Poll: Do you smoke marijuana?

Remember, just because people who advocate keeping marijuana illegal are horrible human beings, doesn't change the fact that marijuana <i>is</i> a psychoactive drug and we don't really understand the human brain all that well.<p>My own brain is idiosyncratic and doesn't always react as expected (e.g. to caffeine) and I've heard friends say that they think that taking marijuana during college might have permanently dulled the edge of their intelligence - which isn't exactly a controlled study or anything - but is enough to scare me away from ever trying the stuff.<p>And yes, I also never drink alcohol, and try to steer away from large doses of caffeine. Drugs scare me, legal or not.<p>Consider the risks and rewards very carefully before whacking on your brain with <i>any</i> sort of neuropharmeceutical - everything we have nowadays will be regarded by future times as the equivalent of a sledgehammer. The people trying to decriminalize and legalize drugs are, without ambiguity, the good guys. Don't confuse that with the proposition that drugs themselves are good.

I like how people here advocate never trying psychoactive drugs, because they want to keep their mind in good shape; but then in other posts recommend only eating rice and beans and that sleep and exercise are an unnecessary waste of time.<p>Being out of shape, not eating right, and being sleep-deprived is going to be a lot worse for you than having a few miligrams of a psychoactive substance once in a while. Inaction is often worse than action.

Do you eat marijuana?<p>That is an entirely, if not more appropriate, question. Smoking is obviously the prominent method of use, but it seems like nobody actually ingests it, or talks about ingesting it.<p>I've made glycerin tinctures out of it, put it on pizza, pasta, in salads, and of course... used its oil in cookies and brownies. Of course, it's a strong herb, so you don't use "too" much.<p>I can hack fine when I eat it. No anxiety, insomnia, short term memory loss, etc... it's just a nice "warm and fuzzy" muscle relaxer (I have bad spinal problems, and it helps ease the pain and relax my nerves better than anything off the shelves).

I've found that I'm terrible at laying down code when I've been smoking. My short term memory goes down the drain, which makes it difficult to remember, e.g., variable and function names. However, I've also found that I'm quite good at other creative tasks that don't require such technical skills, like brainstorming about where a project should go, or thinking about high-level design details.

I find marijuana is a great tool for brainstorming if used in moderation but I advise people keep it away from their actual work process. It's good to approach it like having a beer to relax after a hard day.

I smoke very rarely. However, I distinctly remember one of the only times I actually felt "happy" in my life was while stoned. Such a thing is so rare that I don't really mind the fact that "the drugs did it".<p>I only like smoking a little at a time. This will generally improve my mood and actually help me concentrate on things a little easier and worry less about problems that come up, so it's really useful for composing music.<p>Smoking a lot will just make me feel really out of touch with reality, and the next day will be a complete loss, as I don't have the mental capacity to do anything really useful, I can still think straight but there is a long delay between beginning and finishing a thought. If I smoke not long before I go to bed, it seems to multiply this effect.

I don't smoke regularly anymore. I find that abstaining from pot helps me concentrate on a project in the long haul, and I'm currently working on a fun side project. Marijuana seems to give a short initial peak of motivation/enthusiasm for any project, but overall appears to be a net negative in productivity (esp since the the "low" tail is so long).<p>I had experimented with long periods of continuous canabis usage (at low doses, never bong rips) both before and after college. I can't say for certain, but I think it had the following effects:<p>- more introspection - i was better able to understand my own thought processes. - shorter attention span - my attention would wander easily, and i would often dive deep into (often insigificant) problems. - more creativity / exploration - unpredictable and possibly net negative motivation / enthusiasm<p>I think, having experienced being stupid for extended periods of time, I am better able to structure and document my code. (documentation and consistent code structure / principle of least surprise become essential when you're stupid).

Nope, do not do it regularly. Never tried it while hacking though, I suspect I wouldn't get much done... I mean, it's not like it opened any crazy doors for me. Things just got funnier and I just got hungrier.<p>To be honest I'm not a big fan of the ganja, but that's mostly because I lived with people who had a pot <i>problem</i>, as opposed to a pot <i>hobby</i>. When you're blowing all of your limited student income on pot instead, say, feeding yourself, you got a problem. The people they brought over weren't much better.

I know of no one who (knowingly) has had any negative effects from smoking weed, apart from a few who did it too often because they had nothing better to do.<p>It is harmless in my opinion (compared to other things people can legally do). Also, I know of people who find it extremely enlightening and helps them think of new ways to solve problems.

I mainly get high before having sex, really enhances the experience. Haven't noticed any effects to my hacking but there's no way to do a controlled experience, is there?

No.<p>But I did live in a house with a weed smoker for 2 years. Never really worried me except the living room always smelt stuffy in the mornings.<p>Oh and I had a really hilarious mix up with a dealer once. Mistook him for the pizza delivery guy and got all the way down a side street and too his car before I twigged. doh.

