More Seek Help for Marijuana Addiction

Back in the old, old, old days, we thought pot wasn't addictive and laughed at the straight world who tried to scare us off with ridiculous claims...such as, pot makes men grow breasts, eats away yr brain cells, etc etc, can't remember them all. But, now, with pot evidently being stronger than ever, is it addictive? (Am not implying anything by asking you guys with expertise, lol.)

By KEVIN FREKING

http://apnews.myway.com//article/20050304/D88K9UJO0.html

WASHINGTON (AP) - The admission rate for those who seek treatment for marijuana use nearly tripled between 1992 and 2002, according to the latest data compiled by the federal government.

The numbers released Friday reflect a growing use of marijuana in the 1990s and an increase in the potency of marijuana, said Tom Riley, a spokesman for the White House's Office of National Drug Control Policy.

"This report makes clear what people in the public health community have known for years, which is marijuana is a much more dangerous drug than many Americans realize," Riley said. "This report is a wake up call for parents that marijuana is not a soft drug. It's a much bigger part of the addiction problem than is generally understood."

The study on treatment rates was conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which estimated that 41 states experienced an increase in the number of people who sought treatment for marijuana use during the decade studied.

Pot is simply no stronger now than it was 30 years ago.

That is a bald lie.

This is a Propaganda study that is being pushed by King Chimp and his Right Wing cronies. There is more people I know who smoke weed in moderation than get drunk to excess.
Have you ever seen anyone who smoked weed batter their wife? I am sure the answer is no. What a joke, if the country legalized this their wouldn't be half as many people in the jail system as there are now. The more you think about it the jail system is a major corporation. Why would you want to legalize something that you can arrest someone for and turn them into slaves of the jail corporation.

I toked on 30 years ago...

But they said it was addictive back then, too. They're still lying about it.

"No-hio Green" has not improved with time. And people still try to smoke it.

Actually, I think nothing has even approached the potency of the Thai weed that used to come home with soldiers from VietNam.

Most of the bad numbers about modern pot potency (the ones not made up) are the result of comparing modern pot recently seized by police with 70s pot that has sat in a hot, humid evidence locker since "The Partridge Family" was in its first season. Obviously, that ancient pot is not likely to have much THC in it when tested now.

otherwise they'd have to serve hard time.

People who ONLY use marijuana do NOT become addicted. Amotivation as hell ... perhaps a little slow and lazy, but not physiologically addicted.

Here we go again ... same old propaganda they used in the 50s and 60s.

Much more dangerous than previously thought? What a joke. We know that tobacco kills thousands every year, and it's legal. The contradictions and hypocrisy are staggering.

.

I have heard that same line of bullshit for years that "todays pot is stronger" again Bullshit. And when the link in the original post states:(The admission rate for those who seek treatment for marijuana use nearly tripled between 1992 and 2002, according to the latest data compiled by the federal government.) SOME REAL Bullshit there. What it means to state is more people are SENT to treatment for marijuana use by court order. Everything can be fixed through treatment BULLSHIT! I thought back in the 60s that by this day and age things would be different but as we can all see it's not.

30 years ago, we smoked pot from Vietnam, Hawaii and Thailand which was 1000s of times stronger than anything - yes, even the BC bud - being sold today. One hit pot was everywhere, cheap and really one hit pot. :)

This is one of the many lies being told in the drug war. Sure, domestic (home grown) pot is much stronger today than 30 years ago, but nothing is close to the strength of Thai stick.

The stuff around now pales in comparison to the kickass stuff I used to smoke.

My favorite anti-depressant. With a lot less side effects.

Back in "the day" I smoked my fair share (daily) and gave it up with absolutely NO PROBLEM whatsoever.

I suffered no addiction or withdrawal this IMO is more reefer madness type propaganda.

They did not seek it out on their own, but it was imposed upon them as a means to avoid prison.

The system is thus rigged.

Read more here: http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/treatment/

ridiculous drug tests at work.

Half Baked where Dave Chappelle goes to a Narc Anon meeting and confesses he is addicted to marijuana. Then Bob Sagget (the dad from Full House) stands up and screams at him "I sucked dick for coke! Have you ever sucked dick for marijuana??"

ROFLMAO

I've been addicted to pot several times. I just don't smoke it for 3 days and the feeling is gone. It wasn't nearly as hard to quit as cigarettes.

At least, not as the term is usually defined.

But I know what you mean.

My son is addicted to one of the hard drugs, and we were told he is a "high" junkie....and he says that himself. It is why he doesn't allow himself to drink alcohol or smoke pot...nothing to get high. He did start out with smoking pot in high school, then moved on up to the harder stuff. Just trying to understand....thanks.

But it is not an addiction. An addiction is where withdrawal of the substance causes a real physical effect in the body that is unpleasant enough to compel the user to seek out the substance again rather than feel that effect. Things like sweats, nausea, headaches, insomnia, shaking...

And some people want escape so bad that they will get high on anything. Usually, these people are self-medicating for an underlying psychiatric problem that would be better addressed with medical drugs.

from the time when getting high on pot was the ultimate.

I agree with someone else here, that marijuana addiction is probably a psychological addiction, similar to an addiction to overeating (except dealing with your addiction would be different with food presumably because you need food to live). It's still an overwhelming addiction, but it's not the same as heroin or nicotine etc.

I know people who have the experience that they don't usually feel normal, perhaps they have some sort of clinical depression, and using a substance that changes their mood makes them feel more like they are normal. A person with that type of problem, would likely be a "high" junkie.

Also, if it's true that marijuana is generally stronger (I suspect it is, because I remember people buying "lids" (an ounce) of loose leaves for $10 in the 70s, it was just a few years later that I saw people buying tiny packges with the tops of plants only, for like $10 or more for 1 gram.

So, imagine fixing your "high" craving by introducing a massive jolt to your system, versus a lesser jolt. The results of your fix would be more likely to be more problematic.

than with drugs in most cases. Methods such as EMDR & Peniston's alpha-theta brainwave training are very effective.

