I have auditory hallucinations when I smoke. Being deaf... this can be rather enjoyable. Reminds me of me back when I could hear.
And I stand by my earilier comment: marijuana is no worse than alcohol. Just about everything Radical posted can be applied to alcohol, if you substitue "liver disease" for "lung disease" and tweak a few statements
Short term effects:
* alcohol often gives sedative like effects that make some people feel chilled out and happy and others have one drink and feel sick.
* Others get the giggles until the muscles in their face hurt (ok, I don't know of many people who get giggles from alcohol, but I have woke up with my face hurting because I ran into a door while I was drunk.
)
* Hunger pangs... not really alcohol; you got me there. Enough alcohol will cause nausea and vomiting, which we'll call anti-hunger pangs for comparison.
* Even hardcore drinkers can get anxious, panicky and suspicious ... in fact, most hardcore (usually male) drinkers have had a "fighting drunk" night.
* It affects your coordination, which is why drunk driving is just as illegal as drug driving.
Longer term effects:
Some people think that because alcohol is distilled from plants and/or natural yeast, it is harmless, but that's not true.
* Alcohol, like tobacco, has chemical 'nasties' (namely alcohol) which can cause liver disease and cirrhosis with long term or heavy use. Alcohol can make existing health problems worse.
* There is also increasing evidence of a link between alcohol and mental health problems If you have a history of mental health problems or are experiencing paranoia or depression you definitely want to steer clear of alcohol.
* It's estimated that about (? who knows this figure reliably?) of users are hooked on alcohol.
* If you drink it with tobacco you can get hooked on the tobacco. (If you eat spaghetti while smoking tobacco you can get hooked on the tabacco. This factoid is not relavant unless you want me to make a "nicotine" dangers list.)
* If you are pregnant, drinking alcohol (moderately or heavily) will harm the baby. See fetal alcohol syndrome.
* Regular, heavy use makes it harder to learn and concentrate and some people begin to feel drunk all the time and can't seem to get motivated.
* Most people will know of a 'alcoholic'... often in their own immediate or extended family.
I'm not trying to make a joke of the dangers of drug use. I'm pointing out that alcohol (and nicotine) is (are) just as much a drug as weed. But I don't feel that the government should be allowing alcohol use, and indeed, the use of many "cannibis substitutes," and (what the hell) let's throw in nicotine with its on-board carcinogens in cigarettes/cigars, while keeping cannibis illegal.
I've never been out driving while I was drunk or high. (I have smoked a cigar while driving, however. I'm not a regular smoker, but I have had an occasional cigar.) Driving while intoxicated on any substance ridiculous, be it weed, alcohol, prescribed tranqs, heroin, or whatever. Driving high is just as irresponsible as driving drunk or driving sedated. However, I know of a lot more people who have been killed by drunk drivers than by high drivers, although that figure is probably skewed toward alcohol due to its rampant and widespread use, while marijuana is somewhat more of a closeted drug. ::shrugs::
It's responsible to post a dangers list as a caveat when talking about drug use -- any drug. But I think this thead was intended to talk about states of consciousness induced by marijuana use, and to question if those states are beneficial to personal development. Frankly, I think
not over the long term, although it
might be beneficial for certain very curious individuals to try mj for a short period to gain perspective; in the same way that many people 'try' alcohol to experience the slightly altered state of 'tipsy' or 'drunk' before they decide that it is not beneficial for personal growth.
Anyway... please feel free to flame me if you think I'm advocating illegal drug use. I'm trying to play devil's advocate here, because all perspectives are useful, even the unpopular ones.