My friends are smoking weed

And your pancreas but it doesn't matter because eventually damage of one organ can lead to another.

Do you ever drink alcohol? Caffeinated soda or coffee?

These are mood altering drugs that are used responsibly as well as abused commonly.

Alcohol is far more dangerous, too.

FWIW I have never smoked pot.

Thankyou I agree

No, I've never drank alcohol or coffee. But you can't really compare caffeine to pot. This is getting off-topic.

Also, regular responsible use of alcohol (two pints of Killian's every Sunday while watching the football game) does no significant damage to any organs.

It's the irresponsible uses (binge drinking, becoming an alcoholic, high levels of use) that damage the liver.

These are drugs but they are not mood altering, any change in mood is an indirect effect from your bodys respose to the drug.

Has anyone ever told you that you rock

Never seen anyone addicted to caffeine pills?

I have.

Caffeine is a drug and has the potential to be abused, period.

Weed is the same way. It's more addicting than caffeine and perhaps alcohol, so more caution may be prudent, but to say that one can't use it responsibly is foolish. I personally know many people who do use it responsibly, and I know a few people who are addicted.

I know a lot more people whose lives have been negatively impacted by the legal drug alcohol.

https://netwellness.org/healthtopics/substanceabuse/madrugs.cfm

You are 100% incorrect. Mood altering drugs include alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine.

Ok so your saying that if I was to get drunk now, my mood would change? Hardly, I would still be happy. Like I said any change in mood is indirecty caused by alcohol, what could change my mood would be something like someone spilling my pint, if I were pissed or sober I would be upset about it but the alcohol would make my respose ten times worse. So like I said, alcohol will not affect your mood direcly.

Wine makes me sad
Beer/Lager makes me laugh
Vodka spaces me out
Rum makes me angry

These different types of alcohol affect my mood in different ways

You didn't say 'caffiene pills' thereby implying the use of a 'drug'.
I'm not saying people are going to drop dead from drinking a beer every friday night. What I'm saying is the idea of doing something destructive responsibly is a contradiction. The "IDEA".
And yes, there are weight lifters in my family who have been addicted to ephedrine so I know all about even drugs meant to be helpful becoming harmful.
The point of this entire thread was that there is a kid who's scared because his friends are using drugs. And he has every right to be.
And saying you can't use pot responsibly is not foolish. It messes with the way you think, and changes the way you act.
Frankly I don't care how many ways you want to try to justify it, to me it all comes down to what the people say when they're dying of cancer, or forgot to pick up their kids from school.

That only happens to some people, could be a placebo effect of some sort

"People use these drugs because they produce quick surges of a neurotransmitter, or brain chemical called dopamine. Dopamine, when released in the brain, makes people feel pleasure or euphoria, or, in other words,'high.'"

"Mood altering drugs don't just effect dopamine, they also have many other brain effects. It is these other brain effects that help us decide what class the drug belongs to."

"Sedative hypnotic drugs work on the GABA (gamma-aninobutyrate) receptor system of the brain. GABA neurons are cells that excite and activate the brain, leading to wakefulness and at times even anxiety. These drugs tend to depress or quiet down GABA nerve cells, causing:

* relief of anxiety
* sleepiness
* impairment of judgment
* bizarre behavior
* when used at too high a dose, coma or even death. "

LOL alcohol is actually good for you ie:glass of wine for dinner
it does no damage and is good for your blood in this kind of moderation.