Marijuana and it's negative effects (Syd and danny this one's for you!)
 

Ok the reason i put this topic was because i have noticed alot of discussion of marijuana so i hope what i say will change you opinion on marijuana, espically hope Danny and Syd read thid i know how they are big fans of Marijuana.

Some immediate physical effects of marijuana include a faster heartbeat and pulse rate, bloodshot eyes, and a dry mouth and throat. No scientific evidence indicates that marijuana improves hearing, eyesight, and skin sensitivity. Studies of marijuana's mental effects show that the drug can impair or reduce short-term memory, alter sense of time, and reduce ability to do things which require concentration, swift reactions, and coordination, such as driving a car or operating machinery.

Long term regular users of marijuana may become psychologically dependent. They may have a hard time limiting their use, they may need more of the drug to get the same effect, and they may develop problems with their jobs and personal relationships. The drug can become the most important aspect of their lives.

One major concern about marijuana is its possible effects on young people as they grow up. Research shows that the earlier people start using drugs, the more likely they are to go on to experiment with other drugs. In addition, when young people start using marijuana regularly, they often lose interest and are not motivated to do their schoolwork. The effects of marijuana can interfere with learning by impairing thinking, reading comprehension, and verbal and mathematical skills. Research shows that students do not remember what they have learned when they are "high".

Some research studies suggest that the use of marijuana during pregnancy may result in premature babies and in low birth weights. Studies of men and women may have a temporary loss of fertility. These findings suggest that marijuana may be especially harmful during adolescence, a period of rapid physical and sexual development.

Marijuana use increases the heart rate as much as 50 percent, depending on the amount of THC. It can cause chest pain in people who have a poor blood supply to the heart - and it produces these effects more rapidly than tobacco smoke does.


Scientists believe that marijuana can be especially harmful to the lungs because users often inhale the unfiltered smoke deeply and hold it in their lungs as long as possible. Therefore, the smoke is in contact with lung tissues for long periods of time, which irritates the lungs and damages the way they work. Marijuana smoke contains some of the same ingredients in tobacco smoke that can cause emphysema and cancer. In addition, many marijuana users also smoke cigarettes, the combined effects of smoking these two substances creates an increased health risk.

Marijuana smoke has been found to contain more cancer causing agents than is found in tobacco smoke. Examination of human lung tissue that had been exposed to marijuana smoke over a long period of time in a laboratory showed cellular changes called metaplasia that are considered precancerous. In laboratory test, the tars from marijuana smoke have produced tumors when applied to animal skin. These studies suggest that it is likely that marijuana may cause cancer if used for a number of years.

When marijuana is smoked, THC, its active ingredient, is absorbed by most tissues and organs in the body, however, it is primarily found in fat tissues. The body, in its attempt to rid itself of the foreign chemical, chemically transforms the THC into metabolites. Urine tests can detect THC metabolites for up to a week after people have smoked marijuana. Tests involving radioactively labeled THC have traced these metabolites in animals for up to a month.


All this information proves thay yes it can cause lung cancer and yes it has many harmful effects, so please don't waste your time telling me that it is harmless.

ok this is a bit off-topic from the off-topic topic but aren't you like supposed to leave.. you know with the whole "I'll leave if ya want me to"??? Im a bit confuzzled..

Who said it was harmless? Anything causes harm if taken to excess.

I think that, compared to all the hard drugs out there, cannabis is a comparatively "safe" drug, and yes, it does have its medical uses (although there are better drugs with fewer side-effects available).

I'd recommend that people go to the New Scientist Special Report pages.

Re: Marijuana and it's negative effects (Syd and danny this one's for you!)
 

I think you're missing the point. Much of this is the whole reason for taking it...

Again, there is no evidence for this. I know many cannabis users, and not one of them is an addict.

This was recently disproven. Whereas the majority of Heroin users (for example) have used cannabis, the majority of cannabis users do not go on to any other drug. Besides, the majority of Heroin users have also taken Bread at some point in their lives, so does that make Bread the "Gateway Drug"? Recent studies show that Tobacco users are far more likely to go on to harder substances than Cannabis users.

Again, where's your evidence? I use cannabis and, not to boast or anything, but I got the sixth highest GCSE results in my school...

