Post by: Anonymous on November 04, 2004, 08:05:00 PM
Cannabis can precipitate the first episode of psychosis
If someone has a predisposition to a psychotic illness, such as schizophrenia, use of drugs such as cannabis may trigger the first episode in what can be a lifelong, disabling condition. There is increasing evidence that regular cannabis use precedes and causes higher rates of psychotic illness. Psychotic illnesses are characterised by:
Delusions - for example the person believes they have special powers.
Hallucinations - for example the person hears voices or sees things that aren't really there.
Thought disorder - for example the person has difficulty organising their thoughts.
When people experience psychotic symptoms, they are unable to distinguish what is real. They lose contact with reality.
Post by: Anonymous on November 04, 2004, 08:12:00 PM
Post by: Anonymous on November 04, 2004, 08:18:00 PM
Post by: Anonymous on November 04, 2004, 08:46:00 PM
Post by: Anonymous on November 04, 2004, 10:13:00 PM
Quote
On 2004-11-04 17:05:00, Anonymous wrote:
...They lose contact with reality.
"
Which is exactly why I smoke it. :smokin:
Post by: Froderik on November 05, 2004, 12:27:00 AM
Quote
read it and weep
:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
Post by: Anonymous on November 05, 2004, 02:01:00 AM
Post by: Anonymous on November 05, 2004, 08:11:00 AM
Post by: teachback on November 05, 2004, 09:10:00 AM
I've enjoyed TBPITW for most of my 'wonderful' life.
However, money has been a little tight for me right now.
Would you mind sending me a 'care package?'
Sincerely,
Frank
Post by: beth1222 on November 05, 2004, 12:51:00 PM
Post by: Scarstruck on November 05, 2004, 02:53:00 PM
That is false information ....But thanks anyway, dipshit.
Post by: Anonymous on November 05, 2004, 03:14:00 PM
Sorry but this does happen to a minority of people. I think though, that since schizophrenia is usually genetic, that it's the same way with this. You probably need to be a latent schizophrenic for it to make you become psychotic. I have a friend who had a psychotic break due to acid, but it came back later when she wasn't on it. Meaning, it may not have been the acid.
Post by: Scarstruck on November 05, 2004, 03:35:00 PM
But Ill tell ya what will make you schizo....methamphetamine. Go hate and post about how bad that is....
Shit Im sure too much caffiene is dangerous for people with the right mental illness...
Post by: beth1222 on November 05, 2004, 04:18:00 PM
Post by: Anonymous on November 05, 2004, 05:41:00 PM
Post by: Anonymous on November 05, 2004, 06:01:00 PM
Post by: Anonymous on November 05, 2004, 07:36:00 PM
If someone has a predisposition to a psychotic illness, such as schizophrenia, use of drugs such as cannabis may trigger the first episode in what can be a lifelong, disabling condition.
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv ... enDocument (http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Cannabis_and_psychosis?OpenDocument)
Actually it IS true and it DOES happen, even to long time users. You never know what mental illness is just waiting to be tripped off.
Post by: Anonymous on November 05, 2004, 07:40:00 PM
Further research is urgently needed to help validate the diagnosis of cannabis psychosis by health professionals (Greyner, Luborsky and Solowij, 1995; Dews, 1972; Gruber and Pope, 1994), especially since up-to-date research has not been done on the new strain with very high potency.
In 1994, (Ashwood, 1995) a number of young people, aged between the late teens to late twenties, were affected by florid psychotic episodes.
"There was, and as is [sic] now, no known evidence for the cause of their problems, other than their heavy cannabis use, whether it [is] chronic or acute. Laboratory tests and histories failed to reveal any use of the psycho stimulants one would expect to see involved. Nor was there any pre existing latent or prodromal psychotic disorder as the alternative explanation." (p. 49)
As Goodman and Gilman explain, "Because of the high prevalence of marihuana use, dysphoric reactions and psychiatric emergencies as a result of smoking marihuana... can also cause an acute exacerbation of symptomatology in stabilized schizophrenics, and is and independent risk factor for the development of schizophrenia." (p. 3).
