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smoking weed and dissociative disorders

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That is interesting, thanks for sharing, do you know from which study/studies this information came from?
I'm not the poster you're replying to, but this popped up in a quick search:
Grey Matter Volume Differences Associated With Extremely Low-Level Cannabis Use in Adolescence

The summary sentence of that study:
Given the increasing levels of cannabis use among adolescents today, we suggest that studying the effects of recreational use early in life is an area of particular importance that should be addressed in the future by large scale, prospective studies.

The thing about these sorts of initial investigations is: they serve to support further study. They are generally small-to-mid size, and are simply trying to figure out if there's anything more specific worth pursuing in the area of interest. These studies also don't claim to 'prove' much of anything, except to say "hey, look - something happened. We're not sure what, but we did enough to know that there's more data here."

The misinterpretation of studies - that happens when outlets for more general or broad, laymen's terms articles try and make the data simpler, giving the highlights of the study, without the dense factual context......they inevitably leave readers with the impression that a conclusion has been drawn; when really, the study is only there to support more study.

Which is actually an important aspect to how research works - it's not a flaw, it's the process.

/soapbox on studies

Changes in the brain will consist of both volume and density changes, along with cortical thickness and overall shape. Like you said, @Freddyt - the brain 'shrinking' is normal. What's unexpected is when it happens as a matter of course in growth, not aging - though that is counterbalanced by the brain becoming more dense. It's a lot to factor in.

The one thing that is fairly solid, relating to negative effects of cannabis in adolescents is: if the kid's brain is pre-wired for the types of changes that accompany schizophrenia, cannabis use is likely to seal the deal. Really, any adolescent carrying genetic history of mental illness should be very careful with any substance use until they've passed the age of 24/25....but I don't know how anyone could get a teenager to buy into that possibility of kicking off their life-changing mental illness by getting drunk a few times, or trying weed a couple of times.

I cannot wait for earlier preventative mental health screening that is reliable, objective, and something that can be effectively and safely addressed by modern medicine. Whatever that medicine turns into? Whether it's controlled use of heavier psychogenics or aggressive anti-inflammatories or f*cking little purple daisies, I don't care. Just shit that works for everyone. That will be a good day, in my book.
 
Thanks guys! I actually do know the study that @joeylittle quoted but wanted to know if there are others that I do not know about yet. Because, as you've said:
The thing about these sorts of initial investigations is: they serve to support further study.
I've studied neuropsychology and had to read hundreds of studies during my bachelor and master study programme. I've also carried out a study and analyzed the results for my thesis - which is why I find this so very interesting 😊 I'm sure that in the future, they'll be more studies on this research topic. Especially since more and more countries are legalizing Cannabis.
 
Especially since more and more countries are legalizing Cannabis.
I think I find this argument weird, cos I went manic on legal SSRIs, and my bro went nuts (psychotic) on cannabis Like all meds come with risks, sometimes big risks (like me on antidepressants or my bro on cannabis). and sometimes little risks, and sometimes benefits outweigh risks etc..

I don't think saying weed helps is any more than saying SSRIs help. If it was legalised, I think it should be regulated like benzos etc, which would still restrict the use of people who want it legalised. Like overuse of anything is overuse, if you get high, that is overuse. So yeah.
 
I don't know what you think my argument was but I just wanted to say that I think the interest in studies like these will increase because more and more countries are legalizing Cannabis. 😊 Not my personal opinion that the interest should be higher, just think that it will be.
 
I don't know what you think my argument was but I just wanted to say that I think the interest in studies like these will increase because more and more countries are legalizing Cannabis. 😊 Not my personal opinion that the interest should be higher, just think that it will be.
Yes it is. Unfettered research is leaping ahead in several countries. Canadian researchers have found links between chronic illness and the endocannabinoid system. They are also studying the links between endocannabinoid collapse and mental health.

Who knows. It might bring blood tests for early detection and treatment of many conditions cause by dysregulation into a reality in the near future.
 
It helps a lot during the first time of usage but it also depends on the quantity of weed you smoke. I'm usually trying not to smoke much, to control the situation. But I heard that for some people smoking wasn't the best choice and things got worse. It's all personal I guess
 
The section of the previous post contains elements of the truth skewed the wrong way. You mind does create many many extra connections during development. Then there is a natural process at maturity called pruning that removes the ones you don't need. That and everyone's brain shrinks. It's a natural part of aging...

Do your due diligence when it comes to studies. You should always check the following:
- Number of participants.
- Methodology.
- Duration of study.
- Outcome Measures
- Criteria
- Eligibility

So if you find one like I did where they studied respiration in cannabis users but part of the eligabilty was that you be 60+ and a heavy tobacco user (3+ Packs a day) and there were only a handful of participants - be sure it was designed to give someone the results they wanted.

If you are seriously interested in the subject may I suggest Healing With Cannabis by Cheryl Pellerin. Excellent book and very up to date with worldwide cannabinoid/endocannabinoid research. Very well annotated and provides links to any quoted studies and research.

