Who'da thunk it..."Marijauna a Wonder Drug" says Neurology journal.

[Atman]

Marijuana as Wonder Drug

By Lester Grinspoon | March 1, 2007

A NEW STUDY in the journal Neurology is being hailed as unassailable proof that marijuana is a valuable medicine. It is a sad commentary on the state of modern medicine -- and US drug policy -- that we still need "proof" of something that medicine has known for 5,000 years.

The study, from the University of California at San Francisco, found smoked marijuana to be effective at relieving the extreme pain of a debilitating condition known as peripheral neuropathy. It was a study of HIV patients, but a similar type of pain caused by damage to nerves afflicts people with many other illnesses including diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Neuropathic pain is notoriously resistant to treatment with conventional pain drugs. Even powerful and addictive narcotics like morphine and OxyContin often provide little relief. This study leaves no doubt that marijuana can safely ease this type of pain.

As all marijuana research in the United States must be, the new study was conducted with government-supplied marijuana of notoriously poor quality. So it probably underestimated the potential benefit.

This is all good news, but it should not be news at all. In the 40-odd years I have been studying the medicinal uses of marijuana, I have learned that the recorded history of this medicine goes back to ancient times and that in the 19th century it became a well-established Western medicine whose versatility and safety were unquestioned. From 1840 to 1900, American and European medical journals published over 100 papers on the therapeutic uses of marijuana, also known as cannabis.

<snip>

http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/diseases/articles/2007/03/01/marijuana_as_wonder_drug/

.

[bleedingheart]

1. marijuana helped my uncle survive his cancer treatments

without it he would have starved to death from the severe nausea.

[caledesi]

81. Same w/ my brother. The nausea medication did not work and

his weight was dangerously low. The doctor (Coloradio) prescribed THC and my brother immediately started gaining weight during him chemo.

[Horse with no Name]

2. So what are they going to do now?

Even to the surprise of some, I am NOT a Big Pharma cheerleader, and there is no way in hell that marijuana will ever be made legal no matter WHAT it cures because it is a drug that Big Pharma cannot control the distribution of.

[w4rma]

9. I predict it is well on the way to being legalized. The trend is towards legalization.

I predict it will be legalized before 2020.

I don't think that big pharma or any moral hypocrites will be able to stop it.

[Horse with no Name]

10. I certainly would love to see that

But it would take a direct hit on the War on Drugs and the prison entities that make money on the pot smokers. We'll have to hold Congress and the Presidency and have a huge impact before that ever happens.

[Tellurian]

60. Big Pharma has tried to duplicate it..

and I believe, that is the final reason for the hold out of legalization. Scientist could not replicate the effects of smoking mj into a pill form. There are over 100 unidentifiable components in mj scientist were at a loss to separate and label. Same thing with Bee Venom.

[Faux pas]

64. That's why they won't legalize it, hoping big pharma would be

able to duplicate it. Good luck on that one. Nature has the advantage over science, give me what nature makes over the drug companies anytime.

[Tellurian]

69. I think they will..

sold by prescription only. Go to your local pharm and have your script filled.

[Faux pas]

80. I don't think pharma needs to get into it at all. Let farmers grow

the stuff and let the government tax it....easy peezy.

[Mnemosyne]

29. In the early 1970's, we seriously believed it would be legal before now.

We was wrong! :grr:

[Atman]

30. We were high

:hippie:

.

[halobeam]

32. LOL

:smoke:

[Mnemosyne]

72. Sure were.

:smoke:

[Greyhound]

37. We were seriously naive about how far Big Business will go to protect its rackets. n/t

[Mnemosyne]

73. Definitely. n/t

[NashVegas]

45. Legalized With a License To Sell

Licensed to sell seeds, and Monsanto will buy up all the seed companies that sprout up.

And you'll see pharmaceutical advertising.

[spanone]

49. Dream on, this was predicted back in the sixties. They will stop it.

Many white collar folks are making shit-loads of money from marijuana.

The drug war supplies billions of dollars to the 'drug war' and Correction Corporations (those who run our prisons) are profitting like never before.

