Scientific Facts of Pot:

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

I posted this in response to the claim in LBN that Marijuana "causes" schizophrenia. :eyes:

And will my fellow pot smokers PLEASE put down the vaporizor and kick this sucker so a little more enlightenment on this subject may be imparted?

It does too.

No it doesn't.

Shut the hell up, I know for a fact that it does.

Would you two shut the hell up, I'm trying to think here.

Is it time for lunch? What are you guys yacking about anyway.

Anyone have a joint?

That causes schizophrenia.

No it DOES NOT!

Sure does.

Oh hell, not again.

When's lunch?

All of you, just SHUT UP!

I'm under the impression that "schizophrenia" is a grab bag of symptoms with no solidly understood cause. If that is the case, then how in the world can causation be established? :wtf:

was a major case of the munchies. Or, as Bill Maher said once, the worst crime someone is likely to commit on pot is stealing you chocolate chip cookies.

Acting upon or reacting to stimuli not available to others--perceiving sights, sounds, and other sensations not shared by others in the same vicinity and having difficulty determining the difference between reality and delusion. Exhibiting beliefs clearly contrary to observable fact.

One possible definition.

I guess the question is HOW delusional is schizophrenic delusional? Some Republicans definitely seem to edge very close to paranoid delusion in a big way. You might also include religious visions and charismatic fits as being related to schizophrenia.

Then again, one might also include belief in magick or psychic phenomenon based on personal experiences.

Yeah, howdy, there's some definite room for interpretation there.

there IS a clinical definition for Schizophrenia. It has genetic properties and physiological differences at the cellular level in the brain.


I'm half remembering this from 2 very good books I read and highly recommend to anyone.

"Genome, the autobiography of a species in 23 chapters" by Matt Ridley

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_0_6?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=genome+the+autobiography+of+a+species+in+23+chapters&sprefix=Genome

and

"The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature" by Steven Pinker

http://www.amazon.com/Blank-Slate-Modern-Denial-Nature/dp/0142003344/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250820080&sr=1-1

Really, they're both very easy to read and super nerdy and interesting.

This is a basic distinction.

http://www.schizophrenia.com/family/disease.htm



In order to support one legalization of marijuana, why is it necessary to belittle schizophrenia? It is a biological brain disease and you should hope that nobody you love or care for ever suffers from it. A child may grow up perfectly normal with no symptoms and then in young adulthood their life is devastated. Although it can be treated and managed it can never be cured and maybe only 15% will ever be able to hold down a full time job. Unlike Alzheimer's which hurts the end of life, schizophrenia impacts and hurts the most fruitful years of one who suffers from this disease.

You know, it is possible to support the legalization of marijuana and still concede the point that it may have a negative effect in triggering (not causing) schizophrenia in young adults who are predisposed to it. As with other diseases, predisposition is not a guarantee that one will get the disease.

If plain facts "belittle" causes that are dear to you, you are an ideologue, not a seeker after truth.

:smoke:

it is non-toxic, non-addictive, non-lethal, and naturally occurring.

All in all, a extraordinary plant that doesn't deserve to be on the 'most wanted' list.

and you will discover that the reason it's banned is racist in it's origins.

It's why William Randolph Hearst referred to it as Marijuana instead of hemp or cannibus. It was important to put a Mexican connection to it in his fight to criminalize it. Did I mention he owned interests in logging and paper manufacturing?

but as for non-toxic, commercial (re:illegal) pot often has very high levels of contaminants from shipping and producing. Now the homegrown stuff, that's another story. Sometimes "headache" weed is called that for a reason.

:shrug:

Hydroponic weed these days. Hell I haven't smoked any crap weed since the early 80's. Although it is expensive...

It's hard to get the goods sometimes and i have to settle for mersh. Hydro can be found in states with MM laws but is wicked expensive and hard to come by when there aren't producers in the area.

It sucks.

:(

but its about $400 here for the good stuff and believe me 1 hit - its well worth the price - or so I hear:)

in your own backyard - no wonder the corpernment doesn't like it.

Badda bing!


(See...it doesn't rot your brain.)

cause I've smoked a ton of it over the years.

