A letter to my congressional representative on medical marijuana

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

A lot of those bad symptoms only come into play when:

A. You dont smoke a lot of weed and you're not really used to it,

B. You smoke weed somewhat regularly, and in a particular session you smoke more than you usually would, or you are smoking higher quality stuff then you are used to.

C. You have a pre-disposed hypersensitivity to Tetrahydrocannabinol, in which case you shouldn't really be smoking weed anyway.

This type of person is the one Jamaicans talk about when they say " 'E dont 'ave a 'ead fa ganja"


most of the time it's only Hungry Happy Sleepy, thats it!!!!!

So they do come into play. Also, lets not forget the long term memory damage (seen that personally) and the psychotic breaks.

The truth is, the really shocking thing is that tobaco is still legal, not that cannabis isn't.

[AlexanderSextus]

So they do come into play. Also, lets not forget the long term memory damage (seen that personally) and the psychotic breaks.

The truth is, the really shocking thing is that tobaco is still legal, not that cannabis isn't.

Cannabis is not harmless, lets not forget that. It should still be Legal, however, and tobacco should NOT be made illegal.

Also, Long term Memory Damage? whoever you saw that had that, either was one of the "type C" people i just talked about, or they smoked A HELLLLL OF A LOT OF CANNABIS. More than a self proclaimed pothead such as myself would recommend anyone consume.

The psychosis is rare, as well. Once again some people are predisposed to it, and shouldn't be smoking it anyway. If it were legal to smoke pot then people would be able to be tested to see if they have this or not. I'm sure they can do this now, but given Cannabis's legal status at the moment i would think people are too afraid to admit they use it.

The point of my previous post is that those symptoms are not really commonplace, and that largely, marijuana is not a dangerous drug. It is vastly safer than Alcohol. It is even Safer than aspirin, and if you use a vaporizer then it is EVEN SAFER as there is no lung damage whatsoever.

For your consideration: In 1988 Administrative Law Judge for the DEA, Hon. Francis L. Young, stated that "Cannabis, in its natural form, is one of the SAFEST therapeutically active substances known to mankind" (emphasis mine)

he also said this:

"At present it is estimated that marijuana's LD-50 is around
1:20,000 or 1:40,000. In layman terms this means that in order to induce death a marijuana smoker would have to consume 20,000 to 40,000 times as much marijuana as is contained in onemarijuana cigarette. NIDA-supplied marijuana cigarettes weigh approximately .9 grams. A smoker would theoretically have to consume nearly 1,500 pounds of marijuana within about fifteen minutes to induce a lethal response."

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Cannabis is not harmless, lets not forget that. It should still be Legal, however, and tobacco should NOT be made illegal.

Also, Long term Memory Damage? whoever you saw that had that, either was one of the "type C" people i just talked about, or they smoked A HELLLLL OF A LOT OF CANNABIS. More than a self proclaimed pothead such as myself would recommend anyone consume.

The psychosis is rare, as well. Once again some people are predisposed to it, and shouldn't be smoking it anyway. If it were legal to smoke pot then people would be able to be tested to see if they have this or not. I'm sure they can do this now, but given Cannabis's legal status at the moment i would think people are too afraid to admit they use it.

The point of my previous post is that those symptoms are not really commonplace, and that largely, marijuana is not a dangerous drug. It is vastly safer than Alcohol. It is even Safer than aspirin, and if you use a vaporizer then it is EVEN SAFER as there is no lung damage whatsoever.

For your consideration: In 1988 Administrative Law Judge for the DEA, Hon. Francis L. Young, stated that "Cannabis, in its natural form, is one of the SAFEST therapeutically active substances known to mankind" (emphasis mine)

he also said this:

"At present it is estimated that marijuana's LD-50 is around
1:20,000 or 1:40,000. In layman terms this means that in order to induce death a marijuana smoker would have to consume 20,000 to 40,000 times as much marijuana as is contained in onemarijuana cigarette. NIDA-supplied marijuana cigarettes weigh approximately .9 grams. A smoker would theoretically have to consume nearly 1,500 pounds of marijuana within about fifteen minutes to induce a lethal response."

The psychois alone is reason enough to keep it illegal. What you call "Type C" people are far more common than you think. The fact is that Cannabis is not less dangerous than alchohol because it is extremely dangerous in small quantities. You have to drink a lot to suffer any real longterm damage, and the damage is progressive and predictable.

Pot, will screw you up really quick, just like E will kill you first time. Booze, you have to abuse yourself for a long time to really mess things up.

[AlexanderSextus]

The psychois alone is reason enough to keep it illegal. What you call "Type C" people are far more common than you think. The fact is that Cannabis is not less dangerous than alchohol because it is extremely dangerous in small quantities. You have to drink a lot to suffer any real longterm damage, and the damage is progressive and predictable.

