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I think we are slowly starting to establish the evidence base for the current schedule to maybe be appropriate.
For a long time "medical" use was just cover really, and for some of the proposed indications (anxiety, insomnia) it's at this point understood to be an actively bad idea. Chronic pain is a bit more debatable and for increasing appetite it actually works great.
The bigger problem is the growing damage to general human flourishing and the really significant negative impact on patients in the psychiatric population.
Would you be willing to make a deep dive/effort post about pot? I’ve definitely gotten the impression that it’s gotten an undeservedly good rap.
Ughhhh for medical work a deep dive involves citation which sounds like a lot of work. Maybe at some point, but for now some thoughts:
Weed is a drug. Maybe more on the alcohol tier, but it's still a drug. If you talk to people who use many of them sound like addicts. It's not a mistake to notice this, they are. You can have withdrawal (although it's in many ways not as bad as some other withdrawals). People in denial of having a problem... Also, cannabis hyperemesis syndrome is a thing. You'll see patients come in multiple times a month with profuse vomiting and we know the exact cause and they have zero ability or willingness to calm down. Total addiction.
It hampers human flourishing. For many people the primary problem is that it makes them feel okay with their life being ass. To some extent that's a good thing but I know plenty of people who didn't try to fix stuff as a result. That's bad.
Plenty of people (as with alcohol) use a little bit and don't have any problems at all. Moderation is possible. This creates a context of false sense of security.
The association with positive impact on the supposed indications is questionable. Anxiety and insomnia are best treated by addressing root issues. Use a drug is a crutch that prevents recovery. For many it actually worsens these things, and passing out does not mean "sleeping."
Most importantly, like with alcohol a particular subset of the patient absolutely cannot. Psych patients. These people will go by even more unsafe street weed these days if they can't get it at dispensary (usually stepped on with a....variety) so hard to stop it, but it worsens all kinds of shit and can make recovery and tons of these people think its an adequate treatment.
Nearly every patient with a psychiatric diagnosis you see in the hospital - and I'm talking on medical floors too, has a massive weed addiction.
Some of these people also appear to have been created by weed.
Additionally, when I was young I remember people going "pshh they are overstating the risks, but risks exist?" with drugs. Lots of young people today are "this is perfectly healthy."
It's a cope. It's a way for us to ignore the severely blackpilling issues. Some non-trivial percentage of young men and women will realistically 1) never own a house, 2) never have a stable long-term relationship, 3) never have a social circle more than 2-3 people they can trust. So, why not get high (or drink) most days?
These personal problems are, of course, connected to the large-scale social problems that will cause despair in even the most radical optimists. I'm an optimist, but the dating situation is pretty severe for young men and women. It's hard for anyone 30+ with a stable relationship (or a stable past relationship) to understand.
I mean, I get why people take the Soma, but also it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Additionally most people don't have that insight into why they are doing it.
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