If mary jane was legalized in the U.S.?

the bible does say things about drug use. but you have to interpret it in cultural context. who were the drug dealers of the ancient world.....the sorcerers, sorcery is pharmakeia. your local sorcerer is where you went to get a little "magic white powder" to cause pain, to prevent pain, to fall asleep or to stay awake. this is where we get our modern pharmacy. the "guild sign" (for lack of better term" for sorcerers was the morter and pestel in the 100's AD. but by 1st centry ad standards pot would (and yes they smoked pot back then) not be sorcery as it is not "mixed", pot would had been folk medicine.


i have a sears and robuck catalog from 1901. and i quote," for unruly children just put a small spoonful of HEROIN in their morning milk and you will notice their temper quiet almost immediatly."


i bet i know why......can you taste the pretty colors, i can.....


thankyou and God Bless

 

Left to wonder what he actually could accomplish at NASA without the 44 joints every 2 weeks. Not a lot to crow about there pal...NASA has issues, very public failures, and you are here promoting the use of a drug that one of their 'rocket scientists' uses. I want my tax dollars back.

I do not agree with your sympathy for drugs - no matter how much you smoked or took, how much you sold, or how much you think you know. Ive seen my quota plus some of people whose deaths are directly attributed to drugs - used by genius' or not. Im not buying into that - so excuse me while I ask you to peddle that crazy talk elsewhere.

Is that whole thing sounding to anyone else like "well Satan has *some* good attributes"? Thanks but no thanks. Find the way of right and walk in it.

 

OTOH:
Being a former drug addict and dealer myself, I HAVE seen folks steal and pawn the goods to buy pot.

And those "special receptors in the brain for THC?"

They are there for dopamine. A NATURAL substance your brain produces when one experiences pleasure or great pain.

Pot IS addictive. It is called psycologically addictive. And in some people the cravings can be as strong as any other illicit or legal drug. And there are definite physical withdrawal symptoms associated with its cessation.

While there may not be any documented cases of overdosing on THC per se, there have been cases of lung injury from smoke inhalation because the "victim" was too stupified to stop smoking pot!

And yes! Pot IS a "gateway" drug. Once a person's tolerance has built to such a degree that pot is no longer the great fun it once was, they OFTEN seek a better high.

BTW: My experience, although anecdotal at best, is supported by the MEDICAL FACTS. I know this because my wife has a Master's Degree and is a Licensed Addictions Couselor.

FWIW

In HIS service;
Jim

 

I also gotta wonder.

How many folks who are seeking "medical" marijuana do you suppose began smoking it recreationally BEFORE they had medical problems? I am NOT saying the pot smoking CAUSED the problems. I am just wondering if they had smoked it before the problem. How would they KNOW it increases appetite if they had never smoked it before? How would they KNOW it has a calming affect if they had never smoked it before? I would venture to say that MANY folks crying for its medical use for themselves, began as recreational smokers.

I am also wondering if the folks at NORML are pursuing the "medical" angle because the "recreational/non-criminal" angle has failed?

?

In HIS service;
Jim

 

If pot were legal I would occasionally smoke it. Or if it hurt too much I might try brownies.

 

Umm, years of anecdotal and experimental evidence?

One of my friend's mother has cancer metastasized through her small intestines and has suffered intestinal blockages and loss of appetite and lost a lot of weight because of this. Since she is in California, I suggested medical marijuana. She said her mom had tried it, but stopped it because she didn't like the groggy feeling and, while it did improve her appetite, it couldn't do anything about her intestinal obstruction.

I think it's very inaccurate and uncharitable to write off anyone who has used or would like to use marijuana medically as a pothead.

 

Petrel said, "Umm, years of anecdotal and experimental evidence? "

Perhaps you MISSED or IGNORED this...?

BTW: My experience, although anecdotal at best, is supported by the MEDICAL FACTS. I know this because my wife has a Master's Degree and is a Licensed Addictions Couselor.

Petrel also said, "I think it's very inaccurate and uncharitable to write off anyone who has used or would like to use marijuana medically as a pothead. "

Quotes please?
Who has said this?

