(Please be advised that any positive statements about marijuana from any of the below mentioned authors are not necessarily the opinions of Kraig J. Rice)
Listed below are separate articles concerning marijuana. In you have any questions concerning marijuana I hope you will find the answers here. Each article is presented in a different color to help you with page navigation, if necessary.
Marijuana Alert by Readers Digest
No Medications For Treating Marijuana Dependence
Marijuana from Web M.D.
Marijuana Description And Overview by DEA
Article: Pot Impacts Heart from Web M.D.
All About Marijuana (from Australia)
History of Marijuana Use
Possible Connection Between Marijuana Use And Cancer
Is There Spiritual Help Available For A Person In Trouble
In 1979 the below article concerning marijuana came out in Readers Digest Magazine. I believe it is still relevant. I now quote this article in it's entirety:
"All during this decade, evidence has been accumulating that smoking marijuana may be seriously injurious to health. In the past few years, striking new studies have further darkened the picture, demonstrating measurable harm to diverse body organs- above all, to the brain and reproductive functions. Today the specter of a damaged human stock haunts scientific researchers and clinicians alike.
This two-part report brings, first, an account of the new research and, second, one doctor's cry of anguish about the hundreds of pot-damaged teen-agers with whom he has worked."
"Scientists from around the world are sending warning signals to the millions who smoke marijuana: mounting evidence indicates that pot smokers may be unwittingly damaging their brains, and decreasing their chances of conceiving and producing completely healthy offspring.
These warnings have emerged from recent gatherings of scientists reporting on their latest research. In July 1978, at the International Symposium on Marijuana held in Reims, France, some 50 researchers from 14 countries presented new studies about marijuana's injurious effects on reproduction, lungs, cellular metabolism and the brain. In March 1979, at a conference in Virginia sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, investigators revealed more evidence of marijuana's harmful effects on the reproductive system.
Three months later, at a conference at New York University Medical School, scientists and psychiatrists added to the growing list of dangers caused by chronic smoking of marijuana.
Responding to the startling evidence, the House of Representatives Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control began hearings on the health hazards of marijuana in July. Rep. Lester Wolff (D.,N.Y.), chairman of the committee, said: "The United States is the most pervasive drug abusing nation in history. And our most pervasive illegal drug of abuse is marijuana." Citing the latest (1978) national drug abuse survey, Wolff noted that one in nine high-school seniors was smoking pot on a daily or near-daily basis, an almost 80-percent increase in three years' time; that pot smoking is now common among junior-high students; that evidence indicates pot smoking among 8 to 12 year olds is increasing.
(end of page 139)
Of all the effects of marijuana, its impairment of the brain and its harm to the reproductive system pose the greatest threats. Pot has an affinity for the brain and the sex organs. Marijuana's 6 cannabinoids, substances found exclusively in the cannabis plant, are soluble in fat. They are attracted to the body's fatty organs, where they remain, only gradually clearing from the body. As one researcher put it, "When the high is gone, the pot is not."
The principal psychoactive, or mind-altering, cannabinoid is delta-9-THC. It has been traced radio-actively, and it takes five to eight days for just half the THC in a single marijuana cigarette to clear from the body.
One organ that contains a large amount of fat is the human brain. The testes and ovaries also have high fat contents. What does marijuana buildup in these organs do?
One psychiatrist researching this area is Dr. Robert C. Gilkeson of Cleveland, Ohio. In 1976, a tall, handsome teen-ager came into his office. Formerly a good student, Steven complained of poor grades and difficulties in concentration and memory. "Everything I used to like has become a drag. Even chicks. I feel bummed out all the time."
Dr. Gilkeson discovered reversed d's and b's in the young man's handwriting- a classic finding in learning disabilities. He suggested an electroencephalogram (EEG), a brain-wave test. The report came back: "Abnormal EEG: Diffuse encephalopathic process (brain impairment). Markedly immature for age." His brain-wave readings were typical of those of a 6 to 8 year old.
Steven had admitted being a chronic (usually defined as daily or near-daily) pot smoker. The psychiatrist advised him to give up pot for two months. Steven was so shaken that he agreed.
In eight weeks his EEG was notably better, though not yet normal. "But," said Dr. Gilkeson, "there was real improvement in Steven's grades, in his mood, memory, humor and speech patterns." Encouraged, Steven agreed to go for another two potless months- after which the EEG report read: "Within normal limits for age."
Because of his work with Steven, Dr. Gilkeson embarked on a study that is still in progress. He has thus far given EEGs to 43 "typical" teenagers, who had been high at least twice a week for the previous four months, but who had not smoked pot for 48 hours preceding the test. The results: all 43 EEGs, like Steven's, were "markedly immature" and indicated diffuse brain impairment.
(end of page 140)
Dr. Robert Heath, chairman of the department of neurology and psychiatry at Tulane Medical School, showed the Reims symposium slides of magnified brain cells from the limbic area of Rhesus monkeys. (The limbic area- directly involved in control of sex drives, appetites, and emotions- is very similar in man and Rhesus monkeys.) These monkeys had been exposed to the smoke of two to three "monkey-sized" marijuana cigarettes (one-fourth of an average human joint) a day at three-percent THC. ("Good pot" sold on the street today has three- to six-percent THC.) Said Dr. Heath, "The smoke of one monkey-sized joint produces the same blood level of THC in the monkey as a human gets in his blood after smoking a "human-sized" joint of the same THC strength. By checking blood levels, researchers can ascertain so-called "human equivalency doses" for monkeys and for all other animals.