Addiction, real addiction, hasn't got a lot to do with getting high.
If it did, why do people get addicted to cigarettes, which seems to
be the worst addiction of all?

The government has done a huge mindfuck on people, convincing them
that anything they like, anything that makes them feel good, is an
"addiction". Is it any wonder that depression runs rampant?

People don't become addicted because they get high, they get addicted
because they haven't got enough ways of getting high.

Dancing gets me higher than anything else does.

it's a harvard doc who has done some studies
http://www.rxmarihuana.com/

Of course, no proper study can be done because of the official prohibition.

But I know a LOT of people with ADD/ADHD who report to me that marijuana helps them focus. We're NOT talking getting stoned on your ass here; We're talking a small dose.

My personal experience tells me that herb helps some people to focus.

I was in college in the late 60's & early 70's. Without a little herb, I don't think I would have ever understood calculus. With just a few tokes, I could study it in depth for hours & really enjoy it. This was true with computer programming, too.

However, it didn't seem to have the same effect one most of my friends.

And no way that this herb is addictive! I have know many people who smoked everyday for 10 to 20 years and stopped with no bad effects. I have never seen anyone have physical symptoms of withdrawal from pot.

>But I know a LOT of people with ADD/ADHD who report to me that marijuana helps them focus.<

First of all, I am not a doctor. This is anecdotal, but several people observed the following over a couple of years. Many of those we knew are recreational users.

We formerly knew a guy that believed he could treat his ADHD with marijuana. The guy in question was obviously smoking several times per day -- we don't believe we've ever seen him sober. Instead of the beneficial effects some of you are speaking of, he made others' lives a living hell by his behavior (i.e, lack of the most basic adult behaviors - such as self-control - in public, personality traits that became even more annoying while he was high, etcetera.) We finally had to disassociate from him.

If the drug is beneficial, so be it, but he would never be able to use "a small amount". This guy couldn't even spend a couple of hours at someone else's house without going outside to light up.

Julie

That person was self-medicating.

There must have been other issues at play there.

Julie, I have know so many people who could never keep it to "a small amount". When you toke all day, you are not going to want to sit down and study.

I was highly motivated academically and enjoyed mathematics. Herb probably helped me focus and understand logic based exercises like math and computer programming because I really enjoyed these "brain teasers. I wasn't saying that this would work for everyone.

but it helps them not care about not being able to focus :)

It helped someone I know.

NT!

I had at least 3 different friends who preferred to study or work while "high" because they said it helped them to concentrate. I couldn't understand it, personally, but having seen them both "high" and "straight", I believed them. Looking back, when they were straight they did seem to exhibit symptoms of adult ADD according to everything I've read.

It's gets you "low." MJ is a depressant, and it's easy as hell to quit, especially if you do it gradually (lose tolerance).

Give your kid a natural high: lots and lots of hugs.

Only Cannabis indica or an indica dom breed is a downer. Cannabis sativa in it's pure form is more of an upper, and is very motivational.

Wonderfull thing about cannabis, different breeds produce different types of highs, thus treating many conditions.

I ask, because people have always claimed to feel a different high from a different bud.

But now I can afford it!

The first 3 days on a jones can be a bitch, but then you get past it. Yeah, you still miss it, but you just go on and wait for next payday.

Woohoo! LOL

Cigarettes are so much worse. Unfortunately, it's REALLY tough for some of us to give up. It's a major weakness for me, I admit. :-(

It's the same thing experienced by overweigh people that have a hard time staying on a diet. Should we also ban pizza?

ya mean like from 2 burnouts to 6?? BTW that meme about pot being "stronger" these days is an urban legend promulgated by the DEA.

to something such as eating. Yes, it's an addiction, but it's mental. You don't go through withdraw symptoms after quitting either of them. Yes, you may crave more of it, but you're not breaking out into sweats and getting physically ill.

It should never be in the same category as hard drugs.

It feels good so it becomes a habit.

It amazes me how even some DUers fall for this bullshit. Do they still believe in Santa Claus, too?

But I don't believe a damn thing Bush says. As for pot, established medicine/law knows as much about it as they did about masturbation a century ago, IOW bupkis.

I doubt medical science knew 100 years ago that we have THC receptors in our brain.

I've been told by nurses and doctors (having asked several many times years back) that just about everything that can be known about pot (more specifically, THC, as that's the active ingredient) already is known. That, and one thing they know is that pot isn't 'dangerous' in the "hard drug" sense of the word.

When you can smoke and fly.

And the increase in people "seeking treatment" is most likely due to more parents throwing their kids into rehab.

The government is forcing treatment.

Read more at: http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/treatment/

if you smoke pot eventually you'll be shooting heroin. Sheesh, I heard that crap from my mom all the time. That was 25 years ago & I still haven't shot heroin.


"A life spent searching for a perfect hashish brownine is a life well spent." ~~Zonker Harris

Alcohol! But don't take Tom Delay's Makers Mark from him!

people who know how harmless it was from their
own experience to justify the persecution
of the drug war against a relatively benign drug.

Just like drinking everyday, smoking weed everyday will cause at least a psychological dependence.

When regular smokers I know have quit because of an upcoming drug test, they have sleepless nights and tend to edgy for a couple of days. Combine that with the fact that smoking everyday isn't exactly healthy for your lungs and its not something I would recommend people pick up. And I say that as an everyday smoker.

That said, the rise in people being treated is largely from parents freaking out and sending their kids to these programs.

Some people do it to smooth off the rough edges.

...its a little different.

As benburch, moderation is the key. If you're an everyday smoker its not healthy.

"Moderation in all things" is a way to a long and happy life. And that includes moderation in sobriety.

And I would consider caffeine a drug.

NT!

