|
veggie

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,504
|
So how dangerous is cannabis?
#5798156 - 06/28/06 01:25 AM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
The Big Question: So how dangerous is cannabis? By Steve Connor, Science Editor June 28, 2006 - independent.co.uk
Why are we asking this question now?
The head of the UN's anti-drugs office has said that cannabis use has turned into a major pandemic which is causing as much harm as cocaine and heroin. Antonio Maria Costa also implicitly criticised countries such as Britain for relaxing the law on the possession of cannabis.
"Policy reversals leave young people confused as to just how dangerous cannabis is," Mr Costa said. "With cannabis-related health damage increasing, it is fundamentally wrong for countries to make cannabis control dependent on which party is in government. Today, the harmful characteristics of cannabis are no longer that different from those of other plant-based drugs such as cocaine and heroin."
What is cannabis?
The most commonly used illicit drug in Britain, if not the world, also called marijuana, it is produced from certain parts of the Cannabis sativa plant and comes in various forms - dried leaves, concentrated resin known as hashish, or distilled oil. The strongest parts of the plant are the female flowering tops, which are prevented from going to seed by growing them in a pollen-free environment. Sensemillia, as this form of cannabis is sometimes called, is strong because none of the plant's energy goes into making seeds, but instead produces the psychoactive substances which cause the desired effect.
Cannabis grows wild in many parts of the world, from Poland and Hungary to Afghanistan, India and China. Its dried leaves or resin have been smoked by varied cultures over many thousands of years. Cannabis has been used in societies ranging from the Hindus of India, the Thracians of southern Europe and the ancient Scythians, who liked to smoke it in a steam room. Indeed the charred seeds of cannabis have been found at a Stone Age burial site in Romania, and cannabis was first documented as a herbal remedy in a Chinese pharmacy text of the first century AD.
Why do people take it?
Cannabis is a psychoactive substance; in other words, it affects the brain. But it also affects other parts of the body. It increases pulse rate, decreases blood pressure, causes bloodshot eyes and increases appetite. However, it is the effects on the brain that cause the feelings of calm euphoria and gentle elation that many users enjoy.
The drug has a mild sedative effect but the experience depends greatly on individual mood and the social environment at the time it is taken. Some people get the giggles and become talkative, others become subdued and quiet - the classic symptoms of being "stoned". Many people feel less inhibited while under the influence of cannabis, in much the same way as drinking alcohol, which is why it is a common party drug.
What does it do to the brain?
The most active ingredient of cannabis is a chemical called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). It can pass across the biological barrier that separates the brain from the bloodstream, and in doing so penetrates the central nervous system. Here, it acts on the natural proteins or receptors that control nerve impulses passed from one part of the brain to another.
Cannabinoids such as THC act on a specific protein receptor that is widely distributed in the brain. As a result it interferes with concentration and thought, memory, pain perception and muscle co-ordination. THC particularly interferes with the cerebellum - the "autopilot" of the brain - which is important for balance, posture, and co-ordination of movement. The drug also affects the hippocampus, which is important for the formation of memory.
These influences on the brain help to explain why cannabis intensifies ordinary sensory experiences, such as eating, watching films or listening to music. They also explain why users get a false sense of how time passes, and why they suffer from various problems with short-term memory, poor reaction time and general unsteadiness.
Are there any more dangerous side-effects?
This is a hotly disputed topic. Cannabis does not produce physical dependency, as does heroin, but some people who use it regularly can become psychologically dependent. Cannabis smoke is carcinogenic, and so can contribute to lung cancer, just like tobacco smoke. And regular smoking can exacerbate existing respiratory problems, such as asthma, bronchitis and wheezing.
A few studies have suggested that regular users may also have impaired immune systems, and there is little doubt that driving while stoned is dangerous - one study found that smoking cannabis doubles the risk of fatal car crashes. According to a study in The Lancet, large doses of THC produce confusion, amnesia, delusions, hallucinations, anxiety and agitation. "Such reactions are rare, occurring after unusually heavy cannabis use; in most cases they remit rapidly after abstinence from cannabis," it says.
The really important issue is whether cannabis can cause serious, long-term problems for a person's mental health. Earlier this year the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs concluded that there may be a link between cannabis use and the onset of psychotic illnesses, although there was insufficient evidence to state that frequent users were more likely to develop schizophrenia. Nevertheless, several studies have suggested that there may well be an association between smoking cannabis in adolescence and mental illness in later life - including schizophrenia.
What does the stronger version do to you?
It has been suggested that the smoking of more potent forms of cannabis, known as "skunk", can result in something called cannabis psychosis, although this has not been conclusively proved. Skunk is a generic name used to describe the 100 or so varieties of cannabis plant that have higher-than-average levels of THC. Skunk may also contain higher levels of the 40 other substances in cannabis that are thought to be capable of having an effect on the body.
Traditional varieties of cannabis have a THC content of between 2 and 4 per cent, while some varieties of skunk can have THC levels of up to 20 per cent. Some users say the immediate effect of smoking skunk is that they get stoned more quickly. They also report higher levels of transient hallucinations, which are particularly common in people who have already taken LSD, a known hallucinogenic drug.
Skunk's potency can sometimes catch people out if they have been used to more dilute forms of cannabis. As a result they can suffer from anxiety attacks and feelings of mild paranoia. However, there is no evidence to suggest that smoking skunk poses any new risks compared with the heavy smoking of weaker forms of cannabis.
Is cannabis medicinal?
Cannabis has a long history as a folk remedy, and some of its natural constituents are reported to have therapeutic value for illnesses such as asthma, glaucoma, mild to severe muscle spasms and pain, as well as anorexia and mood disorders.
Is smoking cannabis really that bad for you?
Yes...
* There is convincing evidence to suggest a link between heavy use and serious mental illness
* Cannabis smoke is just as dangerous as cigarette smoke in causing lung disease
* Driving while even mildly stoned significantly increases the risk of fatal accidents
No...
* There is no evidence that cannabis causes physical dependency in the manner of heroin or cocaine
* Mild users of cannabis are not more likely to become addicted to 'harder drugs'
* Many long-term users of cannabis lead normal, healthy lives which they find enhanced by recreational use of the drug
|
new_to_shrooms
Stranger