It is an idiotic student who does his revising while stoned...

This is true. However, Cannabis is far less of a risk under these conditions than Tobacco, or even Alcohol. If it comes down to it, even Paracetamol can cause damage to unborn children.

Again, this is mainly a short-term effect, causing no permanent damage. And again, this is a special case, since people with such heart conditions are by far in the minority.

The vagueness of this is a hint as to its inaccuracy.

I personally do not smoke Tobacco, and nor do any of the other Cannabis Users I know. What do you take me for?

For an explanation of this, see what I posted under the "Drink and Drugs" topic. Basically these tests are far from conclusive, and are extremely selective with the truth...

Ther figure I heard was 30 days, but who's counting? ;)

Nobody claims it's harmless, it's just that its detrimental effects are all more or less short-term. There is no conclusive evidence of Long-Term damage.

[BTW, Abby, I've tried searching on that New Scientist page, but I can't seem to find anything that actually lists its proven effects. I don't suppose you know if there is anywhere in particular I could go on there to find out? I've searched on the net, but all I can seem to find are conflicting reports saying things like "Research suggest that" and "There is evidence to show that", but nothing concrete...]

well, i will safely say im never going to do drugs, like i would ever want to. addicts can be bad, not to mention it would cost money. i have beter things to do, like go watch tv. well, no one can deny its a good idea to take drugs, any kind, unles strictly for medical purposes.

Ok Danny it's obvious that you truely believe that smoking marijuana does not cause that much damage to your body, which is why i won't bother looking up anymore Information on the topic cause it seems all you do is, hide behind cigarettes, and alchole and saying "but look how bad they are compared to marijuana", and your concern for the short time effects on smoking marijuana seems minimal. If i were to put a topic one day saying " Man's brain shriveled by marijuana" you would most likely replying something like " that's one out of millions of people" which would actual be true but that would'nt worry you at all would it?


Honestly i think the only reason you smoke marijuana is because most of your friends do and you don't want to feel like the black sheep, which is fine there are alot of people egsactly the same as you. And yes you are right i can't seem to prove the long time effects on smoking marijuana either, but what if one day a scientist did would that change your mind?

Yes, you're right, I have no concern whatsoever about short-term effects. No reason to patronise me like that...

That is an absurd metaphor. For a start, no such article has appeared, or looks likely to appear. All that has been shown so far are vague hints that it might have this effect, or that effect, but nothing has ever been sufficiently proven, and scientists seem to change their opinion almost as fast as Fashion...

What possible basis do you have to think that? You have never met me. You have no idea of how often, or in what situations, I smoke. You do not know anything about me or my friends. This statement was purely intended to provoke...

Of course it would; I'm not stupid. What difference does that make, though?

drugs and such do mess with your personaltiy and how you think, even ify you dont know it. and in the case wehre you stated we dotn know how often you smoke and such, that really shows that we dont know how often it may be, if you are on drugs and in denial then how could we really trust you, or you trust yourself. reather thought provoking, but i have noticedthroughout my time here you have started becoming increasingly aggresive, or it seems. could soemtihng liek this eeven be the cause of your emotions and the way you think. and no, i am not trying to provoke you. just trying to make you think about what the truth is.

Don't Patronise me... It's not a good idea... As you may have noticed, I'm not in the best of moods tonight...

Okay, phew, now that I've gathered that you are trying to ask me why I smoke cannabis, I will answer:

It helps me to relax, I find it fun, and It's cheaper than Beer... ;)

As for the "Scientists are discovering more and more about the drug", thing, have you noticed how a lot of what they have been discovering recently contradicts things they've said before? That's because of the sheer variety and unreliability of these sorts of laboratory tests. How can we know what to believe and what not to believe?

Cheaper than beer? Is'nt weed like 20 bucks for like 3 grams? for 20 bucks you can get a 6 pack of beer.;)

I don't know Hash weights in metric... hang on a second...

Okay, I get 1/4 of an ounce for £12.50. That's less than one gram. So yes, you can get more beer for that money (about 12 cans of decent beer), but on the other hand, a quarter of hash will last a lot longer than 12 cans of beer...