(Im saying this real sweet and nice like, no 'tude at all)

I have smoked weed several times a day, nearly everyday for about 10 years (my wife has for about 20). I have ADHD and it helps me tremendously as well as helping to control a few psych problems Ive had since puberty ( a military shrink actually recomended it!!). Anyway my wife has to fly about every 6 weeks and myself at least twice a year. When we travel we dont take any weed with us and neither of us nor any of our friends have had edgy feelings or sleep problems when we are away.

I can see how someone who smokes it to help fall asleep or for the dream effect would have a restless night, but Ive had Italian food thats kept me up for days on end! lol

...it is anecdotal. But I would say if you're a heavy smoker there can be some withdraw symptoms that last a few days. Nothing heavy of course.

I just think its silly to claim it has no addictive properties, It is one of the least addictive amongst substances people consume but its still has its issues.

Even that stuff isn't a justification for prohibition. As for this increase it is largely due to legal issues or parents freaking out.

They're taking something really strong to come up with crap like this.

I'd love to see the official on-camera piss test of every one of our
drunk driving senate, white house and house leaders, shaking from lack
of perscription sedatives, praying for a pass... so they can feel what
its like those lowlife evil scum.

Herb reduces REM sleep, which is essential for vivid dreams. Calea zacatechichi is a better, legal (!) dream enhancer - just make sure it's smoked, not the tea (the tea is SO HORRIBLE you will yark).

Anyway, </offtopic>

The dream effect I was talking about was what you mentioned... not so much an enhancement as a softening. I have two friends who smoke up before bed for this very reason...lol.

I will check out that link for sure though! Thank you very much!

NT!

and i haven't toked in 3 years. i've heard too much about false positives to feel complacent, particularly if my job was riding on the result.

We have receptors in our brain - we are designed to use the stuff. It's medicine, and IMIO outlawing it is a crime against humanity.

Look, I have no objection to medicinal OR recreational use of THC. I wish I knew someone who could hook me up with some good Thai-stick, but claiming this is "beneficial" is a joke. Smoking is rarely good, for any reason.

As to your logic, we have receptors in our brains for heroin too. Are we supposed to believe we're designed for that too?

Pot kills less people than booze. Outlawing it is stupid, particularly when it could ease the suffering of cancer patients. But do NOT try and pass pot-use off as a healthy alternative for everyone.

One. Caused directly by consumption.

Ok, first you claim it's "beneficial." Now you ask for an instance where marijuana induced a toxilogically based death.

My point is that a blanket claim that pot is beneficial is a lie. I don't care in the least who smokes it, as long as they aren't driving, but whoever smokes it should be aware there are physiological repercussions. Physiologically, pot is NOT beneficial. Psychologically...well, that's an entirely different question.

Doctors even prescribe it. It's MEDICINE. Sorry you can't accept that obvious truth.

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

Any "doctor" who is so wrong about marijuana's beneficial aspects is not one I care to visit.

Plus, calling someone you disagree with a "stoned moron" isn't exactly complimentary of your bedside manner.

in order to avoid proisecution, thus allowing reports like this bullshit to be skewed and used as examples of the hrorors of "marijuana addiction".

Marijuana is not addictive and never has been.

"in order to avoid proisecution, thus allowing reports like this bullshit to be skewed and used as examples of the hrorors of "marijuana addiction"."

Totally agree.

"Marijuana is not addictive and never has been."

Try quitting after smoking for years. Not the easiest thing in the world to do.

I had a friend who smoked between 2 and 5 grams every day for ten years. Went through an ounce every week without fail.

One day, he woke up and decided he didn't want to smoke pot any more. No problems. No withdrawal. No hassles. He just simply quit and has not smoked again in the past ten years.

I have friends who have dealt with similar amounts.

One quit because of drug testing and had trouble falling asleep at night. He started drinking a little more to help. After his test, he was back to his usual routine.

Another quit for a drug test and was basically like dealing with a freshly quit cigarette smoker. She was edgy and nervous for a couple of days.

Another quit years ago because he started getting panic attacks while smoking. It was not an easy few weeks for him but he hasn't smoked to this day.

Another "friend" (wink, wink) likes to take occasional breaks, sometimes for a week sometimes for a month or more. The first day is fine, though sleep may or may not be difficult. The 2nd day is a bit harder, if "my friend" gets through the 3rd "he" can cruise until "he" feels like smoking again.

My point? Marijuana is nowhere near as addictive as most substances available for human consumption. But to say there is no addictive properties(especially to those pre-disposed to dependancy) is not accurate.

my "friend" also smokes regularly, but then takes anywhere between a week and a month off with none. My friend also experiences a little edginess and some restless sleep for a day or two and that is it.

To say there are "no" physical symptoms is not entirely true, but this is with smoking EVERY DAY. Very mild. Doesn't lead to heavier drugs, and is nice, relaxing, and allows for introspection and deep thought...or so my friend tells me.

Olaf

LOL...well that beats I do it because I laugh more at the Simpsons doesn't it!

Jay and Silent Bob and Super Trooepers even funnier! :)

Olaf

"The sign! on the back of the car! said "CRITTERS OF HOLLYWOOD", you stupid FUCK!"

"Hey you! B...bear-fucker! Do you need assistance?"

or i could never go out to movies anymore

I laughed so hard I cried.

I've *never* been that well off.

Decent mexi or commercial goes for $50 to $70 an oz.

When I chose to run White Rose Society as my full time job, I basically took a vow of poverty.

Thousands and thousands of people use it on a daily basis, but only about 1% of them ever donate.

I barely keep the lights on here.

Hopefully things will pick up for you.

He smoked the profits from selling it.

I knew another guy who smoked even more. He grew it and never sold anything, just smoked it all himself. I never knew what happened to that guy.

I used to know a woman who was dating both of the two big pot dealers in Pontiac, IL.

She never had to pay for it, either...

After having smoked for 6 years (ages 14-20), when I was in college, my source of funds dried out. I could have continued to smoke, easily, with many friends offering constantly. But I couldn't afford to buzz them back, so that was pretty much the end of it.

