Smoking weed - what’s your take on it...

[Notcontent]

I don’t know much about it but on balance think it should probably be decriminalised. However, it is addictive and it obviously can have a negative impact on people’s lives and mental health. It does seem very prevalent around my part of London - I feel like I can smell it in the street all the time when I am out and about.

I'm sure enjoyed moderately on occasion it's fine but the heavy users I've known have ended up lazy and boring.

I live someone where it is legal. I rarely see or smell someone smoking it in public. Pretty much everyone I know (40 and 50 something professionals) uses it occasionally. Most buy a pen that delivers measured doses. You can pick the blend you want. It doesn't really smell. Because it is legal and regulated you know what you are getting. I am in CA, most of it is grown here and the legalization has generally been beneficial to the economy especially those that grow it. Overall it is a non-issue, the whole state hasn't become lazy layabouts doing nothing, you have to be 21 to buy it and I think a lot of the excitement for kids has been removed. I know a lot of people who have used it for chronic health conditions and seen positive changes. If you don't like it you don't smoke it, simple enough. I don't buy the argument that it is addictive either, most people I know use it occasionally but can go weeks or months without doing so if they want to, will save it for when going to a concert or away without the kids.

Psychiatric hospitals are packed with people who don't think weed is a problem. So that means it must be ok.

It smells really unpleasant and some strains of it make me feel quite sick. When it is all musty on someone’s clothing if you stand near them it is over powering and horrible. I think the same about tobacco smell but weed is more pungent and grim. I know a lot of people like the smell/taste but like smoking anything, that’s always better when it is ‘fresh’ and not when it is a musty lingering stale stench

If people put it into pens and vape it Or use CBD oil in other ways for medicinal purposes think that’s a more acceptable way but I don’t like the culture around it that usually rappers portray to young teens where being baked off your face 24/7 is just a normal way of life that makes you ‘creative’.

It is addictive, even if that is psychological and can affect your mental health. Many people misuse it in the sense of over use, driving whilst stoned etc which IMO ruins it for the people who would use it responsibly for medical conditions

Personally I agree it should be decriminalised but should have an age restriction on. I'm a youth worker and see the damage it does to under 18's like smoking and alcohol. Kids should not be having it until they are able to learn the self discipline to take it.

My brother smoked weed when he was a uni. Was fine with it but he had the self discipline to not let it effect his uni course. When young people smoke it, they tend to fall into that crowd that don't care for their school work and other things that are important.

It destroyed my brother’s mental health and ruined his life. I think it should stay illegal.

I smoked weed virtually every day for around 2.5 years in my late teens/early 20's and had to give up because I became so horribly paranoid. I suffered from depersonalisation (I would be driving - when not under the influence, when I would look down and it would appear that the hands on the steering wheel were not my own) and it sparked off my first panic attack when I ate an edible at a crowded music festival and had to spend the next 12 hours fully inside my sleeping bag with my head covered.

I don't think it's addictive in itself, but it can become the only way you relax, so it can be hard to stop using because you have to re-teach yourself other methods to chill out. This, in my case, meant drinking a lot more alcohol - and ultimately led to me becoming an alcoholic.

It's been 17 years since I last had any weed and nearly 7 since my last alcoholic drink and I do agree with PPs that alcohol is more dangerous than cannabis. However, as to whether or not it should be legalised, I would say no - it's psychological effects are too far-reaching and long-lasting (I still suffer from the odd panic attack all these years later) and our Mental Health Care Services are already hugely overstretched. It's also a gateway drug, putting users into contact with dealers who also deal in harder drugs which they may never have had the option to try had they not been buying weed - and our Drug Dependency Services are also massively overstretched and underfunded.

Can’t stand it bad for mh

Hate it, I used to smoke it when in my teens, but I grew up! I used it now and again, my son uses it all the time, tried to explain what it can do to young brains that's haven't fully developed yet, hate the effect, hate the smell

I've seen the life and souls of the parties become pure miserable and definite very poor mental health if long term use. That and the filthy smell, (I used to wretch, not cool) put me off for life.

I used to dread my kids becoming dope heads. Thankfully the first to go through teens hasn't become one, but then the alcohol kids can get hold of now is another story!

Just sitting down with my before bed smoke to type this 🤣.
I'm 40 and have been using since I was 29. I have Multiple Sclerosis (since age 27) and it helps manage my symptoms greatly.
My view is that as a medication it works wonders, it has been fantastic for me and all my health care professionals know that I use weed to manage some of my symptoms. Actually only my parents don't know.
My Stepson uses it in the way I don't agree with. He is way too young and smokes skunk, which I believe will affect his mental health as his brain has not fully grown yet as he is 21 and has smoked it for a few years.

