Marijuana-an overview

[Prophetofthenorth]

Who uses it?
Marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug in the United States. Fewer than one in four high school seniors say they are current users. Between 1991 and 2001, the number of 8th graders who used marijuana doubled from one in ten to one in five. Monitoring the Future, 1975-1999 What would you do if someone offered you pot? Take a trial run through our scenarios so you'll be prepared.

Marijuana affects memory, judgment and perception even in the short-term, as was found in a study conducted by Pope and Yurgelun-Todd published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It can mess you up in school, in sports or clubs, or with your friends. Several studies, including one reported a few years ago in the American Journal of Public Health, indicate that if you're high on marijuana, you are more likely to do things that could embarrass or even hurt you-such as driving under the influence or engaging in risky sexual behaviors. For athletes, THC's effect on timing, coordination, and movement-which can last for several hours-can seriously hurt performance.

Over the long term, smoking pot can cause you to lose interest in how you look and how you're getting along at school or work. NCADI It can also be much worse for your respiratory health than smoking cigarettes; the amount of tar, carbon monoxide, and cancer-causing chemicals inhaled in marijuana smoke are three to five times greater than that inhaled from the same amount of tobacco smoke.

It's important also to remember that marijuana is an addictive drug, responsible for about 60% of all the teenagers who seek admission to drug treatment centers in the U.S. Smoking marijuana leads to some changes in the brain similar to those caused by cocaine, heroin and alcohol. (Di Chiara's study-in NIDA information). Research at the University of Columbia demonstrates that people who regularly smoke marijuana experience withdrawal symptoms after they stop using it.


filesnorth@yahoo.ca

[stringybeef]

wtf weed has tar? I wouldnt say weed is addictive i use to smoke it regulary for about 4-7 months and i decided to quit cause i noticed lack in shool and my activites and i had no problem quiting whats so ever. but thats just me

[dutchie]

Marijuana, an overview (http://www.abc.net.au/quantum/poison/marijuan/lester.htm)... (part II)
(Interview with Dr. Lester Grinspoon, a Harvard Medical School emeritus professor of psychiatry.)

Q: Do you think marijuana deserves its current notoriety?
A: It depends on what you mean by notoriety. It does not deserve notoriety as a drug that's so harmful that people who possess it deserve to be arrested. In the United States, in 1995, 589,000 people were arrested on marijuana charges. Since I started my work in this area in 1967, 10 million people have been arrested, not to mention the millions who have been criminalised and whose careers have been destroyed. Marijuana definitely doesn't deserve this kind of notoriety. While it's certainly not harmless, it's much less harmful than both alcohol and tobacco, which aren't nearly as notorious. The kind of notoriety I hope marijuana will get is as a medicine because it's clearly a remarkable medicine.

Marijuana is remarkably non toxic. In all the years that marijuana has been used, there's not been one single documented death from it. I don't know that you can say the same thing about any other drug.
I believe that like penicillin, once marijuana is accepted as a medicine, the price will come down. Most of what you pay now on the street - between $200-400 - is the prohibition tariff. Once it is produced as a medicine, it will cost maybe $20-30 an ounce which translates into something like 30-40 cents per marijuana cigarette.
Suppose a patient who's receiving chemotherapy for cancer is suffering from nausea and vomiting. Although they can take ondansetron or granestotron, these drugs will cost the patient about $30 or $40 a pill and they may need to take up to four pills. Yet one 30 cent marijuana cigarette will do the job at least as effectively.

What we know about marijuana as a medicine is based almost exclusively on anecdotal evidence. Once we allow the large double blind control studies to be done, I am confident that we will see it as the wonder drug of the nineties.
To any any person who has studied the literature, marijuana is a remarkably non toxic substance. Of course, this is the first demand of a medicine, that it not do any harm.
When marijuana regains its rightful place in the US pharmacopoeia, a place it lost after the passage of the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act (the first of the draconian legislation aimed at marijuana), it will be among the least toxic substances in that whole compendium.

