Irregardless, stimulants, alcohol especially, are part of life's great gift. I think partaking them aesthetically and for pleasure is one of the finest things that we can do. Personally, I like wine.
Location: A simple man leading a complicated life....
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How Does Marijuana Affect the Brain?
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Scientists have learned a great deal about how THC acts in the brain to produce its many effects. When someone smokes marijuana, THC rapidly passes from the lungs into the bloodstream, which carries the chemical to the brain and other organs throughout the body.
THC acts upon specific sites in the brain, called cannabinoid receptors, kicking off a series of cellular reactions that ultimately lead to the "high" that users experience when they smoke marijuana. Some brain areas have many cannabinoid receptors; others have few or none. The highest density of cannabinoid receptors are found in parts of the brain that influence pleasure, memory, thinking, concentrating, sensory and time perception, and coordinated movement.1
Not surprisingly, marijuana intoxication can cause distorted perceptions, impaired coordination, difficulty with thinking and problemsolving, and problems with learning and memory. Research has shown that, in chronic users, marijuana's adverse impact on learning and memory can last for days or weeks after the acute effects of the drug wear off.2 As a result, someone who smokes marijuana every day may be functioning at a suboptimal intellectual level all of the time.
Research into the effects of long-term cannabis use on the structure of the brain has yielded inconsistent results. 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. Brain imaging studies in chronic users tend to show some consistent alterations, but their connection to impaired cognitive functioning is far from clear. This uncertainty may stem from confounding factors such as other drug use, residual drug effects, or withdrawal symptoms in long-term chronic users.
Effects on the Heart
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Marijuana increases heart rate by 20-100 percent shortly after smoking; this effect can last up to 3 hours. In one study, it was estimated that marijuana users have a 4.8-fold increase in the risk of heart attack in the first hour after smoking the drug.5 This may be due to increased heart rate as well as the effects of marijuana on heart rhythms, causing palpitations and arrhythmias. This risk may be greater in aging populations or in those with cardiac vulnerabilities.
What? Associating with a pot dealer puts your family and your job at risk? Not sure how you make that connection at all.
I actually think he has very valid point to a degree. I don't want to put words into KTrain's mouth so I will just say that the drug trade business is incredibly dangerous, though I'm not sure how it puts my job at risk.
Location: A simple man leading a complicated life....
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Marijuana use linked to increased risk of testicular cancer
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SEATTLE — February 9 — Frequent and/or long-term marijuana use may significantly increase a man's risk of developing the most aggressive type of testicular cancer, according to a study by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The study results were published online Feb. 9 in the journal Cancer.
The researchers found that being a marijuana smoker at the time of diagnosis was associated with a 70 percent increased risk of testicular cancer. The risk was particularly elevated (about twice that of those who never smoked marijuana) for those who used marijuana at least weekly and/or who had long-term exposure to the substance beginning in adolescence.
The results also suggested that the association with marijuana use might be limited to nonseminoma, a fast-growing testicular malignancy that tends to strike early, between ages 20 and 35, and accounts for about 40 percent of all testicular-cancer cases.
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For the population-based, case-control study, Daling, Schwartz and colleagues interviewed 369 Seattle-Puget Sound-area men, ages 18 to 44, who had been diagnosed with testicular cancer about their history of marijuana use. For comparison purposes they also assessed marijuana use among 979 randomly selected age- and geography-matched healthy controls. (More than 90 percent of the cases and 80 percent of the controls in the study were Hispanic or non-Hispanic white men, due to the fact that testicular cancer is very rare in African-Americans, and because the Seattle-Puget Sound region has a relatively small African-American population.)
Study participants were also asked about other habits that may be correlated with marijuana use, including smoking and alcohol consumption. Even after statistically controlling for these lifestyle factors, as well as other risk factors, such as first-degree family history of testicular cancer and a history of undescended testes, marijuana use emerged as a significant, independent risk factor for testicular cancer.
The researchers emphasize that their results are not definitive, but rather open a door to more research questions.
"Our study is the first inkling that marijuana use may be associated with testicular cancer, and we still have a lot of unanswered questions," Schwartz said, such as why marijuana appears to be associated with only one type of testicular cancer. "We need to conduct additional research to see whether the association can be observed in other populations, and whether measurement of molecular markers connected to the pathways through which marijuana could influence testicular cancer development helps clarify any association that exists," he said.
I actually think he has very valid point to a degree. I don't want to put words into KTrain's mouth so I will just say that the drug trade business is incredibly dangerous, though I'm not sure how it puts my job at risk.
Its funny, but one of the arguments for legalizing is that it will get the dope trade out of the hands of dangerous criminals and gangs.
Yet when the poster stated that mixing with drug dealers was bad for their families and jobs the response was basically "What for mixing with a pot dealer?"
So I'm curious, either removing prohibition is good because its out of the hands of murder inc and thugs, or these dealers are harmless so there's no reason to change the status quo.
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Hey now ... I'm sure he feels exactly the same about rules related to speeding as well.