I never missed it.

and had no problems when I quit. I don't even miss it. So yes, it was probably the easiest thing I ever quit.

you can get psychologically dependent on it though, if you have the right personality and psychological makeup. But it is NOT addictive.

Now that fewer are getting automatic hard time for holding, "gentler" options include lighter charges & a promise to get treated for the addiction.

You can become addicted/habituated/whatever to anything.

Oh, about the new, "stronger" stuff. Big Taste was available in the old days. Anybody remember Thai Sticks? I've heard great things about modern hydroponic techniques, but Mexican El Cheapo is still around. Price increases reflect inflation more than increased strength.

the available stuff was stronger, more concentrated than when I started -- but I never came across anything stronger than the Thai stick I got in 72 - 75.

Improved cultivation increased the THC content, that's all. The 'stronger' stuff is no more addictive than the $15/oz Mexican I once lived on.

The following was taken from The Drug Policy Alliance.

longer to get into a substance abuse program because these programs are now being used to treat so-called marijuana addiction, which is being defined as a addiction because more people are seeking "treatment" but in fact it's really a result of the judicial system ordering them into treatment rather than it being voluntary?

And here I was thinking that the system couldn't be more fucked up than it already is and I'm proven wrong once again.

Just more reasons marijuana should be made legal, IMO.

It's not a realization that treatment is superior to incarceration, it's that they can use the subsequent numbers to justify a further increase in the intensity of the so-called WOD.

They have rigged the system.

I used to believe in the "benefit of doubt," meaning that I would think the action of instituting a system favoring treatment would mean that they believed in treatment and that the statistics derived from the results of treatment would prove that treatment, rather than punishment, was the best solution.

However, it never adds up no matter what, which leads me to now believe that the WOD is such a "cash-cow" for the powers that be that no matter what laws are implemented, they don't really want to win it. It's like the perpetual war mentality that Bush has brought to the forefront. As long as they are fighting it, they are making money.

And if people aren't paying attention, statistics can be made to say what you want them to say rather than just interpreting them for what they are really saying. This is the perfect example. Scary.

It's a racket.

Brown Mexican bricks still taste like Brown Mexican bricks. Good skunk still acts like good skunk. In fact, I think the proportion of mediocre to good weed is still about the same as it was 30 years ago.

It's no freakin' different than different types of alcohol. Beer, wine and booze all do the same thing, just in different amounts of each. Mexican brown, Northern Lights and Lebanese hash all do roughly the same thing, just in different amounts of each.

he has the experience with using it, and i think he'd tell you its much easier to quit pot than alcohol or coke.

how long till easter anyway? this give-up-the-unbelievably-strong-marijuana-for-lent thing SUCKS!

but they're stiLL sensitive.

:smoke:

anybuddy wanna join me?

:smoke:

:D

(A capital L tribute to ya!)

many many of us would have committed mass murder years ago. they can all kiss my ass. let's not forget how many of those schmucks are the product of guilt laden soul searching as a result of drug propaganda and christian fundamentalist parents who equate it satan. no one ever got too high and went home and beat his wife. no one's ever died of an overdose. outlaw alcohol then come cry, until then fuck yourself repukes.

Which is one reason why, of course, Big Pharm has it in for the leaf.

:hi:

Those stupid meds made me nuts. The side effects were killer.

No thank you!

:hi: yourself! :)

out of Washington.

welcome to DU! :hi:

What was the admission rate for those who seek treatment for OTHER SUBSTANCES during that same time?

How much has Alcohol treatment gone up? Nicotine? Cocaine? Oxycontin?

And what exactly is the rate now? "tripled" could mean from 1 to 3.


Also factor in the fact that often 'treatment' is an option to jail time; have prosecutions increased by the same factor?


Misleading statements are the stock and trade of the antidrug war. They have been since the beginning.

As far as intoxicants, marijuana is about the least dangerous. Although it apparently makes you rather sedentary (wow, those dangerous reefer addicts, sitting on the couch eating doritos and watching 'Lost'). They'll ruin the country!!

"As far as intoxicants, marijuana is about the least dangerous. Although it apparently makes you rather sedentary (wow, those dangerous reefer addicts, sitting on the couch eating doritos and watching 'Lost'). They'll ruin the country!! "

Gee, do you think maybe if people weren't so numb to the world maybe they'd work a bit more to change it?

However, I do agree that pot is not a dangerous drug. I'd rather spend time with smokers than alcoholics anyday. And quitting is no big deal. Quite easy in fact. Quitting cigarettes was a huge ordeal by comparison. I still have nightmares where I am smoking a cigarette and thinking 'Damn! I have to quit again....nooooooooo!' And it's been over ten years....

Actually, that's not entirely true. It depends on if the strain is sativa or indica. One makes you sedentary, the other creative and energized.

Really good brownies will couch-lock you, though, for sure. I speak from past experience.

this just made me think of the first time i tried ganja food. it was a party and someone made these real potent fruity pebble bars. i didn't realize it wasn't a good idea to eat a shit load of these right before you go to sleep. before the herb could take effect, i went to sleep and woke up at 8am the next morning high as hell when my metabolism kicked in, i have never felt that high in my life. unfortunately i had just started a new job (it was my 3rd day) i was 45 minutes late because i was so confused about what to do, i made my boyfriend drive me because i felt outta control.
ganja food can throw me for a loop anytime.

are the cause of this, not people "desperate" to kick the habit of marijuana. When faced with either jail time or manditory rehab, of course people are going to choose rehab. Hence the rise in the number of people being treated.

Yeah. "Addiction".

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Best joke I've heard all day!

This reminds me of the little clause that * had the NIH slip into their causes of breast cancer...

They had it posted a while that an abortion could cause breast cancer.

Of course this might have something to do with all the pre-employment drug tests.

Maybe they actually did some reading and research and realized the government's been lying to them about this, too, for decades.

