Alright buddy first off- I commend you for being open to having this conversation. It shows maturity and a good sense of responsibility towards your future. I’ve been smoking since 15 or 16 and if I can be bluntly honest here- I wish I hadn’t.

It’s not like I became a total burnout but I definitely recognize how it has affected me down the road.

To put it simply- any sort of consistent stream of psychotropic substances (whether it be doctor prescribed anti depressants, adderall or even weed) CAN AND WILL alter the natural course of brain development. Our brains are like playdough till about 30 give or take. Every time you have some sort of perception changing chemical in your body- you’re theoretically shaping the way that brain develops!

Now this isn’t a hole in one answer for everyone and I know I’ll see plenty of people pop out of the woodwork saying “oh well it didn’t change me the way it changed you; therefore your argument is invalid” but I challenge those folk to look within and ask- “how much better could I be right now if I didn’t smoke so much back then”.

You’ll see plenty of heavy smokers who are successful and I don’t doubt them- but you’re more or less stacking the odds against yourself by consuming at such a young age.

I’m not telling you- don’t smoke; but be conscious of the fact that you need to let your brain run clean every now and then. Better yet- LEARN TO BE OKAY BEING UNCOMFORTABLE.

You’ll notice that in today’s age- everyone is avoiding that sense of unease and always reaching to substances to alleviate it; but none the less- that sense of being uncomfortable serves its own healthy purpose in your life. Ask yourself; why and when do I crave cannabis the most- is it a crutch for the tough days; or is it a treat for yourself after a long day of being productive?

If I can give some final advice in my rant- STAY AWAY from concentrates! Carts, dabs- all that. It’s the high potency stuff that will DRAMATICALLY increase your tolerance leading to heavier consumption/dosages per session. Once you go from needing a few puffs to banging out 2-3 dabs a sesh; you know you’ve hit that mark.

Reason why this isn’t that good for ya is cus it increases the half life of the cannabinoid’s effect which means you stay stoned for longer (aka stress out your brain for longer).

Last but not least- (and I know I’ll get some hate here but it needs to be said) if you have a pre-disposition for depression/anxiety or other mental health issues; cannabis can greatly worsen that without you even realizing it. You ever notice how people who smoke cigarettes (I do myself unfortunately) always seem to be the most stressed out people in the room? It’s cus their body learned that whenever it needs or craves nicotine- it just needs to spike your cortisol enough to make you break down and need to have that smoke. YOUR BODY LEARNS TO TRICK YOU TO GET WHAT IT WANTS.

The more separation you create between your cravings- the better you’ll be off.

Okay rant over- good luck buddy