Marijuana has MANY legitimate medicinal and health benefits.

There are several antioxidant and neuro-protectant properties that have been identified in marijuana. That said I think inhaling smoke is always a bad idea... better is to vaporize it or eat it in some form or apply to the skin.

I personally don't use it but I know several people who do and I think they should be able to. It should be legal in my opinion with the same regulations and taxes as alcohol and cigarettes.

I"ve been Paleo/Primal/IF over 3 years now. I smoke everyday. I'm still getting stronger, faster, better body composition. I've never been healthier in my life. No problem.

Its a gift from god. What people don't realize most often is that there are female and male plants, and they can't grow in the same area. Cannabis is a medicinal powerhouse. They seek to control what they know would put a lot of drug companies out of business!

If you are a male and okay with lower testosterone and increased estrogen, go for it. Pot affects the HPA axis, the hypothalamus/pituitary/adrenal axis. It has endocrine effects. This is an added substance to the body and it does have effects, not all are benign.

As long as you stick to paleo munchies after, I'm ok with it.

marijuana

kava

datura

Kola

Khat

guarana

ginseng

coffee

coca

ololioqui.

ongel trumpet

nutmeg

peyote

opium poppies.

cacao

holly

hallucinogens, stimulants, depressants: all naturally occurring and accepted in vastly varying degrees by society. Where do you draw the line? humans have been dabbling in these substances for a long long time. Marijuana - I always thought of it wasteful to smoke it, you only get a marginal amount of the thc by smoking, ingesting it was a far more efficient way of getting what you wanted, but now I'm paleo, I couldn't eat the cake or cookies anymore, besides, it has been a very long time since I indulged in that.

Coffee, chocolate, sometimes guarana. That's about the limit of the stimulants I consume.

Dr. Emily Deans opinion:

http://evolutionarypsychiatry.blogspot.com/2011/05/cannabis-and-psychosis.html

http://evolutionarypsychiatry.blogspot.com/2011/05/more-about-mysteries-of-cannabis.html

Fungus balls and psychosis doesn't sound like fun. Sure, it's "paleo" and so is honey, but change your brain chemistry at your own risk. And stop denying that there are no negative respiratory effects.

Me? It's hard enough to be paleo. A couple of drinks and I'm looking for chips and salsa. A couple of tokes and I would be head first into the Oreos and Doritos.

I guess its tecnically paleo. Its been around since before man. We've had fire since paleo times. At some point, that pot would have ended up on the fire. And then there would have been giggles and muchies.

Hemp is a pretty nutritious food too. Phytochemicals galore, and the fats are omega balanced like olives (well hempseed oil anyway). It may have been used directly as food in some cases, or at least some parts of the plant.

Its not toxic really, it has major medicinal benefits, and its probably a much better choice in moderation, health wise than booze/beer, given how broadly negative and toxic alcohol is, and how brute and unspecific a drug it is.

But in excess pot does cause some issues for the brain and nervous system, such as depleting melatonin, reducing sort term memory, and apparently reducing sperm motility (although I have to say, when I used to smoke weed, lots and for many many years, my sperm could have still used a lot less motility - two pregnant girls while on birth control is two pregnant girls too many).

On the other side its unrilved for its anti-spasm and anti-nasea properties, and is a good pain-killer and powerful "anti-oxidant". (noting that not all plant "anti-oxidants" actually seem to work via direct reduction of oxidative stress, and probably work via hormesis...at least pot as an anti-oxidant is triggering melatonin release, so in that sense its a true anti-oxidant, and a very powerful one - in moderation)

So in summery, id say, yes absolutely, in moderation, and especially if you can vape or eat it instead of smoke. It's IMO definately a more healthful choice to have the odd vape/cookie rather than the odd beer. In some ways it may be beneficial.

Just make sure if your one of those small minority of people that loves it so much you want to toke all day, that you keep yourself in check, and just use it moderately instead.

I did marijuana for 2 years in the late 1960's. It starts out sattwic, goes to rajasic for a while, and ends up tamasic. Therefore, it is tamasic, and you could not pay me to do it again.

If you don't know what those words mean, try http://www.tirisulayoga.com/Articles/gunas.htm

Just like everything else Paleo, quality matters.

In the spirit of the cavemen (and cavewomen) in all of us, perhaps we should ask ourselves...How long would our dearest ancestor Grok survive in the wild whilst high?

I tried it once when I was a teen and it made me soooooooooooo sick.

I truly don't feel the need to take something that is going to mess with my head...or make me puke.

I was a pothead from age 18 to 20. For the next 30 years, I only used it a few times per decade. I don't know whether I changed or the weed is different today, but what used to be fun is now a nightmare. The effect now is hours of paranoia followed by several days of depression. In all likelihood, I'll never use it again for the rest of my life.

So often our desires mess with our thinking. Like it took me a awhile to accept the fact that sweet fruits were hurting my metabolism. And it takes a lot of people a long time to accept that raw is usually better than cooked. And of course it takes a lot of people time to accept that grains are hurting them. So, it is perfectly natural for those who enjoy marijuana to accept the fact that it is making them paranoid, harming their lungs, and is a general downer, or as they say in ayurvedic medicine, marijuana is eventually tamasic.

At this point it is pretty GMO... Just look at what selective breeding has done to THC concentrations in the last 30 years.

As a drug I think it is way better than alcohol in terms of what behaviors it promotes and its effect on the body, and if I were in charge it would be just as legal as alcohol.

However any mind altering substance can be abused and can be something that separates you from your friends/family/work/life. Some people just can't use substances in moderation and terrible things can happen when they don't.

I have been sowing, growing and consuming my own plants since I was 20 (I'm 37 now). Never sold them, just share it with some my close friends.

I can say, from my own experience, that alcohol is 1 thousand times more addictive than marihuana. Actually, I think alcohol is the worst drug ever.