It affects different people in different ways, but I find it incredibly beneficial when used in moderation and for a purpose. A cup of tea and a glass bowl of dank will often enhance my ability to visualize whatever problem I'm wrestling with to such an extent that the solution is obvious. Couple that with a brisk 45 minute walk on a peaceful night, and it's like the scales fall from your eyes (just don't forget a pen and paper!).

Yes, quite frequently. It makes you a terrible coder, but I wouldn't go to a live concert now without it.

Is it really a good idea to have people confess in writing to what the the federal government and many states consider a crime?<p>I'd suggest the instead asking: "Do you think canabis negatively effects one's hacking abilities?"

Pot affects <i>everyone</i> differently. If you haven't smoked, don't. If you have, great.<p>But if you start smoking because of an online poll, you should reassess your decision making process.

I read on reddit that hemp was banned by the lobbyists of the lumber/timber corporations, as hemp was dirt cheap to grow and process it to make paper, which of course would have killed these big paper corps. Marijuana being a cousin and seemingly looking alike was banned together with it. any truth in this?<p>Ok. marijuana affecting hacking abilities (in terms of driving) video link: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3zou4F00Ic" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3zou4F00Ic</a> (i think this is from channel-4 UK)<p>In there he says he is "concentrating more and driving slower".

The terrible thing about pot is that it makes you two things: lazy; and happy to be lazy. It quells the fire within. Pot may be fun and may feel good, but it keeps you from being anyone.

anonymously for obvious reasons:<p>Echoing someone above, I'm fairly sure smoking weed has dulled the edge of my intelligence more or less permanently. On the other hand, I think it's probably made me a much nicer, well-rounded, and balanced person. I've no regrets.<p>But I never found it expanded my mind - just made me relaxed and happy. Personally, I find hallucinogens/entheogens much more conducive to hack-like tasks.

Don't, but have. Enjoyed it to a point. Great times (again to a point). Should be legal, but it's not, and that's the real danger.

I wonder what the results would be if the question were slightly tweaked to.. Have you ever smoked marijuana?

I smoke pot because it helps me sleep. In any other cases I find pot to be counter-productive... Sure it might've help me come up with some interesting essay in my Philosophy class back in college but besides that I find it really hurts my productivity. I can code when I'm high but everything takes at least 2-3x longer than it would've taken me if I were sober.<p>Then again, I guess it affects everyone differently. Some of my friends (usually the more "artsy" type of people) find that it helps boost their productivity. As for me, well, I have trouble sleeping and I'm not interested in sleeping pills so, as long as pot will help me with that, I will keep on smoking it. In any other situation (especially any "social" situation) I avoid it as it makes me more awkward, paranoid and anxious.

THC does not make you a better programmer, though I suppose there could be some Balmer-peak like point of intoxication out there. I did once have an interesting insight into the my mind on drugs, though, in writing a simple TI-83+ program for use in a rangefinder my friends and I decided to build while high. The final product worked exactly correctly, but when I examined the code in a non-intoxicated state, I saw that I had used some fairly elaborate trig identities, when the most appropriate solution would have simply been the tangent. That said, cannabis does tend to get me doing something right away, even if I dispense with the original work half the time. The sense of pure fascination is sometimes of great value.<p>Now the real question is whether LSD improves my math skills.

Usually only before sitting down to watch a movie.

<a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=509614" rel="nofollow">http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=509614</a>

Have smoked infrequently and enjoyed it, but can't see it as being useful for programming personally, so I'll vote no. I'd view it simply as a social drug like alcohol.

I like Bill Hicks take on Marijuana: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSH6ofHbeUw" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSH6ofHbeUw</a>

No, and never have but that is probably an effect of not having any inclination to seek it out as a younger person. I don't much care either way.

No.<p>Protect your brain.

No, but absolutely nothing against those who do, which is perhaps 60% of my friends.<p>In my opinion it is not good for my hacking abilities, in that I find it very difficult to take seriously the concept of "work" at all when high. I can be very productive, just probably not on the same thing I was planning to do ..

I used to smoke but can't anymore because of legal constraints and of course drug testing, and the stuff stays in your system for at least a month (at least for me) :-(. This varies in between different kinds of bud, but 5 out of 6 kinds I'd smoke throughout the month made me very lazy, so I couldn't see myself getting much done. Every now and then I'd find some stuff that didn't make me lazy, but it was rare. As far as brainstorming ideas though I think it would be great for that. As for dulling your intelligence, completely untrue. Maybe while high, but nothing permanent for sure.

It seems to me like it would have been helpful to split yes in to "Yes, and I feel that it makes me a better hacker" vs. "Yes, and I feel that it has a negative or nonexistent effect on my hacking abilities." Right now the question seems a little too vague. :(

youre god damn right i do

I voted up on both

nope on dope. especially for start ups and entreprenures<p>Do you think the Google guys were taking bong breaks between writing code?<p>My opinion is hacking + business needs a mind as sharp as a samurai sword