Why cannabis doesn't kill

[asdjrocky]

When I read last week that as many as 30,000 deaths a year in Britain could be caused by smoking cannabis, I reacted in a most uncustomary way for a mild-mannered scientist. I was infuriated. As someone acknowledged throughout the world as a specialist in how drugs affect the brain, I know a great deal about cannabis, and I know that the facts are not there to stand up such an outrageous statement.

The main problem is that cannabis has been classified incorrectly for nearly 50 years as being an extremely dangerous drug, but it doesn't fit that level of hazard. I'm not saying it's completely safe - no drug is completely safe, but as recreational drugs go, it's one of the safer ones. You can't overdose on cannabis, but you can certainly overdose on heroin, and even on alcohol.

It is headline-grabbing rubbish to suggest that cannabis could be responsible for so many deaths in future. To be sure, it makes a great story, but when you look at the arithmetic, it doesn't add up.

The original British Medical Journal article suggested that the chemicals which are given off when cannabis is smoked could mean that users would succumb to the same diseases that affect tobacco smokers. But in my view, it overlooks several significant facts.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-4690997-why-cannabis-doesnt-kill.do

[jobycom]

1. Good, dispassionate argument.

I'm not a pot smoker, and wouldn't smoke it if it were legal. I believe it should be decriminalized, but still regulated like tobacco and alcohol (though I thing age limits should be lowered to 18, at least). So I get angry at the shriekers on both sides--it's not harmless, but it's not the second coming of the Black Death combined with Satanic domination, either. I know it's not harmless because my brother once tried to kill me in a psychotic episode triggered by pot (and by schizophrenia, so it obviously wasn't primarily the result of pot smoking).

This is a good argument--takes a position, but sticks to dispassionate facts and logic to counter the other side, rather than wild, dismissive ridicule.

My two cents. Okay, you probably got a quarter out of that, but it didn't cost you nuthin', so don't complain. :)

[EOTE]

3. Decriminalization doesn't mesh with regulation.

Decriminalization would tend to mean that it's still illegal to produce. If that was the case, it couldn't be regulated like tobacco and alcohol. If it's to be regulated, it needs to be legalized. As it should be.

[jobycom]

8. I'm too lethargic to work out those grammatical nuances.

It must have some regulation. You can't allow it to be smoked around anyone who doesn't want to get high. It has to be restricted to private settings and public places set up for that purpose, so the people going there know what to expect. But it shouldn't be a life-altering criminal act to smoke it, grow it (in personal use quantities), buy it, possess it, transport it, share it with buds...

So, whatever word fits that. :shrug:

[EOTE]

11. That would be legal and regulated :)

Just like alcohol and tobacco are now. I agree with everything you say.

It's just that the term "decriminalization" is often used as a sort of panacea, a way of appeasing people on both sides of the issue. The truth is, I think that decriminalization has its own distinct set of problems by creating a very thriving black market. I'd imagine that while prisons would have far less non-violent drug offenders (a good thing), it would greatly increase the amount of drug-related crime on the distribution end.

[Fumesucker]

16. So alcohol may not be consumed around anyone that doesn't want to get drunk?

If a person walks into a bar that doesn't want to get drunk then all alcohol consumption must cease in the bar until that person leaves?

You don't get stoned by being around people that are smoking pot.

[NightWatcher]

2. The only way you can be killed by marijuana is if a heavy bale of it falls on your head

An old shirt I used to have....

[Bennyboy]

4. Smoking Marijuana leads to...

LOUD MUSIC!

[Deep13]

5. Right, most non-Willie Nelson users won't chain-smoke joints. nt

[jah the baptist]

6. but can

be

killer

[meow mix]

7. all anti-weed talking points are based on lie. caging humans for use is the crime

=(

[BakedAtAMileHigh]

9. I know exactly why cannabis smoking does not cause cancer

The carcinogenic ingredients of the smoke are negated by the anti-neoplastic effects of cannabinoids working on the CB1 and CB2 receptors. In plain language, cannabis kills cancer cells. Look it up if you do not believe me; it has been well documented since 1974 when the Feds shut down a study in the University of Virginia that showed the dramatic anti-tumor properties of cannabinoids.



If you take a look at this image from a study conducted in Spain, you can see three mice with grafted tumors. The first is a control, the next two have been treated with two different lab-created cannabinoids, the last an analogue of delta-9THC. The photo is incredible, but the collective results of the last 20 years of research are even more impressive.

[asdjrocky]

10. +1,000,000

No kidding! What's crazy, is we may find out it has properties that can possibly treat or even cure cancer.

You know your stuff!