However, it depends on what other risk factors (e.g., tobacco smoking, diet, etc) are also in play, I suppose.

pharma co. mix in their labs.

not to mention, it makes you feel just a little bit alright!


the walls are crumbling now - it's just a matter of time. look for legalization in CA by 2010 to lead the charge.......


:smoke:

in the foo foo section of town and no one (so far) is kicking up a fuss. That's 4 clinics in less than 8 months in purple Fresno County (CA). There are also several rural clinics in very red Madera County, Kings County and Tulare County. I'm not sure, but I think all or almost all counties in CA are now offering MM certifications. Legalization is inevitable.

but my PA won't sign off on it and I can't afford the $100.00 fee..and I can't really afford to smoke pot anyway. But I don't stress when I do have it on me..and If I do get a ticket for possession..i go to court and make a big stink about it and dare them to try me. They always drop the charges.I have done this twice and I have a buddy that has done it once. Maybe eventually the powers that be will get a hint on how stupid and costly it is to bust people for pot.

Is available in CO, if you contact the right folks/MM Groups.

Join one of the Meet Up MM groups in CO, and let them know your troubles, and they will assist.

HTH

but can't I get in trouble for doctor shopping or something like that?

Go to a dispensary and ask around if you can't find one.

since I am pro legalization and had smoked enough pot in my younger days to cause global warming....



it is possible that the Neurogenesis (brain cell growth) contributes to the increased risk of schizophrenia


I am not a scientist by any means. Smoked to much pot in my youth do go that route, but your facts and the increased risk do not seem to be mutually exclusive.

These are studies performed by professional scientific researchers and seem to meet the strictest standards of scientific study. The point was that the OP who first claimed that marijuana use "causes" schizophrenia did not back his/her claim with the requisite scientific citations. If someone is going to throw something like that out there, they better be armed with FACTS or be prepared for well-deserved ridicule.

nt

I dont live in my moms, or anyones basement. Fucktard.

Jeepers really a fucktard. What are you eight

Because there are others that didnt think it was too funny either. I take back the fucktard.

I never do though. It's my mean spirited style I guess:) Don't take it so hard. Have a nice day.

besides, I'm stoned now and feeling very at peace and forgiving!

:pals:


FREE MY WEED!

I cant post to DU high, I really go off on rants. Does your tagline say MY WEED IS FREE????

Bravo for perpetuating another myth!

Signed,

a 45yo, married, employed father of 4 who has smoked medicinally and recreationally for over 27 years.

Oh - and my psychosis and split personalities still haven't emerged! whaddya know..................

really pot smokers are sooooooooooooooooooooooo defensive of little humor.

I've known regular pot consuming doctors, scientists (one is literally a "rocket scientist" @ JPL), lawyers, venture capitalists, small business owners, republiks, octogenarians, security professionals, IT professionals, etc...

admit it!!




:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Busted again...
:rofl:

but I am typing from my basement where my little office is located. Does that count?

moved out when I was 18!

:+

Sorry... I couldn't help myself. One problem with anything having to do with pot is that all sources of information are biased. Government sources tend to want to show that pot is bad. Advocates tend to want to show that pot is good. Nobody does objective studies or if they do it is hard to imagine the information being shared in a fair way.

Now remind me again what this thread was about?

EVER!

nt

i'm 48, and smoke weed like a fiend- about an ounce/week. i haven't had a drop of alcohol in 10 years, and i've never been a tobacco user- and i'm the only one of my group of friends(none of whom smoke weed) that isn't on cholesteral meds...:shrug:

This is a marijuana chat board on the subject. Interesting..
http://www.marijuana.com/medicinal-marijuana/26109-cholesterol.html

--imm

from your toilet that there is also a 100% possibility that smoking pot, even one time, will cause your ass to fall off and will induce vampirism in your offspring for 14 generations??

it can also force you to type in almost unreadable run-on sentences........

all the evidence is out there - google said so.


:shrug:

Paranoia
Lethargy
Memory Loss

I smoke, but I'm sorry - it has drawbacks.

what was the third one???