I have a 13 year old daughter and I have educated her about the use of 'baby broccoli' as she calls it. She hates that her brother smokes it and the smell of it as he has strong ones. She says that she doesn't even notice mine as mine isn't as strong and I dose myself completely different. She also recognises the difference in our use of it.
All friends and family who know are completely supportive of my use and I don't hide it from anyone (apart from the parents 😉) I believe that it should be legal to use as a medication but regulated so that there's no skunk and an age limit, unless there is a medicinal need.

I hate it.
Likewise I hate tobacco and alcohol too.

I dont like it personally.
But I do not see why it's illegal when alcohol and tobacco are legal. So I think it should be decriminalised.
I understand some people can get addicted but that is the same for alcohol.
I know people who smoke it and I think that's up to them. I dont personally view it as being worse than drink.
I dont enjoy it though so I never smoke it.

It can be good for MH if you're using it to treat some forms of joint inflammation. There are some good trials going on in US states and Canada where it is legal. I use CBD oil and it helps my arthritis.

Psychiatric hospitals are packed with people who don't think weed is a problem. So that means it must be ok

That is absolutely true. Drug induced psychosis with long lasting possibly life long effects are what we are seeing in MH services with young people and and it’s nearly always weed Its a given that it will be weed

And as for it doesn’t cause any deaths there are far too many young men and boys carrying around knives who smoke regularly and are very paranoid we read about them in the papers far too often

For medicinal purposes it’s needs to be easy for people to get. But thinking that if it is made legal it’s going to make such a difference is naive as the weed that is being smoked the strength that is wanted by many will only be sold be dealers

I was under the impression it sort of unlocked mental health rather than caused it if that makes sense? And I don't think it's addictive.. Not as addictive as tobacco anyway. If you're smoking it with tobacco than you would probably get addicted by association and then just general habit. I know loooooots of people who smoke weed and have done myself. I'm prepared to be told I'm absolutely wrong about what I said though.

Has anyone got any idea why skunk psychosis is so under-reported? Alcohol may be thought to be worse for some things (violence) but a couple of G&Ts a week over a month don't send you permanently insane.

Skunk can - and does.

Alcohol's a very old drug, so it naturally has a very long, much bigger reputation as trouble. Weed can't compete with that - yet - skunk is only 30 years old, and the authorities need time to catch up.

Traditionally, alcohol is seen as worse because it makes some very long-term users violent, but with the soaring murder rate among teens this year alone, weed is coming up on the inside faster than anyone could have dreamed.

What I'd like to see is the ratio of harmed: unharmed users for both alcohol and weed. I suspect that weed carries a far higher risk of health damage, for the average person. And the harm caused is way worse.

If you take the average Community Psych Service, you'll see some problem alcohol users, but practically all adults everywhere drink. A hell of a lot of people will also present with problems with weed, but most people in the community don't use it.

Curing alcohol addiction is possible; curing psychosis isn't.

I was under the impression it sort of unlocked mental health rather than caused it if that makes sense? And I don't think it's addictive..

My husband smoked weed, ended up with drug induced psychosis, then diagnosed with schizophrenia. One consultant is convinced that if he didn't smoke it he would not be unwell today. He could have been predisposed to it but life could have been very different for him if he never smoked it. We will never know for sure if it caused it or 'unlocked' it but he regrets it every single day.

I would be very concerned if our children smoked it. I don't think it is harmless. For some people it absolutely can be OK, but for others it can be awful. You just don't know how it is going to affect you until it is too late. It can be addictive psychologically.

I work in MH and like the posters said above, drug induced psychosis is a very familiar story. Especially in young people whose brains are still developing.

I hate it. When my db realised he was hearing and seeing things others didnt he self medicated with weed. It exacerbated his psychosis to an extremely frightening level. He has been in and out of psychiatric hospital all his adult life and every consultant I've ever spoken to has said weed is a major contributing factor to my issues. Good for you if it doesnt affect you but please spare a thought for those it does affect.

MH issues not my issues. Theres not enough time for those!

Don’t mind it. Never seen a load of high yobs causing trouble and being noisy. Can’t say the same about people out drinking:

I don't smoke, however once every couple of weeks or so I will use it to bake a cake which I enjoy on a weekend.

Don't like it and I'm an open ex drug addict (not weed) my husband has paranoid schizophrenia which he believes smoking weed in his youth plays a part on why has it.

When I've been on psych wards every young lad in the places have had weed addictions. Obviously this is just my personal experience I can't prove weed played a part but it's a hell of a coincidence if it didn't.

I think it should be decriminalised, sold in weaker strains and age resticted.

Loved a spliff after getting back from an all nighter as a teen..never anything massive but had mates who(on skunk)ended up not doing much but shotties&bongs all day..left it all behind when i started uni (binge drinking took over)so didnt seen any personal adverse effect but deffo know of other people who it slowly took over.