I was doing some research earlier today on if smoking weed causes general anxiety problems. There's wasn't a whole lot of information one way or another, but there was some research and theories that suggest that it does. But how important is that really?
Drugs are one of the few things where society generally doesn't do a cost-benefit analysis and simply chooses to look at the problems. They find one possible down side and start shouting "See, drugs are bad! Don't do them!"
Lots of things increase stress and anxiety: My political work, meeting new people, trying to be entrepreneurial. Yet no one would suggest those things should be avoided just because they stress me out sometimes.
Cannabis does lots of positive things for people. I didn't have many friends until I started smoking weed - some people meet through sports, some through concerts, some through drinking parties - I met mine from smoking weed. That's not all that we have in common or what keeps us together, but that's what connected us in the first place, and what continues to connect me with many people.
Cannabis helps me appreciate the beauty and wonder in life. It makes music sound better and food taste better. It can help me clear my head or help me think abstractly depending on the strain. And even if it does cause a slight increase in baseline anxiety (which is only a hypothesis at this point), it is a quick and consistent remedy for anxiety when I need it most.
Does driving make people less healthy and more irritable? Of course it does. But we can remedy both of those issues with a long hike in the woods and still enjoy the benefits of 65 MPH transportation.
There is more than one way to solve a problem, so don't give up something that otherwise benefits you just because there are some negatives. You have to look at the whole picture first.