Q: For it to reach that status, how important would it be to develop another means of administering it other than smoking, or do you think smoking would be the favoured means of administration for medicinal use?
A: Right now, smoking is the favourite means and there are several reasons for that. First, the available medicine is THC or Marinol which is just one of over 60 cannabinoids. But the problem is, it isn't as good as smoked marijuana because not all of the palliative effects of marijuana reside exclusively in THC. I think, for example, another part of the cannabinoid spectrum, the cannabinoids, are very important here. Second, when a person smokes marijuana, he can titrate just enough to stop the nausea or whatever it is he is trying to achieve and then not take any more.

If one takes it orally, whether one takes the Marinol pill or Alice B. Toklas' brownies, it's harder to control the dose, so you may end up with too much or too little. Either way, there's not much one can do about it except sit out the effects.

Furthermore, there are differences in bio availability. For example, you may take one Marinol pill and I may take one Marinol pill, but you may absorb more of it than I do. Furthermore, today you may absorb more than you do tomorrow. For these reasons, smoking is better.

However I think in the future we won't be talking about smoking marijuana, we'll be talking about vaporising it because the cannabinoids can be vaporised from the plant material. I think the technology for this exists now but of course, it's impossible to do research because of the US government's position.

Q: Have you always thought marijuana was such a useful substance?
A: No. In 1967, I was very concerned about all the young people who were using this terribly dangerous drug marijuana and not listening to the authorities who were trying to tell them how harmful it was. At the time, I believed that if I reviewed the scientific data and wrote it up in an objective fashion, some people would pay attention. As it turned out, I discovered that I had been brainwashed like every other American citizen, and that while marijuana is not harmless, it's much less harmful than both alcohol and tobacco.

Furthermore I discovered that while marijuana is not addictive, learning about it was! I spent three solid years researching it before writing my book, Marijuana Reconsidered, which was published by Harvard University Press in 1971. I called it that because I'd had to reconsider. It has now been republished as a classic.

My conclusion was that the most harmful thing about marijuana was the fact that more than 400,000 people a year were being arrested.

In the book, I also predicted that once people understood this about marijuana, within 10 years its legal status would be changed. That's how good I am as a prognostician!!

In Marijuana Reconsidered, I wrote a chapter on the therapeutic uses. This really dealt with what physicians knew about the drug in the 19th century, a time when the drug was used a lot. I continued to be interested in this when about five years ago, I decided that I had spent so much time investigating how harmful (or unharmful) marijuana was that it was time to investigate how useful it might be. I was interested in both its medical and non medical uses. In the end, the book, Marijuana,The Forbidden Medicine, just looks at the medical uses.

Q: Has the book been successful?
A: Absolutely. The book has done particularly well in Europe. In London for example, about a year ago, I did a TV debate, and a woman who came down from Leeds to be in the audience told me how the book had changed her life. She suffered from Multiple Sclerosis and was attracted to the drug because it alleviated her muscle spasms, among other things. People with MS often suffer from loss of bladder control. Pre-marijuana, she was a 37-year-old mother who was afraid to leave the house because of this condition. Thanks to marijuana, she was able to control her bladder and live her life again.

Q: What are marijuana's non-medical uses?
A: In my book, Marijuana The Forbidden Medicine, there are some stories about people who find marijuana unlocks their creativity, or helps them sexually. Many people who have difficulty with appetite, use it to good effect. Also, it's often used in a spiritual context. In the new edition of Marijuana The Forbidden Medicine , we're going to have a section on marijuana and aging, which looks at elderly people who use marijuana, both medically and non-medically, to help them cope with life as they get older.

Q: Can you think of any reason whatsoever why marijuana should continue to be an illegal substance?
A: First, let me say, I have three concerns about marijuana. One is that children shouldn't use it, just like they shouldn't smoke or drink. Second, marijuana and driving don't mix. Again, the same applies to many drugs. Finally, there's the possible damage that's being done to the respiratory system. The lungs weren't made to breathe smoke from burning plant material so we have to assume that it may be just as dangerous to the respiratory system as cigarette smoke. That said, people don't smoke the equivalent of a pack of cigarettes a day. Nor is this a problem that can't be solved by technology, or ironically, by more potent cigarettes where you only need a few puffs to feel the effects.

Q: What's actually preventing marijuana fron being freely available? Are there any vested interests?
A: Firstly, the US Government is too embarrassed to acknowledge that it's been wrong about marijuana, and that the 10 million people arrested since 1967 were arrested for nothing.