I hope so. The so-called "War on (non-pharma) Drugs" is deadly, wasteful, and an enormous investment in an impossible and tyrannical goal: determining what YOU are allowed to put into your own body.

That's not freedom.

And we got the big paddle out, just for them. Darn.

...but GOOD. The idiots who support the drug war are so deep into denial about its effects, I don't know how to reach them.

Maybe not calling them "idiots" would be a start, but DAMN, I'm sick of the lies about a beneficial plant that we're freakin' DESIGNED to use!

Psychological addictions is miles away from physical addition.

The Canadians did yet another government study in 2003. The Senate Select Committee Report on Marijuana concluded laughing grass is not physically addictive. It is psychologically addictive in about 5% of users.

Addiction means your body will go apesh*t when you give up a substance. Alcohol addicts can die of the DTs when they put down the bottle. Most anti-depressants warn of problems if intake is abruptly stopped. With pot you get some irratibility and maybe some sleeplessness for a few days. That is not by any means in all cases as anybody that regularly consumes pot is sure to hit a dry spell and most people do not consume it everyday like cigarettes and always have long lapses of use.

This is just more demonization from our government that does not have a cannabis policy. They have a cannabis attitude. The biggest step the goverment could make in reducing harm to society is to free cannabis and end the fraud known as cannabis prohibition.

best not lie to our Children .

And I have heard that very story from my son's friends, too.

And I felt that way as a teen.

Noticed in my early teens that frightened parents and teachers were forever ruining their credibility by making false statements about drugs.

It scared kids a lot at the time the propaganda was delivered, but then the kids grew older, tried pot or alcohol, had a good time, and immediately disbelieved WHATEVER their elders had told them.

Ironically, those same people -- friends of mine, I'm not just making this up -- are now terrified that their kids might do what they did. Just stupid on its face since they turned out fine, but most of them have bought into the crap about how much stronger pot is today (I won't say how I know that's crap ... but it is!)

for "marajuana addiction." And as for pot being stronger today - well I smoked the strongest pot back in college in the 70's - it doesn't compare to the weed I have encountered in the past 10 years (much less potent and more expensive)

There are 19 comments on this article already at http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread20320.shtml

please tell me why GOD, yes YOUR GOD put such a beautiful plant on Mother Earth that is meant to be illegal?
I am so saddened by what the government is doing in regards to this beautiful herb, and even more saddened by the people that believe their statements about this 'horrible drug'.
reading this article i feel like i'm watching 'reefer madness' and im believing them when they say that pot will make you kill people go crazy (and laugh and dance erratically). i can't believe the commercials which display people smoking pot that commit date rape, that run over a little girl on a bike etc. etc.
goodness gracious! but this leads me to two questions for you DU'ers. i read some article about the original 'testing' done with merijuana. this involved using chimpanzees to observe the effect pot had on them. after the testing, the results were released stating that weed will cause you brain damage, etc. etc. HOWEVER, the monkeys wern't simply put in a chamber where smoke was blown on them, they were put in a chamber where they only inhaled pot smoke, and very little oxygen. Due to the low oxygen levels (not the drug) the monkeys brains were effected. My first question is, did this testing really happen? how relevant is my information? and if this info is true, do they still base their studies on these biased findings? (sorry i know that was three questions)
My second question is this. In a book about conspiracies there was a space about the conspiracy behind the illegality of weed. back in the day (sorry i do not have suffcient info), a man heading the up-and coming paper industry was being crushed by the hemp industry so he started all these allegations about the dangerous quality of merijuana, etc. etc. thereby reducing the hemp industry to a shambles since the people bought it. how true is this story? can anyone provide me with any sites to find out more?

Finally, in closing this extremely long comment, i want to put myself out there as a heavy user of ganja and i can attest that i am not stupid , that i can hold a business position in the workforce and i can get good grades. merijuana is so beautiful, it helps my boyfriend out who has stomach problems and it gives me a chance to relax and reflect on the day. the day that our country embraces this mellowing, non-violent, green green, crystally, THC laden, furry plant that we call Merijuana will be a glorious one. i hope i'll be around to see it.
peace guys.
:smoke:

NEVER MIND NEVER MIND! here here: read this please===good information about why marijuana became illegal: http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/stories/2003/12/22/whyIsMarijuanaIllegal.html
here's a little tidbit to get you going: :eyes:

Again, racism was part of the charge against marijuana, as newspapers in 1934 editorialized: "Marihuana influences Negroes to look at white people in the eye, step on white men's shadows and look at a white woman twice."

but surprisingly, whenever I see marijuana legalization discussed, Freeptards are as likely (almost) as us to want legalization! Weird, but true from what I've seen and the Freepers I know. I think this is purely a gov't propaganda thing. That said, some of those freepers might just as easily be identified as Libertarians.
In fact, one of the funniest definations I've seen is ...
LIBERTARIANS: Republicans who smoke pot.

to Canada.

visit this site http://store.health.org/catalog/productDetails.aspx?ProductID=16511

and watch the 7 minute video. i love how not only the "facts" they give us are completely ridiculous, but are backed up by nothing.......ok, you wanna tell me how weed fucks with my brain? well then tell me how it exactly does that.

and don't give me that shit about it hurting your lungs, go buy a vaporizer and you're home free.
(obviously not completely, but it goes a long way)

"Despite popular notions, research has shown a link between frequent marijuana use and increased violent behavior.24 Research found that among youth, the incidence of physically attacking people, destroying property and stealing increased in proportion to the number of days marijuana was smoked in the past year."

http://www.mediacampaign.org/marijuana/kids_and_marijuana.html


Bull SHIT! ok, i am sick of this! I'm taking a poll now: who here has been violently attacked/or witnessed a violent attack that was brought on by mary jane?

this sounds like alcoholism you freaks. stop lying to us! stop it! grrr!

