Back in my teenage years, I smoked more than 10x a day. For about 3-4 years. Not sure about the brain damage portion of your statement. I have several post graduate degrees and *self brag* excellent cognitive abilities.
Surely at this point medicinal marijuana has to be better than medications such as opiates over the long term. I see some utility for medicinal marijuana in chronic pain patients and those who suffer from anxiety/ stress induced medical conditions such as severe cases of PTSD. We both know long term use of opiates can cause liver and renal failure amongst many other conditions. It’s also possible to overdose on opiates, whereas I have yet to hear of someone overdosing on marijuana. As someone whose spouse is on a high dose of opiates (has been for 15 years due to RSD/CRPS Type II), I’d love to see her transition to something more effective and safer in the long term. She currently takes MS Contin and Hydros around the clock. Thanks to Ketamine therapy, her pain was reduced and her tolerance was somewhat reset. She used to be in Fentanyl, Diluadid, Ativan, and Morphine.
Which brings another point in opioid therapy that’s negative in the long term. It messes with the Mu receptors in the brain and can fundamentally change brain chemistry.