Registered: 11/30/05
Posts: 313
Loc: fuck the usa
Last seen: 17 years, 6 months
|
Re: So how dangerous is cannabis? [Re: veggie]
#5799445 - 06/28/06 01:41 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
there is no link between cancer and cannibas
|
Microcosmatrix
Spiral staircasetechnician


Registered: 10/20/05
Posts: 11,293
Loc: Ythan's house
Last seen: 17 years, 1 month
|
|
Yes there is, it cures it.
|
Iamthewalrus
every evening Idied and everynight I wasreborn


Registered: 03/24/04
Posts: 3,744
Loc: Ontario
Last seen: 15 years, 3 months
|
Re: So how dangerous is cannabis? [Re: veggie]
#5802110 - 06/29/06 03:45 AM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
haha... I do think cannabis can help potentiate an anxiety disorder but I don't think its the cause...in fact I'd go as far as to say I know its not the cause
|
OJK
Stranger

Registered: 06/08/03
Posts: 10,629
|
|
Quote:
new_to_shrooms said: there is no link between cancer and cannibas
care to back that up?
I was under the impression that regularly inhaling large amounts of any type of smoke generated from a natural substance could cause cancer
|
dblaney
Human Being

Registered: 10/03/04
Posts: 7,894
Loc: Here & Now
|
Re: So how dangerous is cannabis? [Re: OJK]
#5802669 - 06/29/06 10:09 AM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
That's what I thought too, but there have been some articles here recently that claim that although weed's anti-tumor properties are weak, they are strong enough to basically cancel out the cancer causing effects of weed smoke. Or something to that effect.
-------------------- "What is in us that turns a deaf ear to the cries of human suffering?" "Belief is a beautiful armor But makes for the heaviest sword" - John Mayer Making the noise "penicillin" is no substitute for actually taking penicillin. "This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or their revolutionary right to dismember or overthrow it." -Abraham Lincoln
|
Seuss
Error: divide byzero


