Here's What Marijuana Does To You

Last week’s Weednesday Post generated several comments that took my side but the facts wrong. Specifically, a couple of commenters claimed “marijuana is harmless.” That’s not true.

While cannabis may be have fewer harmful effects than alcohol and tobacco, someone who abstains from all three will be healthier mentally and physically than the same person smoking pot.

On the other hand, a lot proponents of prohibition throw around bad science, too. The prohibition lobby has generated tons of false “facts” to manipulate the debate.

Luckily, Business Insider cataloged what we know about cannabis–good and bad.  Take a look at this slide show. Here are the top positives and negatives of smoking weed.

Negatives Positives It blocks memory formation Marijuana also makes us feel good It can mess up your reward system It's better for your lungs than tobacco THC messes with your balance It may decrease anxiety Cannabis use may increase the risk of depression It controls epileptic seizures Intense anxiety, fear, distrust, or panic are common side effects It relieves arthritis discomfort Marijuana users may experience psychosis Marijuana treats inflammatory bowel diseases Audio and visual hallucinations are common THC slows the progression of Alzheimer's disease It robs you of sleep A chemical found in marijuana stops cancer from spreading Inhaling marijuana causes your heart rate to increase It's been shown to alleviate PTSD Finally, decriminalized or not, cannabis is illegal in Missouri. I think that's a really bad law, but it is the law. In fact, [Missouri has the most draconian pot laws in the country](https://www.mpp.org/states/missouri/). Growing, possessing, buying, selling, and smoking are all crimes. And [suspicious activity--like an indoor garden--subject you and your family to SWAT raids and searches](https://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/03/29/ex-cia-employees-who-garden-indoors-claim-their-kansas-home-was-illegally/), even if you've never seen a pot plant.