Weight gain from too much Ice Cream (insert favorite munchie here)
Finding Harold and Kumar movies funny
Enjoying the Grateful Dead


Yeah...it does have its drawbacks.....

People who experience paranoia should probably cut back on dosage, and may have other problems. Marijuana does not cause lethargy, but it is a good companion for it. See above.

Effects on memory are surely debatable, including improvement. In all cases, YMMV.

--imm

1. I've noticed some folks with anxiety disorders have problem with pot. :shrug:
2. Often depends on the strain. Brown pot tends to be more depressant than hallucinogen.
3. (a) When high, often, but that's primarily because the mind becomes something of a slippery slope. It's hard to remember what you were just talking/thinking about because your brain/conversation has jumped to the next thing. Tends to make stream-of-consciousness conversations very intriguing.

3 (b) You can train yourself out of this if you regularly engage in certain activities when stoned. I used to know people who'd drop LSD and play pinochle. Why anyone would want to I have no idea. But gaming while stoned is a very interesting activity, provided you've trained yourselves enough to more or less stay on task.

says that people take drugs (booze, pot, coke, SSRI's) to change the way they feel. and that won't work - you still feel the emotions you're afraid of, eventually.

gives him any better insight into why anyone in particular does drugs (as people have done since the beginning of civilization, or for close enough to it that it makes no difference) than anyone else. SOME people obviously do them (alcohol in particular comes to mind) to avoid particular emotions (my guess is that he himself fell into this category), while others do it to change their perspective on the world for any number of possible reasons. Just because one takes a drug in order to reduce the weight of certain stressors does not indicate one is trying to flee from them entirely. One might actually say that in some cases a drug might grant a person a certain amount of emotional leverage, to enable one to deal with specific emotions in a manner that some might find less crippling.

And in some cases some drugs enhance the experience of certain emotions, a fact which seems to indicate that there are definitely circumstances in which his overarching theory on the matter seems... a bit flat.

How interesting.

FAIL. still waiting for the links to scientific studies claiming that people who SMOKE pot, not inject THC like in the *alleged* study that this thread counters, have a seven-fold risk of becoming schizophrenic. use the OP here as a template.

here in oakland, we have a great club that offers free complimentary treatments to its members. i got reiki, hynosis, yoga, accupuncture...all for free. legalization encourages entreprenuership :kick:

Especially if your The Cookie Factory next door. LOL! I know they have edibles in the shops, but can be too pricey.

migraines, and (thankfully!) hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause.

I'm pretty sure Bob Marley died from lung cancer from smoking pot.

On the other hand, every news video highlighting their use of ganja showed them immersed in smoke. These guys went through a lot of smoke, so I wouldn't be surprised. But I don't think we can honestly say "no one" has ever died from lung cancer from smoking pot.

My wife, however, once burned a pot of beans on the stove. I might develop lung cancer from that smoking pot. Whew.

"The charismatic, beloved Jamaican singer who introduced reggae infused with Rastafarian themes died from a cancerous brain tumor on May 11, 1981, in Miami, Florida. He was only 36 years old...

The first indication that something was amiss with Marley's health came in May of 1977. While on tour in France, Marley re-injured a right toe during a soccer game. The injury refused to heal and instead quickly worsened -- the entire nail came off and doctors recommended amputation...

In September of 1980, a weakened Marley almost fainted onstage while performing in New York. The next day, he collapsed while jogging in Central Park. Marley was diagnosed with a brain tumor (a result of the untreated cancer in his toe) and given less than a month to live. Despite the grim news, Marley played one final show in Pittsburgh before being flown to Miami. There doctors verified that the singer had cancer in the brain, lung, and stomach. Eight months later, Marley passed away.

Marley's death was the cause for much rumor and speculation. Some credited his survival for so long despite the widespread cancer to his marijuana use, while others have attributed his death to nefarious causes."

http://ask.yahoo.com/20031013.html


Just my dos centavos,

robdogbucky

(I can't check right now)

It was always my impression that he had died from Lung Cancer. Certainly, if anyone could have qualified for getting it from smoking ganja, it'd be he. Maybe it was the misinformation of the time; don't know. Regardless, I don't personally know how you could ingest that much smoke and not be at risk. Of course, compared to users of cigarettes, people aren't smoking down whole joints every 10 minutes while sitting on a barstool, but you have to expect something.

and certainly many famous entertainers have died - many with drugs listed as the cause --

but the very fact that these were celebrities capable of moving great numbers of youth to

causes not generally prized by TPB .... I think we have to question at least some of this!