Pot, will screw you up really quick, just like E will kill you first time. Booze, you have to abuse yourself for a long time to really mess things up.

Sorry, i'm gonna have to post something a bit long, because i'm really right now. The things you are saying are IMHO a result of listening to mostly twisted and skewed stats.

According to news from the Associated Press and others, investigators at London's Kings College reported that the administration of doses of synthetic THC temporarily interfered with activity in the inferior frontal cortex, a region of the brain associated with paranoia, while administration of the non-psychoactive compound cannabidiol (CBD) stimulated relaxation. The reports go on to suggest that chronic use of cannabis may precipitate various types of mental illness and cite a separate unpublished study indicating that cannabis use may exacerbate symptoms of schizophrenia.

Such clinical findings and suggestions are not new. Scientists have known for decades that THC is psychoactive and that peak blood levels of its primary active metabolite 11-OH-THC are occasionally associated with temporary feelings of dysphoria, paranoia, and even panic attacks. (These events, when documented, typically occur in cannabis naïve users.)

Conversely, scientists have also been long aware of CBD's anxiolytic and anti-psychotic effects. In fact, many experts speculate that it is the lack of CBD in Marinol (the synthetic THC oral prescription pill) that is responsible for the drug's enhanced psychoactivity. By contrast, CBD occurs naturally in whole-plant cannabis, and is believed to modify and/or diminish some of the psychoactivity associated with THC when cannabis is inhaled.

Fears that chronic cannabis use may be positively associated with various mental illnesses, particularly schizophrenia, are also long-standing. However, a recent meta-analysis investigating the use of cannabis use and its impact on mental health reported that those who use cannabis in moderation, even long-term "will not suffer any lasting physical or mental harm. ... Overall, by comparison with other drugs used mainly for 'recreational' purposes, cannabis could be rated to be a relatively safe drug."



The phrase "relatively safe" is appropriate in any discussion regarding cannabis and mental health. No substance is harmless and in many cases, the relative dangers of a drug may be increased or decreased depending on set and setting. Cannabis is no different.

There is limited data suggesting an association, albiet a minor one, 2-3 between chronic cannabis (primarily among adolescents and/or those predisposed to mental illness) and increased symptoms of depression, psychotic symptoms, and/or schizophrenia. 4-6 However, interpretation of this data is troublesome and, to date, this observation association is not well understood. 7-9 Identified as well as unidentified confounding factors (such as poverty, family history, polydrug use, etc.) make it difficult, if not impossible, for researchers to adequately determine whether any cause-and-effect relationship exists between cannabis use and mental illness. Also, many experts point out that this association may be due to patients' self-medicating with cannabis, 10 as survey data and anecdotal reports of individuals finding therapeutic relief from both clinical depression and schizotypal behavior are common within medical lore, and clinical testing on the use of cannabinoids to treat certain symptoms of mental illness has been recommended. 11

Most recently, a large-scale study by investigators at London's Institute of Psychiatry reported that those patients diagnosed with schizophrenia who had previously used cannabis did not demonstrate exacerbated symptoms of the illness compared to age-adjusted controls who had not used cannabis. "This [finding] argues against a distinct schizophrenia-like psychosis caused by cannabis," they concluded. 12

Investigators in the study did not address whether cannabis consumers had greater odds of contracting schizophrenia when compared to otherwise matched controls who did not have a history of cannabis use. However, a 2006 review by Britain's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) previously concluded, "For individuals, the current evidence suggests, at worst, that using cannabis increases lifetime risk of developing schizophrenia by one percent." 13

Nevertheless, until this association is better understood, there may be some merit to various government warnings that adolescents (particularly pre and early teens) and/or adults with pre-existing symptoms of mental illness refrain from using cannabis (and/or other psychoactive substances), particularly in large quantities. This statement, however, is hardly an indictment of cannabis' relative safety when used in moderation by adults or an endorsement of the federal government's efforts to criminally prohibit its use for all Americans. If anything, just the opposite is true.

[AlexanderSextus]

Taken from This Link:

Alcohol-related traffic accidents claim approximately 14,000 lives each year, down significantly from 20 or 30 years ago (attributed to improved education and enforcement). Figures for THC-related traffic fatalities are elusive, especially since alcohol is almost always present in the blood as well, and since the numbers of "marijuana-only" traffic fatalities are so small. But evidence from studies, including laboratory simulations, feeds the stereotype that those under the influence of canniboids tend to (1) be more aware of their impaired psychomotor skills, and (2) drive well below the speed limit. Those under the influence of alcohol are much more likely to be clueless or defiant about their condition, and to speed up and drive recklessly.

Hundreds of alcohol overdose deaths occur annually. There has never been a single recorded marijuana OD fatality.

According to the American Public Health Association, excessive alcohol consumption is the third leading cause of death in this country. APHA pegs the negative economic impact of extreme drinking at $150 billion a year.

