Marijuana: Chester the Brain Molester

[Naggi]

Recently-published study gaining plenty of media attention in the UK for its findings. In a very simple nutshell, it's a longitudinal study conducted on >1000 participants from birth to 38 years. It concludes that the adolescent onset of persistent cannabis smoking which continues into adulthood leads to a decline in IQ and other cognitive functions after controlling for social class, education and other variables. This is the first study to have made such emphatic claims, and naturally most psychologists and scientists would like to see further robust supporting evidence.

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/20...20109.abstract

[Salodin]

I don't know if I've ever heard people disagree that it leads to a lower IQ if you use it persistently. That's the point though, don't.

[Gadritan]

Eh, that study doesn't show anything remotely conclusive. There's a whole lot of "wat," in how it was conducted and the data was manipulated.

For example, I'd like to hear their explanation of why regular users arithmetic continued to improve while those who never used continued to decline. What, they failed to mention that one? I can't imagine why.

The tests weren't done over time. Saying from birth to 38 is a bit misleading. It was one test when they were about 13. One test when they were 38. That's 25 years of variables they're claiming to account for. They say that they account for hard drug use as well. So, do they know how much of a decline in IQ use of those drugs will cause at the rate the participant was using? People who do hard drugs are going to be a significantly higher percentage of the more frequent users since pot is a complimentary drug.

Idk. I'm not trying to make some absurd claim like "smoking weed makes ur mafths gewd." I'm just worried people will latch on to that as being significant when it's not. Hell, the highest swing in IQ was 8 points, which is pretty weak for that sort of IQ test. The standard deviation for it is 15 points.

Last but not least, if I'm looking at all this stuff wrong someone correct me. Obviously not an expert here, so I know I could be getting some of it mixed up. Seems pretty straightforward though.

[Pikarya]

Carl Sagan calls bullshit on that study.

[Sqwunk]

Sounds like people trying to make the "It kills brain cells" argument valid again by saying it lowers IQ

[Pikarya]

Where they gave lab rats practically 110,000 human hits worth of non-cooled smoke/THC and wondered why the IQ of the mice went down. Modern studies show that the reason why the mice went retarded and lost all their brain cells was because they were literally choking to death for a full 5 minutes everyday with no oxygen. Beyond hotboxing.

What happens when the brain has no oxygen? Obviously Marijuana is bad.

[Aurara]

Where they gave lab rats practically 110,000 human hits worth of non-cooled smoke/THC and wondered why the IQ of the mice went down. Modern studies show that the reason why the mice went retarded and lost all their brain cells was because they were literally choking to death for a full 5 minutes everyday with no oxygen. Beyond hotboxing.

What happens when the brain has no oxygen? Obviously Marijuana is bad.

Yeah this is something nobody fucking accounts for. You have to literally pump smoke nonstop into your lungs in order to die/lose that many brain cells. Shit, even hotboxing isn't that bad because its for such a short period of time(depending on who you smoke with, i've smoked to the point I couldnt see my hand in a car once).

[Sera]

yesterday someone i know got arrested:

was in nyc, in a car. checkpoint. they were not high or drunk. he was carrying less than an 8th on him, and was not driving. they took his backpack, which had a grinder and a bowl in it. the bowl was clean of residue. it also had two PSPs. today he gets out, they give him his bag back, sans PSPs and bowl (and weed, obviously). thing is in nyc you're not even supposed to get arrested for possession, it's a citation offense, not an arrest. the judge dismissed it and apologized, but uh, two PSPs gone in the mix because the cops took them. cute.

ugh

Yeah this is something nobody fucking accounts for. You have to literally pump smoke nonstop into your lungs in order to die/lose that many brain cells. Shit, even hotboxing isn't that bad because its for such a short period of time(depending on who you smoke with, i've smoked to the point I couldnt see my hand in a car once).

first thing i thought of too. part of me wonders if they repeated the study with say, vapes or edibles it'd be the same outcome, or if they repeated the study on people who smoke cigarettes (indoors?) excessively -- if those subjects would mirror or mimic the findings

[Pikarya]

http://puu.sh/ZTFU

[noblemountain]

Hot damn Kentucky...make that shit happen!