"Take 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, 1 whole nutmeg, 4 average sticks of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon coriander. These should all be pulverized in a mortar. About a handful each of stone dates, dried figs, shelled almonds and peanuts: chop these and mix them together. A bunch of canibus sativa can be pulverized. This along with the spices should be dusted over the mixed fruit and nuts, kneaded together. About a cup of sugar dissolved in a big pat of butter. Rolled into a cake and cut into pieces or made into balls about the size of a walnut, it should be eaten with care. Two pieces are quite sufficient. Obtaining the canibus may present certain difficulties.... It should be picked and dried as soon as it has gone to seed and while the plant is still green."

It's Friday ..... Right ???

:-)

Not Here!

Link: http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a940225.html

'cause I wouldn't share the Cheeto's. They gave up when I moved to the other end of the couch.
:evilgrin:

First of all, I would care to express that I fully support the medical use of marijuana. In addition to the medical uses by cancer patients and other physically defined illnesses, I would like to see the legal availability of THC for some forms of psychiatric intervention, in lieu of the normally prescribed medications offered by the pharmaceutical companies.

Secondly, I would generally support the decriminalization of marijuana. I would actually care to see the legalization of it; mostly, because I would want to insure for the quality of the product concerning many aspects of the consistent and tested levels of THC, the guarantee that the product has not been “cut” with other additives, and many other controls to insure for the safety of the consumer. It is legal in The Netherlands, and I have not seen studies which have indicated that is significantly a risk to the tranquility of that society.

Back in the late sixties and early seventies during my undergraduate days, I, as did many, dabled with some experimentation of THC products. Normally, the pot that we had most common access to was the variety of the "$15 a lid" from Mexico. It wasn't close to being as potent as the Thai sticks previously mentioned. But, it did the job, if one smoked enough of it During that time, there was a lot of hash around. Lebanese Red and Afghanistan Black were quite prevalent in circulation. The Lebanese Red was definitely cut with an opiate. I liked it. Since I have always had a sensitivity to THC substances, it really never took very much for me to feel the effects. I would generally fly between doing THC and alcohol. I would tend to get bored with one, start doing the other, then, switch back and forth.

When I was in the military, stationed in Germany from ‘74 to ‘76, there was some “red” hash, though I don’t know from where, and if it was cut with anything else. A friend mine bought a brick once, and we generally used it to “relax”! There was really not the mindset of getting high at that time. We would simply take several hits throughout the evening after work, as one might have a couple of glasses of wine, or whatever.

There were other periods that I become involved in smoking pot. One of them was when I had an 8 track analog sound studio in the mid 80’s. My friend, and landlord, was definitely psychologically dependent upon marijuana. He’d do an once a week, I would stretch it out to 2 or 3 months. I was consciously using the pot for anxiety. I used to have him get me a lid from time to time at $120 a whack of the Columbian variety. At the time I was working at 2 o’clock in the morning until 10:30 AM. I would return home after work, take a 2 hour nap, wake up and drive to my parent’s house 5 miles away. I would bike down to the local State Park and swim, soak up some “rays”, return to my parent’s house, and drive back to my apartment in the country. I’d take a couple of hits off a coffee cup with aluminum foil, grab some water, turn on my studio, and relax. I never felt that the pot made me more creative, but, I did feel as though it would help alleviate some of my tensions to allow for more freedom in creating. It was an interesting time.

I haven’t done any THC for years. I am to close to retirement, and a "bust" in that department could be a real mean streak financially, otherwise, I would have very few qualms about risking the legalities. And, it would be used as a medical substitute for the “clonazepam” (Klonopin) for a diagnosed “Anxiety Disorder”.

There are many studies which refer to the “excessive use” of marijuana as being psychologically addictive. I am still in the analysis of researching the “physiological” addictive attributes of THC. Here are some rather superficial links which do not refer to, for the most part, any of the Psychological Journals that I would study before asserting the physiological changes with repeated and frequent use of THC as being addictive; keeping in mind, that THC is chemical, and the measurement levels can be defined empirically :

http://www.peele.net/lib/marijuana.html

http://www.marijuana-addiction.net/

http://www.marijuanaaddiction.com/marijuana_addiction.html

I am quite sure that if there were a lobby for the “marijuana” advocates that was as powerful as that of the “pharmaceutical, tobacco, and alcohol” industries, that, there would be a major informational blitz upon the public regarding some of the positive uses of marijuana as a drug.

NOW! How many hits of caffeine have you had today???

:-)

"I sucked dick for crack! Have you sucked dick for weed?!!" "Er, no."


Sorry, a "Half Baked" flashback.

The more time goes on, the larger the percentage of the population who have experimented with Marijuana gets.

And the larger that percentage gets, the more obvious and ridiculous government lies become to those who know better.

Pot doesn't addict, pot doesn't kill.

Keeping it illegal hurts more people than it helps.

well. ok., that and because it turns me into an animal that prowls the streets looking for rape victims, sweatpants "crusted with semen from constantly jacking off".:eyes:

(a tribute to Hunter S Thompson)

and I am asked: Do you have a smoking preference? I always say Yes I do but Columbian is really hard to get these days. After this thread I feel like I should get my old b0nG out and knock the dust of her.

the story, that is.

and all three of those are a lot safer than the Christian Taliban.

Religion is the opium of the masses.

-- Kerl Marx

As far as motor skills and level of personality change to aggression.Anyone that has done both knows which is harmful and which is harmless.

If Bush can be elected President despite his drug dependency on pot, alcohol, cocaine, and religion, then drugs can not possible be held to be bad at all.

were given the right to put people into forced treatment, a trend that grew under Clinton.

...and not so great for the lungs- but no worse than the booze. One can go "cold turkey" from pot and the worst that will happen is they will sleep poorly for a few days, and their Grateful Dead CDs wont sound as good.

No one belongs in jail for weed- addictive or not.

is funded by brewers and distillers. Seems like they're afraid of competition from a little weed that anyone can grow.

