Pot is still pot

Question

I am a 15 year old competitive downhill skier and I am aiming to be on the junior nation team by next year. I train really hard and I also have school responsibilities and sometimes I find that it gets to be a bit heavy and hard to manage. I find that smoking a little joint most nights helps me to feel a lot more relaxed about things and it gives me a little break to look forward to at the end of the long day. One of the junior coaches caught me toking last weekend at a training camp and he asked me how often I smoked and he freaked on me when I told him I smoked most nights and he threatened to tell the head coaches unless I agreed to stop. I said I would, but I am not sure I really want to give up the only thing that keeps me from losing my mind. I guess I understand how smoking even a small amount every night could hurt my lung capacity and my performance , but what if I switched to eating pot brownies? Would that have any impact on my performance? If I ate a pot brownie most nights but made sure to stop for a couple days before races, how could that hurt me at all?

Donna Hunter · Accepted Answer

Yes, smoking anything can effect lung capacity- but you are ingesting a chemical that is classed as a sedative/hypnotic.

To get more details go to:http://drugabuse.gov/ResearchReports/Marijuana/marijuana3.html

Suffice it to say long term use of pot, yes even a small amount daily over a period of time is considered chronic/long term use negatively effects memory and the ability to learn new things. It effects motivation. The chemical in Pot THC stays in the body for 4-6 weeks.

Additionally, long term users experience even more anxiety between use. There are so many healthier ways to deal with anxiety and feelings of being overwhelmed. Do not let Pot fool you it is addictive. you are using a chemical to mask feelings instead of dealing with what is going on in your life. Seeing a therapist about your life stress may be helpful in your future success.

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