Result: the monkeys' brain cells showed striking structural changes, including abnormal deposits of opaque material in- and a widening of- the synaptic cleft between neurons. "This," said Dr. Heath, "may cause a slowing down or interruption in the movement of brain messages." There was also an abnormal clumping of the small sacs in the endings of nerve cells that contain the chemical activators of the brain, plus a significant increase of foreign matter in the nerve-cell nuclei. All of these conditions are associated with brain impairment.
At an earlier conference, Dr. Heath noted the rapidity of these changes: "Clinical observation indicates that people might drink for years before serious brain damage occurs. But it would seem from the monkey studies that you have to use marijuana for only a relatively short time in moderate to heavy use before evidence of brain damage begins to develop."
One of the symptoms reported by chronic pot smokers is impairment of short-term memory. Neurologist William H. Stuart of Atlanta, Georgia, reports the case of a 28 year-old building subcontractor who smoked pot daily (but took no other drugs and drank only beer). After five years, he would look at a blueprint, walk over to his workmen and forget what to tell them. "He stopped smoking pot two years ago," says Dr. Stuart, "but his short-term memory has not improved at all. He has lost his business. And now he's working for another subcontractor- hammering nails."
Clinicians who see human results like this are as concerned as the researchers. Dr. Mitchell Rosenthal, president of Phoenix House Foundation (which runs a residential-treatment program for drug abusers), represents the findings of many drug therapists when he says: "Most of the time, when kids stop smoking pot, they will regain what short-term memory they have lost. But I've also seen cases of kids who were chronic users, or who combined pot with another drug, where there was no subsequent improvement."
(end of page 141)
Perhaps the most important structure in the limbic area is a small lump of tissue in the center of the brain: the hypothalamus. Hanging from this is a still smaller lump: the pituitary. As little as a billionth of a gram of THC affects the hypothalamus, which, in turn, affects the pituitary, which regulates endocrine function and the hormones controlling sex and reproduction.
In November 1978, Doctors Joan Bauman and Robert Kolodny of the Masters and Johnson Institute in Saint Louis, Mo. reported on their study of 26 women, ages 18 to 30, who smoked pot three times a week or daily for at least six months prior to the study. Thirty-one percent of the menstrual cycles of the pot-smoking women showed a shortened luteal phase, compared with 9.7 percent of the cycles of the non pot-smoking women. A shortened luteal phase could mean that a growing embryo might not be properly nourished. The women also had decreased prolactin, a hormone important in milk production.
Another survey by Dr. Kolodny, of 500 men, ages 18 to 30, who had smoked pot for six or seven years, showed statistically significant lower rates of sexual activity and fewer orgasms. Dr. John Hall, chairman of the department of medicine at Kingston Hospital in Jamaica, reports that 20 percent of his male patients who have smoked for five or more years complain of impotence.
Research studies on animals seem to indicate that cannabinoids result in lowered sperm count and in a greater number of abnormally shaped sperm. These findings were replicated in humans using high marijuana dosages by Dr. Wylie Hembree of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Hembree also found a statistically significant decrease in sperm mobility.
Since men constantly produce millions of sperm, the formation of sperm probably returns to normal when pot smoking is stopped. But the effect on women could be lasting. Dr. Akira Morishima of Columbia University says: "A human female is born with about 400,000 eggs. If they are injured, there's no way to repair that damage. And it has been proven, by radioactively tagging the THC, that it accumulates in the ovaries, as well as in other organs."
Dr. Morishima gave 150 "teenaged" mice very high doses of THC daily. "All the mice were mated, and were sacrificed when the fertilized egg had multiplied into four cells. In the control group, very few of the fertilized eggs were abnormal. But in the THC group, about half the eggs were dying or had died. Of those that had lived, 20 to 30 percent looked unhealthy."
At the California Primate Research Center of the University of California at Davis, Rhesus monkeys, whose reproductive systems closely resemble those of human females, were given raisin cookies spiked with milligram amounts of THC- the monkey equivalent of a human smoking one to two joints. The monkeys received this dose every day for three years. Result: 44 percent of the pregnant "THC mothers" produced dead or dying offspring, compared to 12 percent, a normal birth loss, in the control group. Although all of the dead babies of the THC-drugged monkeys looked normal, a pathologist did microscopic evaluations of tissues and organs from each. He found subtle developmental abnormalities in various tissues and organ systems of the THC-exposed offspring, which were not present in the dead offspring of the undrugged mothers.
Says Dr. Ethel Sassenrath, who conducted the study: "The THC-exposed babies that survived acted differently from the others. They didn't seem to have normal "brakes" on behavior. They showed deficits in attention. This kind of subtle behavioral difference is characteristic of marginal brain damage in early development."
An agent capable of affecting sex function, sex cells (sperm and egg) and fetus must be regarded as a source of possible congenital damage in those offspring that do survive. In 1974, Dr. Gabriel Nahas of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, a pioneer in marijuana research, discovered that THC exposure diminished the capacity of individual cells to orchestrate life according to the genetic plan built into cellular molecules. THC inhibits formation of DNA (the genetic material essential for proper cell functioning and division) in cells, resulting in cellular death and abnormality. Dr. Nahas's finding has since been replicated by other scientists from 12 research groups here and abroad. Dr. Nahas warns: "Today's pot smoker may not only be damaging his own mind and body, but may be playing genetic roulette and casting a shadow across children and grandchildren yet unborn."
