

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

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smoyer
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.

~~~
davecap1
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...

~~~
tayl0r
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.

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nicksergeant
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.

~~~
tsotha
>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."

~~~
Alex3917
"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.

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macey
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.

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carbocation
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.

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

~~~
carbocation
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.

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

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

~~~
eli
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...](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/19/opinion/a-dose-of-
compassion.html)

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devnill
"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."

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weecat
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?

