Discussion»Questions»Random Knowledge» Marijuana advocates and devotees: is there an age that you agree on as being too young for a person to begin smoking recreational purposes?
No. Not for medical marijuana. I don't believe any marijuana is recreational. IF you are attracted to its qualities, odds are, you need some of its properties, whether it is a nerve soother for anxiety, or some anger issue, or some sedative for pain, it cannot hurt anyone at any age. I saw (quite by accident) a 6 week old puppy ingest what amounted to (it was concentrated and in capsule form) about 10 times the normal amount a normal adult would eat or smoke. And he slept for many hours, but was totally unharmed.
So, if a young child was nauseated due to chemotherapy and could not eat? I think taking the right dose of the right strain of marijuanna is proving to be a life-saver to young patients in some instances. It was even recommended at Cancer Centers of America to my cousin's husband as a remedy for chemo.
So, never say never.
Again, I don't recommend marijuana for "funsies" ever. If you like it, odds are, you are treating something that is causing you pain inside your bod.
For recreational purposes, I would say 21. Medicinal is different; I've seen it help epileptic children who were very young, but just for the purposes of "getting high", I don't think it should be younger than 21, especially as long as alcohol remains at that age.
This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at May 27, 2017 6:39 PM MDT
If recreational marijuana is going to be legal than I think the minimum age should be 18 because I don't believe there should be a minimum age higher than 18 for anything.
I thought it was really stupid that I had to have my dad or my fiancee go to the liquor store on my behalf when I had a full-time job, owned my own home and payed taxes all before I was 21.
This post was edited by Livvie at May 28, 2017 5:36 AM MDT
I think you are the exception. I was too. I remember my older brother telling my husband that if he gave me champagne at my wedding reception, that he'd call the police and report underage drinking. lol Lame. I had a career, a home, a child, and a husband, and I couldn't legally buy alcohol.
Should have just had your parents give it to you. Most places a parent or legal guardian can give alcohol to an underage person legally at family events or at their home.
Hmm.... I kind of see Sharonna's point, that no marijuana is recreational... which is rather unsettling. lol (Just kidding, S!) But, I think there are pretty firm categories. The kids who are getting it to prevent seizures or to help with cancer treatments- those are very clear medicinal purposes. Sure, you could move into the mindset of mental health as well. Being in a state that allows medicinal, I also know a ton of people who use it to treat anxiety disorders. And, from that aspect, that's medicinal, too.
If we're going to stretch it to say that all marijuana users are self-medicating, and therefore there is no true recreational use... I don't know... I'm not totally on that bandwagon. Yeah, maybe, to some degree, but perhaps they're "self-medicating" away the stress of school, or their worries about social situations, or about family life. And, in this respect, it would be no different than the kids who turn to alcohol for the same. That's not healthy. That's not medicine. That's just using a mind-altering substance to escape.
Personally, I see mental health issues as a medical condition. You need a diagnosis and a track record. You need a mental health professional prescribing a full set of treatment. That begins with doing things like making changes in your life before medicating problems away. Pills are often a core component of mental health treatment, but they should never be prescribed lightly and they're only part of a comprehensive solution. If we want to start calling all marijuana medical marijuana, then it needs the other components that lead to better mental health. Without that, it's just abusing a substance. You aren't making anything better.
I will say that the vast majority of pot heads I know now are medicating and using it for anxiety and such. They're all adults and are using it in conjunction with treatment plans from physicians. Considering all the minors I have ever known who smoked pot (when I was a kid through now), I'd say the vast majority also had mental health issues- primarily anxiety. But, none of the kids ever got any kind of other treatment. They turned to the substance and never got real help. Also, not all of them used it medicinally. I can think of a certain blue-eyed girl (no names here lol) who only used a couple of times and it was purely because getting high was cool and for the escape- the same as alcohol. And, I can say with 100% certainty, nobody would ever say that the person was medicating with alcohol while approving of the practice.
Anyway, Sharonna gave me some stuff to ponder, so I worked all out on the page... this was very long. My shorter answer is that it should be treated like alcohol. I think that's what Colorado does. It's ok at age 21. By that age, hopefully the kids have learned the difference between getting high for the heck of it and how to use it medicinally as part of a treatment plan. It's a tool, sure, but not one without consequences when it's used improperly. When someone has the maturity to know the difference and can follow a doctor's instruction, then they can have it. Otherwise, they will self-medicate with it and abuse it. It is not without risks.
18. If you can get sent to fight and die, you're old enough to be master of your own destiny in everything else too - that includes liquor, tobacco and cannabis (legal drinking age in Australia is 18). Personally I think it's ridiculous that smoking tobacco (which has no benefits whatsoever) is legal at a younger age than consuming alcohol (which in small quantities is beneficial) in most parts of the US. Cannabis for recreational purposes should also fit this category. Marijuana prescribed for medical purposes is a horse of an entirely different colour. The kind used for the treatment of epileptic seizures has no THC in it (or negligible amounts). There are other varieties which can be used to treat various conditions, even THC is a useful analgaesic (Queen Victoria chewed kif to relieve menstrual cramps). However there is still little hard evidence, largely because until very recently it was illegal to conduct any research (and still is in most places). I'd leave that one entirely to the doctor's discretion.
This post was edited by Slartibartfast at May 27, 2017 7:20 PM MDT
Livvie 