In HIS service;
Jim

 

Right here: "I would venture to say that MANY folks crying for its medical use for themselves, began as recreational smokers."

Interpreted: People who want to use medical marijuana are potheads looking for an excuse.

I didn't MISS or IGNORE anything. If you want to fight over MEDICAL FACTS, I have access to lots of online medical and pharmaceutical journals here. Go ahead. Make my day.

Yes, nothing you said above about the psychologically addicting nature of marijuana and the brain receptors is incorrect, but those are also irrelevant when we're talking about people suffering from chronic or terminal disease.

 

Don't you know you burn in hell for taking something that calms you and relieves pain?

 

Petrel also said, "I think it's very inaccurate and uncharitable to write off anyone who has used or would like to use marijuana medically as a pothead. "

Jim said, "Quotes please?
Who has said this?"

to which Petrel says quoting Jim

Right here: "I would venture to say that MANY folks crying for its medical use for themselves, began as recreational smokers."

Interpreted(by Petrel): People who want to use medical marijuana are potheads looking for an excuse.

Iterpret anyway you like to justify yourself. But that IS NOT what I said. I said "Many" folks. You interpret that as me saying they are all potheads. Twist, ramble and roll

As for the Medical facts? You know as well as I do that you cannot support your premise. If you could, you would do so.

Clearly, when I said, "I would venture to say..." I was offering an opinion. If you wish to misinterpret that CLEAR opinion, go ahead. You have the right to misunderstand anything you want to if it makes you feel like you have the high ground here.

Bottom line is simply that marijuana smoking for medical reasons is untenable because there are already other proven, less harmful medications available.

Let's see now.

Marijuana smoke is PROVEN to contain more carcinogens (cancer causing agents) than tobacco. Hmmm. Makes sense to me. If you want releif from side effects of cancer therapy then SMOKE POT which contains cancer causing agents!!! BRILLIANT!!!

Why didn't I think of that? I could get RICH!

In HIS service;
Jim

 

That's smoke. One doesn't need to smoke marijuana to get the effects of THC.

 

That's smoke. One doesn't need to smoke marijuana to get the effects of THC. </font>[/QUOTE]PRECISELY!

Someone here has already mentioned "Marinol". So why SMOKE SOMETHING RECREATIONALLY OR MEDICALLY which is proven to contain MORE carcinogens than tobacco?

BTW; Tobacco smoking is ALSO a mind alterant. Wanna "relax"? Smoke one cigarette a day. You will get "buzzed". No you say? Why not?

The argument is untenable.

In HIS service;
Jim

 

This post is about pot being made legal. Not about how to manage pain, that is a whole other post.

To relax all you need to do is breathe.

Smoking offers you a 'breathing for dummies' way of relaxing. With side effects of course.

Just because you can, doesnt mean you should.

 

Ummm...yeah...And you're going to tell us next that he definately was NOT one of the Rocket Scientists who worked on the Challenger.

Boys and girls, we're now finding out your loving teacher probably died because a pothead was smoking 44 joints every two weeks.

By the way, just because the gummit delivers it doesn't make it right.

 

That's a sentiment I don't understand. I never really felt anything other than body and mind relaxation when I smoked it. Then again, maybe my memory from those days had deteriorated.

 

Travel - touche.

Try Yoga. Try Lamaze.

You should be looking for purpose and focus when you relax, not fuzziness and forgetfulness.

 

You asked for it.

Marijuana not associated with tobacco-associated cancers nor cancers at these sites: colorectal, lung, melanoma, prostate, breast, or cervix. Among men who never smoked cigarettes, having smoked marijuana is associated with a sligh risk of prostate cancer. (Sidney et al. Cancer Causes and Control, 1997, 722.)

THC and a variety of analogues show pain-killing effects, varying depending on the modified side-chain and method of administration. (Wiley et al. European Journal of Pharmacology, 2000, 319.)

Case study: A man with metastatic cancer and intractible nausea and vomiting received no relief from medication until THC (Marinol) was added. (Gonzales-Rosales and Walsh. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 1997, 311.)