A good place to start searching for studies is: clinicaltrials.gov
This is good advice on so many fronts, I went to business school and statistics was my favorite subject and as you know it’s at the core of the scientific method. I’d like to get involved in sampling and statistical data analysis (use my education) in a work from home capacity or that’s a thought I’ve had lately . As far as smoking goes it works for me, and I don’t care what the studies say.
 
Yeah, statistics are considered the core of the scientific method, and I enjoyed learning during my college years. Still, didn't notice any progress with it while smoking weed, but I was way more productive when I had to do smth creative. I remember we had to make a project to end the 3rd year, and I got several weed subscription boxes that time. I shared 'em with my colleagues and we spent all the time making the basis of the project and it was quite amazing. We finished it after a week and got the highest grade. I was happy...we were soo creative that time.
 
As far as smoking goes it works for me, and I don’t care what the studies say.
Yup. I think with cannabis legalization in several countries it has become easier to study and to make studies of larger groups we will see some interesting stuff in the next couple years.
 
I spent some 34 years thinking that marijuana was my drug of choice and that I was holding onto a hard won sobriety so that I could keep my job if given a random urine test. Employer stopped testing for it a month or so ago, I decided I was going to try CBD and the CBG I had heard so much about without getting back into smoking or using THC. That lasted about a week and I tried one of the new strains. Bad high. Like drunkenness without any good qualities, just loss of concentration and motor skills. Tried another strain the next week, maybe worse. The third try was 2 weeks later with one of the highest recommended strains and I felt like I was on a psycho reactive drug-LSD or Psillocybin back in the 80's again, not hallucinating but not trusting my own thoughts about what I was seeing either. Not paranoid, not scared, but no euphoria, no colors or heightened appreciation for music, just "damn, I wish I hadn't smoked that". Still trying the CBD and CBG oils, because I no longer have to fear an accidental transient THC ingestion costing me a job.

Interestingly, that happened locally just a few weeks back and there are now 9 cases including a wrongful death against the supplier that had an employee that mislabel some product.

My dissociation has always been kind of "at will", like I get a half dozen warnings before I am off in another place and time, even then it doesn't take me long to realize i am not where I need to be and I have lots of tools and med resources to get back. If THC makes that easier or less frequent, I don't know. My biggest dissociation problem has always been night mares and not knowing where I am when I wake up, and Benzo's stop that Pretty well. I guess i would have to get off the drugs, go back to having a need, and seeing if THC fills it. I doubt it would.

My drug of choice is undecided. Anything that makes me feel at ease and having a guitar to play. Another musician to play with. I guess my drug of choice is possibly going to be barbecue and a beer and a guitar and a friend.
 
The problem you had is somewhat typical with oils/edibles. Because you ingest them they go through your liver which changes THC9 into THC11 which is far more potent and as an oil it sticks around for about 8 hours. Not only that it takes a while to act because it is processed then absorbed during which some people feel nothing and ingest more.

It's part of the reason I smoke THC and use CBD Oil. THC 's intoxicating effects are gone from my system in under 3 hours after the last dose in most cases while CBD oil sticks around for about 8 hours.
 
Not paranoid, not scared, but no euphoria, no colors or heightened appreciation for music, just "damn, I wish I hadn't smoked that". Still trying the CBD and CBG oils
Cha. It’s such a complicated little plant… mislabeling is clearly a giant huge whopping NOPE! But even the exact same genetics (clones, in point of fact, not even the variation found in seeds from the same plant, much less different plants of the same strain) grow very differently under different conditions, cure very differently, store very differently, etc. so you can have 25 clones, with 25 very different highs -or no high at all- from the clones of the same plant, but then go an refine it even further? Exponentially different number of highs with “just” the chemicals you're extracting for in various combos. From the same durn clones, with identical genetics. Because -at least to the best of my knowledge- no one extracts pure forms of the chemicals, there’s always the variation /je ne sais quoi that comes from the zillions of other “inactive” bits and pieces. Whether it’s a little pineapple enzyme from the cure, or purpling from the cold, or degradation from sunlight, or even a little zing from the slug bait. Organic chemistry is wild.

((No one may well be a gross overstatement. Researchers probably at least try to? But growers don’t. They -the best of them, anyhow- grow, cure, store, and refine in very specific ways, to get the most bang. Of course, what qualifies as bang also varies a helluva lot between growers. 3 Buck Chuck & a $5,000 bottle of Petrus may have the same grape, grown in the same region, with the same alcohol content… but the difference between those wines? Is more than a price tag.))

With legalization a LOT of the marijuana products out there have become the equivalent of taking 8% of everclear and adding it to grape juice, to sell for $5k, right next to the bottles of Petrus & $3Chuck.

As the explosion dies down, over the next decade or so, I expect we’ll have 2 main categories very clearly defined & priced; massively commercialized McWeed products that focus purely on strain/refinement type (Merlot! Cab! WhiteZin!) in the $3-$10 bottle of wine range… and named grow ops wih MUCH higher prices $20-10k less related to strain and far more related to the quality and precision of the end product.

But for right now? There’s a whole helluva lot of craptastic nonsense out there.
 
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