There have been no documented cases of lung cancer in a marijuana-only smoker, nor has pot been scientifically linked to any type of cancer. (Don't trust an advocate's take on this? Try the fair and balanced coverage over at Fox.) Alcohol abuse contributes to a multitude of long-term negative health consequences, notably cirrhosis of the liver and a variety of cancers.

While a small quantity, taken daily, is being touted for its salutary health effects, alcohol is one of the worst drugs one can take for pain management, marijuana one of the best.

Alcohol contributes to acts of violence; marijuana reduces aggression. In approximately three million cases of reported violent crimes last year, the offender had been drinking. This is particularly true in cases of domestic violence, sexual assault, and date rape. Marijuana use, in and of itself, is absent from both crime reports and the scientific literature. There is simply no link to be made.

Over the past four years I've asked police officers throughout the U.S. (and in Canada) two questions. When's the last time you had to fight someone under the influence of marijuana? (I'm talking marijuana only, not pot plus a six-pack or a fifth of tequila.) My colleagues pause, they reflect. Their eyes widen as they realize that in their five or fifteen or thirty years on the job they have never had to fight a marijuana user. I then ask: When's the last time you had to fight a drunk? They look at their watches.

All of which begs the question. If one of these two drugs is implicated in dire health effects, high mortality rates, and physical violence--and the other is not--what are we to make of our nation's marijuana laws? Or alcohol laws, for that matter.

Anybody out there want to launch a campaign for the re-prohibition of alcohol? Didn't think so. The answer, of course, is responsible drinking. Marijuana smokers, for their part, have already shown (apart from that little matter known as the law) greater responsibility in their choice of drugs than those of us who choose alcohol.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Sorry, i'm gonna have to post something a bit long, because i'm really right now. The things you are saying are IMHO a result of listening to mostly twisted and skewed stats.

What I take from that is that THC is dangerous and should not be used recreationally. CBD may not be, but it's also not the medical-application component irrc.

So, no justification for smoking cannabis really. Further, smoking tobaco or cannabis is dangerous because it's carcenogenic.

You argument about alchohol and traffic accidents/poisening is totally irrelevant because of the sheer amount you have to consume, and because you should not drink anything if you are going to be taking responsibility for something important or dangerous.

I never drive, shoot, or opperate heavy machinery under the influence and I have only been ill twice in the whole time I have consumed alchohol. In both instances the quantity I consumed was best measured in litres.

Pot can cause psychosis, long term memory damge and paranoia without taking anything like the same quantities. Further, it stays in your system for up to 6 months, it can still be found in your hair at that point. Alchohol is flushed in 24 hours.

[AlexanderSextus]

What I take from that is that THC is dangerous and should not be used recreationally. CBD may not be, but it's also not the medical-application component irrc.

So, no justification for smoking cannabis really. Further, smoking tobaco or cannabis is dangerous because it's carcenogenic.

You argument about alchohol and traffic accidents/poisening is totally irrelevant because of the sheer amount you have to consume, and because you should not drink anything if you are going to be taking responsibility for something important or dangerous.

I never drive, shoot, or opperate heavy machinery under the influence and I have only been ill twice in the whole time I have consumed alchohol. In both instances the quantity I consumed was best measured in litres.

Pot can cause psychosis, long term memory damge and paranoia without taking anything like the same quantities. Further, it stays in your system for up to 6 months, it can still be found in your hair at that point. Alchohol is flushed in 24 hours.

LULWUT?!?

first of all, the psychoactive component does not stay for 6 months, only the metabolites stay.

Did you tl;dr the first article?

Most recently, a large-scale study by investigators at London's Institute of Psychiatry reported that those patients diagnosed with schizophrenia who had previously used cannabis did not demonstrate exacerbated symptoms of the illness compared to age-adjusted controls who had not used cannabis. "This [finding] argues against a distinct schizophrenia-like psychosis caused by cannabis," they concluded.

people REGULARLY die of alcohol poisoning and drunk driving. Just because it is illegal to do doesnt make the fact irrelevant that alcohol causes lots of people to die but marijuana causes NO DEATHS yet it is illegal.

*

Myth: Marijuana Impairs Memory and Cognition. Under the influence of marijuana, people are unable to think rationally and intelligently. Chronic marijuana use causes permanent mental impairment.

Fact: Marijuana produces immediate, temporary changes in thoughts, perceptions, and information processing. The cognitive process most clearly affected by marijuana is short-term memory. In laboratory studies, subjects under the influence of marijuana have no trouble remembering things they learned previously. However, they display diminished capacity to learn and recall new information. This diminishment only lasts for the duration of the intoxication. There is no convincing evidence that heavy long-term marijuana use permanently impairs memory or other cognitive functions.

*
Wetzel, C.D. et al., “Remote Memory During Marijuana Intoxication,” Psychopharmacology 76 (1982): 278-81.