If you have friends who grow plentiful quantities of marijuana then it's free!

the time length lasts considerably different amounts judging by who it is. but what people need to realize is that drugs shouldnt be used to tranquilize yourself, or at least tihngs liek weed and cigs and such. docters and such can prescribe medicines and things to help. and if you need to use at least smal quantities of drugs to stay sane every day, then its going to lead up more and more to where you have to take larger does and in the end it wont be worth it when your sick and addicted.and if it is so bad that you need them to stay calm and tranquil then you obviously started long enough back, just think why you started in the first place. no matter what you may tell yoruself, what you do is still dangerous and unnecessary. but if you really do need it daily or just to calm yourself, then obviously try to get help for yourself, you dont want to become an addict. because that can happen no matter what you say, its for your own safety.

One last thing, do you parents know you smoke marijuana, if yes what do they think and if no why not? This question is for Syd and Danny, also Oddbodd i know you would of voted me off.

THIS IS A BIT OFF THIS TOPIC ASWELL BUT DO ANY OF YOUSE "SMAK THE BITCH UP" OR SMOKE?

I don't smoke anything but what does 'smack the bitch up' mean?

Yeah well, my teacher says one joint is as bas as twenty cigarettes. i've always wondered "Ware are the results". Plus who chain smokes weed?!?! Most people just pass it around. Even if you just smoke alone, 1 or 2 is all you need right? The teech also said that you don't know the potency of the drug so you don't know the caliber of the "high" again, how is this relevant? Also, he said marijauna could be "laced" with drugs, that wouldn't be a prob if you bought from an honest guy or grew your own. The only reason it is banned is not because it is dangerous, but because it was shown to be very useful and a threat to the paper making and cigarette industry. You can make 5 acres worth of paper from wood pulp with 1 acre of hemp. It is a pain reliever,> you can make oil and cloth and rope from it. Basically, hemp was demonized to protect the bottom dollar. If you don't believe me two words:Reefer Madness

You don't know what that mean!? DO you know what a nickle bag means? A 40?

I don't smoke and I think I 'never' will. The same about any kind of drugs..

lol Pinky on msn you were right.:lol:

Why else would I ask?
Is it a bag full of nickles?
It's an interger larger than 39 and less than 41.

man you needa get out more..

Well, actually, Cannabis is not addictive, and does not cause tolerance. What you said is true for other drugs, though...

[quote]Originally posted by Robin:
One last thing, do you parents know you smoke marijuana, if yes what do they think and if no why not?Yes, my mother knows. She has no problem with it - she says as long as I do it indoors, so there's less danger of being arrested or anything (she's paranoid about that sort of thing), then it's okay. She smokes it herself as well, anyway.

BTW, sorry for blowing up at you on Friday, Robin. I was in a bad mood as a result of everyone on the forums deciding to have an argument with me at once (or so it felt). I know you were probably only trying to help, I hope you didn't take it personally, and I hope it won't happen again.

I would also like to know what
'smack the bitch up' means.
Around here, a '40' is a 40 oz bottle of beer.


AMEN TO THAT SYD! :lol:

That's ok all of us get mad once in a while. Anyway i have got some more information for you to read up on so here it is, firsty have you heard of this saying?

"Marijuana addicts, in particular, tend to believe that they must be "ok" since there are much worse drugs, and other people whose lives are much worse off as a result of their using. That is denial. "


People who have smoked marijuana daily for many years display more aggressive behavior when they stop smoking the drug according to a study the researchers at Harvard Medical School. Is further evidence that a withdrawal syndrome is associated with abstinence from long term marijuana use, and suggests that aggressive behavior is part of this syndrome.

Most of the studies that have been published on marijuana withdrawal symptoms in people have relied on self report says Dr. Elena Kouri, lead author of the paper. In these studies, long erm marijuana users report that they feel irritable when they are abstaining from marijuana use, but these studies generally do not involve measurements of aggressive behavior to verify these self-reports. In our study, we demonstrated that long-term marijuana users do, indeed, exhibit more aggressive behavior during the first week of abstinence, and that this aggressive behavior can be measured.



