Re: THE MEDICAL DANGERS OF MARIJUANA USE

August 28, 2009

This article is a lot of bunk.

First of all it assumes " habitual use " , is this different than

prescribed by physician use?

Next, it assumes everyone is going to smoke it. What about tinctures,

capsules, even brownies?

Finally, are the possible side effects any greater than many FDA

approved medications? A doctor nearly killed me with FDA approved blood

pressure medicine, and another with an approved pain medication.

Sounds like an article from the " I'm so afraid of marijuana " people who

used to make horror commercials totally untrue in the 50's about it.

Just my two cents.

On Thu, 2009-08-27 at 17:51 -0400, evergreengarden wrote:

>

> THE MEDICAL DANGERS OF MARIJUANA USE

>

> Health_Concerns: WHAT ARE THE MEDICAL DANGERS OF MARIJUANA USE?

>

> http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/evidence99/marijuana/Health_1.html

>

> I must preface these statements with the remark that there is still a

> great deal of research to be done concerning the effects of marijuana

> on the health

>

> of humans due to the fact that widespread marijuana use has only

> become prevalent in this country within the last three decades, so the

> effects of long-term

>

> use are just beginning to become apparent. I should also add that in

> making these observations, I have concentrated on the risks of smoking

> natural marijuana,

>

> since it is the most effective method of ingesting its active

> cannabinoids.

>

> Marijuana has often been touted as one of the safest recreational

> substances available. This is perhaps true; many reputable scientific

> studies support

>

> the conclusion that cocaine, heroine, alcohol, and even cigarettes are

> more dangerous to the user?s health than marijuana. In addition, the

> celebrated

>

> pharmacological properties of cannabis have led thirty-six states to

> permit its use as a therapeutic drug for, among others, those

> suffering from AIDS;

>

> various painful, incurable and debilitating illnesses; the harmful

> side effects of cancer chemotherapy, and glaucoma. Additional research

> is being conducted

>

> concerning the use of marijuana on the treatment of anxiety and mental

> disorders.

>

> Nonetheless, it would be fallacious to conclude that because the

> chemicals in marijuana have been found to present fewer dangers than

> some very harmful

>

> substances, the medical or recreational use of marijuana is perfectly

> safe. In a recreational context, marijuana has been shown to affect

> health, brain

>

> function, and memory. And in a medical context, marijuana is like any

> other powerful prescription drug: it has potentially dangerous side

> effects, and

>

> the decision to use it to treat patients must involve the same

> balancing test as the one required for chemotherapy or AZT: do the

> therapeutic effects of

>

> the drug outweigh its harmful effects? Though there are many more

> studies to be done on this issue, current data shows that the answer

> to this question

>

> may not always be " yes. "

>

> EFFECTS OF HABITUAL MARIJUANA USE ON THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

>

> The most potent argument against the use of marijuana to treat medical

> disorders is that marijuana may cause the acceleration or aggravation

> of the very

>

> disorders it is being used to treat.

>

> Smoking marijuana regularly (a joint a day) can damage the cells in

> the bronchial passages which protect the body against inhaled

> microorganisms and decrease

>

> the ability of the immune cells in the lungs to fight off fungi,

> bacteria, and tumor cells. For patients with already weakened immune

> systems, this means

>

> an increase in the possibility of dangerous pulmonary infections,

> including pneumonia, which often proves fatal in AIDS patients.

>

> Studies further suggest that marijuana is a general

> " immunosuppressant " whose degenerative influence extends beyond the

> respiratory system. Regular smoking

>

> has been shown to materially affect the overall ability of the

> smoker?s body to defend itself against infection by weakening various

> natural immune mechanisms,

>

> including macrophages (a.k.a. " killer cells " ) and the all-important

> T-cells. Obviously, this suggests the conclusion, which is

> well-supported by scientific

>

> studies, that the use of marijuana as a medical therapy can and does

> have a very serious negative effect on patients with pre-existing

> immune deficits

>

> resulting from AIDS, organ transplantation, or cancer chemotherapy,

> the very conditions for which marijuana has most often been touted and

> suggested as

>

> a treatment. It has also been shown that marijuana use can accelerate

> the progression of HIV to full-blown AIDS and increase the occurrence

> of infections

>

> and Kaposi?s sarcoma. In addition, patients with weak immune systems

> will be even less able to defend themselves against the various

> respiratory cancers

>

> and conditions to which consistent marijuana use has been linked, and

> which are discussed briefly under " Respiratory Illnesses. "

>

> In conclusion, it seems that the potential dangers presented by the

> medical use of marijuana may actually contribute to the dangers of the

> diseases which

>

> it would be used to combat. Therefore, I suggest that marijuana should

> not be permitted as a therapy, at least until a good deal more

> conclusive research

>

> has been completed concerning its debilitating effect on the immune

> system.

