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Comment by bottlepalm | Hacker News Reader

I'll throw my own anecdotal evidence in here. I found weed to be fun when I was younger, but after few years I started getting really paranoid when I smoked, like a switch was flipped in my brain. Probably after some edible overdoses. So now I mostly avoid it, or use alcohol to dull the paranoia.

I also have a lot of friends with the the same story where it was fun at first, but later just anxiety, paranoia and over thinking things. Looks like in this thread there a lot of similar stories as well.

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I've got nothing but anecdotal evidence but I had the same thing happen to me as have at least a half dozen other people that I know.

Regular smokers for years, at some point something changed, after that point almost any amount of smoking caused enough paranoia and anxiety that they decided to stop smoking entirely.

About once a year, I think, "I'll take a quarter of an edible and watch this movie at home". 9 times out of 10 I end up having an awful night due to anxiety.

I'm in this camp and have met many others too. I was a typical heavy user for a few years before over the course of a week I went from chill-out high to full-blown paranoia and insomnia. Tried weed periodically after that and always got the same intense paranoia/anxiety.

Now with edibles I can eat a very small dose (2-4mg) and just skate under the threshold for freak-out, but its a far cry from when I used to eat gummies by the mouthful and have goofy fun for hours afterwards.

Fwiw, I am the opposite. When I was younger (late high school), when I would try it, I would absolutely get anxious/paranoid, which prevented me from ever wanting to do it often.

However, once I was older (late 20s), and perhaps my brain was better formed, I never had this issue again.

Paranoid thinking from weed in my late teens to early 20s had more to do with the fear of being caught by law enforcement and having my life turned upside down over a plant.

Same here. I got busted in Hollywood when I was 14 years old, back in 1973. I was the only juvenile in a group of about 20 people at a birthday party in an apartment building. They had a helicopter circling the building and shining a spotlight on the apartment we were in, then a group of police came through the door and arrested all of us.

They ended up dropping the charges on my case because the police didn't read me my rights before questioning me. I'd told them "I smoke weed and I'm not going to stop." The last question they asked me was "You were read your rights, right?", and I told them "No". A woman officer standing behind them looked at me and grinned and nodded her head up and down a bit. When I went to court a month or so later the prosecutor told I could go home because the case was dismissed.

But, for quite a few years after that every time I heard a helicopter hovering nearby I'd get a panic attack. It wasn't a vicious one, but I sure felt it.

Also can confirm daily use for extended period of time eventually caused me severe anxiety and depression. Perhaps the difference is we are using vape pens (at least I was) which are orders of magnitude stronger than plant. My tolerance increased and increased until I was smoking a 500mg pod almost weekly. I recently stopped cold turkey, and man it was tough. Restless nights, woke up drenched in sweat for about the first five days, shaking of hands, and lips. Whoever said that Cannabis is not physically addictive? Seems like I had physical withdraw symptoms.

I feel so much sharper now, and the fog of "war" has cleared. My work output has increased dramatically. I'm waking up earlier and feeling much more confident. I'm not against cannabis, I think in moderation can be nice, relaxing, and of course has valid medical uses.

I've always been of the opinion that there some people for whom marijuana provides a form pleasure, and then there is everyone else.

I've really never been able to handle it. I've experienced anxiety/paranoia but even in the absence of that, it makes me beyond stupid. My version of a little high is similar to someone knockdown, drag-out drunk.

I live where it's legal and I come in contact with it all the time. I usually regret accepting that gummy. I'm not sure there's anything I can do to better tolerate marijuana or whether the juice would at all be worth the squeeze.

When I was in my teens kids would have contests to see who could take the most and biggest "hits" from bongs 3ft long.

I never did that. I've always taken tiny puffs because I don't like coughing, so I got called a "buzz kill" quite a few times back then.

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