[Ghost in the Machine]

31. they could control it without Big Pharma...

I've been on record for at least 27 years advocating legalization with limitations.

The government could regulate and/or subsidize the growing, cultivation and distribution much like the tobacco and alcohol industries. This would also create a few more industries for hemp products.

Legalization, Regulation & Taxation should be the new mantra for the cause. Think of the boom to the economy from taxes on legal marijuana, plus the jobs created. It's a win/win proposal. Any takers?

[Patiod]

68. The anti-drug hysteria has scared Big Pharma away from it

Several years ago I worked directly with a European pharma company that saw the advantage of providing a canabinoid receptor agonist product that offered consistant doses (much as Rozerem/ramelteon offers consistant doses of OTC melatonin), produced under highly regulated conditions.

We talked to groups of MDs, and laid out the product's possible outcomes in patients with cancer, arthritis, and neurological pain, without alerting physicians to the mechanism of action. They were somewhat interested, although a little concerned that the side effect of "confusion" might be a problem in older patients or those still trying to work outside the home.

Once they saw the mechanism of action, there was one almost unanimous answer "you've got to be kidding - it's pot.

They had WAY too many reservations about prescribing "dope", even though they intellectually accepted its possible advantages (although Oncologists tended to approach it much more favorably)

So it's not as if "Big Pharma" is fighting legalization because they can't control it. They are up against a hostile FDA, skeptical physicians, and a drug-hysterial population.

[hobbit709]

3. I could have told them that

[Atman]

4. I was going to...but I was stoned and forgot.

:smoke:

.

[hobbit709]

6. Shel Silverstein said it best

"I Was Stoned And I Missed It"

[HeeBGBz]

40. Yeah, no one asked me either

Could've saved them some big bucks in their study.

[kiahzero]

5. Clearly this is a Big Pharma conspiracy.

Or something.

[WindRavenX]

65. lol

:thumbsup:

[Marnieworld]

7. I thunk it

I'll probably be thinking it again tonight!

People are so silly. Here God put a wonder drug on earth for them and they reject it. Our bodies have receptors in our brains for it yet still they deny.

Cramps? Depression? Inflammation? You name it, it helps. But of course they'll just keep on "researching" it. Humans have done the research for 1000s of years but still we must continue.

Um, if it hurts lungs prove that it's bad if you digest it. Where's the research in that?

[flakey_foont]

8. I thunk it too

I think

[nonconformist]

11. It's the only thing I've ever found that helps with my migraines

And frankly, I feel safer smoking weed than popping OTC Motrin like it's candy.

[grannylib]

12. You and me both. Imitrex helps the pain for me, but only weed helps the

nausea and vomiting. I puke so hard I break blood vessels in my face.

[dysfunctional press]

42. i can't take imitrex because of my raynaud's syndrome...

pot works best for me, too.

[druidity33]

16. ditto for my IBS... n/t

[ktlyon]

41. it also helps with back pain, high blood pressure, depression

the lies that are being spread are never refuted in the MSM
meanwhile drug companies can push their product on TV all day and night with all their dangerous side effects

[SammyWinstonJack]

71. I'd smoke it, but it makes me paranoid and that leads to depression.

However, that probably has something to do with it being illegal. :shrug:

[ms liberty]

13. K&R n/t

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

14. There Was An Article With That Identical Title About 8 Years Ago In Discover Magazine.

I always reference it in conversations about the glories of marijuana.

[CrazyOrangeCat]

15. kick

[GreenPartyVoter]

17. When the visiting nurse checked in on my dad to clean his dressings she

reeked of the stuff.

After she left he and I talked about it and we decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, that she might have been helping someone out with medical marijuana.

[shadowknows69]

18. Do you know many nurses in private life?

Cause I've known a few that would definitely have been "helping" their patients with their medical mariujana. B-)

[GreenPartyVoter]

21. I know some at my hubby's conservative church. I so do not think

they would proffer medical mary jane. LOL

Nice to know there are others out there, though, who are willing to do what is right for the patient.

