• CD Moderators: nepalnt21
  • Cannabis Discussion Welcome Guest
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules

Do you think Cannabis effects different RACES/ETHNICITIES differently?

Chee$e

Bluelighter
Joined
Apr 4, 2012
Messages
72
I am a firm believer in this.

Obviously, Marijuana effects every single individual differently. However, I do believe that there are similarities in difference races, as to how it effects the person.

The reason I say this is because of ALL the people I have been friends with in my life, I have noticed consistencies as to whether or not they can handle Cannabis based on their race. I have had a lot of black friends in my life, I grew up in a very liberal big city and half of my high school was black people. I was the only non-black person on my high school basketball team.

I have noticed (and this is purely my opinion) that black people tend to handle Marijuana a lot better than other races. I have no idea why this is, and that is not to say that a lot of my white/asian/latino friends couldn't handle it (and by handle I mean not let if effect them too much, not get weird symptoms like anxiety from it, mental illnesses etc.)

I have had a lot of friends in my life quit weed because it was effecting them weirdly, or it gave them anxiety, depression etc.

But NEVER, out of ALL of the black friends I have had, met a black person who even looked like weed was holding them back. Like for some reason, back in high school I would spend my friday night's blowing blunts back to back to back all night long with my basketball team after a game or whatever, and they all could handle it normally. They would be playing FULL force at practice the next day.

Often times, I could not show up to practice the next day because I felt like I was living in a fog or daze that day. Also, when I first got my medical marijuana card in California, I noticed one key thing that really stood out.

The only OLDER people I ever saw at Cannabis clinics (or the majority of them) were black. Many of the Latino, White, or Asians I saw at Marijuana clinics tended to be younger. (I think that some people stop smoking pot in their late 20's early 30's because it no longer effects them the same way, but with black people I noticed they can handle it and get the same effect from it for much longer.)

I don't know if I am going to make sense with what I say here, but I am going to say that, I honestly

think that some certain races like especially phillipino/black/and some latino's have stronger CB1 receptors (or Cannabis receptors) than other races such as White or Middle Eastern/Indian etc. Which is why they handle pot a lot better, and can smoke it for longer with no problem.

Obviously, like I said this doesn't apply to ALL people in races because everyone is different, I am merely stating the consistencies I noticed between races.

And finally, do you think Marijuana effects different races differently?
 
I would have to see a report of a well-done scientific study on the topic to become convinced that "black people handle pot better" than other ethnic groups because of their race alone.

I googled the topic and all I could find was some reports on racial differences in nicotine metabolism, but this was not really significant even for the topic of tobacco use and not at all useful for our discussion here.

I agree that the ability to enjoy and "handle" pot varies with individuals.

I am white, and I have enjoyed pot and home made hash for many years. I "handle" it quite well and I can maintain in public with ease. I must point out however, that I don't use cannabis every single day. If I feel I am building up too much of a tolerance I quit for a month or two. I have plenty of experience with the drug, but it is not the focus of my life.
 
I would have to see a report of a well-done scientific study on the topic to become convinced that "black people handle pot better" than other ethnic groups because of their race alone.

I googled the topic and all I could find was some reports on racial differences in nicotine metabolism, but this was not really significant even for the topic of tobacco use and not at all useful for our discussion here.

I agree that the ability to enjoy and "handle" pot varies with individuals.

I am white, and I have enjoyed pot and home made hash for many years. I "handle" it quite well and I can maintain in public with ease. I must point out however, that I don't use cannabis every single day. If I feel I am building up too much of a tolerance I quit for a month or two. I have plenty of experience with the drug, but it is not the focus of my life.

Hey, thanks for your informative answer.

I am not making any statements whatsoever, I am just documenting what I (think) I notice. I also notice that many of my white friends can handle it very well, as well as other races. Just some consistencies I noticed.

Also when I said "handle" it. I didn't mean like act "normal" in public, or tolerance related etc. I meant soemthing along the lines of can use it very heavily without getting some of the nasty side effects that a lot of Marijuana users report like anxiety, depression, panic, paranoia etc. I think what I am trying to get at is there are certain races (not just black) that can use Cannabis heavily without getting those side effects and other individuals that belong to different races are maybe more prone to not being to use it heavily? I guess that is what I am trying to get at.
 
I think that if there is a difference it's cultural or social, not related to race/ethnicity. Black people I know seem to react the same to weed as anyone else, White, Latino, East Asian, Middle Eastern, South Asian, Hawaiian-Pacific or Native American. Some love it, some hate it, and some somewhere in between.