*
Deadwyler, S.A. et al., “The Effects of Delta-9-THC on Mechanisms of Learning and Memory.” Neurobiology of Drug Abuse: Learning and Memory. Ed. L. Erinoff. Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse 1990. 79-83.

*
Block, R.I. et al., “Acute Effects of Marijuana on Cognition: Relationships to Chronic Effects and Smoking Techniques.” Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior 43 (1992): 907-917.

[Reverend Joe]

The psychois alone is reason enough to keep it illegal. What you call "Type C" people are far more common than you think. The fact is that Cannabis is not less dangerous than alchohol because it is extremely dangerous in small quantities. You have to drink a lot to suffer any real longterm damage, and the damage is progressive and predictable.

Pot, will screw you up really quick, just like E will kill you first time. Booze, you have to abuse yourself for a long time to really mess things up.

There is a significant population of people who have a physical intolerance of alcohol, and can die very easily from drinking. Just like the people predisposed to cannaboid psychosis or mental impairments, they should choose not to use the substance; but at the same time, they should not prevent those who can use it safely from using it.

Further, smoking tobaco or cannabis is dangerous because it's carcenogenic.

And drinking causes liver damage -- and BRAIN damage, something that cannabis does not, despite what a lot of people seem to think.

You argument about alchohol and traffic accidents/poisening is totally irrelevant because of the sheer amount you have to consume, and because you should not drink anything if you are going to be taking responsibility for something important or dangerous.

I never drive, shoot, or opperate heavy machinery under the influence and I have only been ill twice in the whole time I have consumed alchohol. In both instances the quantity I consumed was best measured in litres.

Doesn't matter; people who use alcohol are more likely to do this. Just because you are smart enough not to doesn't change the fact that a lot of people aren't.

Pot can cause psychosis, long term memory damge and paranoia without taking anything like the same quantities. Further, it stays in your system for up to 6 months, it can still be found in your hair at that point. Alchohol is flushed in 24 hours.

Psychosis: read above. Long-term memory damage: that's just false, except in extreme cases of abuse, and considering that marijuana causes no direct damage to the brain, I suspect it comes from brain atrophy rather than the cannabis itself. As for paranoia, I have several friends who, while drunk, suddenly thought that their friends were going to kill them, or developed similar pathological obsessions, and that's not to mention the blackout, which happens to all my friends, all of whom are seasoned drinkers who can hold their alcohol.

Arguing about quantity is useless, because it's the intoxication itself that matters, not the quantity of substance being consumed.

And THC staying in your system is a pointless argument, because it exists in such minimal quantities that it has no effect, or people would be high for days.

[Vladimir]

Hmm..

Smoking:Bad

Alcohol:Bad

Marijuana: Not as bad as alcohol or tobacco but still bad.

Does someone else want to argue for legalizing any other harmful substances or just the cool ones?

Me, I miss ephedrine.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

There is a significant population of people who have a physical intolerance of alcohol, and can die very easily from drinking. Just like the people predisposed to cannaboid psychosis or mental impairments, they should choose not to use the substance; but at the same time, they should not prevent those who can use it safely from using it.

Isn't that a document racial intollerence, i.e. not everyone used alchohol historically. I only know of one chap who died from drinking and the ammount was truely horrific.

And drinking causes liver damage -- and BRAIN damage, something that cannabis does not, despite what a lot of people seem to think.

Lung damage? Lung Cancer?

Doesn't matter; people who use alcohol are more likely to do this. Just because you are smart enough not to doesn't change the fact that a lot of people aren't.

No, a larger proportion of people drink, and do so in public and then drive home. Given that you can't smoke a spliff in public you're more likely to be at home anyway. Given that ALL users of cannabis break the law they cannot claim to be responsible.

Psychosis: read above. Long-term memory damage: that's just false, except in extreme cases of abuse, and considering that marijuana causes no direct damage to the brain, I suspect it comes from brain atrophy rather than the cannabis itself. As for paranoia, I have several friends who, while drunk, suddenly thought that their friends were going to kill them, or developed similar pathological obsessions, and that's not to mention the blackout, which happens to all my friends, all of whom are seasoned drinkers who can hold their alcohol.

So you're all alchoholics. Honestly, I have never blacked out, and I don't know many people it happens to. Anyway, it's not the same as being on anti-psychotic meds for the rest of your life, is it?

Arguing about quantity is useless, because it's the intoxication itself that matters, not the quantity of substance being consumed.

No, it's the long term damage that matters.

And THC staying in your system is a pointless argument, because it exists in such minimal quantities that it has no effect, or people would be high for days.

You are certain of this? You have proof that those "minimal" quantities are not effective?

If you truly believe alchohol is more dangerous, work to have it banned. I won't complain too much if you pass it into law. Actually, I won't complain at all.