concerned about my friend doing pot.

[ExhibitG]

so ever since my best friend went to college, he started doing pot like on a weekly basis, give or take. that isn't really the part that annoys me because i know plenty of people who smoke pot and it's not a big deal.

what annoys me is that before college he was so polar opposite on this issue. he laughed in the face of anyone who smoked that stuff and even almost broke up with a girl when he found out she might have been smoking it just once. and it bothers me that he's sort of compromising everything he once stood for.

plus, i know many of you loyal pot folk will disagree, but it does have its long-term effects. but most of all, it just bothers me that all of his morals on the issue have done a complete 180-flip since college began. he's my best friend on the entire planet and i care about him tremendously and that's the only reason why it bothers me, just out of care.

do you think i should talk to him about how i feel on the matter?

[Inventor2]

I think you should let him be his own person. if u really want to try and talk him out of it you can but it might risk your friendship with him. Most people grow out of it anyways. You know like a collage thing. My dad did the same thing. I dont think u should be worried!

[workingatperfect]

I think you should just let be. Maybe he just became more informed on the topic and realized that it's no big deal. Maybe it is just a phase and he'll grow out of it. But really, if he wants to do it, just let him. If you try to talk him out of it, he'll probably think that you're judging him, and it could drive a wedge between you. I've seen it a billion times. College changes people, and it's just something you have to live with.

[Ryhanna]

I think you should just let him do what he wants to do. People change, and their opinions change. He's still the same person, he just doesn't have such a strong opinion on pot anymore.

Occasional recreational use isn't very harmful, anyway.

[StoppingTime]

He may just be trying to fit in to the college atmosphere, or he may have changed from the person you knew him before. There's not really much you can do to, "change him back," and at this time, I don't think you need to. He's what, 18 or 19? By then, you're old enough that you can make these kinds of decisions, and you don't really want, or need people to tell you otherwise.
I'm not to well versed in the dangers/possible dangers of any kind of cannabis usage, so I can't really tell you whether it's harming him or not. Of course, if you notice he's really having either medical, or serious problems in classes because of this, and you're close to him, I don't see why you can't talk to him. If he blows you off, you can say you tried.

[ExhibitG]

thanks for all the answers everybody. i don't really have a problem with him doing the actual weed. like i said, i know plenty of people who do it. it just bothers me when him or when anybody really just totally goes against what they once stood so strongly for. i guess maybe it's just a personal issue with myself, but i really just wanted to talk to him to get his take on it. who knows? he could say "you know what, you're right, and i'm going to stop." or "well here's the reasons why i've changed." i just want the reason so i could understand better. i hope that clarifies my situation a bit.

[Ryhanna]

thanks for all the answers everybody. i don't really have a problem with him doing the actual weed. like i said, i know plenty of people who do it. it just bothers me when him or when anybody really just totally goes against what they once stood so strongly for. i guess maybe it's just a personal issue with myself, but i really just wanted to talk to him to get his take on it. who knows? he could say "you know what, you're right, and i'm going to stop." or "well here's the reasons why i've changed." i just want the reason so i could understand better. i hope that clarifies my situation a bit.

There's nothing wrong with asking him what made him change his mind. :)

[ExhibitG]

There's nothing wrong with asking him what made him change his mind. :)

okay thank you. he might not have even changed his mind lol, judging by the way i've been talking to him i think it's also entirely possible that he's just forgotten his previous way of thinking in an effort to embrace the college lifestyle more.

[Manjusri]

plus, i know many of you loyal pot folk will disagree, but it does have its long-term effects.

Scientifically, no. Cannabis has no adverse long term affects. The only long term affects you can experience is a psychological dependency; which is by no fault of the substance, but the user.

but most of all, it just bothers me that all of his morals on the issue have done a complete 180-flip since college began.

As people age there opinions on many things will change. I'm sure you will experience a different perspective on many things as well, including the usage of cannabis.

You can't stay aggravated at your friend for a long period of time, his choices are his to make.

do you think i should talk to him about how i feel on the matter?

If you feel it necessary, that's entirely up to you. Personally, no. I don't believe you should confront him on the matter. You may have a different opinion on the usage of cannabis, however your friend is fine with it. Therefore the conversation won't go anywhere, and you would be wasting your time.

So long as your friend isn't endangering himself or his college education, there is no reason to be disappointed in his choices.

[TigerBoy]

Scientifically, no. Cannabis has no adverse long term affects.
This is factually incorrect and not 'scientific' at all. If you want to claim a scientific position for your opinion you should at least attempt to back it up with facts.

Here are some sources that disprove your statement:

Large study showing risk of permanently lowering IQ for cannabis smoking kids (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19372456)
Health risks (tuberculosis, cancer, schizophrenia) greater than tobacco (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18283689) experts warn
Royal College of Psychiatrists warn of mental health risks. (http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinfo/problems/alcoholanddrugs/cannabis.aspx)


And in the interest of genuinely being scientific, here is one of the key benefits of smoking cannabis:
Cannabis can help nerve pain (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11110798)


The only long term affects you can experience is a psychological dependency; which is by no fault of the substance, but the user.
Again incorrect - per sources such as above, long term health impacts can include schizophrenia, paranoia, cancer, etc .