Registered: 04/27/01
Posts: 23,480
Loc: Caribbean
Last seen: 2 months, 20 days
|
Re: So how dangerous is cannabis? [Re: OJK]
#5802782 - 06/29/06 10:46 AM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
> care to back that up?
Published May 23, 2006, http://cancer.about.com/od/smokingandcancer/f/marijuana.htm:Quote:
According to a recent study by the University of California Los Angeles, there is no increased lung cancer risk in smoking marijuana.
The study presented at the annual American Thoracic Society meeting this week in San Diego, studied the lives of those under 60, since that age group is most to have been exposed to the heaviest amounts of marijuana use.
The "baby boomer" group was comprised of 611 lung cancer patients, 601 head and neck cancer patients and 1040 people who did not have cancer. The study found no increased risk of lung and head and neck cancer. However, it did find a significant increased risk factor in those who smoked two or more packs of cigarettes a day.
-------------------- Just another spore in the wind.
|
2859558484
Growery is Better


Registered: 01/10/06
Posts: 8,752
Last seen: 3 years, 4 months
|
Re: So how dangerous is cannabis? [Re: veggie]
#5803272 - 06/29/06 01:18 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
Ive noticed over the last few years that the UK is leading a huge propoganda campaign against weed. Its just as crazy as the ones the US had back in the 60's and 70's, but I thought all that shit was discredited.
--------------------
|
Seuss
Error: divide byzero


Registered: 04/27/01
Posts: 23,480
Loc: Caribbean
Last seen: 2 months, 20 days
|
Re: So how dangerous is cannabis? [Re: 2859558484]
#5803444 - 06/29/06 02:19 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
There is convincing evidence to suggest a link between heavy use and serious mental illness
The "serious mental illness" being psycosis.
http://www.ukcia.org/culture/effects/mh.htm:
Quote:
Cannabis isn't a cause of psychotic conditions like schizophrenia in the sense that it directly leads to psychosis. That's obvious - we all know people who've smoked for years and haven't got schizophrenia; we also know people who have psychotic symptoms who haven't used any drugs..
But this is a hot potato of a question because it depends on what's meant by "cause". There are no specific causes as no single cause has been identified - even genes only carry a 50% risk. it's better to think of "risk factors" - factors which increase the risk of it developing. Some people put birth complications as the main causal factor in about 40% of cases of schizophrenia.
But that doesn't mean that cannabis definitely has no causal role. No single cause for psychosis has ever been identified - it's almost always a bit of a melting pot of risk factors like genes, birth complications, racism, living in cities, trauma, the list is almost endless. The thing is that if more than one risk factor is present, the chances of developing a psychotic condition goes up exponentially, or as researchers put it, the risk factors interact.
Cannabis use might be one of these risk factors, especially for children or young teenagers and especially if they use a lot of it - the more smoked, and the younger the user - the bigger the risk.
Cannabis smoke is just as dangerous as cigarette smoke in causing lung disease
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/326/7396/942:
Quote:
Tetrahydrocannabinol has cardiovascular effects, and sudden deaths have been attributed to smoking cannabis.10 Myocardial infarction is 4.2 times more likely to occur within an hour of smoking cannabis.11 However, despite these alarming facts, there is no evidence at present on whether smoking cannabis contributes to the progression of coronary artery disease, as smoking cigarettes does. More studies of the cardiovascular and pulmonary effects of cannabis are essential.
It may be argued that the extrapolation from small numbers of individual studies to potential large scale effects amounts to scaremongering.
Driving while even mildly stoned significantly increases the risk of fatal accidents
http://www.erowid.org/plants/cannabis/uk_lords_report/ToxicEffects.shtml#4.6:
Quote:
Intoxication with cannabis leads to a slight impairment of psychomotor and cognitive function, which is important for those driving a vehicle, flying an aircraft or operating machinery (DH Q 197). The Department of Health rate this as "the major concern from a public health perspective" raised by recreational use (p 46), and Professor Hall considers it the most serious possible short-term consequence of cannabis use, both for the user and for the public (p 222).
-------------------- Just another spore in the wind.
|
DiMiTripper
Friendly

