Marijuana is neither good nor bad. It’s neutral.
For centuries, native cultures across the world have used various forms of tobacco and marijuana in medicinal ceremonies to great effect. In the context of using these plants sparingly for specific purposes, they can be extremely helpful in guiding you to a more open place and connecting you to Spirit.
That’s a healthy relationship with the herb.
We also know there are many palliative uses for it from cancer patients to those suffering from seizures. On the flip side, there’s also some evidence that overuse can trigger schizophrenia in some people, as well as reducing the effectiveness of anesthesia in some instances.
As the Greeks wisely remarked: “Everything in moderation.”
A few drinks, two or three times per year, might bring some enjoyment to your life in social situations with little downside. Some doctors claim a glass of wine here and there is actually good for your heart health.
On the flip side: several drinks a day or regular blackout weekend benders for years on end might land you in a ditch.
The relationship and balance between the two poles is key.
One thing that’s much different about the marijuana today in comparison to that of our ancestors is the extreme potency.
Even compared to the weed of the Woodstock era in the 60’s, what we’re smoking now is intense!
There are two primary compounds found in cannabis: THC and CBD.
THC is the component of marijuana that gets you high. CBD is the component that does not. The ratio between THC and CBD is the biggest factor in determining how high you get when ingesting marijuana. That ratio is the difference between being completely clear, lightly toasted or totally trashed.
Many of the strongest strains you’ll find in a modern dispensary wouldn’t actually grow in nature. They are purposely cultivated with very high THC ratios (>15%) in order to get you as high as possible — which is fun sometimes, but is not the same thing as being therapeutic.
The sick joke is that those who are looking for cannabis to relieve symptoms of anxiety or depression can often cause more of what they are trying to alleviate with frequent overuse.
According to the a 2022 study from the National Institute of Health:
Despite the distinct goals of medical and recreational cannabis users, medical and recreational program product offerings are nearly identical. Patients seeking therapeutic benefits from herbal cannabis products are therefore at a substantial risk of unwanted side effects, regardless of whether they obtain products from medical or recreational programs.
This means that people who think they are buying marijuana as medicine to make them feel better are actually buying a product that is potentially making them feel worse over time. The sliding scale between medicine and poison is shifting as weed becomes more corporate.
The higher the potency, the higher your tolerance grows.
The higher your tolerance becomes, the more you have to consume to get the same effect.
The more you need to consume, the more you’re willing to buy.
The more you buy, the more these companies make.
It would be easy for every pothead to list the positive attributes of the plant. That’s preaching to the choir. There’s even academic research to support these claims — and I’m not here to say they’re wrong.
However, it’s important to view marijuana with proper perspective.
For many people, weed takes as much as it gives. Sometimes, much more. You’ll have to make your own assessment of how it’s affecting your life negatively.
Here’s a short list of 15 observations I made about the negative effects of marijuana dependency in my own life:
- Marijuana made it easy to put off until tomorrow what could be done today — and to feel fine with it. This created a sense of persistent guilt that I wasn’t operating at my potential, even though I appeared to be highly-functioning to others.
- When using cannabis to alleviate anxiety, it was easy for me to “overshoot” and either completely bake to the point where I couldn’t get anything done — or I’d end up nose diving into a deep hole of racy, messy mental dialogue which created more anxiety, not less.
- My cardio and stamina was not as good as it could have been. I’d find myself getting tired after only a few rounds of intense work during jiu jitsu because my lungs were constantly being smoked out.
- It became my meditation aid, so I found it very hard to sit still and tap in deeply without it.
- I did not feel secure to travel unless I knew I’d be able to bring weed with me or secure it wherever I was going.
- Weed lowered my vibration, making it easier to stay in bad moods for longer.
- Since my tolerance had become so high, I was constantly annoyed with myself for the volume I would have to smoke to maintain the desired effects. This meant constantly switching up the strains and buying more in order to keep the game going.
- I’d find myself physically interrupting my work schedule to leave the house in order to get more marijuana, which took large chunks of time out of my day.
- I could not shoot videos whenever I wanted because I was typically high, which meant my eyes were red and heavy. So I’d have to plan my content creation around whether or not I was high.
- I became self-conscious about the odor of my clothes, nails, hair, mouth since I’d normalized the smell and could no longer detect it as easily.
- I was embarrassed that the first thing people were greeted with when they entered my house was the overwhelming smell of marijuana.
- I often found myself wasting entire weekends in a cloud, laying on the couch, telling myself that I needed rest and that this was “therapeutic” — but I actually wanted to be up, doing things.
- I didn’t always feel as sharp making critical business decisions when I was high.
- I had a hard time waking up feeling refreshed if I’d smoked the night before (which was every night) and I never remembered any of my dreams.
- I frequently defaulted to marijuana to avoid having difficult conversations that would only get resolved with direct action.
I could have come up with another ten…or maybe twenty adverse effects of my dependency on marijuana, but I think you get the point.
I bet many of these resonate with you.
When I compare this list of negatives to the list of positives, it’s actually surprising that I kept the habit for so long.
I suppose that just shows the power of psychological addiction. No sane person would continue a behavior for years that carried so many obvious negative side effects unless the addiction was real.
So, make your own list of ways in which your dependency on the plant is adversely affecting your life.
If it helps to lend a more balanced perspective, you can also write down the “positive” ways that marijuana is supporting you right now.
However, I challenge you to question whether or not those positive effects are actually to your benefit and whether they are only achievable via marijuana consumption.
In my experience, marijuana has the following benefits:
- It’s a fun way to spend time with family and friends.
- At the right dosage, it helps me relax and forget about my problems for a short while.
- I sometimes feel that it makes me more creative in my writing.
- It makes physical activity like yoga, weight training and jiu jitsu very stimulating.
- At times, it enhances the depth and visuals of my meditations.
- It enhances my experience of being outdoors in nature.
- It is sometimes good at relieving pain in my physical body.
Looking at this list, I realize that many of the things I was using marijuana as a tool to achieve are easily attainable without the plant.
I didn’t actually need it. In fact, it’s not even the most direct way to achieve many of these states or objectives.
Conversely, the negative effects I was experiencing were solely due to the overuse and dependency on it.
The only way to eliminate those effects was to eliminate it for a period of time and regain balance.
Easy math, if you ask me.
*******
Marijuana is one of the crutches that many people use to cope instead of dealing with what’s coming up.
If you need support killing the habit, I’m putting together a free presentation on Wednesday, July 5th at 5pm PST / 8pm EST to help you break the addictive marijuana loop and come back to center.
It’s called:
Here’s what we’ll be covering at the webinar:
- How to know whether now is the right time for you to take a break from weed
- How to navigate the 3 phases of healing your relationship with marijuana
- How to take a break from weed and be able to continue using later it without getting trapped in the addiction cycle again
- Probably a lot more
If quitting or reducing your MJ usage is something that’s been on your mind for a long time, but you’ve been having trouble doing it alone — this presentation will give you some solid strategies to get you started.
BTW — I am PRO CANNABIS. I still use it, but I’ve changed my relationship to it completely over the last year after struggling for a long time.
I’m not advocating you quit forever unless YOU want to. I’m going to be sharing strategies that have allowed me to take long breaks without cravings, end the addictive loop and use marijuana as a healthy supplement, not a crutch.
If that’s interesting to you, I highly recommend you sign up.
ALSO — if you cannot make it at 5pm PST / 8pm EST on Weds, July 5th, that’s fine. Add your name anyway. I’ll send you the recording on a private YouTube link.
Sincerely,
Daniel “15 Reasons Why” DiPiazza