(end of page 142)
Some pot smokers discount findings about marijuana's possible genetic effects with the comment: "Pot smokers have perfectly healthy babies." However, as pointed out by Dr. Robert Peterson of the National Institute on Drug Abuse: "Despite thousands of years of alcohol consumption, not until recently did doctors discover that not very large quantities of alcohol can cause the fetal alcohol syndrome which results in abnormal babies. Therefore, pregnant marijuana smokers would be wise to heed the present warning signals before all the definitive findings are in."
Dr. Robert DuPont, former direcor of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, puts it this way: "In all of history, no young people have ever before used marijuana regularly on a mass scale. Therefore, our youngsters are, in effect, making themselves guinea pigs in a tragic national experiment. Thus far, our research clearly suggests that we will see horrendous results."
(end of page 143)
"Anyone who says "pot" is harmless will get an argument from me. It hasn't been harmless for any of the nearly 3,000 young people I've worked with as a specialist in adolescent medicine. Virtually all who became addicted to hard drugs started with marijuana, which distorted their judgment and put them into the drug scene. But I've learned that marijuana by itself is bad enough- its effects too often subtle and insidious, with long-range damage difficult to calculate.
One morning the police referred to me a 15 year old youth who, after smoking marijuana, had used the family car to tear up some neighborhood lawns. The boy was brought in by his serious, well-groomed older brother, an outstanding student and athlete. It turned out that the younger boy had never used pot before, and had been so frightened by his experience that he never wanted to use it again; he was no problem.
The problem was his older brother, though it would not be apparent for some time. Dynamic, self-possessed, he confided to me that he himself had been smoking pot, cautiously but regularly two to five times a week, enjoyed getting moderately high and had suffered no untoward effects. He felt fine, his grades remained well above average, he was captain of the soccer team and had been accepted at an Ivy League college.
How often we hear of such over-achieving easy riders among our middle-class friends nowadays. I tried to warn him about the gradual, long-term changes I had seen in other outstanding young people, but nothing would dissuade him from continuing his "moderate" marijuana use. I saw him again late that summer, just before he left for college. He was slovenly, unkempt, apathetic, slow. He admitted that he had been smoking pot heavily during summer vacation. I pleaded with him to get off it, but he ignored my advice.
He was home by December, having been asked to leave college. By then, he was a typical heavy user. He didn't care about anything except getting high every day. His parents brought him to me. Eventually he began to perceive what marijuana had done to him and decided he had to kick the habit.
It wasn't easy- it rarely is. I used to think that marijuana created only a psychological dependence, without physical addiction. But now I am persuaded otherwise. I have seen too many youngsters suffer the terrible anxiety, the sleeplessness, the sweating, the lack of appetite, the nausea and the general malaise of withdrawal. Fortunately, my patient had enough fortitude left in him to do it.
He's back in college now, doing okay. His academic performance is acceptable, if mediocre- it's the best he can do, but it isn't close to the promise he once showed. He has not regained that sharp edge, that quality of drive, spirit and capability that once made him a standout. I am not optimistic that he will ever regain it. From what I have seen, there is no question that marijuana wreaks a havoc in the body, brain and psyche that can't be entirely undone.
I know a lot of young people who have broken the pot habit and seem to be doing well, but who are not likely ever to realize the rich potential that once was theirs. For example, another outstanding student athlete became my patient after marijuana had all but ruined his relationship with his parents and caused him to be dropped from sports participation. He graduated from high school only by the skin of his teeth. He felt terrible, physically and emotionally, but was determined to recover. He got off the stuff and began doing a really good job of pulling his life together.
He then decided, however, that he could handle marijuana. He would smoke it only at parties and on special occasions; it would never get out of hand again. His attitude was not untypical; recovering youngsters often develop this sense of confidence and it's hard to convince them that they haven't a chance against this stuff. I argued and pleaded to no avail. He stopped coming in. Then, in the fall, he came back. He was smoking pot regularly again, and feeling bad. He agreed that he couldn't control it, wanted to get straight again. We're working on it.
Right now, millions of our young people are marijuana users who are performing well and are very sure that they are in firm control of themselves. But as they continue using pot, a gradual deterioration will set in for many of them- in all phases of their lives. Grades will slip, athletic prowess will diminish and there will be trouble at home, all of this compounded by an increasing, witless apathy.
For each young pot user who goes straight, there will be many who won't. They won't know where or how to find help, and most won't want help. They will simply lose themselves in that frightful marijuana-induced lethargy.
The most unfortunate ones will become victims of cannabis psychosis, serious mental illness resulting from heavy marijuana use. I have seen young people in the grip of it. Many of the victims land in psychiatric hospitals, are discharged, but never fully recover.
Take the case of one ninth-grader I knew, a good student and baseball player, a gifted artist, a really dynamic youngster who had a substantial contribution to make to the world. Some friends got him to try marijuana. He enjoyed the high it produced. Soon, he was a heavy user. He lost interest in everything else, literally stopped functioning to the extent that in the middle of his tenth-grade year he was expelled from school. He didn't care; all he wanted to do was smoke pot all the time.
When his parents objected, he left and just wandered, for months. His father finally found him and placed him in a psychiatric institution in the hope he could be straightened out. But he didn't improve. After six months, the hospital discharged him. That was ten years ago. He's still wandering. He has no contribution to make now, and nothing to look forward to.
I have seen too many kids wander away like that, never to recover from the damage they have inflicted on themselves. It is heartbreaking.