[Aurara]

first thing i thought of too. part of me wonders if they repeated the study with say, vapes or edibles it'd be the same outcome, or if they repeated the study on people who smoke cigarettes (indoors?) excessively -- if those subjects would mirror or mimic the findings

It would be completely different I think because you would have to consume(in the case of edibles) so many that you would pass out/fall asleep before you got to any dangerous level. As far as vaping goes, would have to vape a shitload more than smoking thats for sure, since vaping doesn't damage your lungs as much as smoking does.

[Apelila]

Advice for someone who's recently discovered this? I have yet to get anything for myself, but that's because I don't want to spend money on something that's useless/inferior. Smoke shops around here refuse to let you speak of anything other than tobacco for their products, most of what I've found through cursory searching has been either "Weed is awesome legalize it man" or "You're going to hell when you smoke" sites.

I feel like a dork asking my friends for advice because one is so high all the time I can't understand him (I'm not reaching for that particular goal) and the other is hard to describe. He's happier when my mouth is occupied with not talking, lets just say that.

But damn if it doesn't help with anxiety for a good couple of days after I smoke. But I'd like to know more general do'/dont's. How to store, what to look for, etc. Total noob stuff.

[Salodin]

Air tight jar, nuff said. If not, air tight bag. If not, as close to it as you can get. Freeze it if you have very large quantities that you won't smoke in a week or two. Basically, you don't want it to dry out quickly, so freeze what you don't use, and keep it air tight to keep too much moisture from leaving. If you wanna be clever and keep it humid (cigar people do this for their collection), keep the humidity from getting too high or it'll spoil and get mildew, making it useless.

I don't know what you plan to use to smoke it, but I prefer my pipe for quick hits, or cigar/zigzag papers if I'm out in town or want something different. Normally people dismiss using paper (it is definitely the least healthiest method), but I like the smoke I get from it. If you don't have to hide the stuff in your home, bongs are nice too, if you want to spend the money on it. For comparison, I can get cigar paper for about a dollar (can get about two sessions out of it), or spend 2 bucks on zig zags and last me awhile (I suck at rolling so sometimes I throw em out and retry, get a bit more then a dozen uses out of the small boxes). I have two pipes, my small black one I bought for $45, and my larger pink one I got as a gift for the gf, that one was $75. The pink one can hold enough for two people easily, the black one is more a single person pipe. The bongs at my neighborhood store start at 150 for tiny looking things; they get the job done but I'm not comfortable dropping that much money for a bong. The smoke you get from each of these will feel a little different, id try paper and a small pipe first, see what you like more, then try a bong if you wanna spend the money or have a friend with one.

I don't know how to explain quality to you though, in my experiences you just gotta "get out there". I try to buy around 20 to 30 dollars worth when I'm buying from some one new, and if I like the experience from his product, ill go back and buy more. Sometimes they know the name, most of the time they give me a weird look; either way it doesn't matter cause I probably won't find that strain from any one else unless I moved to CA, so I stopped caring. I'm not knowledgeable about strains, and I'd find any one hard pressed to be knowledgeable unless they live in a legalized state where they have the choice between dozens of strains at a store.

[Salodin]

Also, try to be in a good frame of mind when you smoke. That affects you soooo much...if I'm paranoid, scared, upset, etc while I'm smoking, it'll get more intense and drive me insane till it wears off. Not a pleasant feeling...

[Roranora]

Advice for someone who's recently discovered this?

But damn if it doesn't help with anxiety for a good couple of days after I smoke. But I'd like to know more general do'/dont's. How to store, what to look for, etc. Total noob stuff.

grass city forums will learn you up however much you want to.. with some patient browsing

i stepped my game up a little after reading there and getting a better understanding of how to get more out of one's cannabis. ex: good grinder, stainless of some kind so you can quick iso wash it. i've done this once and had excellent results

[Aurara]

Advice for someone who's recently discovered this? I have yet to get anything for myself, but that's because I don't want to spend money on something that's useless/inferior. Smoke shops around here refuse to let you speak of anything other than tobacco for their products, most of what I've found through cursory searching has been either "Weed is awesome legalize it man" or "You're going to hell when you smoke" sites.

