Via
medpagetoday.comAlmost a third of teens who smoke marijuana regularly may use it as a medication rather than a means of getting high.
In a small study of 63 Canadian teens, 20 reported using the drug to relieve or manage health problems including depression, anxiety, stress, difficulty sleeping, and physical pain, Joan L. Bottorff, Ph.D., of the University of British Columbia Okanagan, and colleagues reported online in Substance Abuse, Treatment, Prevention and Policy.These users distinguished themselves from their peers who smoked marijuana recreationally and socially. Dr. Bottorff said teens sometimes perceive marijuana to be "the only available alternative for those experiencing difficult health problems when legitimate medical treatments have failed or when they lack access to appropriate healthcare."
Even though it's a small study, it's still interesting to read about this. Personally, I think it's BS. I mean, kids will make up any excuse to get their hands on marijuana, so this seems just like one of those deals.
Do you think these kids are for real?
Comments (64)
Some of them, yes. Some of them, no. Either way, I dont blame them, weed is awesome!
To be honest, I've smoked before because it's helped my allergies and alleviated sinus pressure for me.
maybe.
ie; first time they tried it was for experiment. then they realize it helps with this and this (medically wise) then they rely on it O_o? maybe?! or just for the heck of it ==
moderation is key
and yes i do think they are telling the truth but you are right to be a skeptic about it. people make excuses these days and i'm sure people do it in this situation however marijuana does help with a lot of things so i wouldn't be surprised if someone is telling the truth.
personally, i would rather see teens use it out of health rather than recreation.
wtf. it makes it worse. It feels as if its getting better UNTIL you get addicted to it. Smoking weed is so stupid, seriously. Pisses me off so much.
Hey Doc, I got a PAPER CUT ! Can I get some MARIJUANA ?
I support medical marijuana.
I do not support self-medicating or lying about treating ailments when you just want to get high.
I don't know why people fuss about weed at all. It has less effect than alcohol. People make sure a big deal about absolutely nothing. And no I'm not one of those pot heads, I've done it about 7 times in my life. I just think it's not a big deal. It's stupid to waste time arresting people and charging people over nothing. The police could be doing other things, rather than wasting their time.
it is a form of self medication, and well it may seem like it helps, in the long run it may not. whenever i got into really bad depression and fits of anxiety, i'd smoke. i cant anymore, because it causes it to be worse than it was before.
i guess they say hindsight is 2020
I think back to those days in elementary school when we got those 'Drug free is the way to be" ribbons. I remember sticking those plastic red cups in the fence that said the same thing. Red ribbon week actually meant something to me.
Drugs & alcohol have no part in my life. I think it's a lame excuse. And mary jane? It's a gateway drug. Sure, it might not have a total effect like cocaine can, but it will eventually lead to get something more demanding. I've seen it happen way too many times.
Bullshit. They're just dumbass potheads like all the other kids on drugs.
@eskeemo_kisses@xanga -
"And mary jane? It's a gateway drug. Sure,
it might not have a total effect like cocaine can, but it will
eventually lead to get something more demanding. I've seen it happen
way too many times."
I'm glad to see some people still know about that. I have a cousin who's got himself behind bars because that happened to him.
For some yes, some of my friends smoke it to get away from stress, because they can't take the pressure of school or famnily problems etc. They say it helps them leave all their problems behind for that moment of time.
I think it's bullshit. What kind of physical pains do teenagers have? Most of the time the biggest pain they have is from gym class, in which case there are plenty of teens who DON'T turn to drugs to help that out. If they're in so much pain they could go to their parents who can take them to a doctor.
I think that it's an excuse to smoke pot. It's just not sitting right with me. There are plenty of other ways to help "health issues" and "pain" other than just smoking pot.
There are some people who genuinely need marijuana to help with the pain because it works best, or for some other reason, though -- I support that. Teens getting high and making excuses for it? No.
what i dont understand is, if people are claiming that a drug is working, why is it not legalized? What is so embarressing and necessarily harmful about weed in comparison to any other drug?
ii say get it off the street and safely onto over the counter and we ll have something.
i don't think its BS, I think most would self medicate with it in some way. social smokers would be ones who give in to peer pressure it seems that doesn't sound like a good reason for smoking just cause others are doing it.