With 16 million Americans currently using marijuana, imagine the enormity of the destruction that is taking place in this generation. Yet today no fewer than 11 states have already decriminalized marijuana and there is a drive to make the ruinous junk legal.
Of course, most people who use pot are not criminals, any more than those millions of us who violate traffic laws are criminals. But even those of us who violate traffic laws understand that we must have such laws, that to abolish them would be to descend into chaos.
We need equitable laws dealing with marijuana, not a legal market for the stuff. For if we legalize marijuana, the human suffering that will ensue will surely lead us one day to repeal such a law. And, by that time, there won't be much we can do to help the victims of our folly."
(end of page 144)
(end of page 145)
(end of article and page 145 )
The Reader's Digest, December 1979
The above article was published in 1979, but there has been more recent research since then. Below are three articles that offer more information:
"Marijuana is the most widely abused illegal drug in the United States. It is often called pot, grass, weed, reefer, Mary Jane, or buds. Marijuana cigarettes are commonly referred to as joints or spliffs, and the butt of a marijuana cigarette is called a roach. Marijuana can be eaten, brewed in tea, or smoked. In the United States, it is most often smoked in rolled joints, in pipes or, recently, in hollowed-out cigars (blunts).
Immediate effects of marijuana depend on the strength and potency of its main active chemical, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Since 1975, the average potency of marijuana has increased 560%.
Some people feel relaxed or high after smoking marijuana, while others feel nothing. The effects can be felt within seconds after inhaling and within 30 to 60 minutes after eating it. Effects last about 2 to 3 hours.
A person who has just had marijuana usually has dilated pupils and may have red, bloodshot eyes. He or she may behave differently, such as seeming to be dizzy and to have trouble walking or being silly and giggly for no reason. After smoking marijuana, some people may feel hungry (commonly referred to as having "the munchies") or sleepy. Sometimes people have negative effects from marijuana, such as sudden feelings of anxiety or paranoid thoughts.
Many people do not believe that using marijuana is a problem. However, marijuana is not a "safe" drug. It causes physical and psychological problems. Marijuana use is harmful because:
Regular use of marijuana can cause problems with memory and affect problem-solving and learning. It can cause mood swings, anxiety, and depression. It can damage the lungs, which may lead to breathing problems (such as wheezing and bronchitis). It contains many cancer-causing chemicals. When under the influence of marijuana, a person may have reduced inhibitions and impaired judgement. They may take risks or have an auto accident. It can cause lower sperm counts and increased breast size in males (gynecomastia). In females, it can cause menstrual problems. Frequent, heavy use of marijuana can lead to needing increasing amounts of it to get the same feelings (tolerance) and possibly to dependence (addiction). If daily use is stopped, flu-like withdrawal symptoms and craving for the drug can develop within 24 to 48 hours and last about 2 weeks.
Long-term, regular use of marijuana may contribute to developing some kinds of cancer, breathing problems similar to smoking (cough and wheezing), and a weakened immune system. Long-term heavy use can lead to difficulty maintaining attention to what's going on around you and to reduced motivation. Women who use marijuana during pregnancy may have babies that are shorter, weigh less, and have smaller head sizes than babies born to mothers who do not use the drug.
Marijuana is strongly absorbed by fatty tissues in various organs of the body. The chemical THC usually can be detected in urine several days after marijuana has been smoked. If marijuana is used heavily, traces of THC may be detected in urine for weeks after use has stopped.
Signs of use:
This info comes from the world wide web. Web address is
Changes in a person's behavior that may indicate marijuana use include:
Withdrawal, fatigue, and depression.
When a teen is using marijuana, the parent may find evidence of the drug and drug paraphernalia, including pipes and rolling papers, in the teen's bedroom. There may be a noticeable sweet odor on the teen's clothing. The teen may burn incense or use room deodorizers to get rid of the marijuana smell. The teen may also use eyedrops to get rid of bloodshot eyes."
Carelessness with grooming.
Hostility and relationship problems.
Changes in academic performance and increased absenteeism or truancy.
Regular use of marijuana affects short-term memory, learning, and attention span.
Loss of interest in sports or other favorite activities.
Changes in eating or sleeping habits.
http://www.webmd.com/hw/health_guide_atoz/aa52518.asp
"Marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug in the United States. A dry, shredded green/brown mix of flowers, stems, seeds, and leaves of the plant Cannabis sativa, it usually is smoked as a cigarette (joint, nail), or in a pipe (bong). It also is smoked in blunts, which are cigars that have been emptied of tobacco and refilled with marijuana, often in combination with another drug. It might also be mixed in food or brewed as a tea. As a more concentrated, resinous form it is called hashish and, as a sticky black liquid, hash oil. Marijuana smoke has a pungent and distinctive, usually sweet-and-sour odor.
The main active chemical in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). The membranes of certain nerve cells in the brain contain protein receptors that bind to THC. Once securely in place, THC kicks off a series of cellular reactions that ultimately lead to the high that users experience when they smoke marijuana.
Marijuana is a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Schedule I drugs are classified as having a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug or other substance under medical supervision.
Grass, pot, weed, bud, Mary Jane, dope, indo, and hydro.
When marijuana is smoked, its effects begin immediately after the drug enters the brain and last from 1 to 3 hours. If marijuana is consumed in food or drink, the short-term effects begin more slowly, usually in 1/2 to 1 hour, and last longer, for as long as 4 hours. Smoking marijuana deposits several times more THC into the blood than does eating or drinking the drug.
Within a few minutes after inhaling marijuana smoke, an individual�s heart begins beating more rapidly, 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, in some cases, even double. This effect can be greater if other drugs are taken with marijuana.