Marijuana causes many mental disorders, including acute toxic psychosis, panic attacks, flashbacks, delusions, depersonalization, hallucinations, paranoia, depression and uncontrollable feelings of aggression.

Based on research by of Dr. Richard Schwartz, Vienna Pediatrics Associates in Pediatric Clinics of North America.



People who have used cannabis on its own, without simultaneous consumption of other substances, have frequently died in connection with impulsive and unforeseen acts of violence. The predominant form of death is suicide.

Rajs, Prof. Jovan Dept. Of Forensic Med. Stockholm, Fugelstad, Anna, Psychologist, Psychiatric Dependency Clinic, St. Gorans Hosp., Stockholm. 28/11/1994



In terms of life-time use, marijuana was reported to be the most common illicit drug used by a sample of 268 murderers incarcerated in New York State correctional facilities. About 25% of prisoners who has used marijuana, had used it in the 24 hour period before the homicide, and 3/4 of those said they experienced some kind of effect from the drug when the homicide occurred.

THC does not appear to be cancer causing, but smoking releases other chemicals such as carbon monoxide and cyanide and also, a known carcinogen, benzopyrene. Benzopyrene is found in cigarette smoke, but appears to be greater in marijuana smoke. Head and neck cancers.

Cases of cancer, including cancer of the mouth, tongue, larynx, jaw, head, neck, and lungs have been reported in young marijuana smokers that would not occur in tobacco smokers until much later in life.

Three days or more after smoking marijuana, PET scans of chronic marijuana users show decreased metabolic activity in the brain, especially in the cerebellum, a part of the brain involved with motor coordination, learning, and memory.

This decreased brain activity helps explain persistent defects in mental function and the increased motor vehicle accidents observed in marijuana users. Marijuana impairs perception, judgment, thinking, memory, and learning. Memory defects may persist six weeks after last use.


Also will you have noticed i have added some scientist name just to prove to you what i'm saying is true.

haven't you guys heard the prodigy song? Ok heres a hint... it has something to do with drugs :)

Robin, you didn't need to include scientists' names in that. I wouldn't have thought you were lying or anything... The problem is that scientists produce so many conflicting reports on cannabis, and are so often selective with the truth. As I have said, the tests they carry out have many possible areas of inaccuracy, which is why the scientists find so much totally contradictory evidence.

An example of where scientists are selective with the truth is found here: "In terms of life-time use, marijuana was reported to be the most common illicit drug used by a sample of 268 murderers incarcerated in New York State correctional facilities." On its own, this might suggest that marijuana causes criminal behaviour, but if you look at the wider picture, you see that the reason why so many felons smoke marijuana is that so many ordinary people smoke marijuana. Cannabis is the most popular illicit drug in all walks of life, so the percentage of criminals who smoke is no higher than the percentage of non-criminals who smoke.

Also, some things are worded so as to bend the truth a little: "Marijuana causes many mental disorders, including acute toxic psychosis, panic attacks, flashbacks, delusions, depersonalization, hallucinations, paranoia, depression and uncontrollable feelings of aggression." It has been proven that Cannabis does not cause any mental disorders of this sort. However, it has been shown to exacerbate these conditions, should they already exist, or bring them to the surface if they are latent. The simple swapping of the word "exacerbate" for "cause" changes the whole meaning of the sentence, but if somebody were to pick up on that, the author would doubtlessly be able to justify themselves by saying that they had meant the former.

"Three days or more after smoking marijuana, PET scans of chronic marijuana users show decreased metabolic activity in the brain, especially in the cerebellum, a part of the brain involved with motor coordination, learning, and memory.

This decreased brain activity helps explain persistent defects in mental function and the increased motor vehicle accidents observed in marijuana users. Marijuana impairs perception, judgment, thinking, memory, and learning. Memory defects may persist six weeks after last use."

~ I looked around on that New Scientist page that Abby showed us, and I found that recent studies have disproven most of this. This just goes to show how unreliable anything you read about cannabis can be, as scientists and researchers are continually contradicting things that had previously been assumed as fact by other scientists and researchers...

correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the point of it to have toxic psychosis?

I don't know. It depends what that is...

psychosis is a mental disorder which seperates the person from reality and causes hallucinations and so on and the toxic just means that it is caused by a chemical.