Actually, I would not argue that when I speed, I am being an idiot in some cases. Speeding is not always safe, and I'd be lying if I never made any dangerous driving manoeuvres. Anywho-
Marijuana is currently illegal. So is speeding. Some people think speeders are idiots, and others think pot smokers are idiots.
Yikes. Just because I call you an idiot for smoking weed doesn't mean I am wrong for stating so. And just because someone has a post secondary education doesn't mean they are smart, so there is no counterpoint there.
Everyone in this thread who is a weed user is attacking my "false" arguments, when in fact you have to take a look at what you are doing, remember it is illegal (and therefore deemed wrong in our society) before saying I am the one in the wrong. Up until the time where pot is legal, I will remain being correct in saying this:
All criminals are idiots.
Marijuana use/possession is a criminal activity.
Those partaking in criminal activity are criminals.
Those who possess or use marijuana are criminals and therefore idiots.
The minute weed becomes legal, pot users cease to become idiots in my argument. Unless you disagree with my statement that criminals are idiots, and in which case we can have a debate about that another time, and on a different topic.
Its funny, but one of the arguments for legalizing is that it will get the dope trade out of the hands of dangerous criminals and gangs.
Yet when the poster stated that mixing with drug dealers was bad for their families and jobs the response was basically "What for mixing with a pot dealer?"
So I'm curious, either removing prohibition is good because its out of the hands of murder inc and thugs, or these dealers are harmless so there's no reason to change the status quo.
Location: A simple man leading a complicated life....
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A study by the Fraser Institute estimates the real value of B.C.'s marijuana industry at $7 billion in 2006, the same year the value of all the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting in B.C. totalled $5.3 billion.
The institute says there were 17,500 grow-ops province-wide that year.
"Don't think that all that money [$7 billion] is coming back to British Columbia," Rintoul says.
"Some of that money is going to other countries to support other organized-crime activities" involving cocaine, handguns and human smuggling.
He cites the recent bust of a crime group that was exporting 700 kilograms of B.C. bud worth $3 million per week to the U.S. -- and funnelling the profits to the gang's head office in Vietnam.
"If you legalized marijuana in Canada, you would be telling that organization, 'You now have a free reign in that activity,' because they were not selling their marijuana in Canada, they were always selling in the States. To legalize it here would not shut them down.
"The majority of marijuana grown in Canada is exported. So, to say, 'Oh, we'll tax that as well,' you can't tax it going down there, you can only tax what's in Canada.
"And a lot of people would not pay taxes because they could grow it themselves. "Rintoul also argues that a black market in marijuana would still exist if it were legal, since growers would try to avoid paying tax on it
I actually think he has very valid point to a degree. I don't want to put words into KTrain's mouth so I will just say that the drug trade business is incredibly dangerous, though I'm not sure how it puts my job at risk.
Well again it sounds like an extreme overgeneralization. The "drug trade business is extremely dangerous." Okay, but the guy who buys a few pounds off a bigger dealer and then sells to some select clientele at a gas station lets say, is that guy dangerous? You just can't really generalize like you are doing. There's a boatload of difference between organized crime importing or creating hundreds of thousands of dollars of harder drugs like heroin, cocaine, etc and your basic pot dealer who only deals with a few pounds and deals to people he/she's met.
I dunno, it just seems like these generalizations scream a bit of ignorance about the whole thing. Have you met many small time pot dealers? Have you met many big time heroic/cocaine/meth dealers? Have you met importers, organized crime, cooks, etc?
I'm still curious how meeting some small time pot dealer at a public place and grabbing an amount that wouldn't get me jail time would be a serious risk to my family and/or job. That just sounds like a lot of paranoia or misunderstanding of how things work.
Well again it sounds like an extreme overgeneralization. The "drug trade business is extremely dangerous." Okay, but the guy who buys a few pounds off a bigger dealer and then sells to some select clientele at a gas station lets say, is that guy dangerous? You just can't really generalize like you are doing. There's a boatload of difference between organized crime importing or creating hundreds of thousands of dollars of harder drugs like heroin, cocaine, etc and your basic pot dealer who only deals with a few pounds and deals to people he/she's met.
I dunno, it just seems like these generalizations scream a bit of ignorance about the whole thing. Have you met many small time pot dealers? Have you met many big time heroic/cocaine/meth dealers? Have you met importers, organized crime, cooks, etc?
I'm still curious how meeting some small time pot dealer at a public place and grabbing an amount that wouldn't get me jail time would be a serious risk to my family and/or job. That just sounds like a lot of paranoia or misunderstanding of how things work.
Yup I agree 100%. I get mine from a friend. He gets his from a friend. His friend? I dont know or care or have ever thought about it. All I know is British Columbia.
I can tell you that never, EVER have I felt in danger or even that something was faintly wrong when I have bought. I get tiny quantities though. Probably an 8th (~2.5G) every two weeks.
