Is your college student smoking pot?

Parents Forum
121

<p>@maxwelsk: I said inhaled smoke causes brain damage, not any chemical component of marijuana. I don’t care if you are “an engineering at well known university and an athlete, doing well in school.” And to the other person, brain damage is intrinsically permanent.</p>

<p>I won’t debate the chemical effects of marijuana because there are a lot of conflicting studies. In my experience my brother became quite psychologically dependent on marijuana. I can’t support anyone in using marijuana after seeing what happened to him. Whether the physical damage was due to marijuana chemically or smoke/other drugs, I do not know.</p>

122

<p>Woeishe, but it is not. So you gotta go by the rules if you want certain benefits that require you to stay off drugs. Even if pot is legalized, there are jobs where they do not want employees using it. An employer can make that stipulation. You can get in trouble if there is even suspicion that you were drinking before coming to work, even if it’s legal. But with alcohol, the dissipation rate is quick. With pot, it stays in the system for a while. </p>

<p>A train engineer was blamed for a horrible accident some years ago and that he had pot in his system made things much worse, He went to jail. He swore that he had not smoked any for weeks before,but he came up positive.</p>

<p>Smoking anything is harmful to the lungs and respiratory system of not only yourself but others around you. We have been trying to fight cigarette smoking for years. We don’t need another thing to smoke. That it is illegal and stays in the system so long does keep some folks from smoking it and the amounts smoked are not as high because its legal status.</p>

123

<p>^ What about cigarettes? Over the counter drugs? Shouldn’t they be outlawed too? From personal experience, alcohol is 100x worse than marijuana.</p>

124

<p>Cigarettes are awful. Alcohol is deadly when abused.</p>

<p>Unfortunately both are so ingrained in culture that it would be difficult to get rid of them. It was already attempted with alcohol, and Prohibition basically inaugurated modern organized crime. The same would probably happen if cigarettes were illegalized. It’s good that they cannot be advertised on television.</p>

<p>But marijuana shouldn’t be legalized just because other drugs should be illegalized.</p>

125

<p>^ Why not just make them all illegal?</p>

126

<p>

Probably so, but irrelevant.</p>

<p>Even if it’s legal, an employer can refuse to hire you for smoking it.</p>

<p>The point is that, while many people may be able to use recreationally with no problem, if you know you are going to be tested for something (drugs, alcohol, video game residue on your fingers), and that something important depends on the result of that test, but you still cannot refrain from doing the activity, you might have a problem.</p>

127

<p>Once you open the Pandora’s box, it is virtually impossible to get all the uglies back into it. Cigarette smoking and alcohol are so firmly ingrained in our lives that it just doesn’t work. Prohibition tried to do it. We are working on it with cigarettes. I’ve known people sneak a smoke when they are on oxygen in a hospital, it’s that bad. We’re stuck with those. Don’t need more legal crud on the market.</p>

128

<p>Prohibition failed. Cigarettes are so addictive that I’d expect the same result. Also in the modern day, money can supersede political ethics, and cigarettes and alcohol do produce some taxes.</p>

<p>And yeah, cigarettes are disgusting. I have two close relatives who have undergone major surgeries for brain and throat cancers respectively but still smoke cigarettes.</p>

129

<p>Maybe you should have a talk with him. Not like “stop smoking pot” talk, but just talk to him. Find out how he started, why he started, and why he continues to do it. Sometimes getting people to reflect on their actions helps people understand why they do it, and the problem can be fixed. Like my friend smokes pot. I talked to her and asked why. I originally thought she was a conformist like any other teenager, but actually she was smoking because she didn’t like her relationship with her parents & since they worked all the time, she felt really alone and sad. Hence smoking pot was kind of a way to escape from reality and be “happy high”, even if it was for a little bit. Anyways, she’s now working to improve her relationship with her parents, but still smoking lol. However, she said she thinks she would stop after college.</p>

<p>So I think it’s best you just calm down, and have a reflective talk with your son before you do anything. Just saying. It’s most likely just a phase.</p>

