Marijuana

[Mr T]

Hmmm.  Mr. Lohan says Lindsay is out of jail already again because God wanted it that way.  I guess God likes her movies.  Or is it movie?  I don't know.

[hammondjam]

To his credit, he also said in the past there are plenty of reasons (like owning a yacht) the tax breaks on the wealthiest Americans should expire.

But....but...if'n we do that, there will be massive unemployment and industry will move overseas!   ::O: :o :confused: ::;:

[Whoo]

Well, if pot growing were able to become a legal industry, look at some of the positives:

1.  The jobs would stay in this country; with all of the diverse climates and soils, the US could bcome the top producer of fine alternative smokes.

2.  Employers may even be able to pay pickers less money because the pickers would WANT to stay in their jobs, particularly if they do like some breweries do and let their employees have one or two smokes a day. ;)

3.  Persons with law enforcement backgrounds would still have a job, except they could be protecting the fields instead of burning them. >:(

[Mr T]

There are too many really really good uses for this plant.  We live in Opposite Land, where bad is good and good is bad.

Money money money money, MONEY!   :mad:

[Terry]

too many really really good uses

[Terry]

The Marijuana Plant


The recognizable marijuana leaf with five to seven leaflets attached at a center pointThe history of marijuana use reaches back farther than many would guess. Cultivation of the Cannabis sativa plant dates back thousands of years. The first written account of cannabis cultivation (ostensibly used as medical marijuana) is found in Chinese records dating from 28 B.C. That means Chinese cultures were growing marijuana more than 2,000 years ago. However, the plant may have been cultivated long before then -- there have been reports of a nearly 3,000-year-old Egyptian mummy containing traces of THC, the main psychoactive chemical in marijuana.

Cannabis sativa is perhaps the most recognizable plant in the world. Pictures of the ubiquitous green cannabis leaf show up in the news media, textbooks and drug-prevention literature, and the leaf's shape is made into jewelry, put on bumper stickers and clothing and spray-painted on walls. The leaves are arranged palmately, radiating from a common center like the fingers of a hand spreading apart. Although most people know what the cannabis plant looks like, they may know very little about its horticulture.

Hemp Products

The marijuana plant has many uses. Its stiff, fibrous stalk can be used to make lots of products, from food to ship sails. The stalk is comprised of two parts -- the hurd and the bast. The bast provides fibers that can be woven into many fabrics. These fibers (also called hemp) are woven to create canvas, which has been used to make ship sails for centuries.

The hurd provides pulp to make paper, oil to make paints and varnishes, and seed for food. Marijuana plants produce a high-protein, high-carbohydrate seed that is used in granola and cereals. Hemp oil and seed contain only trace amounts of psychoactive chemicals.

Owning hemp products, such as hemp rope or a hemp shirt, is legal. However, it is illegal to grow or possess marijuana in plant or drug form in the United States. Possession of the cannabis plant or marijuana seeds is punishable by fines and possible jail sentences. ­


­Cannabis sativa is believed to be a native plant of India, where it possibly originated in a region just north of the Himalayan mountains. It's a herbaceous annual that can grow to a height of between 13 and 18 feet (4 to 5.4 meters). The plant has flowers that bloom from late summer to mid-fall. Cannabis plants usually have one of two types of flowers, male or female, and some plants have both. Male flowers grow in elongated clusters along the leaves and turn yellow and die after blossoming. Female flowers grow in spikelike clusters and remain dark green for a month after blossoming, until the seed ripens. Hashish, which is more powerful than marijuana, is made from the resin of the cannabis flowers.

Marijuana plants contain more than 400 chemicals, 60 of which fit into a category called cannabinoids. THC is just one of these cannabinoids, but it's the chemical most often associated with the effects that marijuana has on the brain. Cannabis plants also contain choline, eugenol, guaicacol and piperidine. The concentration of THC and other cannabinoids varies depending on growing conditions, plant genetics and processing after harvest. You'll learn more about the potency of THC and the toxicity of marijuana next.
IT's ben around  ( since\\se GOD! so it can't be all that bad - Oops! so has {{ SATAN }}

[hammondjam]

I know, from many years of personal experience, that it is NOT a dangerous, addicting narcotic like a lot of opponents to legalization try to convince us. Many people I know lead very productive lives EVEN though they partake on occasion. It's no different than having a couple of glasses of wine after dinner.

I feel that any bad that could come of using this plant comes solely from the user's lack of ambition and refusal to TRY to make good, responsible decisions. This is a problem OF the user and not OF the plant. People that sit around all day getting high will be slackers with or without marijuana. If we are going to protect these people from everything that they could use to affect their brains, we'd have to get rid of everything that can be huffed, drank, snorted, inhaled or injected. That takes in a LOT of everyday items.

Corporate industry has made this plant illegal to avoid competition from a plant that, as Terry has pointed out, has MANY different uses. Cotton is not as strong as hemp AND it depletes the soil of nutrients over time( TheDust Bowl was caused by the constant growing of cotton along with other soil management mistakes). The reason that our government seems to look the other way on the issue of illegal alien workers is the SAME reason that pot is illegal. Agricultural lobbyists protecting their ASSets.

