulde be about wore off... But what happens when two'oclock rolls around and the bar closes what do they do? kick them the fuck out and not give a fuck if you drive home your self not even checking to make shure you are ok... at least stoners would show some LOVE and see if your all good... But this is just my thought on the subject so tell me if i am a bad person or a good person for smoking Marijana.

When I learned I had copd I ceased smoking pot altogether and instead, began ingesting it.  The only result I can report is that it made me want to smoke cigarettes more than ever.  Even after being cigarette free for about a year, when I ingest pot,

the urge to smoke cigs increases. 

Is incessant, nervous taking and argumentative a symptom of an abrut stoppin?

Carol,

I appreciate you taking on a subject that is very serious, despite the pun-intentional press cannabis receives almost daily. However, I have many concerns with your information. In fact so many that I will not list them all. I would like to list just a few:

1) Cannabis has a very torrid history of legalization/illeglaization in our government. Especially important is the intentional racial bigotry purported by people like Harry J. Anslinger in efforts to make it illegal.

2) Your references are lacking in looking at both sides of the debate. Not to sound like a "conspiracy" theorist, but the data provided by the FDA, NIDA, CSA, and  Partnership for a Drug-Free America is unusually skewed (sometiimes purposely) and reported to the public without all the actual data. For example, public figures like to state that marijuana addiction has risen in the past several years by the NIDA. What is not mentioned is that the "addiction" rise is because the majority of those cases are court ordered, and in any addiction treatment facility claims you as an "addict" upon entry. I know this is true since I have been admitted to a facility many years ago and used to work for the addiction/treatment industry.

3) Smoking cannabis is not the only method of administering treatment. Vaporization is becoming a more common method of administering cannabis. It's health benefits as an alternative to smoking is visibly obvious as there is virtually no smoke (depending on heat ranges used), but vapor on inhalation and exhalation. This is not that much different (not the same, though) than nebulizers used for people such as myself to aid with COPD.

I will leave the remaining points to be discovered on your own, as there is many! I recommend the newly released book "Marijuana Is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink?" by Steve Fox, Paul Armentano and Mason Tvert.

My comment here is obviously new for such an old article. But, this article, and others

like it, need to reframed and have its "facts" straightened. It is important that we keep ourselves informed, and try and correct the misinformation that plagues us on such important issues.

When used in a controlled manner for the relief from Asthma, it's a gift from the Earth. Of course the benefits extend beyond breath, because breath and freedom of the flow of air to our bellies is the connection to our very Being. Yes, it's easy to get out of hand, anyone that's smoked for more than a few years have probably found themselves sneaking a joint at lunch time at some or many stages along the journey with pot. But when used as a tool to test will power the controlled use of marijuana for an unhibited free breath of air, I AM grateful. Cape Town

whaaaaat!!!!  legalize 420 now !!!!!!!!!!!!