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~apfdfy/Suicide.html (http://members.optusnet.com.au/~apfdfy/Suicide.html)
Post by: Froderik on November 05, 2004, 08:50:00 PM
Quote
Actually it IS true and it DOES happen, even to long time users. You never know what mental illness is just waiting to be tripped off.
I doubt this part of it. Highly unlikely. Long time users? Where is pot gonna take them that they haven't already been?
Post by: Anonymous on November 05, 2004, 08:51:00 PM
Quote
On 2004-11-05 16:40:00, Anonymous wrote: up-to-date research has not been done on the new strain with very high potency.
yo yo! I'll be the guinea pig for that research project!
Post by: mental torture made me li on November 05, 2004, 09:09:00 PM
Post by: whiterabbit on November 05, 2004, 10:20:00 PM
I wonder if there is any research suggesting treatment centers are a contributing factor to drug abuse. It's not much of a stretch. People with mental illness, those suffering from trauma and even those who suffer from learning disabilities have been known to self medicate.
Most mental health professionals would agree that long term abusive conditions like those found in Straight can precipitate a psychic break.
I wish a study could be conducted to determine which is more hazardous to your mental health, Straight or Marijuana. Having done both, Straight gets my vote as the clear winner. Not even a close race. In fact in terms of disruption to my coping skills, self esteem, relationships, mental health & happiness, there is nothing that is even a close second.
I wish some genuine statistical research could be done on the subject. I'll eat my car if it doesn't prove that Straight was hazardous to your health.
The sadist cannot stand the separation of the public and the private; nor can he grant to others the mystery of their personality, the validity of their inner self...in order for him to feel his maximum power, he wants the world to be peopled with concrete manipulatable objects...
-- ERNEST BECKER, The Structure of Evil, 1968.
Post by: mental torture made me li on November 05, 2004, 10:37:00 PM
Post by: Anonymous on November 06, 2004, 12:06:00 AM
Post by: Scarstruck on November 06, 2004, 06:50:00 AM
Post by: Anonymous on November 06, 2004, 08:10:00 AM
Post by: Trekker Jag on November 06, 2004, 12:42:00 PM
Quote
On 2004-11-04 17:05:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Did you know it can induce dormant shcizophrenia? That explains a lot about some of you!! Read on ...
Cannabis can precipitate the first episode of psychosis
If someone has a predisposition to a psychotic illness, such as schizophrenia, use of drugs such as cannabis may trigger the first episode in what can be a lifelong, disabling condition. There is increasing evidence that regular cannabis use precedes and causes higher rates of psychotic illness. Psychotic illnesses are characterised by:
Delusions - for example the person believes they have special powers.
Hallucinations - for example the person hears voices or sees things that aren't really there.
Thought disorder - for example the person has difficulty organising their thoughts.
When people experience psychotic symptoms, they are unable to distinguish what is real. They lose contact with reality.
"
Cars CAN kill people if they collide with them. Water MAY cause death by drowning if it is inhaled. Food HAS BEEN KNOWN to cause some individuals to choke and asphyxiate.
Don't post your DFAF anti-weed propaganda here.
I am NOT in favor of mere legalization of marijuana, I want marijuana use to be MANDATORY, with the death penalty for you squares that won't smoke it. With us or by us, YOU WILL GET WASTED!
:smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :smokin: :skull:
Post by: whiterabbit on November 06, 2004, 04:49:00 PM
Exactly.
Asshole.
The Bible and the Church have been the greatest stumbling blocks in the way of women's emancipation.
--Elizabeth Cady-Stanton
Post by: Anonymous on November 06, 2004, 09:29:00 PM
Alcohol causes alcoholism... film at 11.
:rofl:
Post by: Anonymous on November 06, 2004, 09:53:00 PM
Post by: Froderik on November 06, 2004, 10:16:00 PM
Post by: ehm on November 07, 2004, 01:05:00 AM
Quote
On 2004-11-06 18:29:00, Anonymous wrote:
"NEWSFLASH!!!!
Alcohol causes alcoholism... film at 11.
:rofl: "
hahaha...
