TedEH
Cromulent
Merit in research is miles away from starting with the conclusion and working backwards. I'm not in any way denying that there's merit in the research - but you have to do the research before making claims. I find it hard to believe both that more folks haven't encountered the "I watched Joe Rogan once and he said weed and micro-dosing cures everything" crowd, and that we're not at least a tiny bit skeptical that we're just throwing our favourite recreational drugs at all the studies, you know, just in case they cure something. I'm all for doing the research, but I remain unconvinced that a good chunk of people into that research aren't motivated by wanting to justify their existing habits. When it's definitively shown to have positive effects, I wouldn't contest that. Like, even the folks using weed as a painkiller - I was about to say I don't deny that helps people, I was pretty sure that was a thing until I googled it right now to confirm, and supposedly there's some evidence that it's at least in part a placebo effect. Googling "is weed a painkiller" gives you a "maybe". People claim it is. There's no proof that it's not helping them. But it's not solidly backed up yet either. Worth research? Absolutely. Convenient miracle cure? Certainly convenient, at least.Some of the top medical schools think there is merit in psychedelics research for the use of mental health treatment.
I dunno if I'm just hanging around very different stoners than y'all are, but the folks I know are, for lack of a nice way to put it, addicts. I spend a good amount of time with someone who had what looked like a case of that rare thing where daily smokers will start violently vomiting - and they refused to stop or slow down the smoking. They refused to consider the possibility that this was the problem. They humoured the doctor by taking a short break while actively vomiting, and then once they recovered, it was right back to smoking. Any time I'm critical of the substance, I have to withstand an earful of "don't you know how much stuff this cures?" Well, it's not curing YOU right now, is it? I'm not going to take the word of someone who "can totally stop at any time" but doesn't, even when it causes them violent discomfort. I have a vague idea of how much research is being done, but how much of that is definitive at this point? How much of that miracle cure isn't anecdotal? I'm sure someone could find a link to throw at me with a study showing it's incredibly promising, but then I'm sure you could also find a link to a study showing it does nothing at all.