As THC enters the brain, it causes a user to feel euphoric� or "high"� by acting in the brain�s reward system, areas of the brain that respond to stimuli such as food and drink as well as 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.
A marijuana user may experience pleasant sensations, colors and sounds may seem more intense, and time appears to pass very slowly. The user�s mouth feels dry, and he or she may suddenly become very hungry and thirsty. His or her hands may tremble and grow cold. The euphoria passes after awhile, and then the user may feel sleepy or depressed. Occasionally, marijuana use produces anxiety, fear, distrust, or panic.
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, a heightened risk of lung infections, and a greater tendency toward obstructed airways. Cancer of the respiratory tract and lungs may also be promoted by marijuana smoke. Marijuana has the potential to promote cancer of the lungs and other parts of the respiratory tract because marijuana smoke contains 50 percent to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke.
Marijuana's damage to short-term memory seems to occur because THC alters the way in which information is processed by the hippocampus, a brain area responsible for memory formation. In one study, researchers compared marijuana smoking and nonsmoking 12th-graders' scores on standardized tests of verbal and mathematical skills. Although all of the students had scored equally well in 4th grade, those who were heavy marijuana smokers, i.e., those who used marijuana seven or more times per week, scored significantly lower in 12th grade than nonsmokers. Another study of 129 college students found that among heavy users of marijuana critical skills related to attention, memory, and learning were significantly impaired, even after they had not used the drug for at least 24 hours.
The campaign to legitimize what is called "medical" marijuana is based on two propositions: that science views marijuana as medicine, and that DEA targets sick and dying people using the drug. Neither proposition is true. Smoked marijuana has not withstood the rigors of science� it is not medicine and it is not safe. DEA targets criminals engaged in cultivation and trafficking, not the sick and dying. No state has legalized the trafficking of marijuana, including the twelve states that have decriminalized certain marijuana use.
In the case of United States v. Oakland Cannabis Club the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that marijuana has no medical value as determined by Congress. The opinion of the court stated that: "In the case of the Controlled Substances Act, the statute reflects a determination that marijuana has no medical benefits worthy of an exception outside the confines of a government-approved research project." The case reached the U.S. Supreme Court after the federal government sought an injunction in 1998 against the Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative and five other marijuana distributors in California.
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a ruling on May 24, 2002, upholding DEA's determination that marijuana must remain a schedule I controlled substance. The Court of Appeals rejected an appeal that contended that marijuana does not meet the legal criteria for classification in schedule I, the most restrictive schedule under the Controlled Substances Act."
This info comes from the world wide web. Web address is
http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/concern/marijuana.html
WebMD Medical News
"March 2, 2000 (San Diego)- The Woodstock generation is getting some very bad news: Marijuana smoking in middle age may trigger a heart attack in those who still indulge. Marijuana smokers increase their risk of having a heart attack almost five times within one hour of lighting up, according to a study presented here at an American Heart Association (AHA) meeting.
"This is the first documented link between marijuana and heart attack," says Murray A. Mittleman, MD, PhD, of Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston.
Mittleman tells WebMD the spike in risk quickly decreases after an hour passes. Pot smokers are twice as likely as nonsmokers to have a heart attack one to two hours after lighting up."
This article comes from the web. The web address is
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/22/1728_55387.htm
"What is cannabis?
Cannabis is a depressant drug. Depressants do not necessarily make the person feel depressed. Rather, they affect the central nervous system by slowing down the messages going between the brain and the body.
What does it look like?
Marijuana is the most common and least powerful form of cannabis. It is the dried leaves and flowers of the plant. Marijuana looks like chopped grass, and ranges in colour from grey-green to greenish-brown. Marijuana is smoked in hand-rolled cigarettes (joints) or in a pipe (a bong).
Hashish (hash) is dried cannabis resin which comes in small blocks. The blocks range in colour from light brown to nearly black. The concentration of THC in hashish is higher than in marijuana, producing stronger effects. Hash is added to tobacco and smoked, or baked and eaten in foods such as "hash cookies".
Hash oil is a thick, oily liquid, golden-brown to black, that can be extracted from hashish. It is usually spread on the tip or paper of cigarettes and then smoked. Hash oil is more powerful than the other forms of cannabis. This form is rarely found in Australia.
A non-potent form of cannabis (Indian hemp) is used to produce fibres for use in paper, textiles and clothing.
THC
THC is absorbed into the bloodstream through the walls of the lungs (if cannabis is smoked), or through the walls of the stomach and intestines (if eaten). The bloodstream carries the THC to the brain, producing the "high" effects. Drugs that are inhaled get into the bloodstream quicker than those eaten.
Street names
Effects of cannabis
Immediate effects
Very large quantities of marijuana can produce:
Respiratory illness
Reduced motivation
Brain function
Hormones
Immune system
Cannabis and Psychosis
There is some evidence that regular cannabis use increases the likelihood of psychotic symptoms occurring in an individual who is vulnerable due to a personal or family history of mental illness. Cannabis also appears to make psychotic symptoms worse for those with schizophrenia and lowers the chances of recovery from a psychotic episode.
Medicinal use of cannabis
Tolerance and Dependence
Heavy and frequent use of cannabis can cause physical dependence. Physical dependence occurs when a person�s body has adapted to a drug and is used to functioning with the drug present.
It is possible to become psychologically dependent on cannabis. This means that using cannabis becomes far more important than other activities in their life. Some people crave the drug and find it very difficult to stop using it.