>

> For more on this topic, please see P. Tashkin, M.D., " Effects

> of Marijuana on the Lung and Its Immune Defenses, " Secretary's Youth

> Substance Abuse

>

> Prevention Intiative: Resource Papers, March 1997, Center for

> Substance Abuse Prevention. Pages 33-51 of this address can be found

> at the website of the

>

> Indiana Prevention Resource Center at Indiana University, located at

>

> http://www.drugs.indiana.edu/druginfo/tashkin- marijuana.html.

>

> RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES

>

> The main respiratory consequences of smoking marijuana regularly (one

> joint a day) are pulmonary infections and respiratory cancer, whose

> connection to

>

> marijuana use has been strongly suggested but not conclusively proven.

> The effects also include chronic bronchitis, impairment in the

> function of the smaller

>

> air passages, inflammation of the lung, the development of potentially

> pre-cancerous abnormalities in the bronchial lining and lungs, and, as

> discussed,

>

> a reduction in the capabilities of many defensive mechanisms within

> the lungs.

>

> Marijuana smoke and cigarette smoke contain many of the same toxins,

> including one which has been identified as a key factor in the

> promotion of lung cancer.

>

> This toxin is found in the tar phase of both, and it should be noted

> that one joint has four times more tar than a cigarette, which means

> that the lungs

>

> are exposed four-fold to this toxin and others in the tar. It has been

> concretely established that smoking cigarettes promotes lung cancer

> (which causes

>

> more than 125,000 deaths in the US every year), chronic obstructive

> pulmonary disease (chronic bronchitis and emphysema) and increased

> incidence of respiratory

>

> tract infections. This implies, but does not establish, that smoking

> marijuana may lead to some of the same results as smoking cigarettes.

> It is notable

>

> that several reports indicate an unexpectedly large proportion

> ofmarijuana users among cases of lung cancer and cancers of the oral

> cavity,pharynx, and

>

> larynx. Thus, it appears that the use of marijuana as a medicine has

> the potential to further harm an already ill patient in the same way

> that taking up

>

> regular cigarette smoking would, particularly in light of the fact

> that those patients for whom marijuana is recommended are already

> poorly equipped to

>

> fight off these infections and diseases.

>

> For more information, please see the Tashkin website mentioned at the

> end of the section on immune disorders. See also:

>

> www.sarnia.com/GROUPS/ANTIDRUG/mrr/ 21.96.10.html, for information on

> the link between chemicals contained in marijuana and lung cancer.

>

> http://www.marijuananews.com/latest_research_finds_that_heavy.htm, for

> an article concerning the link between marijuana and cancer, with

> commentary

>

> MENTAL HEALTH, BRAIN FUNCTION, AND MEMORY

>

> It has been suggested that marijuana is at the root of many mental

> disorders, including acute toxic psychosis, panic attacks (one of the

> very conditions

>

> it is being used experimentally to treat), flashbacks, delusions,

> depersonalization, hallucinations, paranoia, depression, and

> uncontrollable aggressiveness.

>

> Marijuana has long been known to trigger attacks of mental illness,

> such as bipolar (manic-depressive) psychosis and schizophrenia. This

> connection with

>

> mental illness should make health care providers for terminally ill

> patients and the patients themselves, who may already be suffering

> from some form of

>

> clinical depression, weigh very carefully the pros and cons of

> adopting a therapeutic course of marijuana.

>

> In the short term, marijuana use impairs perception, judgment,

> thinking, memory, and learning; memory defects may persist six weeks

> after last use. Mental

>

> disorders connected with marijuana use merit their own category in the

> Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) IV,

> published by the

>

> American Psychiatric Association. These include Cannabis Intoxication

> (consisting of impaired motor coordination, anxiety, impaired

> judgment, sensation

>

> of slowed time, social withdrawal, and often includes perceptual

> disturbances; Cannabis Intoxication Delirium (memory deficit,

> disorientation); Cannabis

>

> Induced Psychotic Disorder, Delusions; Cannabis Induced Psychotic

> Disorder, Hallucinations; and Cannabis Induced Anxiety Disorder.

>

> In addition, marijuana use has many indirect effects on health. Its

> effect on coordination, perception, and judgment means that it causes

> a number of accidents,

>

> vehicular and otherwise.

>

> For further information, you may find the following sites helpful:

>

> www.sarnia.com/GROUPS/ANTIDRUG/reality/updatejl.html, for information

> on links between marijuana use and mental health risks.