Fuck those fucking fucks

and I`m not addicted !! ha ha

Physical NO, mental - well maybe

but so is alcohol, cigarettes, chocolate, oil, and sex.
every human being is addicted to something or the other. cannabis happens to be the most benign, and in my opinion, the most soulful of 'em all. and that's all i have to say.

value and the entire hemp industry should be legal.

I think the term that we used in the 70's 'habituating' is more descriptive and accurate. Sure, like eating Chocolate, smoking pot is enjoyable so people like to do it. Over a period of time it can become a regular 'thing to do', but there are minimal withdrawl symptoms. I smoked pretty much everyday for almost 20 years, I haven't stopped smoking but now its maybe once or twice every couple of months. I've gone periods of years without smoking at all. I don't get 'overwhelming urges' to smoke, or think about it all the time and other than it being a little harder to get to sleep and maybe being a little more irritable for a couple of days no real withdrawl. Again not 'addicting' but 'habituating' just because its fun.

"cannibinoids." The chemical properties are very similar and produce similar effects.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11363932&dopt=Abstract

Marijuana and chocolate.

James JS.

AIDS: Three substances in chocolate and cocoa powder may mimic cannabinoid by activating receptors or increasing anandamide levels. Anandamide is a lipid that binds to cannabinoid receptors and mimics the psychoactive effects of the drug. Chocolate is widely believed to enhance the effect of marijuana. A practical implication of this finding is that the amount of marijuana needed for medicinal purposes may be decreased by using it with chocolate, reducing both the risks and cost associated with marijuana.

whose pot habit I describe in a post below, inevitably has 3 days of severe psychological stress and paranoia whenever he tries to go off the stuff. Whenever that happens, I stick with him and remind him that the worst feelings always go away after 3 days.

http://www.news-medical.net/?id=4090

http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/325/7374/1183

http://alcoholism.about.com/od/pot/a/blacer040615.htm

http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s777336.htm

Sad, but looks scientifically reputable. Like all things, moderation is key.

Having seen 'studies' that 'prove' pot does everything from making men grow breasts to having their gonads fall off I take these studies with a grain of salt (or a good bong hit). Actually I did an anecdotal study and pot causes paranoia. Here's how it goes me and my friends toke up, then we get the munchies so we head to the local 7-11 at which point we sit in the car for 30 minutes having the following conversation.

Ted - You go in
Me - No you go in
Ted - I'm to stoned. You go in Bill
Bill - No way I'm goin' in everybody will know I'm stoned
Me - Man I got the munchies, Ted why don't you go in
Ted - You go I might get busted as stoned as I am.
.
.
.
Everybody is going to know I'm stoned, they'll narc on me. Obvious paranoia ;-)

I think it was in my Psychology textbook as well. Anecdotally, it seems true (family history, friends, etc). Just something to watch out for.

The issue is if marijuana unlocks already latent problems. It may indeed.

That's a far cry from causation, however.

The government hates the idea of Free Cannabis. The only studies that get approved are in search of something to demonize. After all the studies, the one thing we know is that non-smoked cannabis is extremely safe. Smoking has some slight problems, but prohibition keeps the good stuff from being readily available and that includes hash. Prohibition prohibits vaporizers as paraphanalia. Here again we see that the harms associated with cannabis stem from its prohibition.

its not the drug, its the addictive personality

I agree with you 100 percent. I have observed over the years two general kinds of users. Those that score smoke a little, get a nice high and then save the rest for another time. The other group scores, smokes, smokes somemore, smokes again, runs out and goes to score again. The later seems to have a pesonality trait that leads them to 'over do'. Other than the obvious dangerous effects of withdrawl for harder drugs I think there is a 'biological' link that makes some people more likely to become 'habituated' or 'addicted'.

personality that effects use, not the drug. but alcohol is physical addictive and pot is not its more mental.

though we humans have a way of becoming psychologically attached to a state of mind or even another person and mistaking it for dependency.

Sugar, on the other hand, is physiologically addictive. Consuming a great deal of straight sugar has a very powerful effect on your body and your brain. When your blood sugar declines again, the withdrawal is be so intense that it can cause people to faint, and one craves even more sugar. Eventually, the constant rising and crashing will cause diabetes.

I have only anecdotal evidence based on my own experience, but I really think that the attempt to demonize marijuana has backfired. My outspokenly 'bleeding heart lib' mother and father told me that it wasn't particularly harmful and should be legal, in contrast to my friends' intensely restrictive Republican parents. In the end, I've proven to be the only one who's essentially uninterested in recreational drugs, beyond an extremely brief experimental period.

He wants desperately to get off it, especially now after 2 arrests, which should have led to a felony conviction for the 2nd, but he had a good lawyer and got off with a misdeameanor conviction. He believes his pot addiction has ruined his life.

Is it physically addictive? I don't know, but I sort of doubt it. He is also addicted to cigarettes, and when he doesn't have them, his need is very clearly physical.

But his desperate need for marijuana is not. He doesn't physically crave pot the way he does with cigarettes. He even says so himself. His problem is severe clinical depression that is unresponsive to medication. Pot is his form of self-medication for the depression.

In other words, I think pot is addictive the way that overeating is addictive. It temporarily eases the emotional stress that someone suffers from, and it is that momentary relief that the person craves. That is why some people can use pot without ever getting hooked on it. They are not suffering from the same sort of emotional dysfunction, or if they are, they don't get relief for it from pot, so they find other ways to manage their problem--perhaps with a different kind of addiction.

It may be true, as my friend believes, that his pot addiction has ruined his life. But I suspect that his depression is so crippling that he would not be out there doing the things he wishes he could do, even if he had not been smoking pot since age 16. And maybe if he were free from pot, he would find it even harder to deal with such a reality, without something external to blame it on.

Pot definitely can act as an anti-depressant, but it kills vision and motivation. By vision I mean it stunts one's plans for the future. With no long-term plans, it's difficult to excel at anything. This in itself is depressing, so the user ends up huffing more weed. It's a vicious circle.