Withdrawal
Before standing firm
"Earliest practical uses of Cannabis Sativa are thought to have originated somewhere north of the Himalaya Mountains in China. The Chinese were using the fibers of the hemp plant to make rope and clothing as far back as 3000 B.C., and even accepted the plant as currency for a couple of centuries. Recommendation of marijuana as an anesthetic was made in a pharmacopeia by Han Dynasty scholars in the second century A.D., though their sources go back no farther than 400 years. Use of marijuana as an intoxicant is not specifically recorded until somewhere between the third and fifth centuries before Christ, when the Scythians in what is now Siberia made a practice of gathering in small tents to inhale the smoke of burning hemp seeds. The Fourth book of Vedas, Atharva-Veda, first written about 1500 B.C., contained sources regarding use of marijuana in folk medicine and religion going back to about 300 B.C. By the second or third century before Christ cannabis was common throughout India, and the now-Arab world was using the drug extensively, both medically and socially. Eventually, use of the hemp plant had reached nearly all of Europe. Though Western Europeans knew little of its psychoactive properties, it was highly prized there for the usefulness of its fibers.
King James I instructed the first European settlers of the New World to grow hemp because of the expanding British fleet's need for the fiber for rope, resulting in widespread cannabis growing. By 1630 the majority of settlers' clothing was made from this versatile weed ("homespun" actually originated as "hempspun" clothing). Hemp was a common cash crop in this country until the advent of steam power for ships, which lessened the need for rope, and the cotton gin in the late 1700's, which provided a much cheaper source of cloth fibers. This decreased the demand for hemp fiber and virtually ended the commercial hemp industry in America by the time of the Civil War.
In 1839. Dr. W.B. O'Shaughnessy stimulated the interest of Western medicine with his studies of marijuana in the treatment of various diseases. He found tincture of hemp to be an effective analgesic having anti-convulsant and muscle relaxant properties as well. Between 1839 and 1900, more than 100 articles appeared in scientific journals describing the medicinal qualities of the plant. In 1845, J.J. Moreau de Tours wrote of the usefulness of cannabis in the treatment of some psychiatric illnesses. Various cannabis extracts became available in American pharmacies, were listed in the pharmacopoeia, and were marketed by several major drug companies. The eventual synthesis of morphine and barbiturates, however, resulted in a marked decline of medical favor toward the early 1900's. Cannabis was non-injectable, with great variance in potency and reactions, making the new drugs more practical for medical use.
During alcohol prohibition Mexican immigrants, as well as black cavalry units, were using marijuana and eventually use spread to more whites, which began the big panic. (Actually, hashish houses were common in the U.S. in the 1880's, 45 years earlier.) The populace of New Orleans was especially taken with the weed. A New Orleans narcotics officer who fanatically attributed 60% of the crime in his city directly to marijuana was not untypical of the attitude with which authorities received the "new" drug. National newspapers picked up the cry, and imaginative articles condemning the "foreign" menace appeared- with regularity on front pages of this era. Several states quickly enacted prohibitory marijuana legislation.
In 1930, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics was established and its crusading Commissioner, Harry J. Anslinger, began an extensive nation-wide anti-marijuana campaign laced with horror stories of rape and murder perpetrated while under the influence of the diabolic weed. By 1937, every state, either by adoption of the Uniform Narcotic Drug Act of 1932 or by separate legislation, had prohibited marijuana use. In late 1937, Federal controls were added by enactment of the Marijuana Tax Act.
Mayor Fiorello La Guardia commissioned a team of scientists to study marijuana use in New York City in 1938. The findings of the six year study did not support the myths behind the stringent controls imposed during the thirties. They could find no evidence that marijuana smoking led to aggressive or antisocial behavior or that it alters the basic personality structure of the smoker. Neither could the La Guardia committee find any evidence of addiction, tolerance or withdrawal symptoms� the criteria for a drug's classification as a narcotic. Although this was the only authoritative American study on marijuana ever undertaken up to that time, its findings were generally ignored and the weed retained its association with the hard narcotics, both within the law and the minds of the general public. So, when narcotic penalties escalated during the fifties, marijuana posession or sale conviction could (and often did) bring lengthy incarceration and even the death sentence in some states.
Marijuana ceased to be a controversial subject until the sixties, when pot use began to spread out of the ghettos and barrios and into the white middle class. The synthesis of THC in 1966 further re-kindled scientific interest by providing a means of bypassing the strict governmental controls on the natural chemical. In addition, injection of THC promised to be a more accurate means of inducing a "controlled high" than could be obtained by simply smoking the weed.
Probably the most comprehensive of later studies on marijuana is the First Report of the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse, appropriately titled "Marijuana� a Signal of Mis-understanding." This was prepared under a mandate from Congress and released in 1972, and largely coincided with the La Guardia Report and went so far as to recommend a number of major revisions in this country's marijuana laws. Among recommendations was the removal of criminal penalties for simple possession of marijuana for private use and distribution of small amounts where no profit is involved, while at the same time retaining criminal penalties for trafficking for profit."
This information quoted from the
Watch your step carefully!
"In recent years the U.S. Federal Government has begun a campaign to induce Mexican and American farmers to spray wild crops of cannabis with herbicides, mainly a substance known as "2,4D." When accidentally smoked on marijuana, 2,4D can make the user extremely ill, but the nausea passes within a couple of days. We have little knowledge what the subtler after effects of this concentrated ingestion of 2,4D may be at this time."