[EOTE]

12. I believe there are other reasons too.

I keep hearing about how the tar content of marijuana is far more than that of tobacco and keep hearing that this is why, some time in the future, it will be determined that marijuana is a cause of lung cancer. The reason this is such an insane argument is that tobacco and marijuana effect your lungs in completely opposite ways. Nicotine is a bronchoconstrictor, meaning that your bronchioles constrict when exposed to it and all that tar gets trapped in your lungs. THC is a bronchodilator, so after smoking bud, your bronchioles actually expand. This expansion makes it very easy to clear your lungs after smoking. So basically, all that tar is very easily removed.

Now, a bit of an anecdote as to the awesomeness of bud. I used to get very bad bronchitis every freaking year. It would typically cause me to miss a week or so of school as I'd be in complete misery. Since I've discovered marijuana, I've had bronchitis exactly ZERO times. If I ever feel that tickle in my lungs that precedes the bronchitis I used to get, I simply smoke a small bowl and a minute or so later, I'll cough. With that cough comes all that mucous that was stuck in my lungs. Et voila. I don't have to worry about a week of misery. There are so many things that bud is good for, but it's about the best damned cure you can find for bronchitis.

[robdogbucky]

14. More

ANDREW WEIL ON THE RISKS AND BENFITS OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA

(from the Arizona Daily Star, June, 2002)
(Editor.s note: this article was published just prior to the June 6th DEA protests across the nation.)

"On Thursday, in dozens of cities and towns across the United States, something remarkable will happen: Thousands of people battling cancer, AIDS and other terrible illnesses, their families, friends and supporters will deliver "cease and desist" orders to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration to stop it from blocking their access to a needed medication.

Their request is so simple and so obviously correct that it is heartbreaking that people - many very seriously ill - will be forced to deliver their message this way, with many risking arrest.

But as individuals who have found that medical marijuana relieves their symptoms when conventional medicines fail, they feel they have no choice: The federal government continues to fight an irrational war against

Medical marijuana, and the sick and struggling are its principle victims. Make no mistake: The government's demonization of marijuana is irrational..."

http://www.cannabismd.org/news/mmjbennies.php




Here's a website containing links to REAL scientific studies on various benefits of marijuana. Here are the highlights:

The Studies

Marijuana Fights:

Heart Disease
Cancer
Diabetes
Osteoporosis
Alzheimer's
Liver Disease
Epilepsy
Skin Allergies
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Anxiety and Depression

and is also Neuroprotective and Causes Neurogenesis (brain cell growth)


http://www.scientificfactsofpot.com/studies.htm


Cannabis Compounds Reduce Multi-Drug Resistant Infections
Cannabis Science, Inc. (OTCBB: GFON). Dr. Robert Melamede, PhD., Director and Chief Science Officer, reported to the Board on the current state of research into the use of natural plant cannabinoids to reduce the spread of drug-resistant bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus (MRSA), and the prospects for development of topical whole-cannabis treatments.

According to studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and by the Center for Disease Control in 2007, MRSA is responsible for more than 18,500 hospital-stay related deaths each year, and increased direct healthcare costs of as much as $9.7 billion.

Dr. Melamede stated, "Research into use of whole cannabis extracts and multi-cannabinoid compounds has provided the scientific rationale for medical marijuana's efficacy in treating some of the most troubling diseases mankind now faces, including infectious diseases such as the flu and HIV, autoimmune diseases such as ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease), multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and diabetes, neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's, stroke and brain injury, as well as numerous forms of cancer. One common element of these diseases is that patients often suffer extended hospital stays, risking development of various Staphyloccus infections including MRSA. A topical, whole-cannabis treatment for these infections is a functional complement to our cannabis extract-based lozenge."

Investigators at Italy's Universita del Piemonte Orientale and Britain's University of London, School of Pharmacy reported in the Journal of Natural Products that five cannabinoids - THC, CBD, CBG, CBC, and CBN - "showed potent antibacterial activity" and "exceptional" antibacterial activity against two epidemic MRSA occurring in UK hospitals. The authors concluded: "Although the use of cannabinoids as systemic antibacterial agents awaits rigorous clinical trials, … their topical application to reduce skin colonization by MRSA seems promising. … Cannabis sativa … represents an interesting source of antibacterial agents to address the problem of multidrug resistance in MRSA and other pathogenic bacteria."

More:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/147523.php


University Of Saskatchewan Research Suggests Marijuana Analogue Stimulates Brain Cell Growth

ScienceDaily (Oct. 16, 2005) — A synthetic substance similar to ones found in marijuana stimulates cell growth in regions of the brain associated with anxiety and depression, pointing the way for new treatments for these diseases, according to University of Saskatchewan medical research published today in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Xia Zhang, an associate professor in the U of S neuropsychiatry research unit, led the team that tested the effects of HU-210, a potent synthetic cannabinoid similar to a group of compounds found in marijuana. The synthetic version is about 100 times as powerful as THC, the compound responsible for the high experienced by recreational users.

The team found that rats treated with HU-210 on a regular basis showed neurogenesis – the growth of new brain cells in the hippocampus. This region of the brain is associated with learning and memory, as well as anxiety and depression.
The effect is the opposite of most legal and illicit drugs such as alcohol, nicotine, heroin, and cocaine.
“Most ‘drugs of abuse’ suppress neurogenesis,” Zhang says. “Only marijuana promotes neurogenesis.”
Current theory states that depression may be sparked when too few new brain cells are grown in the hippocampus. It is unclear whether anxiety is part of this process, but if true, HU-210 could offer a treatment for both mood disorders by stimulating the growth of new brain cells.

But Zhang cautions that HU-210 is only one of many cannabinoids. His previous work with marijuana shows that while the plant may contain medicinal compounds, they come in the same package as those that cause symptoms such as acute memory impairment, addiction, and withdrawal. Also, the HU-210 used in the study is highly purified.
“This is a very potent cannabinoid oil,” Zhang says. “It’s not something that would be available on the street.”

Adapted from materials provided by University Of Saskatchewan.


Scientists are high on idea that marijuana reduces memory impairment

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The more research they do, the more evidence Ohio State University scientists find that specific elements of marijuana can be good for the aging brain by reducing inflammation there and possibly even stimulating the formation of new brain cells.

The research suggests that the development of a legal drug that contains certain properties similar to those in marijuana might help prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Though the exact cause of Alzheimer's remains unknown, chronic inflammation in the brain is believed to contribute to memory impairment.

Any new drug's properties would resemble those of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the main psychoactive substance in the cannabis plant, but would not share its high-producing effects. THC joins nicotine, alcohol and caffeine as agents that, in moderation, have shown some protection against inflammation in the brain that might translate to better memory late in life.

"It's not that everything immoral is good for the brain. It's just that there are some substances that millions of people for thousands of years have used in billions of doses, and we're noticing there's a little signal above all the noise," said Gary Wenk, professor of psychology at Ohio State and principal investigator on the research. Wenk's work has already shown that a THC-like synthetic drug can improve memory in animals. Now his team is trying to find out exactly how it works in the brain...

Contact: Gary Wenk, [phone]; [e-mail] or Yannick Marchalant, [phone]; [e-mail]
Written by Emily Caldwell, [phone]; [e-mail]


Marijuana May Fight Lung Tumors

Cannabis Compound Slows Cancer Spread in Mice, Researchers Say
By Charlene Laino
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

April 17, 2007 (Los Angeles) -- Cannabis may be bad for the lungs, but the active ingredient in marijuana may help combat lung cancer, new research suggests.

In lab and mouse studies, the compound, known as THC, cut lung tumor growth in half and helped prevent the cancer from spreading, says Anju Preet, PhD, a Harvard University researcher in Boston who tested the chemical.

While a lot more work needs to be done, “the results suggest THC has therapeutic potential,” she tells WebMD.
Moreover, other early research suggests the cannabis compound could help fight brain, prostate, and skin cancers as well, Preet says.

The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

View Article Sources
© 2007 WebMD, Inc. All rights reserved.




Just my dos centavos


robdogbucky

[Zhade]

15. +googleplex

Fuck the lies about this beneficial plant!

[robdogbucky]

13. But apparently growing it does....

Deputies kill man at South Bay marijuana farm

(07-22) 09:11 PDT DEL VALLE RESERVOIR --

A man was shot and killed by Santa Clara County sheriff's deputies in a remote area where marijuana was being grown, authorities said today.

The man, whose name has not been released, was shot at about 10:25 a.m. Wednesday when he confronted deputies, said Sgt. Rick Sung, who did not elaborate. Three deputies shot the man, Sung said.

At least one other person fled the scene, Sung said. Both suspects were believed to be connected to the marijuana-growing operation.

The incident happened near Mines Road in an unincorporated area of Santa Clara County south of Del Valle Reservoir. Alameda County sheriff's deputies joined their counterparts from Santa Clara County in the anti-marijuana operation...

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/0...



So, BakedatMileHigh, I emailed a request to you for some recipes for my vapor duff leftovers.


????????????????


Just askin. Some folks never check their email boxes I guess.




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