[ninkasi]

19. Isn't it pathetic?

Too many powerful interests are behind keeping weed illegal. I can think of three, the pharmaceutical industry, the for-profit prison industry, and many law enforcement agencies, since they benefit from the drug seizure laws. Hell, it probably even includes the liquor industry. If it were legal, I could grow my own. I suffer from peripheral neuropathy, and can vouch for the fact that neither methadone or morphine has little effect on my pain.

In addition, I have to have my husband take me once a month to pick up a written prescription for the morphine, since it can't be renewed by phone, and you are only allowed 30 day's supply on each subscription. My whole life is structured around the pain level I experience on a daily basis. Some days are better than others, but I can't make many long term plans, because they might have to be canceled if the pain is too bad. I know many other DUers suffer from chronic pain, or have family members or friends who do, and I think any intelligent, rational person would see that keeping marijuana illegal is a farce.

We could cut the prison population drastically by making marijuana legal, and that would be a tremendous help to us taxpayers. It would also help keep families together, and decrease poverty, and give people a new source of taxable income by growing it. Hemp should be legal, as well. How screwed up our drug laws are! This issue is one which angers me greatly, since people's ability to battle cancer, and to cope with pain, are sacrificed to the religious and the big money interests.

[Greyhound]

36. You can add the paper, petroleum, chemical and plastics industries to

your list as well. The history of the origins of marijuana's illegality is a virtual who's who of environmentally devastating industries. Hearst, DuPont and Rockefeller are three of the best known names that used their connections and influence to deny this wonderful plant to the citizens and economy of the U.S.

Henry Ford made a car fueled, lubricated, and largely built from marijuana. It is, unlike corn, a truly viable alternative fuel due to the fact that it is easily grown in almost any climate, requires less energy to produce than it provides, and does not deplete the soil, but rather is beneficial to it. Old time dairy farmers swore by it, claiming that the cows gave more and better milk when their diet was supplemented with it, and on and on and on.

This economy of America country was founded, in large part, by the growing of hemp and hemp products. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and nearly all of their contemporaries grew it, the capital building in Virginia is decorated with engraved pot leaves.

The campaign to steal it from the people of The USA, all to make rich men even richer, was a model of lies, bigotry, and propaganda that would make KKKarl Rove tear up with envy.

[SammyWinstonJack]

47. ...

:grr: I knew most of what you have written here, but seeing it all put together, pisses me off even more.

[ninkasi]

54. Thanks for the information

I knew that Washington and Jefferson grew it, but it's amazing how useful it really is. I really, really think it should be legal, and think it would help improve our economy...well, for us ordinary people, anyway.

[TheWraith]

70. Actually, some of those things are myths.

For instance, it is true that Henry Ford built a car which had hemp fiber in the construction, but it's not quite true that it was largely built from hemp, as that was one of several fibers (including straw) that was combined with resin molding to produce the plastic panels.

It's also not true that growing it doesn't deplete soil. Any kind of plant depletes soil nutrients to a greater or lesser extent. While it is possible to produce ethanol fuels from it, the practicality is questionable. And the thing about cows is, as far as I'm aware, an old wives' tale.

While I'm sure it has many positive characteristics, the characterization of hemp and cannabis as solutions to all the world's problems is a bit misleading.

[MindPilot]

93. "Hell, it probably even includes the liquor industry."

Anheuser Busch is one of the biggest contributors to the ONDCP.

[FourScore]

20. But, but, but...

This could lead to the downfall of society and turn all our children into addicts and then they'll start dancing with one another and that might lead to same-sex sex which might lead to same-sex marriage and ...and...and...good gawd...it just cain't be!!!! :sarcasm:






I coulda saved 'em some money and told them this a long time ago...but then, why listen to experts in the field? :evilgrin:







K&R:smoke:

[Boxerfan]

22. It helps protect from tumors and actually enhances memory function in long term users!

Pure BS or some study I can recite?...Nope,just my personal experience. I've had 3 tumors removed from a nasty Melanoma,Parotid gland & a basal cell. All were benign. The Dr. on the Melanoma was a specialist & absolutely amazed it came back benign. I thank my lucky stars as I've grown a very nice family since then.

Compared to my siblings (who had similar drug experience when young but later stopped)my memory retention is vastly superior. I know for a fact it has greatly improved from when I quit drinking 14 years ago but that's understandable. I can spin my freeper brother silly in a debate if I choose to but as of late I've been kind.

Anyhow, it's the best damn thing I've ever used for WHATEVER ails ya!. I am a certified Medical user as I have Arthritis after years of hard physical work. Strange but true, when I was 14 I had a diagnosis of juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. It was done by Stanford Medical center & my parents were very concerned. But I never displayed full blown symptoms. I didn't tell my folks I was a pothead even back then (I started smoking at 9-Thanks freeper bro!). I'd wager my lack of symptoms had something to do with that. I kinda wish I could get a real study done on my experiences but till they take it seriously as a medicine I'll rely on my gut & stick to my best medicine.

For the record I do very technical mechanical work & fabrication. I medicate all day long & can kick but on the young kids productivity wise...
Cheers!

[Jonathan50]

23. Marijuana And Traumatic Brain Injury

http://www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/mj021.htm

Marijuana And Traumatic Brain Injury

ABC News - Oct. 5 2001

Research at the Hebrew University in Israel, reported in the journal Nature, shows that a cannabinoid, similar to the active ingredient found in marijuana and produced in the brains of many animals, protects mice from brain injury.

Mice that sustained brain injuries were discovered to have elevated levels of a compound known as 2-Arachodonoyl glycerol, or 2-AG. Theorizing that this cannabinoid was produced to prevent damage, the researchers administered more of the compound to injured mice and found it protected the brain.

The cannabinoid, 2-AG, is believed to work in three ways. First, it reduces the levels of glutamate, a toxic molecule, released after injury. Second, it decreases the amount of free radicals and TNF (a chemical that induces inflammation) after injury. Third, it increases the blood supply to the brain. All three mechanisms are essential for limiting the damage done after the primary injury.

[Conan_The_Barbarian]

24. it's the only thing that cures me

what it cures I'm not sure but it does a good job.

[Cha]

25. Who'd thunk it?.. is right!

I just thought it was a RV that I liked so much I ODed.

Brownies are the way go.

[marmar]

26. Light if you got 'em....and Peace!

:smoke:

Let us burn one
From end to end
And pass it over
To me my friend
Burn it long, we'll burn it slow
To light me up before I go

If you don't like my fire
Then don't come around
Cause I'm gonna burn one down
Yes I'm gonna burn one down

My choice is what I choose to do
And if I'm causing no harm
It shouldn't bother you
Your choice is who you choose to be
And if your causin' no harm
Then you're alright with me

If you don't like my fire
Then don't come around
Cause I'm gonna burn one down
Yes I'm gonna burn one down

Herb the gift from the earth
And what's from the earth
Is of the greatest worth
So before you knock it try it first
You'll see it's a blessing
And not a curse

If you don't like my fire
Then don't come around
Cause I'm gonna burn one down
Yes I'm gonna burn one down

- from "Burn One Down" by Ben Harper

[LeftishBrit]

27. I know people who probably owe their lives to the fact that marijuana helped them to tolerate chemo

Otherwise, they might have given up on necessary treatment for cancer.

I don't understand why medical marijuana is still not accepted, when drugs like morphine and heroin can be used for medical purposes.

After all, it's even a 'Victorian value'. I believe that Queen Victoria was given cannabis for her period pains.

[OnyxCollie]

51. It helped my girlfriend get through chemotherapy.

Smoking pot was the only thing that would allow her to eat. The chemo made her feel terrible and destroyed her appetite. After smoking, she would get a taste for something, toasted cheese, chicken soup, etc. I would then prepare the food and get it to her as quickly as possible. The meds she was prescribed to prevent her nausea didn't help. It was smoking pot that got her through those three months.

When I was in high school, I had developed a phobia about riding in cars. I would always get carsick, and the fear got so bad that I couldn't even make short (5 min.) trips. My world was limited to only where I could walk. I had gone to a psychiatrist to no avail. Smoking pot was the only thing that allowed me to conquer my fears.

It won't be legalized, because you can't patent a weed. Also, if you buy a bag from your friendly dealer, you'll get seeds. You could plant them yourself and cut out the middleman. Do you think Monsanto would allow that? Hell no. They won't even allow farmers to replant their crops from seeds. Nope, Monsanto developed crops with infertile Terminator seeds requiring farmers to keep buying seeds each season.

[indepat]

28. I've never partaken a joint, but my peripheral neuropathy has worsened over the last

four years. May everyone who blocks or opposes the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes rot and burn in eternal hell for several eternities a few times over. :7

[Hestia]

33. The term marijuana needs to quit being used - this word came

into being by Hearst when he started his propaganda campaign. The proper term that we should use is Cannibis. Bring back the proper word...

[dysfunctional press]

44. that's not gonna happen.

once a word enters the general lexicon, it can be fairly difficult to remove it.

[riverdeep]

34. The problem is pleasure

If marijuana reduced or eliminated symptoms only, there wouldn't be a problem.
But it also produced the dreaded pleasure as a by-product. I think it goes back to our Puritannical/Calvinist roots.

Also, we'd have a lot more hemp products in the market and wouldn't have to destroy as many trees since it's renewable. Actually, isn't this the threat (to the timber industry) that actually got it banned in the first place?

[Warren DeMontague]

35. Not only that, it causes people to laugh, to enjoy stuff like sex and eating

and has even been linked to jambands and black light posters.

[Greyhound]

38. Sort of, that was certainly a factor used in the propaganda campaign to take it from us,

but the real bottom line reason is the same old one, money. If you do a search on hemp right here on DU you will find a plethora of articles and resources on the hows and whys of the causes and motivations for its illegality. Yet another shameful stain on our nation caused by the avariciousness of our ruling class.

BTW, a belated welcome to DU, from the loony-left greyhound. :hi:

[ktlyon]

46. I thought it was the oil industry

in league with auto makers wanted cars to run on gasoline not bio-diesel from hemp that Ford started with

[nuxvomica]

56. Yes. Hearst was the largest private owner of timberland...

At the time of his anti-marijuana campaign. Though such campaigns made marijuana illegal, the fact that it's been kept illegal is related to the euphoria factor, IMHO. Note how stimulant drugs, like coffee, tobacco and amphetemines have enjoyed longer periods of social acceptance. They are prized for their ability to make workers industrious. Pot just makes folks mellow and creative and, worst of all, suspicious of authority.

[Drops_not_Dope]

39. .

[dysfunctional press]

43. pot is a bronchial dilator- it makes it easier to breathe.

the nicotine in cigarettes on the other hand, act as a vascular constrictor- causing a completely opposite effect.

in other words- not all smoke is created equal, for those who think that inhaling ANY smoke is a bad thing-

when you snoke pot, it dilates the bronchii, making it easier to breathe, and helping to clear your lungs.

i have been a CHRONIC chronic-smoker for going on 30 years now- but i don't smoke tobacco...i recently had a chest x-ray, and the doc proclaimed me "clean as a whistle".

i take methadone for chronic pain- narcotics can make breathing more laboured, but the pot helps make it much easier.

[mdmc]

48. kick

[Unca Jim]

50. I understand we all like to toke it up...

but let's remember two things:

1. It's still smoking, which is still bad for you.

2. If your kids get into it and smoke a bunch, they will end up with smaller brains, less cognitive function, and lower communication and problem-solving skills. I can post links to the studies, and I can tell you from personal experience in the public schools that kids who smoke dope are handicapping themselves. Marijuana makes kids stupid.

That said, it appears pretty harmless for adults. Just keep it away from the teenagers.

Feel free to tell me that I'm a tool of big pharma or whatever, just keep it away from the teens.

And I know many feel that booze is worse, but booze takes a lot longer to do serious damage to a teen than dope or tobacco does in moderate doses.

Now I'm a tool of the alcohol industry too, I suppose.

Oh, well...

[Jonathan50]

52. My wife started smoking pot when she was thirteen years old

Today she is regional manager for one of the largest private corporations in the world.

Cannabis makes you stupid in some ways when you are high but seems to have little effect on brain function once one is no longer high.

BTW, welcome to DU.. :hippie:

[Unca Jim]

59. Well, so did I...

...and I'm a Mensa member and am considered smart by many. :)

I only smoked a little in my developmental years, as I'm sure is true of your wife. Heavier exposure will take its toll.

What I'm really saying is: Marijuana use is *in general* bad for kids and is *over time, statistically* going to make kids *on average* dumber than kids who don't use it.

Everyone knows a 90-year-old smoker, but no one can argue that smoking lowers quality and length of life *on average*.

[OnyxCollie]

53. It's not pot that makes kids stupid, it's their parents.

I won't say smoking it makes them smarter, but I believe you've got a few spurious variables affecting your causality.

[Unca Jim]

63. I concur enviroment is more important than anything else...

but I have seen very bright students with great support at home start using in Junior High and become significantly dumber over time

I can relate anecdotes and I can cite research all day. I'm not alone. Ask anyone who deals with kids and they will tell you the same thing.

I'm not advocating taking away anyone's ganja, I just think it's not good for kids.

[Beam Me Up]

57. 1: Vaporizers have been invented 2: Science to back that up??

Vaporizers turn the THC into steam. NO SMOKE. See: http://www.storz-bickel.com/en_home.htm

I agree that children shouldn't use drugs of ANY kind unless it is absolutely necessary but your statement sounds very bogus to me. Have any science to back it up?

[Unca Jim]

62. Sure...

Here are a very few major studies I could grab quickly online. I have a bunch more at work I could send you next week if you need them.

A very solid, well-done study measuring physiolocigal differences in the brain due to early marijuana use:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10772599&dopt=Citation

Here's a general review of some recent studies and adolescent use patterns and effects:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=6752049&dopt=Citation

It really is a gateway drug:
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=226099

It looks like some have a genetic predisposition to be negatively affected by Marijuana:
http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/bps/article/PIIS0006322305001034/abstract

Vaporizers sound good, as I stated it's still bad to smoke it:
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/318/6/347

[Liberal Veteran]

61. Not for me....I was a pothead in high school and an honor roll student.

And certainly my communication and problem solving skills were just fine considering I was one of the best technical support analysts in my company at my last job.

[Dora]

66. I agree with you, and would like to add...

The last I saw or heard tell of them, the kids I knew in school who started smoking at 12-13, and continued smoking weekly, and then daily, were having a very difficult time coping with the events that life threw at them. Their ability to make healthful choices for themselves seemed impaired, as well as their emotional resilience.

I wouldn't say that these kids seemed less intelligent because of their smoking, just that they had a harder time expressing that intelligence.

But most of us figured it out. One way or another.

[Greyhound]

74. Utter crap.

You are either seriously gullible or you are a troll and will not be here long.

This is just the latest in a string of lies propagated to justify the unjustifiable that stretched back to at least the 30's.
:kick:

[Unca Jim]

78. How is it gullible...

to see the results of minors using marijuana and reading solid science about how and why it happens?

Seriously, I don't get it.

I have no problem with dope for adults.

Again, I don't understand how I am gullible to trust the evidence around me. It's like a winger saying I'm gullible because I believe global warming is happening.

[Greyhound]

83. I spent the beter part of a year studying this very issue in college.

What I found was that the "new" studies are invariably paid for and/or produced by research that is looking for a specifically negative outcome to justify an action or merely to collect another grant, the very antithesis of science.

The "new" studies are much more sophisticated and go into much more complicated, (read unintelligible to laypersons) analysis than the old "brown skinned pot fiends will rape your daughters and addict your sons" propaganda that was produced and used to make it illegal in the first place, but no less fraudulent.