This information quoted from the
Use of 2,4D
"The principal use is for the control of broad leaf weeds in cereal crops-including wheat, maize, rice and sorghum-and grassland and turf areas. It is also widely used in mixtures with other herbicides to provide weed control in forestry, orchards and non-crop areas, and for the control of aquatic weeds.
The phenoxy acid group of herbicides are probably one of the widest used herbicide chemcial classes. The US, South America, Europe and the former Soviet Union are major markets for 2,4-D-weed control on US wheat relies on little else-and global use is predicted to grow over the next decade. In the US where it was the third most used pesticide in the early to mid 1990s, over 31,000 tonnes of 2,4-D was used annually. In the UK it is among the top six herbicides used by UK local authorities, and it ranked seventh among herbicides used on grassland and fodder crops and twentieth among herbicides used in orchards in 1992(5,6). Overall the area of land treated with 2,4-D in UK agriculture (excluding amenity use) declined by 83% during the period 1984-1994. 2,4-D is also used widely in developing countries: India, for example, used 1,300 tonnes in 1994-5.
Acute toxicity
Occupational exposure to 2,4-D has produced serious eye and skin irritation. Other symptoms of 2,4-D poisoning include nausea, weakness and fatigue, and in some cases neurotoxic effects including inflammation of nerve endings. Some medical reports from practitioners who have treated victims of acute exposure to 2,4-D mention severe and sometimes long lasting or even permanent symptoms. These include, as well as those listed above, diarrhoea, temporary loss of vision, respiratory tract irritation, confusion, numbness and tingling, bleeding and chemical hypersensitivity.
A recent review of 2,4-D by the UK Advisory Committee on Pesticides (ACP) noted that "Approval holders must generate a number of toxicology/operator exposure studies to allow a full risk assessment to be made."
Chronic effects
It also seems that the various chemical forms of 2,4-D can have different toxic effects. Acid, salt and various esters differ in all their measured toxic effects to some extent, but the majority of toxicity data relates only to the acid.
Cancer
The US authorities have also been reluctant to declare 2,4-D as a potential human carcinogen, but the US courts decided that a forestry worker contracted cancer and died as a direct result of his exposure to 2,4-D during the course of his work."
This information quoted from the
Additional things to watch out for if you are a user:
In recent times, another cannabis preparation, "Hash Oil," has hit the streets of many cities. It is nearly always super-concentrated, genuine hashish suspended in a clear or colored alcohol solution, and sold for a small fortune. Every once in a great while some neophyte dealer will sell it as "THC," and this should not be confused with the PCP ripoff described above, which is nearly always powder in a capsule, or a solid tablet."
This information quoted from the
Yes. Don't ever rule God out. He is the first One who you should turn to when you have a problem. Our young people in America are under attack and it's not God's will that we lose one of them. The church should not shoot it's wounded.
At one time I knew a devout Christian man who had a drinking alcohol addiction left over from his unsaved life style. He trusted the Lord to help him break his addiction but nothing happened at first. But he persevered anyways. Then one day, when he didn't even know it, the Lord did something deep in his life and his addiction was completely broken. Jesus Christ broke the chains of his addiction.
Rev. David Wilkerson in his book, The Cross and The Switchblade, stated that there was only one thing that would permanently break the heroin addiction of young people on the streets of New York City. That one thing was the Baptism in the Holy Spirit
If you or someone you know has a current marijuana addiction all hope is not lost. Offer them salvation through Jesus Christ first. Then influence them to receive the
Here is some practical advice how to go about it.
Once Christ comes to literally live inside of your heart take your surplus illegal drugs and throw them away. Then find the nearest
Once you are strong in the resurrection power of Jesus Christ the pastor will encourage you to receive the power of the Holy Spirit in a subsequent act of spiritual baptism
No one ever said it would be easy but I am confident that you can do it if you want to.
Cannabis is a drug that comes from Indian hemp plants such as Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica. The active chemical in cannabis is THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol).
There are three main forms of cannabis:
THC (delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol) is the chemical in cannabis that makes you feel "high". This means you experience a change in mood and may see or feel things in a different way. Some parts of the plant contain a higher level of THC. For example, the flowers, or "heads", have more THC than the stems and leaves.
"Grass", "pot", "hash", "weed", "reefer", "dope", "herb", "mull", "buddha", "ganja", "joint", "stick", "buckets", "cones", "skunk", "hydro", "yarndi", "smoke", "hooch"
The effects of any drug (including cannabis) vary from person to person. It depends on many factors, including an individual�s size, weight and health, how the drug is taken, how much is taken, whether the person is used to taking it and whether other drugs are taken.
Small doses of cannabis can have effects that last 2�4 hours after smoking. These effects include:
relaxation and loss of inhibition
In greater quantities
increased appetite
affected perception of colour, sound and other sensations
impaired coordination
affected thinking and memory
Other common immediate effects include increased heart rate, low blood pressure and reddened eyes.
Larger quantities of marijuana make the above effects stronger, and also tend to distort a person�s perceptions.
confusion
Long-term effects
restlessness
feelings of excitement
hallucinations
anxiety or panic, or detachment from reality
decreased reaction time
paranoia
Research shows evidence of some long-term effects in some regular cannabis users.
Marijuana cigarettes have more tar than tobacco, placing cannabis users at an increased risk of respiratory illness such as lung cancer and chronic bronchitis. Cigarette smokers who also smoke cannabis have an even greater risk of respiratory disease.
Many regular users have reported that they have less energy and motivation, so that performance at work or school suffers.