130

<p>I think about half of my peers smoked pot at sometime while at college. (Although none of us faced drug testing for jobs had this been the case we may have been much less likely to indulge). The majority of these people really did just smoke it occasionally on social occasions if other people happened to be doing it. In these situations it really was harmless fun which we eventually grew out of.</p>

<p>For a few it did become a problem. I think the warning signs for the problem smokers were that they relied on it and would do it alone, almost everyday, sometimes as an alternative to socializing with other people. They would also buy large amounts (a quantity that would get them in serious trouble if they were caught) and took risks in where they bought, kept and smoked it, without seeing the possible long term consequences. However I think even most of these “problem” smokers eventually decided it was having a negative effect on their lives and gave it up or seriously cut down. However this sometimes took a number of years and had an impact on their degree in the mean time.</p>

131

<p>You can’t just redact laws. You have to go through a process. Too many people feel that cigarettes and alcohol are an important enough part of their lives that they are not going let this happen. We do have a democracy. At the same time, enough people feel pot should not be legalized. If the votes to get legalized were attainable NORMAL would have long been successful as well as a number of other groups. These last few years have provided more success in getting it legalized for medicinal reasons than the long stretch of time when efforts were made to make it generally legal. The fact of the matter is that many pot smokers, though they enjoy that occasional toke, do not want it to become the next form of recreational smoking. We are trying to stamp out cigarette smoking, and are successful in getting where one can smoke limited. To add pot to the repertoire is not helping.</p>

<p>Even if it is legal,there are jobs that do not permit those who have them to be on any meds that can decrease their attention and alertness.</p>

132

<p>There are many misinformed people in this thread, and on this site in general, regarding marijuana and its affects.</p>

<p>First things first: MARIJUANA AFFECTS DIFFERENT PEOPLE DIFFERENTLY (duh). I know some people who smoked a lot of weed in high school (many times, I smoking with some of them) and became complete deadbeats. A lot of these people still live in my home town, doing nothing but smoking and selling weed.</p>

<p>Then there are those who smoked weed and were still functional, and possibly even benefited from it. I consider myself one of those people. I’ll admit, during my junior year of high school, I got waaay too into smoking. But what drew me to smoke a lot wasn’t the prospect of giggling at cartoons and eating fun-yuns, but rather the recognition that it was unlocking a new, fresh, creative way of thinking within my brain. I started writing better music on my guitar, I gained a new appreciation and enthusiasm for nature, and I began to think about things in a different light. I eventually left behind the daily pot smoking, but retained the cognitive enhancements that I confidently attribute to marijuana.</p>

<p>I’m a smart, driven college student attending an Ivy League school I smoke marijuana. I was an all-state athlete in high school, and I smoked marijuana the whole time. Today, I know many other bright, motivated kids who smoke marijuana. We all enjoy the divergent thought processes it provides just as much as the feelings of well-being.</p>

<p>And about the whole cancer thing, let me drop some knowledge: </p>

<p>[Spontaneous</a> regression of septum pellucidum/fornic… [Childs Nerv Syst. 2011] - PubMed result](<a href=“Spontaneous regression of septum pellucidum/forniceal pilocytic astrocytomas--possible role of Cannabis inhalation - PubMed”>Spontaneous regression of septum pellucidum/forniceal pilocytic astrocytomas--possible role of Cannabis inhalation - PubMed)</p>

<p>^Basically, marijuana has been associated (very recently) with tumor regression</p>

<p>[Marijuana</a> and Lung Cancer - Does Smoking Marijuana Cause Lung Cancer](<a href=“http://lungcancer.about.com/od/causesoflungcance1/f/marijuana.htm]Marijuana”>Does Smoking Marijuana Cause Lung Cancer?)</p>

<p>^Commenting on the carcinogenic affects of marijuana, noting that it’s a little ambiguous at this point.</p>

