Well, at least this study tends to corroborate what seems self-evident to many for those who start indulging heavily as teenagers: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57501243-10391704/smoking-marijuana-regularly-as-a-teen-may-lower-iq-scores-as-an-adult/
The "study" appears to be worthless since no attempt was made to research any other factors which might be the actual cause of the supposed 8 point drop in IQ's, such as the dozens of other actual harmful drugs (uppers, downers, cocaine, heroin...) many or most teenage marijuana users experimented with in their youth. Most people who first used marijuana as adults were more cognizant of the dangers of hard drugs and avoided their use. Anther possible factor, since the study was done in New Zealand, could be the long term effects of walking around upside down all the time.
Just think how much smarter they'd have been with those wasted 8 IQ points. For some of the potheads I've known, 8 IQ points would make the difference between dumbass and moron.
How many brain cells do college kids kill when they have all night binge drinking sessions? I've venture to guess just as many, or more.
College is where alcoholics come from. Several of my friends I saw this summer back from college are raging alcoholics already, at 20 and 21 years old.
Alcohol kills just as many brain cells. Its always ignored though because drinking is deep in tradition.
Let's assume the study's conclusion is correct. It's irrelevant because... The issue is, if something lowers IQ by 8 points, should it be illegal? Should 80 million Americans have arrest records as political prisoners from this controversy, as they do? With another hundred million in fear? Let's assume the answer is yes, the country should have been turned into a police state of informers as it was. Next issue. Consistency. Should every activity that lowers average IQ by 8 points be made illegal? If so, round up the message board posters.
The study doesn't say that alcohol is free of bad side effects and it doesn't say that pot should be illegal. It just says that heavy use starting at a young age is likely to have negative impacts on your brain. Interesting information and that's the only reason I posted it.
Many of us indulge because we're simply too smart. Well, that's my situation, but admittedly, I do tend to generalize from it. Now what was I going to say? Oh yeah ... If my herb does not attenuate my omniscience by at least twenty percent, I can't even dialogue with the flat-landers. That's what's really going on, stupid.
They should be busting down the doors of bowlers. Not only does it lower your IQ, those tenpins crashing drive you deaf.
Meanwhile, no one goes to jail for pushing chemicals into every household that shorten our lives. http://touch.chicagotribune.com/#section/585/article/p2p-72046835/ 3 flame retardent companies try to make it look like the fault is with their lobbying group. Good job, Chicago Tribune.
I work in research at OHSU and the majority of the scientists I know smoke pot at least occasionally. At least that's true of the American and European scientists. Also, I know quite a few doctors who smoke pot.
pretty much everyone has smoked pot before, so by pure logic, everybody deserves to have been arrested and thrown in prison that way wall mart can sell more doo dads that say "made in the usa"
...with so many "studies" out there, which ones are you going to actually believe -- the one that supports your bias or the one that disproves it?! ...and that's just some quick references for you all, I think it largely depends on the source/sponsor of these studies as well as the methods in which these studies are conducted. The OP study seems to point out common sense...the developing brain is a precious thing! I suppose that is why you can't buy tobacco until you're over 18 and alcohol until you're over 21