Yeah some smoke shops are super anal, and will kick you out if you use the word Bong, so instead use the word water pipe, and when talking about weed, just call it product so that there is no confusion.

But damn if it doesn't help with anxiety for a good couple of days after I smoke. But I'd like to know more general do'/dont's. How to store, what to look for, etc. Total noob stuff.

General info you should know:

3 types of cannabis: Sativa, Indica, and Hybrid(not really a type but i classify it as one)

Indica is for relaxing/nice body high/something you wanna smoke at night before you sleep and whatnot

Sativa is a head high/something you might wanna smoke during the day since it can give you some energy(I smoke sativa in social settings as it makes me more talkative)

Hybrids usually have an Indica or Sativa dominant(example my weed AK47 is 60%sativa/40%indica), these are awesome and can be smoked whenever really.

Storing: As Salodin said air tight jars/smell proof bags/mason jars. If it gets moldy then throw it out, even if its a whole O, throw it the fuck out. Weed is great but not when it kills you because of mold. They covered smoking it really well!

As far as quality goes, a typical 8th of REALLY good weed is gonna cost you between 40-60$(this is really really high end 8ths for 60, and yes I know a club who's cheapest 8th is 60). High quality weed is more like 30-50$(again 50 is the high end of a lot of dealers/clubs etc). Mids is 20-40 and shit is 20$(although if you get to know people you can get 8ths of dank for 20 bucks). That covers prices.

As far as being able to tell what looks good and what looks bad:
Bad weed can be brown, fluffy, and full of seeds. Never buy brown weed, because you're getting ripped off. If your weed is fluffy as fuck, then you probably got ripped off by like .2-.5gs, same with seeds/stems.

Good weed is usually green, with a hint of purple(depending on how its grown, has little to no seeds, and no big stems(unless you get a fat ass nug). If it's sticky, and smells really earthy.

Good luck and if you have any questions feel free to ask

[Roranora]

tube works too

i ask to see various tubes when i want to see nice bongs, get them going on perc trees, diffusion, whatever. i've found, once you break the ice with genuine interest, they open right up. bought a tube and a pre-cooler from a shop, the owner asked to meet up later and chill. we did, and he popped my BHO cherry; holy goodness i was destroyed

also, chillum, steamroller, spoons/pipes other words i've used to frankly-but-appropriately get to see inventory. also, referring to your herbs as product is a good one. the more specific and interested you shop, the better it goes. if you're a kid and only thinking like, 'yo i want a bong for my weed' then most head shop experiences might be like that

and I'm 3 for 3 with awesome experiences + conversations in headshops in Austin. Always looking to add to it anytime i'm nearby

[Aurara]

^This is really good advice, don't go into a shot like a complete tard, because if you do they won't give you deals if they can tell you don't appreciate the glass you're buying. Treat it like an art gallery and enjoy the experience.

[Pikarya]

Don't use joints, blunts, pipes. Graduate immediately to water bongs or vape if you want to cut out any bad early experiences with weed.

Always price checks, assholes love to up charge noobies that are clueless.

Very little, to no seeds = good weed usually. They remove as much seed droppings as possible to regrow a new line of crop. On cheaper weed they will leave the seeds.

ALWAYS REMOVE THE SEEDS FROM YOUR WEED, THIS INCLUDES THE HUSKS. I have two friends that smoke weed with seeds in their shit. It not only pops like popcorn once heated but it gives off the most awful fucking taste ever.

Every type/strain of weed does something different. Look it up if you have no clue. Some will slowly creep up on you and destroy you into retard mode. Some will make you sleepy, some will just make you normal & calm. It all depends.

To clean any bong, just use table salt mixed with alcohol. Shake and rinse in hot water over and over. Always clean your bong, anyone who doesn't is fucking disgusting. I know friends that smoke resin and its about as classy as eating food out of a trashcan.

You will notice when you clean your bowl often that its very hard to pack weed into it. Usually I leave a little resin in the bowl to dry to add friction, that way when I press new weed inside it fits perfect like a cork and doesn't pop out (like it would if it was spotless clean).