I could go on and on and tie in several other things but I'll stop there.

[Terry]

Still "THE MOST ABUSED 'drug' in this counrty is acohol!  Weed can't hold a candle to it!

[hammondjam]

I've been to keg parties and to weed parties. The ones where people got hurt, robbed, left for dead or raped ALL had to do with alchohol. The weed parties pretty much centered around listening to music and really getting into what the singer was saying RIGHT before demolishing a bag of Doritos!

I went to a "family" party of bikers at a private acreage in Illinois(near SIU) and there were live bands, great food and all the tops you could ever think of using in 50 gallon barrels around the property. The top brass had automatic weapons but I never even saw even one pulled out. The rules were simple. Have fun but don't f*ck up anybody elses night or you'll wind up in a hole. Alchohol was obviously present but didn't rear it's ugly side at THAT party!

[Whoo]

The best part about weed v booze is that while a person drinking can overlook what is a safe limit and get themselves or others in trouble, with a person smoking, they know they can only get so high during their smoking session - after that, it is just a waste of pot.  Or their lungs get trashed and they can't smoke anymore for a while.  But even comparing 2 people under the influences of pot v booze, the pot smoker can still carry on an intelligent conversation, can participate in most activities, etc.  A drunk will just mess things up. ::)

[hammondjam]

I've done some ("HEY...Watch This!) things and even engaged in violent activities while under the influence of tequila or Rev. Jack Black but the worst I've ever done while high is to eat all the munchies or snore loudly!  No holding up stores for more dope money. One has to awake for those activities!   ::D:

[Terry]

Hamjam & Whoo -- "U" got it exactly right.   And there's millions ( billions ) " OUT THERE " that will agree w/ "U"!  ((( SO ))) it's another gov thing?

[mr.willy]

Research Report Series
Marijuana Abuse
How Does Marijuana Use Affect Your Brain and Body?

Effects on the Brain
As THC enters the brain, it causes the user to feel euphoric—or high—by acting on the brain's reward system, which is made up of regions that govern the response to pleasurable things like sex and chocolate, as well as to most drugs of abuse. THC activates the reward system in the same way that nearly all drugs of abuse do: by stimulating brain cells to release the chemical dopamine.

Along with euphoria, relaxation is another frequently reported effect in human studies. Other effects, which vary dramatically among different users, include heightened sensory perception (e.g., brighter colors), laughter, altered perception of time, and increased appetite. After a while, the euphoria subsides, and the user may feel sleepy or depressed. Occasionally, marijuana use may produce anxiety, fear, distrust, or panic.

Marijuana users who have taken large doses of the drug may experience an acute psychosis, which includes hallucinations, delusions, and a loss of the sense of personal identity.
Marijuana use impairs a person's ability to form new memories (see "Marijuana, Memory, and the Hippocampus") and to shift focus. THC also disrupts coordination and balance by binding to receptors in the cerebellum and basal ganglia—parts of the brain that regulate balance, posture, coordination, and reaction time. Therefore, learning, doing complicated tasks, participating in athletics, and driving are also affected.

Marijuana users who have taken large doses of the drug may experience an acute psychosis, which includes hallucinations, delusions, and a loss of the sense of personal identity. Although the specific causes of these symptoms remain unknown, they appear to occur more frequently when a high dose of cannabis is consumed in food or drink rather than smoked. Such short-term psychotic reactions to high concentrations of THC are distinct from longer-lasting, schizophrenia-like disorders that have been associated with the use of cannabis in vulnerable individuals. (See "Is There a Link Between Marijuana Use and Mental Illness?")

Our understanding of marijuana's long-term brain effects is limited. Research findings on how chronic cannabis use affects brain structure, for example, have been inconsistent. It may be that the effects are too subtle for reliable detection by current techniques. A similar challenge arises in studies of the effects of chronic marijuana use on brain function. Although imaging studies (functional MRI; fMRI) in chronic users do show some consistent alterations, the relation of these changes to cognitive functioning is less clear. This uncertainty may stem from confounding factors such as other drug use, residual drug effects (which can occur for at least 24 hours in chronic users), or withdrawal symptoms in long-term chronic users.

Marijuana, Memory, and the Hippocampus

Memory impairment from marijuana use occurs because THC alters how information is processed in the hippocampus, a brain area responsible for memory formation.


Distribution of cannabinoid receptors in the rat brain. Brain image reveals high levels (shown in orange and yellow) of cannabinoid receptors in many areas, including the cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum, and nucleus accumbens (ventral striatum).
Most of the evidence supporting this assertion comes from animal studies. For example, rats exposed to THC in utero, soon after birth, or during adolescence, show notable problems with specific learning/memory tasks later in life. Moreover, cognitive impairment in adult rats is associated with structural and functional changes in the hippocampus from THC exposure during adolescence.