Marijuana is supposed to relieve stress and anxiety (well it raises my anxiety) and help with depression as well. Definitley help with sleeping, these are legitimate reasons I think are reasons why people will smoke it. Get happy and sleepy!
@xjadersx@xanga - True that. And I've never done it. I finished my freshman year of college without even knowing what pot smelled like. It's so much less harmful than alcohol especially when it comes to DUI.
I don't think they're bullshitting. Weed has practically all good health effects. It's proven to be stress relieving, decrease anxiety, etc. which is exactly what the study said those kids were taking it for. Most of the kids I know that smoke it probably do smoke it for those
reasons cause they come from bad families, are low income, etc. Really, weed isn't bad. Sounds crazy, but weed has also been shown to increase growth of brain cells or improve the link between the brain cells.
@megusta19@xanga - It's not legalized for racial and age reasons. I heard it was made illegal when a group of Mexican men smoked it and committed crimes while they were smoking. This DOES NOT mean that smoking weed makes you do bad things. It doesn't. However, rich, white males used this incident to make weed illegal. Also, young people tend to smoke it instead of older adults.
@John_of_the_bloomdocks@xanga - Not everyone who smokes pot is a "dumbass pothead." I hope you can read the other comments I left. Please keep an open mind. No offense meant.
okay. marijuana is not addictive.
i hate when misinformed people say that.
alcohol is addictive. i don't hear anyone bitching to make that illegal.
as for it being a gateway drug- if you're going to try cocaine or any other harder substance, you're going to try it. smoking pot does not make you want to try harder drugs, you do. reefer gets you high. reefer does not change your morals or hamper your decision making skills. it's cowardly and just plain stupid to use a naturally occuring substance, which has been proven to have MANY medicinal abilities, as a scapegoat for your inability to make the right choices.
@pillowpixies maybe it's the fact that old aunt flo came to visit me yesterday, but you really lit up a fire under my ass. teenagers dont have health problems or physical pain? you must live in a bubble.
For sure some kids use it for self-medication. Especially when you are talking about mental disorders like depression. Lots of people self-medicate to cope with mental disorders when they don't have the means or the courage to see a psychiatrist. I've smoked it socially, but I've used it when I injured my ankle because it made the pain go away for a while, a lot better than advil did.
@thisischeckmate@xanga - Thanks for explaining the gateway drug and addictive thing about pot. I've smoked more than once but I've never, ever had the desire to try coke or anything else and I've never felt withdrawl symptoms or felt like I needed to smoke more pot.
Marijuana is about as magical as hops. And yes, I know certain types of beer were used as medicine that's why it's as magical.
@AnonymousBlonde@xanga - Really? Most people I know with outdoor allergies are also mildly allergic to marijuana. I mean, it is a weed after all.
If the government said Marijuana was okay, Would you do it/try it? I smoked Marijuana regulary, and i also drive, yes while im "high". But this high affect; personally i dont notice. Im not smoking to get high, or smoking it to become socially accepted by some group of people.
Its all natural, which makes the gov. impossible to control and make a monopoly over it. Why do they disagree with it? because of gang related incidents, its only being brought in by gangs, because someone needs to import it. Liek the Mafia, when they controlled booze.
Is smoking pot really that bad? or is it the media and governments, who make us fear its bad...wheres the proof to lead us to this is worse, than any other prescription drug?
I think it's possible some are lying, but I don't know. I know that it is NOT addictive though. I used to smoke A LOT when I was younger. It did help my anxiety, helped me sleep, and it helped stomach aches. Now, I'm not saying those are the reasons I, personally, smoked them, because I didn't. I was just a teenager who wanted to get high. All I'm saying is that YES it does help relieve some of the symptoms mentioned and I would rather smoke some weed than pop a bunch of pills to make something better. Pills are extremely addictive and usually absolute hell to quit.