>

> www.sarnia.com/GROUPS/ANTIDRUG/mrr/21.96.10.html, for more information

> on the indirect effects of marijuana on health

>

> http://www.adf.org.au/drughit, the Australian Drug Foundation?s

> website

>

> http://marijuananews.com/a_safe_ high_.htm, a reprint of New Science

> magazine?s " Marijuana Special Report: A Safe High? " with commentary

>

> http://marijuananews.com/claim_four.htm, an article about the

> similarity of long-term marijuana use?s effect on the brain to that of

> " hard " drugs, with

>

> commentary

>

> www.drugs.indiana.edu/publications/iprc/misc/smokescreen.html, for

> general information on the health risks of marijuana.

>

> http://www.health.org, the homepage of the National Clearinghouse on

> Alcohol and Drug Information, for general information on marijuana.

>

August 28, 2009

just like "ephedra".... when misused of course it can be dangerous... all things in moderation and used as they were meant to be used.

Suzi

List Owner

health/

http://360./suziesgoats

What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered.

From: Yeah Right <ok_fine@...>Subject: Re: THE MEDICAL DANGERS OF MARIJUANA USEhealth Date: Thursday, August 27, 2009, 6:21 PM

This article is a lot of bunk. First of all it assumes "habitual use", is this different thanprescribed by physician use?Next, it assumes everyone is going to smoke it. What about tinctures,capsules, even brownies?Finally, are the possible side effects any greater than many FDAapproved medications? A doctor nearly killed me with FDA approved bloodpressure medicine, and another with an approved pain medication.Sounds like an article from the "I'm so afraid of marijuana" people whoused to make horror commercials totally untrue in the 50's about it.Just my two cents.

August 28, 2009

The herbal researches they make are irrational.

Rena

Re: THE MEDICAL DANGERS OF MARIJUANA USEhealth Date: Thursday, August 27, 2009, 6:21 PM

This article is a lot of bunk. First of all it assumes "habitual use", is this different thanprescribed by physician use?Next, it assumes everyone is going to smoke it. What about tinctures,capsules, even brownies?Finally, are the possible side effects any greater than many FDAapproved medications? A doctor nearly killed me with FDA approved bloodpressure medicine, and another with an approved pain medication.Sounds like an article from the "I'm so afraid of marijuana" people whoused to make horror commercials totally untrue in the 50's about it.Just my two cents.

August 28, 2009

"due to the fact that widespread marijuana use has only become prevalent in this country within the last three decades,"

That is so very funny!!! Let's see this is 2009, 3 decades would make it 1979. My grandfather was growing and smoking "the weed" in 1921 in the state of Washington!!!

Don't know where you are getting your information, but I think whoever put it out there has been smoking too much wacky tobacky.

I'm all for legalizing marijuana. We have state run liquor stores and I do believe it should be on the shelf right between gin and scotch. Good way to control quality and helluva great way to generate some income to the state!

And you can be sure if I'm ever ill and need to boost my appetite I will be smoking pot. No matter how I have to acquire it.

Oh yeah, and habitual use is 3x per week!!!! Ohmygod, I smoked enough to last me 100 lifetimes. Thought that would be the one thing I didn't miss when I got clean, but turns out pot is what I miss the most.

Spot on . I would smoke pot before I took something from a medical doctor.

Don't forget, no more than 1/4 cup to a recipe. Whirl in blender and saute in butter to cut down on the grit, then add to your recipe.

Shari

August 28, 2009

I agree that it is purely political that it is illegal at all.I wouldn't smoke it, though. I've heard of great success with tinctures and capsuling. Peace, love, laughter"due to the fact that widespread marijuana use has only become prevalent in this country within the last three decades," That is so very funny!!! Let's see this is 2009, 3 decades would make it 1979. My grandfather was growing and smoking "the weed" in 1921 in the state of Washington!! ! Don't know where you are getting your information, but I think whoever put it out there has been smoking too much wacky tobacky. I'm all for legalizing marijuana. We have state run liquor stores and I do believe it should be

on the shelf right between gin and scotch. Good way to control quality and helluva great way to generate some income to the state! And you can be sure if I'm ever ill and need to boost my appetite I will be smoking pot. No matter how I have to acquire it. Oh yeah, and habitual use is 3x per week!!!! Ohmygod, I smoked enough to last me 100 lifetimes. Thought that would be the one thing I didn't miss when I got clean, but turns out pot is what I miss the most. Spot on . I would smoke pot before I took something from a medical doctor. Don't forget, no more than 1/4 cup to a recipe. Whirl in blender and saute in butter to cut down on the grit, then add to your recipe. Shari

August 28, 2009

I have been in a car with someone spaced out after smoking and have to say I do NOT think it should be legal. Their reaction to things was WAY too slow. Almost caused an accident and didn't even notice.... Too many not so bright people out there who don't need to be stupid AND zoned out.CandaceSent from my iPhoneOn Aug 27, 2009, at 7:59 PM, "SV" <shavig@...> wrote: