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08-20-2004, 11:07 AM | #1 (permalink) |
Join Date: May 20 2003
Posts: 9,301
Rep Power: 29 | The Benefits Of Marijuana ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------- Are you sick of hearing your girlfriend nagging you about letting go of your pot pasttime? Have you been hearing a lot of negative things about the use of marijuana lately? Would you like to know what the real deal is behind the use of this infamous drug? Then read on because you're in for a surprise. One of the saddest things in North America is the lack of clinical trials on marijuana use. Many other countries in the world have already performed such tests in order to destroy myths about this drug, which has been in use for thousands of years... mainly for medicinal purposes. The data from previous studies, published in numerous books and scholarly journals, covered such matters as marijuana's effects on the brain, lungs, immune and reproductive systems; its impact on personality, developmental and motivational states; and its addictive potential. Although these studies did not answer all remaining questions about marijuana toxicity, they generally supported the idea that marijuana was a relatively safe drug -- not totally free from potential harm, but unlikely to create serious harm for most individual users or society. The following list will hopefully demystify several myths about marijuana use and help answer a lot of serious questions: Health Risk Myths & Realities Marijuana Overdose There is no existing evidence of anyone dying of a marijuana overdose. Tests performed on mice have shown that the ratio of cannabinoids (the chemicals in marijuana that make you high) necessary for overdose to the amount necessary for intoxication is 40,000:1. For comparison's sake, that ratio for alcohol is generally between 4:1 and 10:1. Alcohol overdoses claim approximately 5,000 casualties yearly, but marijuana overdoses kill no one as far as any official reports. Brain Damage Marijuana is psychoactive because it stimulates certain brain receptors, but it does not produce toxins that kill them (like alcohol), and it does not wear them out as other drugs may. There is no evidence that marijuana use causes brain damage. Studies performed on actual human populations will confirm these results, even for chronic marijuana users (up to 18 joints per day) after many years of use. In fact, following the publication of two 1977 JAMA studies, the American Medical Association (AMA) officially announced its support for the decriminalization of marijuana. In reality, marijuana has the effect of slightly increasing alpha-wave activity in your brain. Alpha waves are generally associated with meditative and relaxed states, which are, in turn, often associated with human creativity. Memory Marijuana does impair short-term memory, but only during intoxication. Although the authoritative studies on marijuana use seem to agree that there is no residual impairment following intoxication, persistent impairment of short-term memory has been noted in chronic marijuana smokers, up to 6 and 12 weeks following abstinence. Heart Problems It is accepted in medical circles today that marijuana use causes no evident long-term cardiovascular problems for normal persons. Marijuana smoking, however, does cause changes in the heart and body's circulation characteristic of stress, which may complicate preexisting cardiovascular problems like hypertension, cerebrovascular disease, and coronary atherosclerosis. Marijuana's effects on blood pressure are complex and inconsistent as of yet. Hormones Chronic marijuana use has not been found to alter testosterone or other sex hormone levels. In contrast, heavy alcohol use is known to lower these same testosterone levels. Reproductive Damage No trustworthy study has ever shown that marijuana use damages the reproductive system, or causes chromosome breakage. Studies of actual human populations have failed to demonstrate that marijuana adversely affects the reproductive system. Claims that marijuana use may impair hormone production, menstrual cycles, or fertility in females are both unproven and unfounded. The Immune System Studies in which lab rats were injected with extremely large quantities of THC (the active compound in marijuana) have found that marijuana (in such unrealistically huge quantities) does have an "immunosuppressive effect" in those lab rats, in that it temporarily shuts off certain cells in the liver called lymphocytes and macrophages. These macrophages are useful in fighting off bacterial, not viral, infections. But this is only for the duration of intoxication. There also exists some evidence that marijuana metabolites remain in the lungs for up to seven months after smoking has ceased, possibly affecting the immune system of the lungs (but not by turning the cells off). This said, doctors and researchers are still not sure that the immune system is actually negatively affected in realistic situations since there are no numbers to support the idea. In fact, three studies showed that THC might have actually stimulated the immune system in the people studied. Cancer Smoking marijuana has the potential