[FreeFall]

You're not his keeper and it's not your reason to understand. As much as it sucks, he's a friend. Not a brother, not a boyfriend. He can go run down the road nude if he wanted, and it's still not your place to try and understand.
Do you miss who he used to be? If he was so strong standing against weed, there's no way he just walked into college and went "whoops! What was that little thing I thought about pot again?" Maybe he tried it, just to try it and boom. Hooked.

He's allowed to change his mind. That's part of growing up. What we stand for in our younger years can, is allowed and most likely will change when we're older, even if it's only 1 year later. Honestly, it's hard to take a stance on something when you yourself aren't personally acquainted with it. Not saying it's not impossible but there could be that, that good old typical young folk way of "Eh what's all the fuss, no big deal let me see" mentality.

You can ask him though if you feel you absolutely must. Just a casual question, maybe a light hearted jokingly said "hey I remember when you used to be against weed man. Haha what happened?" If you dive in too quickly you can scare him and put him on the defensive or make him feel judged.

[DerBear]

The one thing I have learnt in life is that peoples morals change as they grow physically and mentally and take different leaps through out life. I once believed in something that I know question that belief because my view on the world and how it works changes every time something in me changes. This could be what has happened to your friend.

So I don't know, he could be doing it to fit in with the college atmosphere or he could be doing it because his morals has changes because he, himself has changed and with him changing, his morals have changed.

[FergusDunn]

Its maybe none of your business - really

You might have to accept that people change - go out in life and experience new things - pot - booze whatever -

Its up to you to decide if you still want to have him as a friend whatever or however he has changed.

[Manjusri]

This is factually incorrect and not 'scientific' at all. If you want to claim a scientific position for your opinion you should at least attempt to back it up with facts.

- Marijuana cuts lung cancer growth in half, study shows (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070417193338.htm)

"Health risk greater than tobacco"

Delta-9 (Tetrahydrocannabinol) - which is the main psychoactive in marijuana - is found to reduce the growth of cancer cells. Not only in lung cancer, it has also been found to reduce the growth of cancer cells in all major organs of the body.



Large study showing risk of permanently lowering IQ for cannabis smoking kids (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19372456)
Royal College of Psychiatrists warn of mental health risks. (http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinfo/problems/alcoholanddrugs/cannabis.aspx)



Please, if you're going to try and correct me at least scan through your articles. The above information that you've posted was immediately discredited due to the fact that the study was shown for patients under the age of 18. The op is concerned with a friend who is in college - therefore it is safe to assume his friend is or above the age of 18.


Again incorrect - per sources such as above, long term health impacts can include schizophrenia, paranoia, cancer, etc .

Please link me to the article of a patient being diagnosed with cancer solely from the use of cannabis. Thank you.

Paranoia/schizophrenia is a constant misdiagnosis and an inconclusive test result shown in the majority - if not all - studies. Why don't you take a look at this (http://scienceblogs.com/denialism/2007/07/30/does-smoking-cannabis-cause-sc/) article.

[TigerBoy]

- Marijuana cuts lung cancer growth in half, study shows (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070417193338.htm)

Again, you aren't understanding the science. This is a lab study of chemical constituents in a test tube, not the effects of inhaling leaf cannabis. The same arguments can be made for cocaine and all its derivatives. A great many narcotics are used medicinally in refined and processed forms

Also if you read your article with scientific objectivity you will note that it also says:

Preet says much work is needed to clarify the pathway by which THC functions, and cautions that some animal studies have shown that THC can stimulate some cancers.
So even with the lab refinements, this still isn't a 'ok kids you can smoke cannabis' study.


Please, if you're going to try and correct me at least scan through your articles. The above information that you've posted was immediately discredited due to the fact that the study was shown for patients under the age of 18. The op is concerned with a friend who is in college - therefore it is safe to assume his friend is or above the age of 18.
If you are going to discredit stuff without checking your facts AGAIN you are perpetuating your original biased and unscientific response. The third source is NOT just based on under 18 studies only, some sources are listed at the end if you bother to look, and that notwithstanding this is the professional advice of an entire profession based on an aggregation of research which I'm rather more inclined to take seriously than some random kid on the internet.


Please link me to the article of a patient being diagnosed with cancer solely from the use of cannabis. Thank you.
You are shifting the goal posts of your argument now. Your original assertion was that "Cannabis has no adverse long term affects". This is not true, as ilustrated by the second article I already provided.



Paranoia/schizophrenia is a constant misdiagnosis
Hyperbole. To be able to do even begin to claim the entire profession is misdiagnosing patients you must have reviewed all such individual cases. In order to make a credible diagnosis you would also need qualifications and experience.

and an inconclusive test result shown in the majority - if not all - studies. Why don't you take a look at this (http://scienceblogs.com/denialism/2007/07/30/does-smoking-cannabis-cause-sc/) article.
Well I can't blame the chap being sceptical about things published in the Daily Mail, to be fair ;-)

This entire rejection seems based around an objection to a sampling criterion in one study only. Aside from the fact that this is by no means the only study in existence, peer review in science exists precisely so that other experts can address such issues. I have no intention of defending whichever paper he claims to be flawed, that is the job for the authors: if this gentleman has a valid point he could submit his findings to the relevant professional journals. As it stands, objectively this is just one blogger versus the rest of the profession, so the present consensus view holds.

If someone comes along and discredits the whole "cannabis mental health" issue, then great. Science is about finding the truth of things and being objective, not cherry picking to prove a biased view.