Also, there are vested interests. With the drug war, we've built up a drug war establishment. There are a lot of people who have a lot to lose if marijuana is no longer prohibited. There are the drug enforcement agents, the special police. There are the pharmaceutical companies with their urine tests, and the people who sell you the kits to scramble them. And there are all the people who sell marijuana and who can charge this huge amount of money by virtue of the fact that it's illegal. These are all people who would not be pleased if suddenly all this were to disappear.

Q: I presume the pharmaceutical companies would not be enormously in favour of marijuana suddenly appearing on the scene as a major competitor?
A: No. Take ondansetron for example. The drug company is paid almost $20 for an eight milligram pill. A marijuana cigarette, which is just as effective, if not more so, will cost around 30 cents. Is it any wonder the drug companies are concerned about marijuana becoming legally available.

Q: Also, aren't a lot of drugs pretty toxic?
A: Absolutely. There are very few that have as little toxicity connected with them as marijuana. That's a fact.

[buttsteezy]

Okay I'm a soccer player for a high school soccer team. I am starting goalie and have been for all 4 years of high school. Being a goalie I need as much reaction time as possible but yet in 6 games all of which I was high or had a contact High I got a shutout. 2 of the games were against the 2 top teams in the league, both teams averaged more than 5 goals a game and they both got shutout by me when I was high. and many kids said that I had the quickest reactions that they had ever seen. So I guess for some people I can slow the reaction but not for me.

[dutchie]

Lucky you!!

I can remember another story: some 20 years ago I drove home from a friends' house. About halfway, I noticed all those cars behind me, flashing their lights and honking their horns... It was quite annoying, as I was feeling mighty relaxed and all... Up to the moment I checked my speed - I was doing 14 mph in second gear, on a 55 mph speed limited road!!

Yeah, for me it worked very relaxing indeed...

The only side effects I ever noticed:
Feeling both extremely hungry and extremely horny...

[tranz]

My buddies and I used to sneak out of lunch and go into a little forest behind my High School. And smoke a quick dubie, before coming back.. We did this probally 2 times a week. The next class I had after that smoke break was chemistry. A subject that some people have major problems with. at the end of the year my class average as 82% I ended up with a 102% for the year. I don't consider myself super intellengent and I was high for a bunch of my classes.

I smoked though out college too and ended up with a 3.8. :smokin:

So I don't think it messes you up as bad as people make it out to.

It did cause me to black out once, but I think the a-hole who gave me that joint laced it with something else, or it was the strongest stuff I ever had. And this was after a year or so of smoking.

Havn't had any for about a year now. I kinda miss it. Wish they would legalize it.
:crs: :ban:

[Jake99]

I come from a family of 7 highly accomplished athletes and competitors in every sport and leadership position that all smoke pot. I would be surprized if anyone of us have been beaten by anyone but the very best especially when stoned. We can do many things that others cannot so the theory that it makes you stupid is stupid. The trophy wall of achievements is well beyond any other family I have heard of. And when I go to court for possession I admit it and challenge the judicial system to a legal war they cannot defend against. If god put it here I have the right to posses and use it as long as I do not endanger anyone else or commit a crime as a result. Use it responsibly and there is no problem. If you cant defend your position legally then you are the criminal for harassing me illegally.

[lotrfan55345]

a-hole

Or did you go through the K-hole?

JK

[midnightsonblaze]

I smoked weed non stop from the time I was 15 to 21, I stopped one day, and had no feeding for marijuana.....I now, have not smoked in 4 years, and I have no desire to either.....

I find smoking pot is not a problem what-so-ever, and I have no problem with anyone that does....

I also consider pot myself NOT ADDICTIVE, and the people that usually bitch about it probably have never tried it themselves in the first place......

[dutchie]

I also consider pot myself NOT ADDICTIVE....
Same here. Never noticed anything of the sort. Just stopped it, and never again even had a craving for it...

[terminator420]

so what was the point of this post anyways? i wouldnt listen to a source that said it was addictive, maybe ignorant people that beleive that shit think so, but it isnt. if people are just using weed and not getting help its because they dont want it lol..i think as long as your not using it to escape reality cuz you are a loser already your fine. me and my friends use it recreationally and we do fine in school..even athletes..

by the way, what is the point of ANY of your stupid drug overveiws?