The last time legalizing pot was an issue that was gaining popularity in the 70's there were dozens of "scientific studies" showing that regular use caused everything from impotence/sterility to males growing breasts. Of course, these studies were eventually exposed as the propaganda they were, but it didn't stop them from being cited again and again, by our government in its efforts to keep their bureaucracies and campaign donors safe.

If you are seeing an apparent correlation between smoking pot and behavioral/developmental problems, you have to consider all of the other possible causes for these problems as well. Just a couple of quick examples, isn't it likely that the home environment for kids that want to smoke pot constantly is less than ideal? Isn't it also likely that the parents that create the kind of life for these kids to make them want to self-medicate to that degree, are/have used alcohol, pharmaceuticals, or harmful drugs during the pregnancy?

Is it a good thing for kids to smoke pot? Probably not, the very act of smoking can cause all sorts respiratory problems, and because it is illegal there is more than a remote possibility that the pot being smoked has other contaminants, pesticides for example, in it that can also cause all of the problems you mention as well.

All I'm saying is that, in light of the enormous anti-pot industry (tens of billions of dollars annually) and considering the well-established tradition of misinformation from our "experts and authorities" in regards to this subject, the odds of suddenly finding such dramatically negative effects after literally thousands of years of use by virtually every culture on earth with no apparent ill-effect, are very small to say the least.

My apologies for the troll comment, It appears I was wrong.

[Unca Jim]

86. Actually, the troll comment isn't what bothered me...

it was the "gullible" line.

My analogy to Global Warming stands. How can anyone dismiss the oceans of research that point to marijuana inhibiting brain development in children and conclude that those studies -with excellent methodology across the board- are equivalent to the "refer madness" studies or the Exxon "trees cause more carbon dioxide" studies?

If people seriously want to debate the merits of the studies in question, I suggest they read them. If anyone expects full-on scientific research involving the human brain and the hundreds of chemicals in dope to be simple, clear, and easy to read I again pull up my Global Warming analogy. Just because it snows a lot in New York doesn't mean Global Warming is a hoax. Scientific particulars of larger processes are often difficult to understand and can seem contradictory (ie. Evolution, Global Warming, Mutation); however, science does a good job of predicting general trends and average, ameliorated effects over time.

If anyone views the hard evidence and general conclusions of this research as an indictment of their lifestyle and if they then think I'm trying to attack them or anyone else personally by bringing it up, they're wrong. I'm just trying to get information out there so we can all make better decisions. Again, my Global Warming analogy stands.

Further, I actually work with a lot of children. I see kids who come from similar backgrounds either use or don't use and I see the results of it. Maybe, just maybe, it's pretty insulting for an armchair quarterback behavioral scientist to tell me I don't know what I see every day. It's not like I'm not used to it, but damn!


Again, I have no interest is demonizing marijuana. Adults should have a great time with it. Just keep it away from the kids.

[dysfunctional press]

76. not all smoke is necessarily bad for you.

as i pointed out in my post just above yours...

the thc in pot acts as a bronchial dilator- actually making it easier to breathe---back when it was legal, it was often prescribed to asthmatics.

when you toke up, you also usually end up doing some coughing- which, with the bronchii in the dilated state, helps to clear things out.

nicotine- in tobacco smoke- on the other hand, is a vascular constrictor, and has an opposite, and adverse effect on the lungs.

as for making people stupid- i was already a serious pothead when i took the ACT (never took the SAT, our school didn't stress it), and i scored in the 99th perctentile in each section of the test, and had a perfect 36 in math...and i was high when i took the test.

[Unca Jim]

79. Sure, it probably is a great dialator...

to let in more tar and carcinogens.

Again, I think smoking dope is fine. Have fun. Just like I want to eat potato chips that are bad for me; i will do so knowing full well they are bad.

I don't get why it's bad to acknowledge that.

[dysfunctional press]

82. it doesn't quite work that way....but you're free to think whatever you like.

nt

[Unca Jim]

87. Why doesn't it?

I'd love to know.