Everyone in this thread who is a weed user is attacking my "false" arguments, when in fact you have to take a look at what you are doing, remember it is illegal (and therefore deemed wrong in our society) before saying I am the one in the wrong. Up until the time where pot is legal, I will remain being correct in saying this:
All criminals are idiots.
Marijuana use/possession is a criminal activity.
Those partaking in criminal activity are criminals.
Those who possess or use marijuana are criminals and therefore idiots.
The minute weed becomes legal, pot users cease to become idiots in my argument. Unless you disagree with my statement that criminals are idiots, and in which case we can have a debate about that another time, and on a different topic.
Except if Cops don't actually enforce anything when they find someone who has a small amount of weed (and I've heard/seen this happen in Calgary) then you have a law that isn't being enforced and thus is in some sense being socially accepted. So it ends up not being considered "criminal" by the very people enforcing it.
If most Cops don't consider owning a small amount to be criminal in Western Canada it kind of defeats your argument about weed users being criminals which makes them idiots. Not sure why you are so set on insulting a large percentage of the population.
Do you consider jay-walking to be "criminal"? It is against the law and not always enforced much like having a small amount of weed is. So is everyone an idiot? Because you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who hasn't jay-walked at one point in their lives.
Well again it sounds like an extreme overgeneralization. The "drug trade business is extremely dangerous." Okay, but the guy who buys a few pounds off a bigger dealer and then sells to some select clientele at a gas station lets say, is that guy dangerous? You just can't really generalize like you are doing. There's a boatload of difference between organized crime importing or creating hundreds of thousands of dollars of harder drugs like heroin, cocaine, etc and your basic pot dealer who only deals with a few pounds and deals to people he/she's met.
I dunno, it just seems like these generalizations scream a bit of ignorance about the whole thing. Have you met many small time pot dealers? Have you met many big time heroic/cocaine/meth dealers? Have you met importers, organized crime, cooks, etc?
I'm still curious how meeting some small time pot dealer at a public place and grabbing an amount that wouldn't get me jail time would be a serious risk to my family and/or job. That just sounds like a lot of paranoia or misunderstanding of how things work.
Sorry, to me a dealer is a dealer is a dealer, they make money off of selling noxious illegal and in a lot of cases highly addictive substances to people, and in a lot of cases the most vulnerable members of our society.
Also that small time dealer is at some level still locked into the gang or thug level drug dealer who's using the money for god knows what. So they're still a problem
At least with liquor store owners, there's rules that apply in terms of selling to under agers.
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
1) The article claims pot does not cause cancer, but cites a study that was not conclusive. I think that just shows that it doesn't take much convincing to make people believe what they want to believe. The research posts above on testicular cancer shows that the study in the article was not comprehensive.
2) I agree that pot is not addictive, however the article does not offer any evidence to support that. I'm only basing that on personal experience.
3) I believe that pot can act as a gate way drug. I've seen many people start with pot, and continue on from there to more serious drugs, like cocaine, e, and shrooms. It is possible that they would have gone on to harder drugs with or without pot, but there is a clear connection between pot use, and users of harder drugs.
Again, the study cited in the article does not "unequivocally disprove" the gateway theory. The article also uses some strange wording/logic, to turn pot into "the exact opposite of a gateway drug". Another case of believing what you want to believe.
4) The link for the no brain damage claim isn't working anymore. I don't buy this claim at all. I've heard too many heavy users complain of memory loss to be convinced of this without several convincing studies to back it up.
5) I agree it has medical uses.
I think one of the most important reasons not to use it right now is to not support criminals/drug dealers.
I'd also like to see some research on the impact of combined alcohol and pot use, because that really messes up your night.
I think a lot more research should be done before it is legalized. They would also need to make it illegal to operate a vehical under its influence. Right now, in terms of health impacts, it doesn't seem to be any worse than tobacco, but they said that about anabolic steroids at first too.
Well again it sounds like an extreme overgeneralization. The "drug trade business is extremely dangerous." Okay, but the guy who buys a few pounds off a bigger dealer and then sells to some select clientele at a gas station lets say, is that guy dangerous? You just can't really generalize like you are doing. There's a boatload of difference between organized crime importing or creating hundreds of thousands of dollars of harder drugs like heroin, cocaine, etc and your basic pot dealer who only deals with a few pounds and deals to people he/she's met.
The problem is that your small time dealer and organized crime are the same thing... one doesn't work without the other, so yeah generalizing is somewhat necessary. There is absolutely no way you can tell me exactly where your pot comes from and the steps it took to get to you unless you grow it yourself. with that said, your little pot dealer is just the end result of a dangerous business. If you don't agree with that then I would ask you this, if you had a child, would you want them to hang out with the little drug dealer at the store?
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Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher
I dunno, it just seems like these generalizations scream a bit of ignorance about the whole thing. Have you met many small time pot dealers? Have you met many big time heroic/cocaine/meth dealers? Have you met importers, organized crime, cooks, etc?
Unfortunately the answer is yes to all of these questions
