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.

For those who defend cannabis use & claim it has no harmful effect on mental
Health. You have obviously never had the first hand experience of what this drug can do to some people.
My brother was diagnosed with cannabis induced psychosis after going missing for two weeks. We thought he was dead. He had a serious psychotic episode in his early 20s after several years of regular cannabis use. He was sectioned. He has never fully recovered even 8 years on and is a diagnosed schizophrenic living in sheltered accommodation. His cannabis use seriously effected his young developing mind.
He was a normal young man, played lots of sport, had friends and came from a fairly middle class background.
His life has been ruined by the use of this drug. There may be plenty of people who do not feel any ill effect but there are also those who do suffer the terrible effects which is why I do not think it's use should be condoned.

Linked to mental health disorders, even schizophrenia.

I have enjoyed other recreational drugs in the past but I am really adverse to cannabis. I have seen it affect people’s mental health in a serious way. And also, just make people very apathetic and unmotivated and boring. It really smells vile to me too, enough to almost make me want to wretch when I smell it strongly. I think it would be really bad to legalise it as it definitely not something that will help young people who already have pressure from peers to get drunk and smoke.

I didn’t say there were studies linking cannabis to knife crime but I would be very surprised anyone who works with young people who have mh issues and or young offenders who don’t believe that cannabis was a very real and worrying concern because what we are often dealing with is the side effect which is for many paranoia

I said studies are catching up. Royal College of Psychiatry are interestingly updating their information on Cannabis and Mental Health

As for knife crime I work in forensic mental health (that is offenders and ex offenders with a mh diagnosis). We see the impact of cannabis connected to violent crime and mh issues all the time. Not alcohol (levels or drinking alcohol are low) or other drugs even drugs like cocaine that are known for causing aggression does not cause that long lasting paranoia that we see so so often and the drug induced psychosis that again we see so so often that is having serious and possible life long impacts on many young people’s lives

Totally hate it. My son was addicted, spent huge amounts of money on it, has developed psychosis and schizophrenia because of it and will never fully recover from the effects of his weed smoking years.

He's drug free now but will be on meds for life.

He's drug free now but will be on meds for life.

Oh, the irony ...

It was obvious that ilikepurple was referring to illegal drugs

Or maybe that’s take on her brothers condition after reading the Daily Mail

What we should be worried about is alcohol..I think it's utterly ludicrous that alcohol is advertised on television..tv presenters tasting alcohol, saying they can't wait for a glass of wine etc..it's the norm to drink alcohol..I'm known as weird for not drinking..
That's what people should be focused on!!

There are no benefits to alcohol.
Cannabis should be available for people with health issues, chronic pain etc. It's proven to work and change people's lives. Alcohol doesn't.

I “phase out” anyone in my life who takes it. I just can’t abide it. For a while host of reasons. I just can’t be around it or people who take it. Can’t bate smoking either, I have no family or friends who smoke.

Im ok with medicinal use, other than that I hate it. The smell makes me nauseous, and honestly it just reminds me of thoroughly boring men who think theyre really woke and tuned in. Also the short term memory loss is huge. I did my sw placement at a drop in center for addicts and had to have every conversation 5 times before they could remember. Its something that annoying men do.

Lol give me a weed smoker any day over an out with the lads binge drinking type.

My brother is in his fifties and due to years of smoking this crap is a thoroughly unpleasant person to be around. It's terrible stuff.

Smells vile!

@2eternities

I'm not sure any of the people on here who have had to support family members with cannabis induced psychosis & life long mental health issues would agree with you

It stinks and it makes people really boring. And from knowing a few people whom it really harmed, I am not convinced that it's as benign as some claim.

I had bad reactions to prescription medication I wouldn't seek to deny it to those it works for.

I don’t have an issue with it as long as it’s not used all the time, same with alcohol.
Smoking the occasional joint isn’t the end of the world!!

Maybe some people like being 'boring'? What does that even mean?

Also mumsnet always touts anti depressants but they destroyed my physical and mental health. I still don't object to anyone else trying them but iIstrongly believe a natural plant is far less damaging than all that crap.

Maybe some people like being 'boring'? What does that even mean?

Well for one person I know who smoked weed, he tried to make every topic of conversation involve weed some how.

That habitual smoking of weed screws with your brain.
It makes you paranoid, angry, and displays similar traits to that of someone having a heavy MH episode.
It ruins lives, and families.

I am not adverse to the medicinal use in controlled circumstances/environments.

I am fully against it as a recreational drug.

Kpo tbh I find weed a more interesting topic than love island, facial fillers and other crap most women my age like to talk about. Lol!

tbh I find weed a more interesting topic than love island, facial fillers and other crap most women my age like to talk about.

Growing it is a therapy in itself as well as a learning experience.

My view in terms of mental health is skewed by the fact that I have had someone very close to be impacted significantly to the point where their schizophrenia has left them dead at a young age not to mention the years of extremely poor quality of life that they had and sectioning and medication. On the notes is states drug induced psychosis and the only drug used was weed.

The fact is the over 50% of the patients on his ward at various times have been habitual weed users. I know this from the family group participants telling me. Yes, alcohol could have the same impact but in this ward it wasn't.

When I look at my fully functioning friends and acquaintances they all have paranoia to a lesser or higher degree, they recognise it as something else - some as anxiety, some as the world being against them but small aspects of their behaviour present as related to their recreational drug use from where I am sitting.

There is no regular weed user (in my circles) that would accept that they had any sort of related issue, no matter how big or how small. Some of these people will have a spliff when they get up in the morning, I am yet to hear of anyone other than an alcoholic getting up and having a glass of wine. I accept it may happen, but I've not come across it.