[dysfunctional press]

92. first of all- pot doesn't contain the types of carcinogens found in processed tobacco...

that's the main thing...

secondly, with the bronchii dilated, it allows the lungs to clean themselves out- especially with the coughing that's generally associated with it.

think of it like opening all the windows in your house on a nice summer day.

mainly though, you have to remember what's IN the smoke that's being inhaled- not all smoke is created equally, and not all smoke has the same components or effects.

there has NEVER been a case of lung cancer attributed to pot smoking.

[Unca Jim]

94. OK...

I know is that there is more tar and carbon monoxide in pot smoke, but I know nothing about other carcinogens. I'll do a little research.

I can't imagine that any smoke is good in your lungs, dilated or not.

[ellisonz]

77. Welcome to DU!

1. Eating Big Macs is bad for you too.

2. What is being defined as cognitive function is in reality not the actual ability to function but rather the will to conform with societal dictates and demands. My anectdotal expierence is that for those who have the proclivity towards artistic and philosophical curiousity is either altered with no gain for better or worse or tremendously modified. For those who enjoy the more "scientific" method and memorization learning modes, cannabis has no cognitive benefit and will likely be deleterious. Like it or not there has always been an artistic and Bohemian subculture that makes good use of the social effects of marijuana. The dumb kids are born dumb, otherwise they wouldn't spend all their time playing videogames rather than reading Kerouac or Shakespeare. Correlation ain't causation.

[Unca Jim]

88. No, I'm all for that!

Bohemian subculture is great!

Without going into too much technical detail here and trying to keep the simplification to a minimum:

You may have heard of the "gray matter" of the brain, which is mostly in the cerebral cortex. It's gray because it is composed of neurons coated with myelin, which acts as an insulator to allow specific electrical pathways in the brain.

Babies are born with brains composed largely of "white matter", which is mostly neurons which have no definite function yet. As the child grows, develops, and learns, more of this white matter myelates and becomes gray matter.

What the studies show is that children who smoke a lot of dope as they are developing end up with significantly less gray matter at the end of the process of development. They also end up with less brain volume.

I'm not talking about behavior correlation, I'm talking about brain development.

[Le Taz Hot]

84. Really?

And yet, while I was in college I smoked virtually every day and still managed to graduate with a 4.0. Funny that. :smoke:

Btw, word to the wise: If you study loaded, take the test loaded.

That is all.

[Unca Jim]

89. Sure, so did I and a buch of my friends...

but my brain was already grown and developed when I did that.

Again, it doesn't effect adults in the same way.

[Le Taz Hot]

90. I've been smoking pot on a regular basis

since I was 13. I'm 51.

LTH

[Unca Jim]

91. Great! I'm glad it didn't affect you...or me for that matter.

And again, we all know 90-year-old smokers.

I am not saying that any child that touches that horrible devil weed is going to become retarded. :)

I just said that the steady use of marijuana by youth during their development lowers brain complexity and function *on average*, so they shouldn't be smoking it until they get older.

Just like taking daily vitamins during development improves children's vision *on average*; I don't expect every kid who took vitamins to have great vision. It just means in general that kids who take vitamins will see better as a group than kids who don't. There will still be kids who took vitamins who have bad vision and kids who didn't who have good vision.

The same goes for smoking pot, wearing your seatbelt, or eating corn dogs for that matter.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

55. I have often wondered what Rush was "really" smokin' on the

telly.

[Liberal Veteran]

58. It helped me when I first started antivirals...

....and was 30 pounds underweight and had no appetite.

My appetite increased significantly and within 2 months, I was up to a normal weight.

My doctor even suggested smoking pot.

[WindRavenX]

67. you have an awesome doctor

On a serious note, if I die before this beneficial herb is legal, I will be very upset.

I'm 22 in 2 weeks, and dammit, I want to toke up when I'm a lil' ol' lady :smoke:

[mainer]

75. supposed to be good for Alzheimers too

It inhibits the formation of brain plaques. Believe me, at the first sign I'm getting forgetful, I'm going to light up my first ever joint. (Yeah, I don't hang with the right crowd)

[mdmc]

85. kick

right crowd! :)