This idea that there is no withdrawal associated with pot is total bullshit. Marijuana has an extremely long half-life in the body due to its fat-solubility. Long-term smokers who quit often go through weeks of bad sleep and chronic feelings of anger/anxiety before they start feeling better. Tell your friend to give it at least a month to six weeks before he gives up on sobriety.

I'd suggest that your friend try St. John's Wort for his depression. It's cheap, it's natural, and it works.

I love pot --- I wish I was the type of person who could smoke it just occasionally and be done with it. Unfortunately I am not. If I have it, I smoke it. Wake and bake is fun, but it's not a long-term solution --- It's a long-term problem.

he went off it for several months because he got a diversion. But then he started using it again (and got arrested again). His addiction seems to be primarily psychological. Of course, the psychological consequences could result from physical withdrawal effects, too.

But the real problem is his depression, which he uses the pot to treat. He has tried St. John's Wort. It didn't help him. He has also tried SAM-e. Same results. Only pot makes him feel better. I don't think he would be "successful" even without the pot, because it is really the depression that cripples him.

I believe he should be a candidate for a medical marijuana prescription. The stuff is what keeps him alive (i.e., not dead from suicide), frankly.

i dont understand what you mean about pot killing vision and motivation. i am a regular smoker and i have plenty of vision for the future. im studying to be a teacher while i work full time as a receptionist. i know plenty of people that are succeeding and are successful and they smoke pot.
you cant correlate smoking weed with future hurting. if someone truly feels that marijuana is killing their ability to excel at anything, then they should look at the real reason they feel this way.
i am a long term smoker, and i go through bouts of dry spells, i do experience a sleepless night or too, but other than that i don't (and don't know anoyone that does) have chronic feelings of anger/anxiety.
i see from your post that you smoke pot, do you feel like your vision and ability to excel is stifled from marijuana usage?
(and please don't take this post as any kind of attack, i'm just asking you for your opinion.) :)

affects people differently. When I used to smoke I had zero, and I mean ZERO, motivation to do anything at all except sit around and watch sitcom reruns. This was not a problem, because I confined my daily smoking to after everything that had to be done had been done.

I've also never found it a cure for anxiety, for which I'll stick to Klonopin, thanks. One of the reasons I no longer smoke is that now that I'm out of college and into the world I find that pot makes me anxious about stuff I never even thought about straight, and I'm normally a worrier. I wish I could enjoy it like a used to, but now it just makes me paranoid and obsessive. Maybe if hash were still around....

Yet booze is OK because the gummit can regulate it and make money off of it. No such luck with MJ.

is simple as a plant cannot be patented, so the drug companies cant make any money off it. Think of how much money they would not get if every tom dick and Harry who had cancer or aids or glaucoma, could just grow there own medication.

Like tobacco and alcohol, two substances more deadly and addictive than marijuana.

Tell that to Monsanto!

at least once a day between Fall 1967 and March 13, 1986. (At which time I was involved in a terrible accident in which I lost my left leg.) I stopped for almost a year after losing my leg and then smoked dope daily for another 9 years until summer, 1995. I needed help to finally stop. Believe me, I WAS addicted. Today, I don't dare take even a puff. I tried acid twice, but otherwise never used any other drugs.

Does marijuana come back and effect your "friend" later on? i.e.. If your "friend was smoking Saturday night, is it possible for him to get high unexpectedly Tuesday afternoon while at work or driving a car? I've heard that the active ingredient in pot is stored in body fat and can hit the blood stream unexpectedly, so I' curious if that is true or propaganda.

same thing with LSD, flash backs aren't real.
Its like dijavue if set and setting are simmaler it might make you reminisce then experiences, but your not going to be "high" again.

I only smoked it socially on special occasions. Eventually, it just started making me feel sleepy and stupid, so I quit altogether. What you described never happened to me or anyone I ever knew.

why is this illegal? More to the point, why amm I being taxed to build and operate prison cells for pot heads while my kids' state college tuition keeps going up? I've never smoked, never will (can't touch booze either) but why is this illegal?

http://blogs.salon.com/0002762/stories/2003/12/22/whyIs...

this gives you a broad background surrounding the illegality of pot.

Get high two times for the price of one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NT!

Telltale chemicals stay in the body fat but they won't make you high.

However, they do show up in drug tests long after the high is gone. Yet another of the problems with drug testing. I'd prefer my (for example) airline pilot be sober & unstoned. But he could be sober as a judge (cue hysterical laughter from those who've met any judges)--but still test "positive" just because he'd had a few puffs 2 weeks ago.

...this is the kind of cruelty you get from a republican administration.

It also gave me pretty bad anxiety, and just gave me an overall feeling that something was not quite right in my body. I became fairly anti-social, and just kind of paranoid as well.

I mean, if you are going to burn something and breathe the smoke, it is going to have some negative effects on your body no matter what. Especially if you have mo idea what kinds on pesticides or fertilizers were used to help grow the stuff.. If you are going to take chemicals that somehow change the mechanics of brain functioning to an altered state, there has to be some sort of side effects. Personally, the feeling I get from smoking is just not worth these risks. After a while of smoking, it feels quite artificial and forced.

It is really easy for me to get due to friends and family. It was REALLY HARD to stop smoking it! But once I did, my anxiety ceased, I was more focused, relaxed, and aware. It took a good month or so before I truly felt the effects of my daily smoking were gone. And I still have problems with marijuanaless induced boredom. Smoking always made the dull things so exciting and full of life. But, thats not how life should be. I should be able to enjoy life without being high.

I've since taken up meditation.. something I can be happy with as it is natural and does not involve breathing in toxic fumes and chemicals.

Maybe some day I will have the discipline to smoke every once in a great while without entering the smoke all the time pattern that always seemed to occur when I had weed.

To marijuana: you were fun. But I'm all done! Thanks for the good times.

eat candy and eat Madonna-
Beer Beer Beer Beer Beer Beer Beer Beer
Beer Beer Beer Beer We Love Beer!

Thanks to Asylum Street Spankers