Concentration, memory and the ability to learn can all be reduced by regular cannabis use. These effects can last for several months after ceasing cannabis use.
Cannabis can affect hormone production. Research shows that some cannabis users have a lower sex drive. Irregular menstrual cycles and lowered sperm counts have also been reported.
There is some concern that cannabis smoking may impair the functioning of the immune system.
It is believed that cannabis use�especially if heavy and regular�may be linked to a condition known as a drug-induced psychosis, or "cannabis psychosis". This can last up to a few days. The episodes are often characterised by hallucinations, delusions, memory loss and confusion.
Cannabis has been used medicinally for many centuries. There is evidence to suggest it is useful in providing relief from nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy, wasting and severe weight loss, pain, glaucoma, epilepsy and asthma.
With regular use, people can develop a mild tolerance to cannabis. This means they need to take more and more to get the same effect.
Abrupt termination of cannabis use can produce withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms include sleep disturbance, irritability, loss of appetite, nervousness, anxiety, sweating and upset stomach. Sometimes chills, increased body temperature and tremors occur. The withdrawal symptoms usually last for less than a week, although the sleep disturbances may persist for longer."
This info comes from the web:
Web address is
http://www.druginfo.adf.org.au/article.asp?ContentID=cannabis
Make sure your feet
Are in the right place
Do It Now Foundation's pamphlet titled "Marijuana."
Institute for Chemical Survival, Phoenix. Arizona
Everyone else does!
Do It Now Foundation's pamphlet titled "Marijuana."
Institute for Chemical Survival, Phoenix. Arizona
2,4-D is a WHO Class II "moderately hazardous" pesticide. This places it in the same class as endosulfan, lindane, paraquat and toxaphene. It has an LD50 of 375 mg/kg in the rat with evidence suggesting a similar level of toxicity in humans.
It seems that long term exposure to 2,4-D can affect different animals in a wide variety of ways. Rats for example were found to be largely unaffected when fed moderately large amounts in their diet over long periods, although signs of kidney pathology were demonstrated. Dogs however died when fed smaller amounts over shorter periods. A human fed 16.3 grammes over 32 days showed severe symptoms of intoxication.
Phenoxy acid herbicides have been linked with soft tissue sarcomas, but the UK ACP has concluded that 'the data do not suggest a positive link with 2,4-D'14 as have the Canadian authorities. However, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified 2,4-D among the phenoxy acid herbicides MCPA and 2,4,5-T as a class 2B carcinogen-possibly carcinogenic to humans (concluding that there was limited evidence in humans, inadequate evidence in animals).
http://www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/Actives/24d.htm
"PCP (phencyclidine), (Angel Dust), an animal tranquilizer, is often sold on the street in capsules or tablets as "THC," and falsely believed to be synthetic marijuana. Don't believe it for a minute. Real THC is much too expensive to produce or market for street use. PCP has an extraordinarily high bummer potential, and in addition can cause an overdose if taken in too great an amount, or in concert with alcohol, barbiturates, methaqualone, etc. By the same form of deception, all "Cannabinol" sold on the streets today is also really PCP. There are almost no exceptions to the above ... at least not in the price range of a non-wealthy person's income. Every drug analysis program across the nation supports this claim in its data regarding common street ripoffs.
Do It Now Foundation's pamphlet titled "Marijuana."
Institute for Chemical Survival, Phoenix. Arizona
IS THERE SPIRITUAL HELP AVAILABLE FOR A PERSON IN TROUBLE?
We used to sing an old church chorus "The Lion of Judah will break every chain and give to us the victory again and again." That happened 39 years ago and the man does not drink to this day.
(according to Acts 2:4). If a person had that power of God in their life, following their salvation experience with Christ, they could be an overcomer and not relapse back into heroin addiction again unless they wanted to.
Baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4) complete with speaking in tongues. God is the One to break any addiction in any sincere Christian's life.
Assemblies of God church and make an appointment to speak with the pastor there. Explain to him what has just happened to you and he will help you get into God's word and help you get sound Biblical teaching. If he can't help you directly I am sure that he will be able to find someone who can.
(Acts 2:4). This dynamic power from God is greater than anything that Satan has to offer. You need this power to help you live the Christian life and to help you fight against the power of relapsing back to your addiction. And God is always happy to share His power with you when you ask in faith.
Kraig J. Rice
Bread On The Waters (BOW)
Our web address is
www.breadonthewaters.com
click on the above banner if you want to learn how to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
If you are trying to get off of drugs there is hope for you
Find a Teen Challenge Center near where you live to help you get off of the drugs.
A Question God Cannot Answer
If you need Christ in your life, please read this tract.
Encouragement
Read this if you need encouragement.
Overcoming Discouragement
Don't give up. Here are some tips on how to overcome discouragement.
You are valuable. Read just how much...
A Bible Study About Miracles
Do you need a miracle to happen in your life? God still works miracles. Maybe He has one for you...
A Man Trying To Get Away From God
Here is a true story about a wounded Christian who threw it all away and how he came back to God. This story may give you hope if you need it because God never stops loving and reaching out to those who are wounded.
Who Taught the Birds?
Since God taught the birds He can also teach us. But do we have ears to hear?
Testimonies of Healing(s)
God can heal you of your LSD addiction. Read what He has done for others.
A Bible Study About the trial of your faith
We all go through trials from time to time. Some are harder than others. Do you know how to get through a trial of your faith? Learn what the Word of God has to say about your trial and the best way to make you a conqueror through it.
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