Post by: groovy1634 on November 07, 2004, 03:35:00 AM
peace
lisa
:silly:
Post by: Woof-a-Doof on November 07, 2004, 08:04:00 AM
Overwhemingly my experience in working with these individuals shows that the drug of choice for silencing the syptoms of Schizophrenia is, ETOH3 or Alcohol.
Did some smoke pot? Sure. Was it the smoking gun that pushed them "over the edge"---Highly unlikely. If there is a predisposition for shcizophrenia and it is to manafest into a full blown form of shcizophrenia...it will happen with or without the use of weed.
I don't so much mind peoples varying opinions, or even those voicing thier opinions on the topic of smoking weed, but it is most annoying when statements are given as facts when indeed they are distorted at best. And then are used to condem those who disagree...which has a hint of fanaticism to it.
It does help to remember that this type of bullshit was taught in Straight. However, it is sad to see that after a period of time, the same distorted patterns are still being used against people...
I am of the opinion that, well, simply put, some people should not smoke pot...I am only to assume the author of the post that initiated this thread doesnt smoke pot...and for this I am thankfull[ This Message was edited by: Woof-a-Doof on 2004-11-07 05:07 ]
Post by: Anonymous on November 07, 2004, 01:34:00 PM
The articles posted on this matter were legit and referenced. Go do your homeowork THEN come back and argue a factual point.
Post by: Antigen on November 07, 2004, 01:45:00 PM
The big difference between these other weeds and cannabis is that cannabis is extremely popular. Now, why is that? I think it's because cannabis is useful, pleasurable and causes few unwanted side effects. Very few people try belladonna or morning glories as a recreational drug twice. Fly agarics are somewhat popular, but very few people really enjoy the experience enough to make it worth the side effects and risks.
The prohibitionists simply cannot accept people using their own experience and observation to make their own choices as regards cannabis because, as it turns out, they were wrong about this one. Yes, it makes most people euphoric, giddy, temporarily impaired and hungry. We know that. For some, those are the benefits. For others, those are acceptable side effects that one must deal with in order to gain other benefits.
The important question is not whether or not cannabis is 100% safe and always effective. Those of us who live in dystopia understand that no such drug exists. The question is whether or not cannabis is so banefully harmful as to justify the trillions of dollars, military action, millions imprisoned and all the rest of the effort we put forth to prevent anyone from making that choice for themselves. I think that it clearly is not.
The other question is why? Why are the prohibitionists so hung up on this one herb that, for thousands of years, has been used for pleasure and medicine w/o serious problems? I have a theory. I think they're just plain simple minded. We have complex and difficult problems to deal with these days. It would be nice to think that there's one root of all evil and that dedicating ourselves to erradicating that source of all of our problems will actually solve all of our problems. Unfortunately, here in dystopia, it doesn't work that way. Worse yet, the prohibitionists are so blinded by their jihad that they can't even see the problems they're causing.
Religion is just mind control.
--George Carlin, comedian
_________________
Ginger Warbis ~ Antigen
Seed sibling `71 - `80
Straight South (Sarasota, FL)
10/80 - 10/82
Anonymity Anonymous
Some days, it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps.
Post by: Anonymous on November 07, 2004, 04:14:00 PM
Post by: Antigen on November 07, 2004, 06:06:00 PM
Quote
http://www.safespectrum.com/applications-produce.php (http://www.safespectrum.com/applications-produce.php)
"When potato tubers are exposed to light, the solanine content in the peel may increase as much as ten times. Toxic levels for people are about one-hundredth of an ounce for a 200-lb person. But, with UV light-exposed whole tubers in which solanine had increased ten-fold, only two pounds could cause a reaction." "Potatoes containing more than 0.1 percent solanine (.01 oz/10 oz potato) are considered unfit for eating."
That's all of about 2 min worth of 'reasearch'.
The other part of your question is more difficult. Apparently, it has taken modern science some number of decades to discover even the minor correlation between cannabis use and psychosis. And they can't even tell us, at this point, which came first. It's still a chicken and egg story, or a Chicken Little story.
I mean, come on now! Since we started keeping track in the `70's, roughly half of all highschool kids will admit, when asked, to having smoked pot. That means that at least half of everyone you know has smoked pot. And that's a very, very conservative estimate. It leaves out all those who's first toke came in college or sometime after and all those who toked but didn't invest full faith in the anonymity of the questionair.