[dcookcan]

I smoked pot heavily for about ten years and I found that it was addictive. I had cravings everyday for a long time. I still get the occassional craving and I have not smoked pot for more than ten years. That's been my experience with pot.

I quit during my third year of university. My average increased by about 15% after quitting.

However, I think pot should be legalized because it is less harmful than alcohol.

[lotrfan55345]

I smoked pot heavily for about ten years and I found that it was addictive. I had cravings everyday for a long time. I still get the occassional craving and I have not smoked pot for more than ten years. That's been my experience with pot.



But thats psychological addiction... no one can stop that. Marijuana does not cause Physical addiction unlike alcohol or many other drugs.

[dcookcan]

Whatever. I did not realize that my physical cravings that were originating from my physical brain were not real.

Are you trying to be an expert on something you have no experience with? (I am referring to both marijuana and addictions in general, both of which I have had significant experience.)

[lotrfan55345]

Whatever. I did not realize that my physical cravings that were originating from my physical brain were not real.


Yeah...
"The medical community now carefully distinguishes between physical dependence (withdrawals) and psychological addiction (or simply addiction). Addiction is now narrowly defined as "uncontrolled, compulsive use despite harm"; if there is no harm to the patient or another party, there is no addiction."

I should've said physical dependece I guess.... But most people still say "Physical Addiction" and "Psychological Addiction"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addiction


Are you trying to be an expert on something you have no experience with? (I am referring to both marijuana and addictions in general, both of which I have had significant experience.)

Ehh... no? I'm trying to deny that mj is (physically) addictive. As (psychological) addictions can form over anything like TV or Chocolate, so I don't really see the point of saying "I am psychologically addicted to marijuana."

[terminator420]

Whatever. I did not realize that my physical cravings that were originating from my physical brain were not real.

Are you trying to be an expert on something you have no experience with? (I am referring to both marijuana and addictions in general, both of which I have had significant experience.)

have you ever done coke or smoked cigerettes? if you havent you have no grasp on what addiction really is.. marijuana is not addictive..sorry.

[Mezurashi]

though I smoke the stuff to this day I do not consider it a 'safe' or 'harmless' thing to do. I'm burning something and inhaling smoke into my lungs, that can't be good for me. what I am doing is trading off the damage done to my physical self against the effect I receive from the THC. I do this willingly, as I do with cigarettes and coffee and sugar in its many forms (I don't drink alcohol, but only because I am allergic, otherwise I'd be a lush :alcoholic ). with nicotine there is the addiction, but with marijuana it's more like a craving, however this does not mean I would choose to operate heavy machinery while stoned.

as it is an intoxicant it should still be considered as such if ever it is legalized or decriminalized. and as the previous posts show there are as many different experiences as there are people who've tried it, so like with any sort of mind-altering substance the watchword is caution, as always. :naughtyy:

[dcookcan]

have you ever done coke or smoked cigerettes? if you havent you have no grasp on what addiction really is.. marijuana is not addictive..sorry.

HAHAHAHAHAH! Nice try!

I have done everything with the exception of shooting stuff into my bloodstream. And I still smoke cigarettes. I quit smoking pot and cigs at the same time. The pot was harder for me to quit at the time. I was off cigs for about five years while in university, but took it up again as soon as I had the stress of work combined with construction workers.

I think Mezurashi has the right idea. Different people have different reactions. My brother couldn't handle pot; he claimed to be alergic. I fell in love with it.

I'm having a craving again. :smokin:

[Jazman]

In my own experiences, I found that when smoking joints, it is the nicotine that is addictive and not the Marijuana itself.

I smoked cigarettes and Marijuana for ten years. I quit both about three years ago due to the birth of my son. In the past 6 months I started smoking Marijuana again recreationally but I'm still a non-smoker. I've noticed that the nights I'm not having a joint, I'm craving one. But due to smoking for ten years I recognise that the craving is for the cigarette in the joint and not the Marijuana itself. Marijuana itself is not addictive (in my opinion).

But then it also depends on what your smoking. Is it the bud or the oil, are you growing/preparing it yourself or getting it from a dealer, or in Dutchie's case, the local cafe. I say this cause if a third party is involved with the drug your smoking, there is a chance that there is also a few extra ingredients that can give you your addiction/craving. For example I've seen diesel and even heroin being cut into the oil/resin. But maybe this is just something that happens in Scotland.

