If health is a concern, invest in a vaporizer instead of combusting with fire.

I've never personally been negatively affected with weed. It's an excellent mind expander and pairs extremely well with music and video. For some people (like myself), I have clear thoughts going through my head faster than I can write them down. Sometimes I like to lay back and vape and read Hacker News (like now) — it's a nice relaxer. Life just becomes more real.

There don't seem to be any long-term health risks. None have been demonstrated, a some you might expect (such as lung cancer) seem to have been disproven. Smoking can irritate your lungs in the shorter term, but fortunately there's no need to smoke.

Have you personally been affected?

If you use it frequently it makes it easier to fall into unproductive habits. For people who have a hard time staying committed or focused it would probably be a bad idea to become a regular user.

Edit: Oh, I read that as "has your personality been affected". Responding to the actual question: If I've smoked a lot recently I begin to develop a cough, but these days that doesn't happen as I use a vaporizer almost exclusively.

To answer your question, I think most people would agree that it's less "risky" than alcohol, but risk is a hard thing to quantify. The reason there's so much pro-marijuana on the internets probably has less to do with marijuana usage and more to do with the free, open, and evidence-based nature of online communities.

If you smoke in moderation, you will not observe any harmful effects.

When I smoked every day all day, I was definitely slower and less enthusiastic in general. I was a classic stoner. I didn't have any serious health problems, but my lung capacity was greatly decreased. This may have also been affected by my job at the time which prevented any consistant exercise.

I still smoke fairly frequently, but usually not more than a hit or two a day max. I take regular breaks of a week or more to control my tolerance and to prevent "stoner creep". I stay mentally sharp and I exercise regularly now and haven't detected any issues with my habit. It does feel good though to take a few months off once a year or so just to make sure I'm not too reliant on the green.

The only physical dangers that I see is that you tend to take on a less active lifestyle and can do a lot of damage to your body due to lack of exercise and proper eating habits. If lung damage is a concern, it can be prevented by edibles or a vaporizer.

Weed is an issue with many employers and most likely will be for the near future. Drug tests are no more than a IQ test though. If you can't fake a (corporate) drug test, you probably have a learning disability.

One major effect is that use makes things more interesting. This can be beneficial - it might allow an artist or programmer to dive into their work or help in music appreciation. This same property also masks boredom which can have serious consequences. Someone who is bored with their life often seeks to change it for the better, a person bored with TV may turn it off.

Ingested cleanly the drug itself is not risky in any way, sugar does more damage.

I've known senior, lifetime heavy users with no ill effects of daily smoking.

continued http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUU2YB9OgaU&feature=relat...

I recommend watching whole 'The Union'

There are very few people in the world that can be brutally honest about themselves and their lives. Very few people are willing to admit that a voluntary choice they took has caused a serious permanent damage in their lives.

I walk through parts of my city regularly where I am often approached in this way, even though I don't want to buy anything from them. So I only know about the first part, I don't know anything about any transactions after that would take place, or how to keep yourself safe. Maybe dressing like a bum will make the chance they'll mug you smaller.

Alternatively, associate with someone who most likely has some underground connections. Call and meet a prostitute, approach a group of youths hanging around on the street, approach people in a clubbing area, things like that. All of this I got from watching Law and Order but it seems reasonable enough :)

not sure how we could help each other, but perhaps we could meet sometime? are you in SF?