As people age, they lose neurons in the hippocampus, which decreases their ability to learn new information. Chronic THC exposure may hasten age-related loss of hippocampal neurons. In one study, rats exposed to THC every day for 8 months (approximately 30 percent of their life-span) showed a level of nerve cell loss (at 11 to 12 months of age) that equaled that of unexposed animals twice their age.

An enduring question in the field is whether individuals who quit marijuana, even after long-term, heavy use, can recover some of their cognitive abilities. One study reports that the ability of long-term heavy marijuana users to recall words from a list was still impaired 1 week after they quit using, but returned to normal by 4 weeks. However, another study found that marijuana's effects on the brain can build up and deteriorate critical life skills over time. Such effects may be worse in those with other mental disorders, or simply by virtue of the normal aging process.

Effects on General Physical Health
Within a few minutes after inhaling marijuana smoke, an individual's heart rate speeds up, the bronchial passages relax and become enlarged, and blood vessels in the eyes expand, making the eyes look red. The heart rate—normally 70 to 80 beats per minute—may increase by 20 to 50 beats per minute, or may even double in some cases. Taking other drugs with marijuana can amplify this effect.

Limited evidence suggests that a person's risk of heart attack during the first hour after smoking marijuana is four times his or her usual risk. This observation could be partly explained by marijuana raising blood pressure (in some cases) and heart rate and reducing the blood's capacity to carry oxygen. Such possibilities need to be examined more closely, particularly since current marijuana users include adults from the baby boomer generation, who may have other cardiovascular risks that may increase their vulnerability.

Consequences of Marijuana Abuse

Acute (present during intoxication)
Impairs short-term memory
Impairs attention, judgment, and other cognitive functions
Impairs coordination and balance
Increases heart rate
Psychotic episodes
Persistent (lasting longer than intoxication, but may not be permanent)
Impairs memory and learning skills
Sleep impairment
Long-term (cumulative effects of chronic abuse)
Can lead to addiction
Increases risk of chronic cough, bronchitis
Increases risk of schizophrenia in vulnerable individuals
May increase risk of anxiety, depression, and amotivational syndrome*
* These are often reported co-occurring symptoms/disorders with chronic marijuana use. However, research has not yet determined whether marijuana is causal or just associated with these mental problems.

The smoke of marijuana, like that of tobacco, consists of a toxic mixture of gases and particulates, many of which are known to be harmful to the lungs. Someone who smokes marijuana regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers do, such as daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illnesses, and a greater risk of lung infections. Even infrequent marijuana use can cause burning and stinging of the mouth and throat, often accompanied by a heavy cough. One study found that extra sick days used by frequent marijuana smokers were often because of respiratory illnesses (Polen et al. 1993).

In addition, marijuana has the potential to promote cancer of the lungs and other parts of the respiratory tract because it contains irritants and carcinogens—up to 70 percent more than tobacco smoke. It also induces high levels of an enzyme that converts certain hydrocarbons into their cancer-causing form, which could accelerate the changes that ultimately produce malignant cells. And since marijuana smokers generally inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than tobacco smokers, the lungs are exposed longer to carcinogenic smoke. However, while several lines of evidence have suggested that marijuana use may lead to lung cancer, the supporting evidence is inconclusive (Hashibe et al. 2006). The presence of an unidentified active ingredient in cannabis smoke having protective properties—if corroborated and properly characterized—could help explain the inconsistencies and modest findings.

   Within a few minutes after inhaling marijuana smoke, an individual's heart rate speeds up, the bronchial passages relax and become enlarged, and blood vessels in the eyes expand, making the eyes look red.
A significant body of research demonstrates negative effects of THC on the function of various immune cells, both in vitro in cells and in vivo with test animals. However, no studies to date connect marijuana's suspected immune system suppression with greater incidence of infections or immune disorders in humans. One short (3-week) study found marijuana smoking to be associated with a few statistically significant negative effects on the immune function of AIDS patients; a second small study of college students also suggested the possibility of marijuana having adverse effects on immune system functioning. Thus, the combined evidence from animal studies plus the limited human data available, seem to warrant additional research on the impact of marijuana on the immune system. (See "The Science of Medical Marijuana")

[Sir Jeffrey]

Hmmm, no author, study name, URL address :o :o :o

[hammondjam]

Hamjam & Whoo -- "U" got it exactly right.   And there's millions ( billions ) " OUT THERE " that will agree w/ "U"!  ((( SO ))) it's another gov thing?

Since our government is so linked with big business via lobbyists....YES, it's a government thang. Bullsh!t raining down but with an official seal. Same reason that our industrial meat packers get away with killing people with e-coli that was "created" by their assembly line methods. Same reason that the only flight allowed after 9/11 was for the bin Laden family....the business partner of Bush Sr., Bush Jr. and Cheney. There are also some Dems but I forget who and how much.

Cotton is good but NOT as good as hemp. Certain industries are making sure that we have to import our hemp from Canada so as not to make things rough on them! Also, hemp seeds have Omega 3 and 6. More than fish and WAY safer since we're getting our fish from the Somali area of Africa. Same place where certain countries are dumping nuclear waste and other toxic crap.