<p>But then there’s this article:</p>

<p>[Large</a> Study Finds No Link between Marijuana and Lung Cancer: Scientific American](<a href=“Large Study Finds No Link between Marijuana and Lung Cancer - Scientific American”>Large Study Finds No Link between Marijuana and Lung Cancer - Scientific American)</p>

<p>Basically, a large study showing no link between marijuana and lung cancer.</p>

133

<p>When do you think pot causes a problem? My son is currently facing a possible DUI charge. (for pot, not alcohol). He may not have a ‘problem’–that is to say that he’s not psychologically addicted, but he’s now had two arrests due to pot. I’m the OP, much has happened since my first post. </p>

<p>He was pulled over but was not given a reason as to why. (that’s in his favor). Cop said he smelled weed in car. Son swears he didn’t smoke that night. Cop took him to hospital for drug test. We know it will be positive regardless of whether or not he smoked that night. When the test comes back positive, he’ll be charged. So if this stuff happened to you, would you quit? </p>

<p>Has he been unlucky? Maybe. Stupid? Probably. Careless? Most definitely. </p>

<p>He’s a smart kid. Got good grades in high school and a high ACT score. But there’s seems to a lack of common sense and awareness of consequences. I don’t want him to become the kid who hangs around his home town, getting high and lacking motivation. Nothing I can do though, huh? For a parent, this sucks.</p>

134

<p>Yoobro, there are plenty of studies which show harmful effects. From what I’ve seen, there is yet a general opinion on the effects.</p>

135

<p>As a student here is where I see the problem. He has been cited twice in his dorm, arrested twice, and caught by you. All within the span of one year. There is no way in heck this is just social use. Even if your an idiot it’s hard to get caught that much. Really. I do not smoke pot ever, but from what I know you have an extreme issue if you’ve been caught that much. The only people I’ve known who have been written up twice in a year in the dorms black out at least twice a week from drinking. You have to cause a scene… </p>

<p>I’ve screwed up big time, but what he is doing is beyond normal. Honestly I don’t believe in playing the money card, but… if you are paying any money for school bring him to a school, have him live at home, and set strict limits. </p>

<p>Goodluck!</p>

136

<p>I would say it’s time for some sort of intervention. Two marijuana-related arrests would be enough for me to stop, and if I couldn’t stop, I would try to get help. For me, even one arrest would be my signal to stop being an idealist about the whole thing, and start being a bit more pragmatic for the sake of my record and reputation.</p>

<p>Of course, I don’t want to stop smoking pot occasionally, so I am EXTREMELY careful about doing it.</p>

137

<p>I’m assuming my kids are not smoking pot because they are extremely sensitive to scents, which make them have a lot of VERY unpleasant physical symptoms. S also has had to have employer-administered drug tests which he passed and will continue to be subjected to periodically. Many very good and well-paid positions have drug testing as a condition of employment–this is definitely folks should consider in deciding whether to use/continue pot and/or other drugs that may close doors that they would otherwise qualify for and miss out on great opportunities.</p>

<p>Convictions can also close doors, regardless of whether the person convicted agrees with the law or not. Careful won’t prevent a positive drug test if it occurs within the time window that the drug remains detectable in the body.</p>

138

<p>I’m a science major who plans on making a career out of scientific research. I don’t think drug testing is likely. Hell, I’m convinced that half of the Ph.Ds at the lab I intern with smoke pot themselves from time to time.</p>

139

<p>Actually, you might be surprised by which employers DO require drug testing. It can be a huge issue and exclude a wide swatch of employers – in this challenging job market, that might not be the best game plan. I have a friend who was employed by a lab that performed drug testing–they were VERY, VERY busy with all the testing in just our very small state. </p>

<p>Some recruiters are very sad that so few of the applicants they are interested in can pass the drug test and are therefore eliminate from further consideration.</p>

140

<p>“He’s basically said that he thinks its harmless . . .” Download some photos from the Zetas Drug Cartel. Show him what he is paying for and then ask him again if he thinks it is harmless.</p>