How many psychotic people do you know?
My point is, as stated already, that everything is dangerous. Everything. Litterally. Nothing is without risk.
Is pot so horrendously dangerous as to justify criminal prohibition? If it is, then how come it takes government funded scientists to even detect this danger? It's not asif this is some exotic substance that no one knows anything about. We all know many people who have used this stuff for years and years. If it had any significant effect, we'd all know about it.
science is the record of dead religions.
--Oscar Wilde
Post by: mental torture made me li on November 07, 2004, 06:50:00 PM
Post by: Froderik on November 07, 2004, 11:39:00 PM
Quote
Is pot so horrendously dangerous as to justify criminal prohibition? If it is, then how come it takes government funded scientists to even detect this danger? It's not as if this is some exotic substance that no one knows anything about. We all know many people who have used this stuff for years and years. If it had any significant effect, we'd all know about it.
Post by: Woof-a-Doof on November 08, 2004, 07:22:00 AM
Quote
On 2004-11-07 10:34:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Actually woof a doof you are wrong. I too have worked in the Mental Health field. I know of a college boy who smoked for the first time and it DID induce schizophrenia. What was sad is that he KNEW it was not normal and he still could not change it.
The articles posted on this matter were legit and referenced. Go do your homeowork THEN come back and argue a factual point."
Ok, you know of one individual where this was the case. And there are studies and reports supporting this inane arqument. Perhaps I wasnt clear....Is it "possible" that smoking pot can percipitate an individuals first episode...certainly. Is it an absolute fact that smoking pot will induce a psychotic episode...Far from it.
As far as hunting and searching down references to support my opinion, I will leave that to those who have more free time than I. It really isn't something I wish to engage my time with.
My post was my opinion based on my experience. My opinion and my experience are not wrong, they are simply my opinions, based on my experience. Challenging that will be an exercise in futility.
Post by: Froderik on November 08, 2004, 09:58:00 AM
Post by: Anonymous on November 08, 2004, 10:13:00 AM
Quote
On 2004-11-06 18:53:00, Anonymous wrote:
"IT IS BAD BAD BAD FOR YOU AND IT WILL CAUSE YOU TO BE CRAZYYYYYYYYYYYY"
Ah....now there's[/b] an intelligent arguement. :roll: :roll: :roll:
Post by: Anonymous on November 08, 2004, 10:43:00 AM
Post by: Anonymous on November 08, 2004, 11:58:00 AM
Cannabinoids May Help Against Many Diseases
2004-11-05 >> news category >> general
Source: SFGate.com
David Kohn, Baltimore Sun
Friday, November 5, 2004
San Diego -- A decade ago, when Daniele Piomelli went to scientific conferences, he was often the only researcher studying cannabinoids, the class of chemicals that give marijuana users a high.
His work often drew snickers and jokes -- but no more. At the annual Society for Neuroscience conference last week, scientists delivered almost 200 papers on the subject.
Why the attention? Many scientists believe marijuana-like drugs may be able to treat a wide range of diseases, far beyond the nausea and chronic pain typically treated with medical marijuana.
Researchers presented tantalizing evidence that cannabinoid drugs can help treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, Parkinson's disease and obesity. Other researchers are studying whether the compounds can help victims of stroke and multiple sclerosis.
Although the chemicals work on the same area of the nervous system, the new drugs are much more refined and targeted than marijuana, with few of its side effects.
"Cannabinoids have a lot of pharmaceutical potential," said Piomelli, a neuroscientist at UC Irvine. "A lot of people are very excited."
Although the federal government opposes the use of medical marijuana, it generally doesn't restrict cannabinoid research, most of which doesn't involve the cannabis plant itself. Scientists who use Marinol, a legal but tightly regulated marijuana-like drug, do need government permission.
Because the cannabinoid system wasn't discovered until the late 1980s -- decades after serotonin, dopamine and other neurotransmitters -- researchers still know relatively little about how it works.
Like all neurotransmitter networks, the cannabinoid system consists of a series of chemical pathways through the brain and nervous system. Marijuana produces its effects by activating this pathway, primarily through the effects of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the drug's main active ingredient.