THC increases appetite in rat pups by action at the CB1 receptor in the brain, it is believed the mechanism in people is the same. (Berry and Mechoulam. Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 2002, 185.)

A variety of marijuana-derived cannabinoids show anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. (Zourier. Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, 2003, 462.)

Animal models of multiple schlerosis show cannnabinoid induced reductions in tremor and spasticity mediated by cannabinoid receptors CD1 and CD2. (Pertwee. Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 2002, 165.)

A randomized double-blind placebo controlled crossover single-dose trial shows that the tics (motor and vocal) and obsessive-compulsive behaviour associated with Tourette's Syndrome are reduced by treatment with THC. (Muller-Vahl et al. Pharmacopsychiatry, 2002, 57.)

Opinions:

Medical marijuana should be legalized as no equivalent synthetic drug is available, the benefits of the treatment outweigh the drawbacks (psychotropic side-effects), marijuana is safe in terms of causing no serious long-term health problems, and any possible increase in recreational use spurred by legalization for medical use will be outweighed by the relief of suffering for the critically and terminally ill. (Barnes. Bioethics, 2000, 16.)

Cannabis and cannabinoids have clear medical uses. Synthetic cannabinoids ineffective in some patients due to the difficulty in titrating the necessary dose and the restriction to an oral route of administration. Useful synthetic analogues are unlikely to be manufactured because the market is too small to make it economical (the "orphan drug" phenomenon). Until an alternative effective route for THC is discovered or synthetic analogues have been made, the best way to care for the needs of the critically or terminally ill is to legalize marijuana for personal medical use at the patient's own risk. (Hall and Degen-hardt. CNS Drugs, 2003, 689.)

The medical usefulness of marijuana is inconsistent with its classification as a schedule 1 drug (an addictive drug without medical value). Considering that tobacco, alcohol, and commonly-used painkillers are more dangerous than marijuana, the government has inadequate excuse to interfere with the health-care of those patients who might benefit from medical marijuana. (The Lancet Oncology, 2001, 251.)

 

The harmful effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana) on humans and other animals is well documented. Hazards associated with exposure to THC include acute neurological effects and long-term effects on brain development, the reproductive system and the immune system. The July 2000 issue of Journal of Immunology reported that THC promotes tumor growth by impairing the body’s anti-tumor immunity system. This has since been verified by numerous independent studies. Cannabionids also impair dividing cells and result in the inhibition of DNA production, as documented by Ney York University as well as multiple other studies.

 

All of which are irrelevant to someone dying of cancer.

I'm planning on looking up what exactly are the detrimental effects of marijuana consumption. No drug is without its side effects.

I think the data are mixed on marijuana and cancer. As you see above, marijuana was not associated with any increase in cancer except prostate cancer among men who never smoked tobacco. The information you give about the cell cycle arrest is more typical of what you see of an anti-cancer drug. Indeed, I found another article discussing the possible application of cannabinoids in treating malignant glioma.

Marijuana is an immunosuppresant, but it does not seem to be strong enough to either cause harm or to be beneficial as an immunosuppressing drug.

 

Lorelie,

You wrote: "When people who have been drunks for many years finally sober up, they seem to function just fine, where people who have been addicted to drugs don't seem to be "all there."

I think its wonderful that you've never seen anything else, but - I also think you've been sheltered from a harsh reality.

Many alcoholics who have been on alcohol for years and years never regain the full function of their mind after they sober up. I've seen the horrible things that alcohol can do to people.

Are you familiar with what a "bilirubin" count is in children? Basically if the liver can't process blood correctly, your body builds up a toxin that should be passed out of your system by urine. Its a common practice for doctors to test newborn bilirubin levels because during childbirth the rush of iron from a mother to a baby can cause a baby's bilirubin to shoot up. They treat it with special lights and lots of fluids.

If the liver can't process the blood byproducts quickly enough it can do permanent brain damage. Because alcohol damages the liver - the long term affect can be permandent brain damage.