Easy enough to contaminate anyone's supply with poison.

and people who think that pot smoke can't be a cancer risk are living in weed buzz induced denial.

Women in Africa who cook over smokey hearths have an elevated cancer risk. Anyone who routinely inhales hot smoke and particulate matter is risking lung cancer.

Problem solved.

Pipes and bongs were all we had in the 80s. That thing looks like it could give you an enema while you're simultaneously getting high.

http://www.oaksterdamnews.net/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=38

Smoking Marijuana Does Not Cause Cancer Of Lung or Upper Airways, Tashkin
Finds;
Contributed by Fred Gardner
Data Suggest Possible Protective Effect
Marijuana smoking -"even heavy long term use"- does not cause cancer of the lung, upper airways, or esophagus,
Donald Tashkin, MD, reported at this year's meeting of the International Cannabinoid Research Society.

Coming from Tashkin, this conclusion had extra significance for the assembled drug-company and university-based
scientists (most of whom get funding from the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse). Over the years, Tashkin's lab at
UCLA has produced irrefutable evidence of the damage that marijuana smoke wreaks on bronchial tissue.
With NIDA's support, Tashkin and colleagues have identified the potent carcinogens in marijuana smoke, biopsied and
made photomicrographs of pre-malignant cells, and studied the molecular changes occurring within them.

It is Tashkin's research that the Drug Czar's office cites in ads linking marijuana to lung cancer. Tashkin himself has long
believed in a causal relationship, despite a study in which Stephen Sidney, MD, examined the files of some 64,000
Kaiser patients and found that marijuana users did not develop lung cancer at a higher rate or die earlier than non-users.

Of five smaller studies on the question, only two -involving a total of about 300 patients- concluded that marijuana
smoking causes lung cancer.

Tashkin decided to settle the question by conducting a large, population-based, case-controlled study. "Our major
hypothesis," he told the ICRS, "was that heavy, long term use of marijuana will increase the risk of lung and upperairways
cancers."

The Los Angeles County Cancer Surveillance program provided Tashkin's team with the names of 1,209 L.A. residents
aged 59 or younger with cancer (611 lung, 403 oral/pharyngeal, 90 laryngeal, 108 esophageal).

Interviewers collected extensive lifetime histories of marijuana, tobacco, alcohol and other drug use, and data on diet,
occupational exposures, family history of cancer, and various "socio-demographic factors."
Exposure to marijuana was measured in "joint years" -average number of joints per day x years that number smoked.
Thus if a person had smoked two joints a day for 15 years they'd have consumed for 30 j-yrs.
Controls were found based on age, gender and neighborhood. Among them, 46% had never used marijuana, 31% had
used for less than one joint year, 12% had used for 1-10 j-yrs, 5% had used 10-30 j-yrs, 2% had used for 30-60 j-yrs, and
3% had used for more than 60 j-yrs.

Tashkin controlled for tobacco use and calculated the relative risk of marijuana use resulting in lung and upper airways
cancers. A relative risk ratio of .72 means that for every 100 non-users who get lung cancer, only 72 people who smoke
get lung cancer. All the odds ratios in Tashkin's study turned out to be less than one!
Oaksterdam News Network
http://www.oaksterdamnews.net Powered by Joomla! Generated: 21 August, 2009, 17:14
Compared with subjects who had used less than one joint year, the estimated odds ratios for lung cancer were .78 for 1-
10 j-yrs ; .74 for 10-30 j-yrs; .85 for 30-60 j-yrs;
and 0.81 for more than 60 j-yrs.

The estimated odds ratios for oral/pharyngeal cancers were 0.92 for 1-10 j-yrs; 0.89 for 10-30 j-yrs; 0.81 for 30-60 j-yrs;
and 1.0 for more than 60 j-yrs. "Similar, though less precise results were obtained for the other cancer sites," Tashkin
reported. "We found absolutely no suggestion of a dose response."