[dutchie]

Diesel, eh!?? Not a Speyside Single Malt??

BTW, IMO hashish is the best stuff to smoke, especially the fungal maroc stuff. Not too potent, few side effects. Best to way to smoke it is in a water pipe. No soar throat. But this combination is for connoiseurs only. Personally I detest the weed stuff (with the little dry leaves), because it has all the problems hashish doesn't have, and the dosis is harder to control/determine (too potent, especially the modern stuff).

And I think you're right. It's the tobacco that is addictive, not the cannabis.

[Mezurashi]

Diesel, eh!?? Not a Speyside Single Malt??

BTW, IMO hashish is the best stuff to smoke, especially the fungal maroc stuff. Not too potent, few side effects. Best to way to smoke it is in a water pipe. No soar throat. But this combination is for connoiseurs only. Personally I detest the weed stuff (with the little dry leaves), because it has all the problems hashish doesn't have, and the dosis is harder to control/determine (too potent, especially the modern stuff).

And I think you're right. It's the tobacco that is addictive, not the cannabis.


Ahhh, the brown stuff ... when I was younger it was easy to get hash but ever since the RCMP busted that 17 tonne import load in Montreal back in 1991 things in Canada have gone from bad to worse. in a perfect world I'd be injesting hash via cookie or brownie instead of smoking it, I prefer the body stone because it lasts longer, is less intense and has much less of a come down.

here on the West Coast we have all sorts of varieties of marijuana avilable, but most of them have been hydroponically tweaked to the point where there is so much THC it's almost not fun to smooke it. often I find myself cutting the weed with tobacco simply to dilute the kick. :chopper:

dutchie, have you ever tried the 'smokeless' vaporizer? it heats up the stuff just to the ignition point without actually starting fire, thus you inhale a cool mist instead of hot smoke. it was all the rage in the various 'weed cafe's' a couple of years back - just wondering if it was known elsewhere.

and dutchie, I love your avatar. inspired by Frank Zappa?

[Jazman]

Well that the luxury of living in Holland,

Due the smoking of the stuff in cafe's is legal you kind of cut out the middle man and the stuff is more controlled (less harmful impurities). Where as in Britain, due to it being illegal, you still go through middle men (sometimes quite a few) to acquire your Hashish/Marijuana. Due to each person trying to make as much profit as possible the stuff gets mixed with lots of other harmful, easy to obtain crap to "beef" up their product. And although is would be a lot better with a single malt I've witnessed cannabis being mixed with a hell of a lot of shit. Although sometimes I've seen it mixed with some good stuff too (LSD is my favourite). :D

Maybe the "weed stuff" is too potent for you because of your water pipe/bong. Even though smoking a joint is more detrimental to your health, it's also easier to control your dosage. Although you probably know all this. you being Dutch and all. It's like telling a Scotsman how to drink. :grin

Dutchie I'm heading to Amsterdam soon, is it true that the stuff is now illegal but is still tolerated ? And can you still get mushrooms (the magic kind) ?

[dutchie]

It's ALWAYS been illegal, but tolerated. You can buy it at coffeeshops, not at café's. I don't touch acid, never did, it's just too heavy and quite hazardous to your brain cells.. I haven't touched pot since god knows how long - I see it more or less as a passing phase..

Mind you, there is some warped idea about all Dutchies smoking their brains out, this is definitely NOT true. Most pot smokers come here from Germany, Belgium and Britain, because of the tolerance policy.

[Skippy]

It's ALWAYS been illegal, but tolerated. You can buy it at coffeeshops, not at café's. I don't touch acid, never did, it's just too heavy and quite hazardous to your brain cells.. I haven't touched pot since god knows how long - I see it more or less as a passing phase..

Mind you, there is some warped idea about all Dutchies smoking their brains out, this is definitely NOT true. Most pot smokers come here from Germany, Belgium and Britain, because of the tolerance policy.

Actually, pure acid (LSD) has virtually no effect on your brain cells other than to get you stoned. This history of the drug is very interesting, and it is quite likely that Albert Einstein used it at one time. Another topic, another story. I suggest reading Acid Dreams, which gives the history of it. It comes from ergot, a rye mould, and it is believed that it was a contributing factor in the Salem Witch trials.