Never use hot water in a bong, it's been proven it weakens the THC as it passes through the medium into your lungs.

Get a weed grinder with a pollen screen. Wait till you try kief, the caviar (nectar) of weed trimmings. Sprinkle it on top the weed you're gonna smoke in your bowl and you'll be in heaven.

If you're going to use papers, at least use hemp-made papers. Shit is a lot healthier than typical JOB/Zigs. Also burns much slower like a cigar blunt.

Lastly I suggest never using a pipe or smoking raw-dog through a joint for the main purpose that if you have weak lungs like I do. You will get sick severely. Hot smoke entering your body when you've never did this before in your life will hurt like hell, even after two months if you're in my situation. If someone offered me free joints or to take a few hits off a pipe I'd pass. Its absolutely not worth the trouble for me. It all depends on the person and the health of their innards. You'll find out as you take your first trip.

There's a lot more things I know I'm forgetting, but my brain is fried at the moment.

[Apelila]

also, chillum, steamroller, spoons/pipes other words i've used to frankly-but-appropriately get to see inventory. also, referring to your herbs as product is a good one. the more specific and interested you shop, the better it goes. if you're a kid and only thinking like, 'yo i want a bong for my weed' then most head shop experiences might be like that

and I'm 3 for 3 with awesome experiences + conversations in headshops in Austin. Always looking to add to it anytime i'm nearby

I'm in Tyler, and even though I'm 30 I look much younger. Places around here that have to be wary of minors usually double card me (once when I walk in, again if I buy anything). I'm one of those people that is incredibly awkward in unfamiliar situations, hence why I'm doing research before wandering into a place so I don't have a spaghetti moment. I'm not going to try and roll in there like I know everything but it helps if I'm not all "whats this?" about every single thing in the place.

Don't use joints, blunts, pipes. Graduate immediately to water bongs or vape if you want to cut out any bad early experiences with weed.

Always price checks, assholes love to up charge noobies that are clueless.

Very little, to no seeds = good weed usually. They remove as much seed droppings as possible to regrow a new line of crop. On cheaper weed they will leave the seeds.

ALWAYS REMOVE THE SEEDS FROM YOUR WEED, THIS INCLUDES THE HUSKS. I have two friends that smoke weed with seeds in their shit. It not only pops like popcorn once heated but it gives off the most awful fucking taste ever.

Every type/strain of weed does something different. Look it up if you have no clue. Some will slowly creep up on you and destroy you into retard mode. Some will make you sleepy, some will just make you normal & calm. It all depends.

To clean any bong, just use table salt mixed with alcohol. Shake and rinse in hot water over and over. Always clean your bong, anyone who doesn't is fucking disgusting. I know friends that smoke resin and its about as classy as eating food out of a trashcan.

You will notice when you clean your bowl often that its very hard to pack weed into it. Usually I leave a little resin in the bowl to dry to add friction, that way when I press new weed inside it fits perfect like a cork and doesn't pop out (like it would if it was spotless clean).

Never use hot water in a bong, it's been proven it weakens the THC as it passes through the medium into your lungs.

Get a weed grinder with a pollen screen. Wait till you try kief, the caviar (nectar) of weed trimmings. Sprinkle it on top the weed you're gonna smoke in your bowl and you'll be in heaven.

If you're going to use papers, at least use hemp-made papers. Shit is a lot healthier than typical JOB/Zigs. Also burns much slower like a cigar blunt.

Lastly I suggest never using a pipe or smoking raw-dog through a joint for the main purpose that if you have weak lungs like I do. You will get sick severely. Hot smoke entering your body when you've never did this before in your life will hurt like hell, even after two months if you're in my situation. If someone offered me free joints or to take a few hits off a pipe I'd pass. Its absolutely not worth the trouble for me. It all depends on the person and the health of their innards. You'll find out as you take your first trip.

There's a lot more things I know I'm forgetting, but my brain is fried at the moment.

Thanks for information about what to watch out for with the smoke itself. My lungs are terribad.One friend rolls his all the time and its hell on me after I'm over there. Pipe doesn't bother me as much, but I'm probably eventually going to invest in a bong/vape after I get a good idea on what to look for.