Marijuana: All Facts And Numbers

I have used it for chronic pain for years now. Truth is, it doesn't actually make the pain go away. It makes it easier for me to ignore the pain. That is enough.

The most reasonable argument over cannabis being a "gateway drug" has been that, because of cannabis' illegality, people were having to buy it from dealers who were quite likely to be ready to sell them other drugs too - so legalisation could actually negate that effect. Certainly, in my experience, if people have to break the law to do something that seems relatively innocuous to them, it puts them over a threshold where breaking laws seems less of a big deal. So criminalising innocuous recreational behaviour seems like a huge own goal... unless the intent is to fill up your prisons... which in some countries it absolutely is.

Psilocybin saved my life. I was addicted to heroin for 15 years and after Psilocybin treatment I will be 3 years clean in September. I have zero cravings. This is something that truly needs to be more broadly used in addiction treatment.

I've been stoned basically for 45 years, with a couple short breaks. I'm 60, in perfect health, mentally and physically, two advanced degrees. Although I switched to an herbal vaporizer about 10 years ago.

Smoking a joint watching Sabine Hossenfelder, a prominent physicist, talk pragmatically about weed. What a time to be alive.

My son is severely handicapped man, he was on synthetic medications and the side effects are horrible. He has been on cannabis now for 5 months and doing amazing . I am so happy with how it is helping him sleep and helping his OCD and anxiety

16:35 A side factor that’s missed when examining the increase in marijuana use is that, at the same time interval heavy alcohol use decreased drastically. From 2017 to 2021, heavy alcohol use in Canada dropped from 19.5% to 15.6. And this was not a trend as the number had increased from 17.9 since 2014. This provides evidence for a reverse correlation between marijuana and heavy alcohol use.

My experience with marijuana is mixed. On the positive, it has improved my emotional stability and that effect is long term. I never lose my temper, never get paranoid, never get jealous, and I'm a very chill person, even after going long periods of time without marijuana. When I get high, I feel the urge to go for a walk or bike ride for the duration of the high. Short term effects involve improving my focus and creativity, but that only works on things that I'm passionate about. I tend to not care about my obligations when high. That's why I've given up marijuana for the time being. But you are right about the addictive properties. But it's not an addiction like tobacco or alcohol. I used to experience the insomnia and loss of appetite when putting the weed down. But strangely, I don't experience those symptoms anymore when I come off a binge. Currently, my only withdrawal symptom is the general desire to use, missing the relaxing experience. My best analogy for marijuana addiction is more like a videogame addiction.

I'm 63. I was a pothead when I was 18. I gave it up in my 30s because it gave me anxiety. Now the state I live in (NJ in the USA) legalized it for reecreational use and we have stores you can buy it from. I still get anxiety if I do more than a hit or two, so I only take a hit on some nights because it does help me sleep. While I don't smoke it like I used to, the pothead in me does a little Snoopy dance whenever I go into the store to buy some. One thing I do know is that even though it was illegal for a long time, it was still pervasive and easy to get, so since it doesn't seem to be any more destructive than alcohol (Prohibition in the USA did NOT work and was rescinded), may as well keep it legal and stop spending billions of dollars punishing people for using it.

I'm Dutch, so it's been easily available for decades here. I quit just a few weeks ago after several years of use. In my opinion, it is very important to inform the youth very well about the risks. The brain keeps developing until the age of 23, and smoking before that age is not smart. Some people are more sensitive to THC than others, and they are more at risk of negative side effects, like psychoses. There are some advantages, to those who use it for medical use (CBD) and to whom regular medical drugs are not available or don't work properly. Thanks for raising awareness. 🙏

Dr. Hossenfelder - I just wanted to pass along that I get so into your videos that the little sprinkles of humor you include always catch me off-guard and result in a belly laugh. Thank you for all of the information you provide and the clever humor you treat us to now and again.

"By 2030, Australia will turn into a big bong". I couldn't stop laughing for about ten minutes. Sabine's humor absolutely makes me crack up.

It's legal here in Alaska and personal use was protected before that. Big deal, people pretty quickly stop caring and it just becomes normal.

Thank you for this level-headed, fact-based exposition. I really appreciate it.

I've had my high CBD/low THC cannabis tincture which lessens my anhedonia from depression just enough to appreciate Sabine's dry, German humor. Danke Frau Hossenfelder.

I don't know what the situation is like in other countries, but in Brazil, where cannabis is illegal (even for most medicinal uses), prohibition is a big obstacle for researchers that want to study its effects and possible uses. That's something to take into consideration when talking about the poor quality of research on the plant. I wish Sabine had mentioned this!

I started using when I was about 20 myself. I had been diagnosed with ADHD and every medication I had been prescribed I had some sort of negative effect. I tried around 8-9 different medications and my doctor even got me to try some anti-psychotic since those too have been reported to help with ADHD as well. Marajuana just kinda works for me. It tones down the super hyper active part of the brain but doesn't just completely shut it off like the other medication. It's more so like I can stop and actually think about things rather than impulsively do them without second thought. It doesn't kill my appetite as a big problem with all the medication I would try is that my appetite would be completely gone, even hours after the medication would wear off too. I would sometimes go days without eating as I would feel physically ill if I did otherwise. It's helped me keep a stable job, maintain stable relationships, and I actually can do my household chores, something that was basically impossible for me otherwise. Plus, I'm still a lightweight. It usually cost me at most 20 dollars a month, much cheaper than the medication I had prior.

Watching an intelligent person such as yourself talk in such lengths about a plant I routinely use to become as stupid as possible is hilarious in a way I've yet to encounter. Thank you, Sabine.

Well done witty and informative , 61 years since my first joint at 15 ! Still Cruisin

I'm 72 years of age and have been using MM all of my life. My grandparents knew the medicinal properties of both Sativa and Indica. Indica is a sedative whereas Sativa is a stimulate. You use cannabis in various ways depending upon your situation . I remember the cannabis plants in the garden, the care in growing, harvesting, curing,storing and use. We OWN 65 acres of deep rural land, have 5 various types of vehicles ,heat our home with wood heat ,grow a lot of our own food and meat. We are in excellent health for our age and I haven't seen a doctor in 3 years. [ That was for a routine physical required by the V A in order to stay active in their system.] I started drinking coffees from a baby bottle when I was 18 months old with sugar and canned milk. So, having used cannabis and coffees all of my life there is very little you can tell me about the effects of either substance. Bottom line, " Don't try blowing bad smoke up this old smokers butt ". By the way, LSD was my very first encounter with any form of drugs followed by coke. There's a world of difference between use and abuse.