Hmm. No, I generally find the point of it is that it helps you relax. You're thinking of Acid...

[Yes, I know, Cannabis is technically a Hallucinogen, but its effects are only felt in large doses, and I never strive to achieve those heights/depths...]

Have you ever had a high where every time you move you can feel a powerful tingling sensation that ripples from the point of movement? The first time that happened to me was so bizzare...

after being stabbed in the heart by a syringe i barely want to even touch any types of shit like that ever again.

Dan! This any help (gods this is long)?

Having looked up "Cannabinoids" in PubMed (The National Library of Medicine) I've found a few interesting things - sorry they're so sciency: (annoyingly so far I've only been able to access the abstracts (brief but complete summaries of the entire paper) so maybe I better go and get a new password so I can access the better online journals (hey, I got it over 2 years ago and haven't used it since, I can't even remember my damn username at the moment).)

Medicinal use of cannabis: History and current status.

CONCLUSIONS: Pure tetrahydrocannabinol and several analogues have shown significant therapeutic benefits in the relief of nausea and vomiting, and stimulation of appetite in patients with wasting syndrome. Recent evidence clearly demonstrates analgesic and antispasticity effects that will probably prove to be clinically useful. Reduction of intraocular pressure in glaucoma and bronchodilation in asthma are not sufficiently strong, long lasting or reliable to provide a valid basis for therapeutic use. The anticonvulsant effect of cannabidiol is sufficiently promising to warrant further properly designed clinical trials. There is still a major lack of long term pharmacokinetic data and information on drug interactions. For all the present and probable future uses, pure cannabinoids, administered orally, rectally or parenterally, have been shown to be effective, and they are free of the risks of chronic inflammatory disease of the airways and upper repiratory cancer that are associated with the smoking of crude cannabis. Smoking might be justified on compassionate grounds in terminally ill patients who are already accustomed to using cannabis in this manner. Future research will probably yield new synthetic analogues with better separation of therapeutic effects from undesired psychoactivity and other side effects, and with solubility properties that may permit topical administration in the eye, or aerosol inhalation for rapid systemic effect without the risks associated with smoke inhalation."
(Pain Res Manag 2001 Summer;6(2):80-91)

("Parenteral" means via a blood vessel, ie IV. And smoking pretty much ANYTHING will give off benzapyrenes, the major cause of lung/upper respiratory tract cancers - they're very flat molecules and can slot between the rungs of DNA, which stops it being replicated properly.)

I got 5479 results (or 274 pages) for "cannabinoids" (the active ingredient when you smoke it) so I'm not going to read all of them... (admittedly not all are papers, but there's a shedload of them there). Go to the website if you're interested, there's a lot of papers there on studies that have been done on it:

PubMed

Some papers are rather brain-melting (like "Desensitization of Cannabinoid-Mediated Presynaptic Inhibition of Neurotransmission Between Rat Hippocampal Neurons in Culture") but there's a lot of them there: "Involvement of CB1 cannabinoid receptors in emotional behaviour," "Cannabinoids: a real prospect for pain relief" and "Cannabinoids in pain management. Cannabinoid receptor agonists will soon find their place in modern medicine"

As a brief, general rule for how good a particular study is, look at where the paper was published. The big, important journals (like "Nature" and suchlike) get to pick which papers they publish, so they can pick the best (by "best" I don't mean the most user-friendly, I mean the most scientifically important, like groundbreaking research into new cancer treatments.). The smaller journals have fewer papers submitted to them, so they'll publish pretty much whatever they can. Smaller studies are less well financed, and so the results they get are not as good as the results from major studies.

Although as a pharmacy student (yes, that's right; drugs) I think I have a right to an opinion, I'm not going to say "yay cannabis is great" or "nay cannabis is evil" until I've read up some of these papers...

Actually, this looks pretty relevant to some of the things we've been studying, so thanks to whoever brought the subject up...

What is the big deal about marijauna anyway? I've always seen it as a utility plant. Ropes, clothing, lubricant, smoke, paper, pain reliever. It really is the magicakl plant. I mean, why is tobacco legal and this incredible plant isn't? Profit protection methinks? By the way it helps make like the best housepaint ever!