My nephew has gotten into the habit of smoking cannabis daily (he calls it a night time sleep aid). What long term effects did you notice from chronic marijuana use?
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Definitely during the long term use, short term memory was a problem. And of course, feeling lethargic can be a problem, it really depends on the strain and the volume of consumption. But for me, it wasn't such a problem, as a younger man, I had so much nervous energy, marijuana actually helped calm me to what others would call a manageable level. I actually had no problem performing physical work when younger while under the influence, of course I learned to moderate consumption depending on what I was doing. As for now that I have stopped, I don't think it has had a long term affect on my memory when compared to those who have never smoked, I have even received compliments on my ability to retain certain information and some people have suggested I have a photographic memory (which I don't believe I have, but the compliment did surprise me) and as for my intellectual ability, it maybe knocked off a few IQ points, but I still get complimented on my mind and my ability to create a reasonable argument.
I have actually experienced psychosis once from amphetamines and another time from heavy cannabis use, but as for any long term affect on mental functioning, it is hard to say (although I am sure many a getbigger will refute this, lol). As for physically, it definitely had a damaging affect on my lungs, nothing I can confirm medically, but it took me many years to achieve a cardiovascular level of health I felt comfortable with. (many years after stopping I completed the OXFAM Trailwalker - a 100KM hike through the Mountains.). If I was to do it again, I would definitely choose another method of ingestion, like eating it or using a vaporiser at the very least.
It certainly had a negative financial cost and it severely strained relations with my parents and some of my siblings, who were very strict conservatives who disowned me because of my Free Spirited ways. Their is still a modicum of a relationship there, but there isn't much love lost. I have never liked alcohol and only briefly experimented with it. The reason I liked marijuana so much was that it really did open up my mind, it forced it to break out of rigid ways of thinking and to look at the world in new and different ways. I compare myself to some of my siblings who have taken a very sober and traditional path in their lives, and we are remarkably different people, but I wouldn't trade my experience for anything. I feel like those younger years was me venturing down the rabbit hole, it opened up my mind to really scary stuff but also a beauty or profoundness, a certain indescribable depth that I don't think I would have discovered otherwise.