Reinforcing the Stoopid

Wednesday, July 20, 2011
It's no secret that I place tremendous value on intellectual pursuits. I love to learn, and have enormous respect for people who exceed my own intellectual abilities - and, I'm embarrassed to admit, a certain amount of contempt for those who don't. The scariest thing I can imagine is losing my ability to think effectively due to disease or injury. And I totally don't get recreational pursuits that would actively put my brain's health in jeopardy.

Which is why I don't really get chronic marijuana use as a recreational drug, although on a political basis I think it should be legal. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse,
Research has shown that, in chronic users, marijuana's adverse impact on learning and memory can last for days or weeks after the acute effects of the drug wear off. As a result, someone who smokes marijuana every day may be functioning at a suboptimal intellectual level all of the time.
So basically, smoking pot on a daily basis doesn't just make you stupid while you're high - it makes you stupid all the time.

I've never really liked smoking pot. When I was a teen, it gave me horrifying headaches, and once I joined the Navy, the decision was pretty much made for me. Once I got out, I couldn't see the point. So in spite of my addictive personality, I dodged that particular bullet.

While I realize that alcohol can also have detrimental effects on the brain, my investigation of the research does not imply that it makes you stupid all the time, even if you drink every day in moderation. Plus, alcohol is legal, so you don't have to worry about getting arrested, or a ticket, or whatever the punishment is in your neck of the woods just by virtue of possessing some.

Even if I hadn't already decided that smoking pot wasn't for me, I think this information would convince me that doing so is just a bad, bad idea, given what I value. I've been around people who smoke pot every day, and I have to say, on an anecdotal basis, ZOMGWTFBBQ, THAT RESEARCH IS RIGHT ON THE MONEY. Reinforcing the stoopid, one bowl at a time. Yeah. Good luck with that - I'll stick with my 3.2%.

3 comments:

Steve Buchheit said...

3/2 beer? Oh, Janiece. We need to introduce you to the better stuff. Life is too short to drink bad beer.

Janiece said...

Steve, I do indeed loves me some good beer. Hmm...Hefeweizen.

But good beer is very high in calories (not good for my whole "eat less, move more" campaign), and also has a higher alcohol content (not good for my whole "I'm the daughter of an alcoholic father and I'd like to make sure I don't up the same" campaign). So I reserve it for special occasions only. Along with Martinis. Hmmm...martinis.

Tom said...

I used to have a theory that you only remembered stoned what you learned stoned. And versa visa.

But that was way way back when I was one of 'em. I sure like the way you put it (ZOMG...ON THE MONEY), though. It's been 20 years since I was around pot-heads (hmmm, potsheads?) much, but my memory tends to bear out your conclusions.