There was something, I think it was a paper by UNODC. It said that different cultures perceive cannabis' effects differently. Some viewed it as a stimulant for work, some as a depressant to relax and some as a psychedelic

Race/ethnicity is a social construct. It is not based on genetics or biology. They are not different strains, sub-species, landraces, breeds or anything else. We are all Homo Sapiens Sapiens. The different "races" aren't that different from each other. The little difference are superficial and often vary as much within a "race" as with other "races". There's different histories and cultures, but the biology is about the same.
 
Marijuana
dreadlock.gif
Knows No Color...Just smoke!
dreadlock.gif
 
This is a stupid question. Cultures could play an active role tho...
 
I know what your trying to say and even though its plausible, I don't think it rains to be true.
There are some differences between different races, biologically, African-American peeps are more likely to suffer hypertension. But I doubt there going to have overly different brain chemistry, that weed effects them differently.
Find something documented to support your theory and I'l be more inclined to believe it.
 
Marijuana
dreadlock.gif
Knows No Color...Just smoke!
dreadlock.gif


This.

Though I will say some of my white friends absolutely cannot get 'crunk' - as in drink alcohol, then smoke weed, or it's off to the bathroom for them! That said, I have plenty of white friends who can, too.

I also have black friends who have the same issue, though it does seem more rare. It's all about your tolerance, what you are used to, and your previous experiences. I think to suggest otherwise would be a bit insane.
 
Race has no biological basis, and I believe it's a social construct that's been used by politicians and the like to justify the inadequate treatment of people whose cultures and way of life get in the way of their political agendas.

Think about it like this-there are "caucasians," and then "african-americans," whom we forced into slavery and brought to America hundreds of years ago. Before and after this, the Spanish, German, and numerous other countries colonized and populated each and every continent, reproducing with native populations, mostly by force, which lead to "mixed races" such as latinos for example. Now, this is just what I've come to believe, and I'm expecting ill get called out for it, but to be honest, OP, your post definitely has some points that are bordering on, well... racist for lack of a better word.
 
Hear Me Roar said:
There are some differences between different races, biologically, African-American peeps are more likely to suffer hypertension.
That could easily be a result of social or environmental conditions. There are some conditions like sickle cell anemia or lactose intolerance, and a few others that are more common among people from certain regions. Otherwise we're not all that different, physiologically.
trees_please said:
Race has no biological basis, and I believe it's a social construct that's been used by politicians and the like to justify the inadequate treatment of people whose cultures and way of life get in the way of their political agendas.
QFT
 
I think tolerance and culture plays the part of 'race' that you are wanting to see.

In some cultures, Marijuana is going to be popular and widely accepted, and with that said,
I would believe that in those places, where marijuana is accepted, there will be many more people
smoking it, many more people offering it to you, and you would have many more friends who would be willing to smoke with you.

As opposed to another, where it might be frowned upon, people would have a harder time finding it, a harder time finding friends who smoke it,
and it probably wouldn't be offered as often as in other places. ( and I am sure, these people would be more like to hide their smoking from strangers, where as in other cultures, they may want to make it public how much dank they blow, lol)

Then, tolerance comes into play, well, person A smokes 3X a day, 7 days a week. While person B smokes 2X a day, 7 days a week. Well, that may not be a whole lot of a difference.
But when it comes to sitting down and smoking grams, well, your person who smokes more regularly will probably be able to smoke more. Now, this may not always be the case, but it is what I have seen.

Do the white people you know smoke exactly, or close to the SAME amount every day of the week? I would doubt it

Were these white people raised in homes where their parents frowned upon Marijuana and most of the people around them?

Were these blacks raised in homes where family members smoked weed? Were they raised in homes where Marijuana was strictly forbidden?

I guess it all comes down to stereo types and wanting to be able to put a label to someone or something, but, I don't think it's that simple.

Who handles rave drugs better?
I just think it's more or less, what you SEE around you and perceive it to be.
Chemistry, and the way you were raised would also play a big part, much bigger than race I would think.
 
Yeah humans are humans no difference really besides genetics and that is different in everybody , So its just pure coindence
 
Much more likely to be cultural. Not that it isnt possible that there could be differences between race if for example say one race has been using pot for hundreds or thousands of years longer than the others, then i guess maybe there brain chemistry would be better adapted to cannabinoids effects.
 
