Pot for Parents

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/08/opinion/how-pot-helps-parenting.html?_r=1&ref=global

by m_for_monkey • 14 years ago

43 33 14 years ago

carbocation3• 14 years ago

In the news today: some people enjoy getting high.

The only remarkable thing in this story, in my opinion, is that it is a reminder that there are cannabis dispensaries in California.

EliRivers• 14 years ago

I think you missed the point in a big way. In the news today; getting high makes some people better parents and, frankly, better people.

carbocation3• 14 years ago

Actually, that result would be newsworthy. But this is not that. This is an anecdote from a pot user saying that he likes using pot. That's really all it is. It's not bad, but it's not something that's going to change management at the level of the medical system, and it's certainly not news that, anecdotally, people on marijuana often behave friendly.

If this were a randomized controlled trial (or even a cohort study) showing that pot use actually does improve some measurable parenting outcome, it would actually be hacker news-worthy, in my opinion.

mistercow• 14 years ago

I'm confused. Would you say that someone who takes their doctor-prescribed dose of xanax, vicodin, or ritalin was "getting high"?

eric_cc• 14 years ago

Yes, of course. Not that I am opposed to getting high...

kaonashi• 14 years ago

What it really does is conflate the effects of marijuana with that of heroin and other substances targeted by federal drug laws. In reality they each have distinct pharmacological effects.

carbocation3• 14 years ago

First, I'm not saying that getting high is bad, or good. I'm just observing that this particular parent likes to get high, and I don't find that newsworthy.

Whether I consider taking a prescribed medication "getting high" depends on the dose and the use-case.

Vicodin contains an opioid, so if you are not in pain but take it, you will get high. Actually, its codeine derivative is variably metabolized so you may not get high (or pain relief, for that matter).

Xanax (alprazolam) is a benzo, whose effects are similar to alcohol. I don't think most people would consider this a "high", whether or not for therapeutic purposes.

Ritalin (methylphenidate) is a stimulant; people do use it to get high, sometimes even people who are prescribed it for a real medical problem.

The 'high' is a side effect of many medical therapies that we'd like to get rid of, if possible, to improve our ability to help people without the scourges of addiction and abuse. The same is true of marijuana, for some uses; for this particular person's use, however, the goal is to get high.

smoyer4• 14 years ago

Rolls eyes ... Is anyone else shocked that a CannaMed doctor thought he was a perfect candidate for cannabis? If he'd visited a Chiropractor, I'm sure he would have gotten manipulated and I bet a psychologist would have suggested bi-weekly sessions.

I don't want to start a debate about the value of medical marijuana, but you do need to consider the motivation of the people giving you recommendations.

Fargren• 14 years ago

If it seriously improved his life with little or no negative side effects... I'd say he was indeed the perfect candidate. I find too much of medicine is dedicated to make life longer; it's good that some of it is trying to make life better (I'm not saying the balance is off in this matter, I honestly wouldn't know how to measure it).

smoyer4• 14 years ago

I'm not arguing with the results he's experienced ... I'm all for better parents in general.

davecap1• 14 years ago

Just out of curiosity, as someone who agrees with you (and is skeptical by default), how do you typically explain _how_ to actually consider the motivation of such people?

For example, chiropractors often offer free assessments which usually entail an X-ray. I'm not sure how risk-free this is, especially for healthy people in their early twenties. Of course, these assessments usually find misaligned vertebrae and lead the person to go back for a paid visit. Sometimes it's hard to compete with a certified practitioner's recommendation...

smoyer4• 14 years ago

That's a tough question and I don't have a great answer. I guess I'd prefer the advice of someone who was a skeptic themselves and who was predisposed to doing nothing over guessing.

tayl0r3• 14 years ago

I would say it is different in this case because you only go to those CannaMed doctors for 1 reason- to get your medical marijuana card. Paying for the visit is basically just part of the cost of getting the card. There are no upsells, the doctor isn't profitting off you buying the "medicine", etc. He gets paid for your visit and that's it.

So yeah, completely different than a chiropractor or psychiatrist who profits from your ongoing treatment.

jrockway• 14 years ago

I'm pretty sure the author thinks the same thing you do, based on the sentence "[my doctor] checked not only my pulse but my blood pressure as well."