Over the past decade, researchers have been following these abundant trails to determine their real purpose. "You don't have them there to get stoned. So there must be internal reasons," said Andrea Giuffrida, a neuroscientist at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio.
Researchers have learned that endogenous cannabinoids -- internal brain chemicals that activate the system -- play a role in tissue protection, immunity and inflammation, among other functions. The cannabinoid system also appears to exert wide influence, modulating the release of dopamine, serotonin and other neurotransmitters.
Giuffrida and others believe cannabinoids can treat degenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease and ALS.
At the conference, Giuffrida announced that a cannabinoid drug wards off Parkinson's-like effects in mice.
The disorder, which afflicts more than 1 million Americans, destroys neurons in a key part of the brain, causing patients to lose control over movement.
Giuffrida, with colleagues David Price and James Roberts, injected mice with a chemical called MPTP, which mimics Parkinson's damage. When some of the animals subsequently received a drug that blocks cannabinoid receptors, their nerve cells suffered much less damage than did the cells of the other mice. This was the first demonstration that a cannabinoid drug can have this effect.
While he is not sure how the anti-cannabinoid compound works, Giuffrida suspects it protects neurons by reducing inflammation, a key component in Parkinson's.
Cannabinoids might also slow down ALS, which destroys neurons that control muscles until victims become paralyzed, unable to breathe on their own.
Neuroscientist Mary Abood became interested in cannabinoids after hearing about ALS patients who got some relief from smoking marijuana. So she began animal experiments at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco.
In her study, mice with a variant of ALS were given a combination of THC and cannabidiol, another compound found in marijuana. Both substances are cannabinoid agonists, chemicals that activate the cannabinoid system.
Abood measured the course of the ailment by testing how long the mice could stand on a slowly rotating rod.
The treatment delayed disease progression by more than seven days and extended survival by six days. In human terms, this would amount to about three years. That's a significant improvement over the only existing ALS drug, riluzole, which extends life by two months. "I was very excited when I got my initial results," Abood said.
Also at the conference, researchers at the Institute of Neurology in London announced results that corroborated her findings. Cannabinoids have also helped some human ALS patients in one small trial, and Abood is trying to get funding for a larger one.
If cannabinoids can shield human neurons from harm, researchers say, they might prove useful against other neurological diseases, including mental illness. Scientists are looking at whether cannabinoids can treat multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and Huntington's disease, while Giuffrida is beginning a study of their effect on schizophrenia.
Some schizophrenics say marijuana lessens their psychotic symptoms, and studies have shown that schizophrenic patients have abnormal brain levels of cannabinoids.
Marijuana-like drugs might also help treat stroke. Soon after a stroke, the injured brain region is flooded with a neurotransmitter called glutamate, which at high levels is lethal to neurons.
Cannabinoids seem to protect against this destruction, and Israeli scientists are studying whether increasing cannabinoid levels soon after stroke can minimize harm.
Advocates of medical marijuana have long argued that the drug can be useful for treating many conditions, particularly chronic pain, nausea and glaucoma. In the latter, marijuana works by temporarily decreasing pressure around the eye.
Although they don't dispute this view, most researchers believe there are better, more precise ways to stimulate the cannabinoid system. They believe marijuana has too many negatives to be a truly effective drug, with side effects that include memory problems, decreased immunity and possibly addiction. Some researchers dispute this.
Marijuana has another drawback. From a scientific standpoint, Giuffrida says, it's "a very dirty drug."
It contains more than 300 compounds, 60 of which affect the cannabinoid system. Scientists don't understand what most of these substances do or how they work together. This complexity makes it hard for researchers to pinpoint marijuana's effects.
One cannabinoid, Marinol, is available legally. The compound, which contains THC in a pill form, is usually prescribed for nausea and for appetite loss among AIDS patients.
But Marinol has the same psychoactive effects as marijuana. So the key, Piomelli says, is "getting the effects without the side effects."
To that end, Piomelli has developed a compound called URB597, which doesn't flood the body with cannabinoids, as Marinol and marijuana do. Instead, it slows the breakdown of the cannabinoids in the system. He thinks the drug may help treat pain, anxiety and even depression without making patients stoned and forgetful. He and others are testing it on animals.