to cause both bronchitis and cancer of the lungs, throat, and neck, but this is generally no different than inhaling any other burnt carbon-containing matter since they all increase the number of lesions (and therefore possible infections) in your airways. The Gateway Effect Marijuana use has not been found to act as a gateway drug to the use of harder drugs. Studies show that when the Dutch partially legalized marijuana in the 70's, heroin and cocaine use substantially declined, despite a slight increase in marijuana use. If the stepping stone theory were true, use should have gone up rather than down. In reality, it appears that marijuana use tends to substitute for the use of relatively more dangerous hard drugs like cocaine and heroin, rather than lead to their use. Thus, oftentimes strict marijuana laws themselves are the most significant factor involved in moving on to harder drugs like cocaine. Such is the case in Nevada and Arizona, the states toughest on marijuana use. The Potential Benefits Because smoked marijuana contains a variety of combustion compounds, it can damage the lungs and possibly the immune system. Several health committees recommended the development of an inhalation device that delivers pure THC -- the active ingredient in marijuana -- to the lungs. Such a device has not yet been created. There is some evidence -- but no scientifically valid studies -- that marijuana is useful in treating some forms of epilepsy and spasticity caused by multiple sclerosis. Some studies show that smoked marijuana is effective for some patients in relieving nausea caused by cancer and chemotherapy. There is evidence that marijuana may improve the appetite and help patients gain weight. This could be lifesaving for AIDS patients who develop wasting, a severe weight-loss condition. Smoking marijuana is effective in lowering pressure inside the eyeballs of some patients with glaucoma. A word of caution, however: the drug also drops blood pressure, and this could compromise blood flow to the optic nerve and damage vision. So there you have it. For additional information on the benefits of marijuana, I highly recommend the book The Benefits of Marijuana : Physical, Psychological, and Spiritual by Joan Bello. Source: AskMen.com (US) Author: Joshua Levine, Health Correspondent Published: Tuesday, August 17, 2004 Copyright: 2004 AskMen.com Website: http://www.askmen.com/ Contact: contentlicensing@askmen.com |
08-20-2004, 12:49 PM | #2 (permalink) |
Join Date: Mar 1 2004
Posts: 33
Rep Power: 0 | I love it when someone reads something and then assumes its all true. You forgot to mention all of the people who have smoked for prolonged periods of time and have lost most short term memory and are just generally ate-up from it. I smoke and still know its not the miracle drug to save the world. It will probably never be legal and thats a wonderful thing. |
08-20-2004, 02:20 PM | #4 (permalink) |
Join Date: Sep 6 2002
Posts: 94
Rep Power: 0 | Actually,Alaska is currently using marijuana for medicinal purposes, and is up for a vote in November to legalize it....I personally think it should be legalized...perhaps it would cut down on crime rates when people don't have to steal and kill for it....I am definitely all for using it for medicinal purposes...I only wish my mother had had that option when she was dying of cancer...she was prescribed oxycontin for pain, but, being the contraversial drug that it is, the pharmacist would not give it to us...unreal, huh? |
08-21-2004, 04:20 PM | #6 (permalink) |
Join Date: May 20 2003
Posts: 9,301
Rep Power: 29 | Have you been seen in High Times? LTG, I know EVERYTING there is to know about the REALITIES of somking Cigs as compared to Weed. There are FAR TOO MANY PEOPLE on pills these days and THAT'S A PROBLEM. Oxycodine (sp?) is probably the WORST thing to be perscribed. It SOULDN'T be LEGALIZED but DECRIMINALIZED. |
08-24-2004, 02:02 PM | #10 (permalink) |
I love Derf!! Join Date: Apr 1 2004 Location: WEST COAST Age: 44
Posts: 906
Rep Power: 21 | When I went to Amsterdam for a week, it was a complete culture shock. As I was walking through the airport it was odd to be smelling the pleasent smell of a nice blunt being smoked. The greatest part, you walk into a coffee shop. They dont sell coffee, they have a menu of all types of marijauna, you can buy it pre rolled or in a bag. They also provide you the bongs to smoke it in. And the odd thing is all this stuff is legal there, prostitution included, and I felt safer in a foreign land walking on the street then I would in my own town at home. I went there with some friends who said it would change the way I see the world, well it changed for the better but some say for the worse. I see what the US is lacking and the mistakes that it has made and I admire foreign countries. Free health care, nobody harping on you telling you, you cant do that, obesity is not a problem, people are generally happy and polite, lower crime rate, etc. I dont understand that the US says these things are so horrible yet many other countries have it legal and they do not face the problems that we face here with crime and addictions. |
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