Registered: 06/10/06
Posts: 12
Loc: Iowa, United States
Last seen: 16 years, 10 months
|
Re: So how dangerous is cannabis? [Re: veggie]
#5803820 - 06/29/06 04:06 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
Well, many people see cannabis as a hot-button issue. Unfortunately, many people are not open minded or intelligent enough to create seperate ways to ingest the psychoactive chemicals.
A few points I would like to make:
1.) Cannais smoke is carcinogenic, yes, unfortunately so is anything you inhale into your lungs. Maple leaves could be carcinogenic for all we know, are we going to ban them? Plus, you can EAT cannabis, offering many more available ingesting options (if not something along the lines of water bongs or vaporizers)
2.) It only uproots schizophrenia in already demented minds. In someone without any schizophrenia genes it is perfectly harmless on the brain. Many people complain about synaptic freezing, if so this would simply build connections in OTHER parts of the brain, increasing IQ and creative thinking.
3.) Who the fuck drives on cannabis? It's about as stupid as taking 'Shrooms and driving. If you must drive, however, most cannabis users are "grandma drivers" and the increased awareness prevents accidents. If you must drive on weed, drive slow.
Many people have tried to stop cannabis simply because they miss points. It's not a war on drugs, it's a war on personal freedom. Don't beleive everything the government tells you.
-------------------- Feel the sound vibrations rushing through your body. Forget about all the things that may be bugging you, they're not worth it. Life is about learning, loving, and enjoying. - DiM
|
mycogirl
goddamn



Registered: 07/03/05
Posts: 1,135
|
Re: So how dangerous is cannabis? [Re: DiMiTripper]
#5804063 - 06/29/06 05:22 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
I found a lot of conclusions the article assumed to be causes of effects, were really effects of causes. For example, if a higher percentage of marijuana users have psychological disorders, maybe then people with these disorders seek to use substances, opposed to these substances inducing a psychosis.
--------------------
|
jiggety7
Stranger

Registered: 06/05/06
Posts: 17
Last seen: 16 years, 10 months
|
Re: So how dangerous is cannabis? [Re: mycogirl]
#5804650 - 06/29/06 08:58 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
ok seriously these campaigns are based on sheer ignorance. Both the "effects" of cannabis of which this person describes, are the combined effects of that of cigarettes and alcohal. Half of these may not be true but even if they were, alcohal is clearly more dangerous and life threatening than weed. And the amount of smoke that cigarette smokers inhale in a day is so much great than that of the recreational cannabis smoker. If anything were to be banned it should be cigarettes and alcohal before weed... (not implying anything should be banned, but jesh just relax on the cannabis)
|
Iamthewalrus
every evening Idied and everynight I wasreborn


Registered: 03/24/04
Posts: 3,744
Loc: Ontario
Last seen: 15 years, 3 months
|
Re: So how dangerous is cannabis? [Re: jiggety7]
#5804660 - 06/29/06 09:02 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
alcohol is the problem with driving...theres really no other substance that even comes close...since alcohol gives u a false sense of confidence(booze balls) and also GREATLY impairs motor function...how often have u heard of someone getting in an accident from pretty much any other drug alone?...not often
yet booze is perfectly legal :/
|
Seuss
Error: divide byzero


Registered: 04/27/01
Posts: 23,480
Loc: Caribbean
Last seen: 2 months, 20 days
|
Re: So how dangerous is cannabis? [Re: Iamthewalrus]
#5805976 - 06/30/06 04:34 AM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
> theres really no other substance that even comes close..
Actually, research has shown that cell phones are about as bad as alcohol. Donno if you count a cell phone as a substance or not. 
The big difference with cannabis impaired drivers is that they know they are impaired and they tend to slow down and pay more attention to driving. I'm not advocating driving while under the influence of anything, be it a cell phone call or THC. However, if I had to choose any group of "impaired drivers" in the world to share the road with, it would be those with THC in their system over any other substance.
One thing I was wondering about... I have read the procedures used for two different driving while inoxicated on cannabis studies. In both cases, they used volunteers. My gripe here is that people get better at driving impaired over time. If I toss a person behind the wheel the first time they smoke a joint, they are going to do much worse than somebody that has been smoking (and driving) for twenty years. Because cannabis is illegal where the studies were conducted, and because the studies didn't bother to check (or didn't want to publish the results of their check), one must assume that the volunteers were all "virgin smokers". This would lead me to believe that these studies represent an absolute worst case scenario as opposed to the average of how the population as a whole would perform.
-------------------- Just another spore in the wind.
|
Le_Canard
The Duk Abides