Another cannabinoid compound, Rimonabant, will probably be available much sooner, as a diet drug. It lowers cannabinoid levels and seems to reduce appetite -- the opposite effect of the intense "munchies" that marijuana users experience.
For Piomelli, this explosion of research has an added bonus. A few years ago, when he told people what he did for a living, they'd often giggle and ask him if getting high was part of his job. These days, he doesn't hear as many snickers.
"The work is so exciting that it is eliminating the stigma of being associated with marijuana," he said. "People realize that it's not just 'Let's take some marijuana and give it to people.' "
Post by: Anonymous on November 10, 2004, 04:13:00 PM
ha ha ha!!! You left yourself wide open for this one...
Almost everyone I know!!!!!!!! I KNEW it, it's the pot isn't it? I'll bet they ALL smoke it, the Pscyhoctic fuckers...
:lol:
Post by: Anonymous on November 19, 2004, 12:52:00 PM
Quote
On 2004-11-07 10:34:00, Anonymous wrote:
"Actually woof a doof you are wrong. I too have worked in the Mental Health field. I know of a college boy who smoked for the first time and it DID induce schizophrenia. What was sad is that he KNEW it was not normal and he still could not change it.
Yes that is correct. I also knew a person that smelled shit only once in his life and he immediately became a shit eater.
Post by: Helena Handbasket on November 20, 2004, 12:12:00 PM
How about books, magazines, newspapers and anything with words on them. How about banning education in general, since people with hyperlexia (sometimes associated with autism type problems) would never have been diagnosed had they not learned how to read.
We should outlaw aspirin because it can produce ulcers in those who might be susceptible too.
You know, I think shoes should be illegal. They can lead to corns and bunions in susceptible people.
:roll:
Post by: Anonymous on November 20, 2004, 06:15:00 PM
Post by: Antigen on November 21, 2004, 12:58:00 PM
If there are actual harmful side effects to Cannabis, I certainly encourage dedicated scientists to thoroughly study them so that we can all better assess the risk/benefit ratios for specific individuals and circumstances.
But do note that, for decades now, American scientists have been effectively prohibited from studying the effects of cannabis unless they're looking for harmful effects and that it's taken this long just to find a coorelation (not even an established causual effect, mind you, just a definite nexus) between Cannabis and a harmful side effect. As drugs go, the stuff is litterally safer than water.
From: World of Molecules Home Page
http://www.worldofmolecules.com/drugs/thc.htm (http://www.worldofmolecules.com/drugs/thc.htm)
"It [regent quality THC by injection] has a LD50 of 1270 mg/kg (male rats), 730 mg/kg (female rats) orally (administered dissolved in sesame oil)"
From Erowid's Vault: http://www.erowid.org/culture/health/he ... ning.shtml (http://www.erowid.org/culture/health/health_water_poisoning.shtml)
The fact that water can cause fatal overdoses is not well known. Often called "water intoxication" or "hyponatremia" (low salt)1, water poisoning results when too much water is ingested in too short a time without replenishing electrolytes, particularly sodium and potassium.
The internet interprets censorship as damage and routes around it.
--John Gilmour
Post by: Anonymous on November 21, 2004, 01:31:00 PM
Quote
On 2004-11-20 15:15:00, Anonymous wrote:< tings "
Obviously you are one of them as you can't spell. Or maybe I just don't understand the meaning of the word "tings".
Post by: Anonymous on November 22, 2004, 12:23:00 PM
Quote
But do note that, for decades now, American scientists have been effectively prohibited from studying the effects of cannabis unless they're looking for harmful effects and that it's taken this long just to find a coorelation (not even an established causual effect, mind you, just a definite nexus) between Cannabis and a harmful side effect. As drugs go, the stuff is litterally safer than water.
Exactly. Science can't possibly prove anything as long as it's being administered by a bunch of emotional theocrats who shackle the truth while they thump their bibles.
And nothing's going to change for the next four years, at least.
Post by: Helena Handbasket on November 22, 2004, 12:24:00 PM