One thing I discovered in Europe is that weed is mixed with weed. In Canada we smoke our weed straight, and I did get a few stares when rolling doobies without tobacco in Dutch coffee shops. For hash, I used weed rather than tobacco....more stares. Canadian weed is more potent than Dutch weed by a long shot. We don't use the long papers that Europeans do, but prefer instead the Zig-Zags or Drum sized cigarette papers.

Marijuana is not addictive. It is habit forming, but has not effects on the body to cause addiction, nor withdrawal symptoms. A person can be a daily smoker for years, and stop using it without any effects other than adjusting to facing the day without it. You are more likely to be affected by giving up your morning cup of Joe than your wake and bake reefer.

[dutchie]

and dutchie, I love your avatar. inspired by Frank Zappa?Thanks. And yes.. Why does it hurt when I pee is definitely a classic song...

[dutchie]

One thing I discovered in Europe is that weed is mixed with weed. In Canada we smoke our weed straight, and I did get a few stares when rolling doobies without tobacco in Dutch coffee shops. For hash, I used weed rather than tobacco....more stares. Canadian weed is more potent than Dutch weed by a long shot. We don't use the long papers that Europeans do, but prefer instead the Zig-Zags or Drum sized cigarette papers.
Jeebus, a HARD-CORE smoker.... Don't know about that Canadian weed, tho.. Dutch weed DOES have a rep...

[Mezurashi]

. Another topic, another story. I suggest reading Acid Dreams, which gives the history of it. It comes from ergot, a rye mould, and it is believed that it was a contributing factor in the Salem Witch trials.

I also remember seeing a show about how rotting rye in 13th Century Poland contributed to the halting of the Mongol invasion. Off topic I know - but whether or not the ravening hordes of Mongols got stopped by ennui, the ocean or bad rye isn't an armageddon kind of topic anyways (though it would make a great Game Show topic, lol).

anyone else heard this Mongol thing or am I just floating in a hallucination?

[dutchie]

Ergotic poisoning comes from an alkaloid, made by a fungal growth on rye. It's something entirely different from lysergdiethalaminic acid (LSD).

[Mezurashi]

Jeebus, a HARD-CORE smoker.... Don't know about that Canadian weed, tho.. Dutch weed DOES have a rep...

being a West Coaster Canadian I have noticed a trend in the local stuff that is slowly backing away from the 'chemo' grade weed of the early 90's. there was a time when I was 'going Dutch' by rolling doob's 50-50 pot and tobacco, for groups of us. the stuff got so potent that certain harvests got signature names, like Christmas Weed, Spring Weed and the ever popular Blackout Weed (an autumn specialty). thought the labels went out of vogue immediately, it wasn't until aboout 2002 that I noticed the local crops were becoming more, well, 'normal' in a sense.

I have no problem with smoking and functioning normally, but there were times when even a few tokes of certain crops could set you on a couch for a serious amount of 'I can't move' time. we'd look at the weed under one of those Radio Shack 100x magnifiers and you could see the surface liberally coated in crystalline THC, it was so cool. the only problem was smoking the stuff made it so you couldn't see anything, lol.

man I wish someone would bring a boat load of good Hash to the West Coast soon. it's been almost a decade since I smoked it last...

[Chrisboe4ever]

My dad and I used to smoke weed (not together, or during the same decade), but we both quit and had no widthdrawal symptoms that we noticed. Recently, my dad handed me a packet that his work issued that talked about illegal drugs and a bunch of misc. facts about them. In the Marijuanna section, a lot of the "widthdrawal symptoms" were total crap. Here are an example of some of the "symptoms."

Loss of apitite (Dur! You don't have the munchies, which means your food intake will start to even out)

Irritability (So, not being as passive as when you are 'high' counts as being 'bad tempered')

Physical Cravings (Well yeah, if you tried something you really like, you obviously wouldn't mind trying it again. The cravings are no different from wanting to eat one of your grandma's cookies, the kind that you love so much)

If things like that are considered widthdrawal symptoms to a drug, then Water would technically be a drug, since there are widthdrawal symptoms when you stop drinking it. You get thirsty, begin to physically crave it, loss of energy, etc. etc.

yeah...well, that's enough of my ranting.