Alex39172• 14 years ago

That's true of all doctors from oncologists to surgeons. But in this case back pain is largely caused by anxiety and inflammation, and marijuana is an anxiolytic and an anti-inflammatory, in addition to being an analgesic. So yeah, it kind of makes sense that weed would help with back pain, as it has been shown to many times over. Weed isn't a panacea by any means, but at the same time it's better than any other pharmacological option in terms of safety and efficacy.

tayl0r3• 14 years ago

He's not getting high, he's "undergoing treatment".

smoyer4• 14 years ago

I didn't debate whether it was working for him ... Just that I would have been a bit more skeptical.

eli2• 14 years ago

It's supposed to be tongue in cheek.

ndesaulniers• 14 years ago

That's exactly what I thought! What a stupid article: "I was a loser father until I started doing drugs! Let's legalize marijuana!" I'm not sure how such a shitty article made it into the NYT, or HN for that matter.

tayl0r3• 14 years ago

I would say it's completely different than a psychologist or chiropractor because those 2 types of "doctors" get paid every time you come in for treatment. So they have a financial interest in prescribing treatment.

AFAIK Medical marijuana doctors don't have any financial interest in prescribing treatment. They get paid when you come in (which is only the one time), and if they think you can benefit from medical marijuana, they give you the card. They aren't getting paid every time you get high.

The stupid thing about that sentence in the article is that BIG SURPRISE, the CannaMed doctor recommended medical marijuana. No shit! That is why people go to them!

Cushman• 14 years ago

If you're an adolescent, if you are pregnant or nursing, if you are predisposed to heart disease, stroke, or psychosis, if you use heavy machinery frequently or work in government, then occasional cannabis use may not improve your quality of life. It's not hard to be a perfect candidate.

tsotha2• 14 years ago

Well, sure. He decided he wanted pot before he went to the pot doctor. This was just to make things (semi) legal.

accoinstereo• 14 years ago

There is a large incentive to prescribe, but it's quite different from the examples you gave.

The CannaMed doctor doesn't stand to make more money off of you. But he stands to build a reputation as one who hands out the Rx.

People seeking cards aren't going to visit a prescriber who is notoriously stingy.

zafka• 14 years ago

I am amazed that this showed up in the NYT. The best line was: "Don’t you just love the shape of this pen?"

eli2• 14 years ago

Well, it's just an Op-Ed, but the NYT's has taken official positions in favor of medical marijuana: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/19/opinion/a-dose-of-compassi...

nicksergeant• 14 years ago

While the first part of the article was satirical IMO, I think in general the point is well taken. Life sucks sometimes. People booze, people drink coffee, people do drugs. All for different reasons.

In this case, smoking pot in a controlled manner helps this person exponentially release and enjoy small moments with his kids.

Change in scenery is good, and changing your physical location to achieve that is not always necessary. Changing your state of mind can achieve the same effects.

tsotha2• 14 years ago

>In this case, smoking pot in a controlled manner helps this person exponentially release and enjoy small moments with his kids.

That may be true, but I wonder what the kids will say when they're grown. It might be something like "We loved our dad when we were kids. But he was always stoned."

Alex39172• 14 years ago

"That may be true, but I wonder what the kids will say when they're grown."

I think they'll be much more pissed off about all their childhood pictures having been taken in instagram.

PhearTheCeal• 14 years ago

He doesn't smoke it.

"...I use a brownie-based form of the drug to avoid the lung irritation associated with other modes of dose administration."

twodayslate• 14 years ago

Why is this on the frontpage of HN? It has nothing to do with startups or technology.

macey• 14 years ago

This really resonated with me. When I was a kid, my mom had a rather dangerous addiction to Ambien. She would have full conversations with me sometimes that she wouldn't remember. She needed help getting up the stairs. She would sleep for 12+ hours and then couldn't engage with me because she felt like she hadn't slept at all. She wasn't getting high, she was taking a doctor prescribed medication for a very specific problem.

She recently detoxed and got a cannabis card instead, and I've connected with her more in the 2 years since than the 20 years prior.

Just thought I'd throw this out there from a (now grown) kid's perspective.

devnill• 14 years ago

"And let’s not forget the health risks, which are rumored to possibly exist. I’ve heard that even a small amount of marijuana can impair short-term memory function. It might also affect short-term memory function."

weecat• 14 years ago

I'm pro-medical pot, and if this makes this guuy nicer to his kids, great. But if you're stressed and broke, maybe stop after one kid? Three? Why?

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