Registered: 05/16/03
Posts: 94,392
Loc: Earthfarm 1
|
Re: So how dangerous is cannabis? [Re: Iamthewalrus]
#5806006 - 06/30/06 04:55 AM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
Well, apparently the thinking goes like this: alcohol is okay, since it's legal, but pot is not okay, since it's illegal. Some find this actually makes sense.
|
OJK
Stranger

Registered: 06/08/03
Posts: 10,629
|
Re: So how dangerous is cannabis? [Re: Seuss]
#5806010 - 06/30/06 05:00 AM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
Thanks for that Seuss, that really surprised me.
|
Iamthewalrus
every evening Idied and everynight I wasreborn


Registered: 03/24/04
Posts: 3,744
Loc: Ontario
Last seen: 15 years, 3 months
|
Re: So how dangerous is cannabis? [Re: OJK]
#5806047 - 06/30/06 05:31 AM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
dosen't surprise me at all(but I get the feeling u were being sarcastic)
|
5crz40
Stranger
Registered: 11/30/06
Posts: 71
Last seen: 14 years, 2 months
|
Re: So how dangerous is cannabis? [Re: veggie]
#6394773 - 12/21/06 05:51 PM (17 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
i think that driving while high is quite fun, I think people who think that being high or "stoned" effects your driving are rediculas and havnt tried to drive while high because they have probley never been high there for they think it will make you a worse driver. I do think you are a lesser driver but you can still drive like your sober, nothing like driving drunk which is absoulutly diffrent in every way. They say ever drug creats phycosis and all the other mental problems but yet they have3 no proof?????
|
Maverick
Lover of Earwigs!



Registered: 12/18/05
Posts: 13,437
Loc: Valleys of Willamette
Last seen: 1 day, 6 hours
|
Re: So how dangerous is cannabis? [Re: 5crz40]
#6395530 - 12/21/06 10:37 PM (17 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
Quote:
* There is convincing evidence to suggest a link between heavy use and serious mental illness
Yeah I'm gonna have to call that article on that one. I'd like to see that convincing evidence.
|
Koala Koolio
TTAGGGTTAGGGTTAGGGTTAGGG

Registered: 01/07/04
Posts: 7,752
|
Re: So how dangerous is cannabis? [Re: Maverick]
#6395674 - 12/21/06 11:41 PM (17 years, 1 month ago) |
|
|
"they have probley never been high there for they think it will make you a worse driver."
I have, and it does for me.
"I do think you are a lesser driver but you can still drive like your sober...."
Erm. You seem to agree, whether you're aware of it or not.
Of course driving high reduces your ability to drive. Anyone who thinks it improves your actual ability to perform the task of driving is kidding themselves in my opinion. Yes, perhaps it will make you a more careful driver, but your reaction time isn't going to be improved by pot unless you have something rather unique wrong with you in the first place. The question is how much it harms the ability to drive, and if it's enough that it's even a problem for you. There's obviously no competition at all to driving drunk.
No matter how much or little your ability to drive is harmed, "i think that driving while high is quite fun" is the worst reason to drive under an influence ever. I can understand, "I need to get to work, and my driving doesn't realistically suffer much."
Just my opinion. I don't think driving high is (usually) the end of the world. But I have a problem with people lying to themselves while they do it. Accept the risks, and hold yourself accountable for your actions.
It's similar to those who deny the notion of a psychedelic having any negative consequences at all. Around here we realize the relative safety compared other substances, or even ways of life. But by making a statement that risk is actually inexistent is simply wrong. I feel it's a result of the propaganda machine pushing so hard against us. It's easy to try to push back with a similar force and intense defensiveness.
The relative might seem absolute in the mind of people like us, who live and think this way daily. But really believing it can be dangerous on a personal level, and gives a dishonest spin on the image of those who support cognitive liberty, which we each represent... whether we like it or not.
-------------------- You're not like the others. You like the same things I do. Wax paper, boiled football leather... dog breath. We're not hitch-hiking anymore, we're riding!
|
|