Lifelong Marijuana Use Correlated With Troubled Middle Age

[TheAppleCore]

March 25, 2016

"Our study found that regular cannabis users experienced downward social mobility and more financial problems such as troubles with debt and cash flow than those who did not report such persistent use," said Magdalena Cerdá, an epidemiologist at the University of California, Davis and one of the study authors, in a press release. "Regular long-term users also had more antisocial behaviors at work, such as stealing money or lying to get a job, and experienced more relationship problems, such as intimate partner violence and controlling abuse."

[...]

Cohort studies like this one aren’t perfect, but this study accounts for a number of the factors that might throw off the conclusions, such as class and gender, and follows a lot of participants over such a long time that it makes their findings more robust.

[...]

"It is likely that those facing social and economic adversity are more likely than those who are not to turn to the use of legal and illegal intoxicants as a coping mechanism," Paul Armentano, the deputy director of NORML, a lobbying group working to legalize marijuana, told the Chicago Tribune.

Source: http://www.popsci.com/does-heavy-marijuana-use-really-make-you-broke-and-troubled-in-middle-age

 

[TheAppleCore]

The Los Angeles Times article on this study was preposterous sensationalism, presenting the study as incontrovertible proof that "toking a lot of weed over several years turns someone into a loser".

It's obviously fairly challenging to tease apart the effects of marijuana from other factors in a study like this. I couldn't be arsed to go through the original study with a fine-toothed comb, but if anyone else is willing to take a look at their methodology, I would be very interested in another analysis.

 

[slimvictor]

Epidemiological studies are always suspect for various reasons.
Here is a post about the many risks of trying to understand the results of such a study, and here is one about the danger of trying to deduce cause and effect based on such a study.

Personally, I would say that middle age is a troubling time. It is naturally so; the optimism of youth has faded and the dreary reality of going downhill, one way, sets in, as death is staring at us unceasingly from the corner of our room. Our bodies are beginning to fall apart and not perform as we wish, daily pain or discomfort becomes a reality for many people, and the promise of money or career bringing satisfaction is often fading or gone by this point.

Many people hide these problems with alcohol. Those who use cannabis may be more aware of the problems or sensitive to them. They may be unable to hide from them and forced to confront them. Their use of cannabis may make them aware and help them to confront their problems more directly.
Then again, some people just want to get fucked up on any drug they can find in order to hide from these problems (and to feel better/good again). They might use alcohol and cannabis and other drugs as well. I don't think that the study differentiates between these groups.

Some associations can be chalked up to the illegality of cannabis, including downward social mobility.

So, just because this study involved many people is no reason to trust the conclusions. They admit that causality is not something they can talk about - maybe people who steal and lie more are more attracted to cannabis use. Maybe there is a third factor that is causing both the cannabis use and the behaviour.

Personally, I am a middle-aged, long-term cannabis user. I have never stolen or lied, am currently middle-class and have been ever since I got a job, and have never experienced abuse or violence in a relationship. I have friends that are in similar situations as me as well, so it is hard to know what this study really means...

 

[belligerent drunk]

I wonder how often people ask whether such correlations should suggest that "life-long marijuana use leads to trouble in middle-ages" or instead "troubled life leads to marijuana use". This is not to say that cannabis itself can't create problems or make existing problems worse in certain cases, but I have a feeling that the causation is actually the other way 'round. That people with stressful lives (which also pretty much means they have some kinds of problems) are more likely to look for relief in drugs - including alcohol and cannabis.

 

[thujone]

From article:

All the participants were born within a year on each other in Dunedin, New Zealand

From Wikipedia:

Compared to New Zealand as a whole, Dunedin's demographics tend to show traits of the New Zealand education sector, largely caused by the city's high tertiary student population. These traits include a higher female population compared to males, a lower-than-average median age, a high proportion of people under 25 years, a higher proportion of people of European and Asian ethnicity and a lower proportion of Maori and Pacific Island ethnicities, higher unemployment, lower median income, and a higher proportion of those with school and post-school qualifications.

So demographically speaking, Dunedin checks virtually all the boxes for a highly-productive city. But wait:

Dunedin had an unemployment rate of 6.1% of people 15 years and over, compared to 5.1% nationally. The median annual income of all people 15 years and over was $19,400, compared to $24,400 nationally. Of those, 51.2% earned under $20,000, compared to 43.2% nationally, while 13.4% earned over $50,000, compared to 18.0% nationally.

Unemployment rate is of little consequence, but the fact that median income is so abyssmal in a city that otherwise has desirable human capital is indicative of a severe gap in the supply versus demand of labour, which in similar cities in the developed world have forced people interested in upward mobility to move elsewhere anyway.

I don't see any mention of whether all the subjects stayed in Dunedin but I suspect maybe that information is being deliberately left out because it would show that regardless of drug use those who moved away from Dunedin to cities with opportunities will do better than those that stayed and started toking to kill time

 

[Felonious Monk]

Thujone, thanks for pointing out it's New Zealand...

Doesn't really account for the fact that cannabis is illegal, does it?

 

[TheAppleCore]

Some associations can be chalked up to the illegality of cannabis, including downward social mobility.

Thujone, thanks for pointing out it's New Zealand...

Doesn't really account for the fact that cannabis is illegal, does it?

This is a very good point. I never even stopped to consider the implications of cannabis prohibition in New Zealand. It's easy to imagine that people with higher-paying careers, and therefore more at stake with the risk of a criminal record ruining their professional reputations, are more reticent to cross legal boundaries.


The people that I consider to be my greatest role models, and in whose footsteps I aspire to follow, are enthusiastic proponents of cannabis. That's enough to justify my usage, IMO.

 

[DixiChik]

Idaknow...I'm middle age. I've NEVER used recreational drugs sans the occasional "social" drink.

My health is a SHIT SUNDAE due to trauma/injury/disease and the treatments for the aforementioned maladies.

I cannot tolerate pain meds, so I suffer. Yes, I maintain the façade with my career, 35 year marriage, my home and fir babies. I also am responsible for both my mom and MIL (90 and 83) although they reside in a nursing home.

I tried to smoke some Indica weed last Fall, in hopes of finding some pain relief and less depression. I admit, it was a temporary escape filled with shit-faced laughter. BUT...not practical for me to remain productive and responsible.

I'm told the MMJ in form of oils or tinctures might be helpful. I have no access here. My husband has said repeatedly that we will sell everything and move to CO. Though we could use a "mid-life" change of scenery, it's not practical. It "troubles" me that I can't at least "try" the CBD:THC before I have to lose my colon. Help me!!!

 

[slimvictor]

The people that I consider to be my greatest role models, and in whose footsteps I aspire to follow, are enthusiastic proponents of cannabis. That's enough to justify my usage, IMO.

This immediately made me think of Les Grinspoon. Carl Sagan. Alan Ginsberg. Bob Marley.
Quick google search turned up Maya Angelou. William Shakespeare. Ancient Chinese physicians including Hua Tao. Christopher Columbus (not a role model in every way but I deeply admire his courage, at least).

 

[One Thousand Words]

A lot of losers smoke weed but not all weed smokers are losers.