Cannabis has played an active role in all cultures for centuries. The OP said his "Asian friends" couldn't handle their stuff as well as his "black ones". This is stupid on many levels: Cannabis as an edible form (recreationary) was widespread in Asia, particularly China. The mountains of China are full of cannabis, yet it seems to have died out in their culture today (at least what we can see from the English speaking media an its reports).

I think the OP is unawaringly stigmatizing black people by associating them with cannabis consumption.

"White" Europeans used cannabis since antiquity bla bla bla, this can go on.

Some cultures still have pot as an active tool in their cultures and some don't. That's it. The thesis about cannaboid receptors is just bull shit.

Peace.
 
You know, before I even opened this thread I just knew about how blacks can handle their weed better than other races. It's just an ingrained stereotype probably perpetuated by the likes of black music culture for all I know. What I find staggering is that someone can judge a whole demographic just based on his own limited personal experiences of their own friends.

There might be some biological differences between races but there is no evidence of any behavioral differences between the different races that can't be explained simply by social norms or culture.
 
Last edited:
You know, before I even opened this thread I just knew about how blacks can handle their weed better than other races. It's just an ingrained stereotype probably perpetuated by the likes of black music culture for all I know. What I find staggering is that someone can judge a whole demographic just based on his own limited personal experiences of their own friends.

There might be some biological differences between races but there is no evidence of any behavioral differences between the different races that can't be explained simply by social norms or culture.

AE,

I don't know why your still constantly coming back to my threads and trying to put me down, lol, that last argument we had was a long time ago and I can't believe your still sad about that one lmao. I have dropped it and idk why your still mad lol.

But to everyone who posted on this thread,

I was not making a statement. I was raised in the West region of Oakland California, 95% of my friends were black so by no means was I trying to stigmatize anyone. I just had a theory, which is why I created the thread in the first place, to ask if people believed the same.

The majority of the answers I got were that people did not agree with me, and hey, I totally get that and you guys answered my question. I was not making a statement, I was asking a question.

And this is because luckily due to where I grew up I was diversified and encountered very different cultures. I am a minority myself, being Brazilian, I moved around a lot as a youth, going to several different high schools where I met blacks, whites, and others. I just thought I noticed a coincidence, which to this day I still actually believe in. But hey, its just my opinion and from research I have done this week, I think I know why but I wont get into it. I want to thank everyone for their answers.
 
AE,

I don't know why your still constantly coming back to my threads and trying to put me down, lol, that last argument we had was a long time ago and I can't believe your still sad about that one lmao. I have dropped it and idk why your still mad lol.

I'm not and I couldn't care less if you posted it or not. The previous threads I would have replied to had you been someone else and if you want an explanation look closer to home and try and consider what you post before blaming others - you certainly were asking for the response you got with a question like that and my posts were certainly not going against the grain and targeting you unfairly. There was nothing personal about the discussion about cannabis and mental illness which is what you're referring to, I just felt I needed to say something because of a string of biased posts you were making saying things like most people who smoke become mentally ill, one smoke and you could become psychotic etc. all along those lines. If you hadn't made those posts I wouldn't have said anything, so no I don't have anything against you, just the contents of your own posts recently. Judging by the comments others have been making about your comments behind the scenes, including a couple of Bluelighters I've met in person, I'm not the only one.

This thread does irritate me, yes, but not because of the person who posted it but because it's ignorant. Time and time again you reject rationality for speculation, conjecture and anecdotal experience.
 
Last edited:
I'm not and I couldn't care less if you posted it or not. The previous threads I would have replied to had you been someone else and if you want an explanation look closer to home and try and consider what you post before blaming others - you certainly were asking for the response you got with a question like that and my posts were certainly not going against the grain and targeting you unfairly. There was nothing personal about the discussion about cannabis and mental illness which is what you're referring to, I just felt I needed to say something because of a string of biased posts you were making saying things like most people who smoke become mentally ill, one smoke and you could become psychotic etc. all along those lines. If you hadn't made those posts I wouldn't have said anything, so no I don't have anything against you, just the contents of your own posts recently. Judging by the comments others have been making about your comments behind the scenes, including a couple of Bluelighters I've met in person, I'm not the only one.

This thread does irritate me, yes, but not because of the person who posted it but because it's ignorant. Time and time again you reject rationality for speculation, conjecture and anecdotal experience.

Uhhh (facepalm). I have seen more than a few members on here telling you act very immature, so I am not the only one who thinks this just letting you know. But whatever.
 
Top