The data on tobacco use, as expected, revealed "a very potent effect and a clear dose-response relationship -a 21-fold
greater risk of developing lung cancer if you smoke more than two packs a day." Similarly high odds obtained for
oral/pharyngeal cancer, laryngeal cancer and esophageal cancer. "So, in summary" Tashkin concluded, "we failed to
observe a positive association of marijuana use and other potential confounders."

There was time for only one question, said the moderator, and San Francisco oncologist Donald Abrams, M.D., was
already at the microphone: "You don't see any positive correlation, but in at least one category, it almost looked like there
was a negative correlation, i.e., a protective effect. Could you comment on that?" (Abrams was referring to Tash-kin's
lung-cancer data for marijuana-only smokers, 1-10 j-yrs.)

"Yes," said Tashkin. "The odds ratios are less than one almost consistently, and in one category that relationship was
significant, but I think that it would be difficult to extract from these data the conclusion that marijuana is protective
against lung cancer. But that is not an unreasonable hypothesis."

Abrams's Favorable Results

Abrams had results of his own to report at the ICRS meeting. He and his colleagues at San Francisco General Hospital
had conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled study involving 50 patients with HIV-related peripheral neuropathy.
Over the course of five days, patients recorded their pain levels in a diary after smoking either NIDA-supplied marijuana
cigarettes or cigarettes from which the THC had been extracted. About 25% didn't know or guessed wrong as to whether
they were smoking the placebos, which suggests that the blinding worked.

Abrams's results show marijuana providing pain relief comparable to Gaba-pentin, the most widely used treatment for a
condition that afflicts some 30% of patients with HIV.

After Abrams's presentation, a questioner bemoaned the difficulty of "separating the high from the clinical benefits."
Abrams responded: "I'm an oncologist as well as an AIDS doctor and I don't think that a drug that creates euphoria in
patients with terminal diseases is having an adverse effect." His study was funded by the University of California's Center
for Medicinal Cannabis Research.

Oaksterdam News Network
http://

They won't eat their vegetables, but I bet they would Love to get Fucked Up!

you know, those nice LEGAL gateway drugs you can buy down at the grocery.

Hey pregnant ladies! Feel free to drink up, smoke, and toke!

don't do it to get Fucked Up!But whatever.

One of nature's greatest gifts to us.

:^D

My son used to ensure that the patrons in the restaurant he worked in had their weed. They were not potheads, they were suffering... I believe from cancer and one with a brain tumor....one was elderly and had never tried it before. This was a few years ago. He told me he didn't give a shit if he got busted, those people needed him to ease their pain.

Proud of him, I am.

peace~

http://www.equalrights4all.org/religious/bible.htm

come, we go eat cookies

If I remember correctly, it was nine pounds of marijuana and some other herbs in something like two gallons of olive oil. That must've been some pretty powerful stuff!

because of its rarity...used only in specail occasions...such as in annointing parties

Beware the Demon Weed! It'll cause your children to be borne naked!!



Now,what was it our President said about becoming involved in our own democracy? Oh yeah...
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you or someone you love gets sick. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjhT9282-Tw I know I've posted it before, but it's worth repeating. Marijuana cures cancer but since there's no way to patent it, TPTB don't want to hear it. I only wish I'd seen the movie and known the recipe before my mom died.

or Science Digest. Put Marijuana or Cannabis into the search and look at the articles. You will find that there are many studies that indicate (not prove) that there could be some benefit and some that indicate some pretty bad effects.

Try not to get word from people who adore the drug. Your site is giving just the positive studies. Now, there may be positive effects from marijuana, but it doesn't cure or help everything. And it isn't without side effects or adverse effects.

And lets not forget another great benifit of legalizing pot....
JOBS!!!! JOBS!!! AND MORE JOBS!!!

Legalize it.

particularly if used too much.

I used to smoke it a lot for fun when I was a teenager, but had to stop because I started getting bad anxiety attacks.

And if people want to inhale junk, I say let them.