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Old 08-20-2004, 11:07 AM   #1 (permalink)
 
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The Benefits Of Marijuana

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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
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Old 08-20-2004, 12:49 PM   #2 (permalink)
 
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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.
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Old 08-20-2004, 01:50 PM   #3 (permalink)
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could be a good..**** who am i kidding GREAT way to make some extra cash during the slowwwwwwww season....hmmmm...
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Old 08-20-2004, 02:20 PM   #4 (permalink)
 
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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?
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Old 08-21-2004, 04:10 PM   #5 (permalink)
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I got a pic of myself surrounded by the stuff I'm talkin hundreds of lbs. of it! will post it once I find the .........
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Old 08-21-2004, 04:20 PM   #6 (permalink)
 
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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.
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Old 08-21-2004, 06:13 PM   #7 (permalink)
 
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Allright Lazy Tanz Girl... Don't be a Bogart


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Old 08-22-2004, 11:22 PM   #8 (permalink)
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HAHAHAHA, sometimes, this site KILLS me. This is hilarious!

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Old 08-23-2004, 10:16 AM   #9 (permalink)
 
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What? That little roach?
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Old 08-24-2004, 02:02 PM   #10 (permalink)
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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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