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Twins Study Finds No Evidence That Marijuana Lowers IQ In Teens (sciencemag.org)
sciencehabit writes: Roughly half of Americans use marijuana at some point in their lives, and many start as teenagers. Although some studies suggest the drug could harm the maturing adolescent brain, the true risk is controversial. Now, in the first study of its kind (abstract), scientists have analyzed long-term marijuana use in teens, comparing IQ changes in twin siblings who either used or abstained from marijuana for 10 years. After taking environmental factors into account, the scientists found no measurable link between marijuana use and lower IQ.
I knew many very smart people who did marijuana. I would have thought most of them would have done more with their smarts but I see them now and they're mostly just getting by. They are happy for the most part though. Thinking about it I'm not sure if it's such a bad thing.
Stoners become stoners because of lack of motivation, not the other way around.
Exactly contrary to my observations. Stoners become stoners mostly for social reasons - it's a social activity. For many, it alters them - bright, motivated, active people can become listless lumps. I've seen it in young teens, people in their twenties, less so in older adults who start.
They're paranoid because they engage in an illegal lifestyle and the law is literally out to get them.
Most of them aren't the least bit worried about the cops unless they're distributing. And the paranoia tends to be about many things, if not most things they deal with. It's seen in personal interactions (straining friendly and family relationships over imagined distrust and betrayal), etc.
You know this, you're just trying to wish it away.
Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
This just in: Having a twin provides a natural immunity to the IQ-reducing properties of marijuana.
"When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years." - Mark Twain
Prove anything by multiplying Huge Number times Tiny Number
I live in the Netherlands, and we've had easy access to cannabis for a long time now. When I studied, a lot of roommates smoked it sometimes, and the heavy users had a few plants in their room. About a quarter of the teenagers have used it incidentally, the rest doesn't really bother with it.
With the experience we have locally we have also seen some issues. The issues are mainly psychological issues - IQ drops haven't been seen but motivation does tend to suffer from long term use. There is a very real link with schizophrenic disorders but it's unknown if people who have the genetic predisposition smoke cannabis because of that, or vice versa - in any case, if you have schizophrenic disorders in the family it is very unwise to smoke cannabis long term, although short term and incidental use may be safe.
Also, an acute psychosis brought on by too much cannabis is a well-known issue and cause of death for young tourists in Amsterdam as well. Usually we have a few casualties each summer because people in a psychosis sometimes think they can fly.
For the majority of incidental users, cannabis is MUCH safer than alcohol. However, there is a minority with genetic vulnerability to cannabis that should not use it at all, and long term use of cannabis (2+ years) is probably unhealthy for a much larger group - and I'm ignoring the wider and well-known effects of smoking here, since you could also drink it (as thee) or eat it (in cake).
I'm not against recreative drug use. It should be decriminalized asap. But it's not as harmless as some people make it out to be, even if it doesn't do nearly as much damage as alcohol or cigarettes.
Therefore, by the (faulty) logic you're using, you're just a cow with a keyboard - osu-neko (2604)
That means that there is a clear bias. The teen who is smart enough to figure out that they have been sold a load of hyperbole and smoke a bowl is clearly smarter than the one who, proudly no doubt, abstains from consumption.
Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun