[systemvoltage]

I’ve tried weed, got addicted to it in college and have seen many people do the same. It made me lazy, completely unmotivated and unproductive. All I did was watch Anime and eat unhealthy foods.

Contrary to the notion that you can think about great ideas and brainstorming - it’s amazing when you’re high. Write down those ideas and think about them when sober - I quickly realized how foolish they were.

Concentration and programming is so far from my experience (and others that I know), I absolutely cannot believe this study. Couldn’t even stay motivated to go take a shower. There has to be a study that matches my experience. What’s going on?

[cmrdporcupine]

I think your experience probably mimics most experience but years of hanging around people who smoked a lot showed me that it really does affect everyone differently.

I hear people talk about it like it's a miracle drug for pain management, but for me it makes pain worse. I spend the entire time focused on every pain in my body.

I knew a guy who concentrated on problems and coded better when he was stoned. Another who was an amazing chess player and had to smoke before he could play. Others who mixed records and played music while high and it enhanced their abilities. I tried to DJ techno once while high and it was a horrible trainwreck, and I can't focus more than 30 seconds at a time. I wrote a paper in university while high and it was the worst crap I ever wrote. Others swear by it.

Many of my friends were super social and enjoyed going out and doing things. It always made me paranoid, overly self-critical, and I spent the whole time taking myself apart and feeling sad.

So I didn't smoke it for almost 20 years. I tried it again recently now that it's legal here. Basically the same experience, even with "low THC, high CBD" strains.

It really comes down to YMMV. And yes, I saw many people with the same experience as you, including a close relative. Unproductive, unmotivated, and low concentration, and chronic.

[j4hdufd8]

> I absolutely cannot believe this study

What do you not believe about the study? Did you read the study?

> In this paper, we presented results of the first empirical study of cannabis’s prevalence, perceptions, and usage motivations in programming environments

I don't think this study says "weed makes you better" or anything like that.

[frank_nitti]

Thanks for calling out one of the many people responding without reading the material, not even the abstract apparently. HN users are typically better about this than other platforms, but this topic seems to be especially triggering for people who have had some negative life experience related to weed.

[systemvoltage]

My issues isn't just with regards to this paper, but with the general narratives that are being spun around weed. They're not objective IMO and there is some sort of societal pressure against seeking truth. That's how I feel with proponents of weed. Don't get me wrong - personally, Marijuana is a lot of fun but I'd want to not get carried away. I also believe in individual liberty and I don't condone banning weed.

[j4hdufd8]

> They're not objective IMO and there is some sort of societal pressure against seeking truth

In my (speculative) opinion, it's not "societal pressure" but rather "capitalism pressure" narrating the recent weed uprise. As in, the opportunity to capitalize on weed has been pushing the narrative that it's a harmless cool drug.

The risks of heavy cannabis use are well documented and easily available to those who care to research it. For example, try CTRL+F "cannabis" on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia.

Once again, just like alcohol and tobacco, capitalism wins over public health.

[weerd]

In my experience, lazy people who already love eating and watching TV will double down on this behavior when using cannabis. It can make you feel comfortable and OK with things, and also triggers the appetite. So instead of becoming satiated/bored with your activities and moving to something else, you remain in place.

Others who are not as thrilled with consuming food and media to begin with will have different cannabis experiences. You'll probably find them exercising, making art/music, or creating software like mentioned in the article.

I'm sorry if this offends you, but your statement might say more about you as a person than about the effects of cannabis.

[officeplant]

Sounds like my experience but I was using it at the time to cope with depression and anxiety about graduating from college amid the late 2000's financial crisis and other stresses you deal with as a lonely young adult.

But I also never really stopped smoking and learned to use it to cope with a multitude of things like migraines and sleeplessness.

In the end it often comes down to the person and their reactions to a substance more than the substance itself. I can smoke and melt on the couch or I can smoke and go for a long walk and decompress.