OH BOY! you gotta love Nancy Reagan and her "war on drugs" campaign. The WAR on drugs will NEVER be won. Drugs will always be here so YES legalize it. I saw it LEGAL at the VA HOSPITALS so why the hell not for the rest of the millions who can BENEFIT from it.

Let the cancer victims smoke it........geeeeeeeez why not???? do you know how painful it is????

please keep it illegal.

i want legal recourse should someone try and smoke that **** around MY kids.

Then make it legal, but illegal to smoke around minors because of contact highs, see simple.

I'll take potheads over alcoholics anyday....

Amen to that divinci!!

Look at every country in the world that has legalized all drugs. They have all fallen to pieces. Do you really want that?

Are you sick of hearing your girlfriend nagging you about letting go of your pot pasttime? Have you been hearing a lot of negative things about the use of marijuana lately? Would you like to know what the real deal is behind the use of this infamous drug? Then read on because you're in for a surprise.

One of the saddest things in North America is the lack of clinical trials on marijuana use. Many other countries in the world have already performed such tests in order to destroy myths about this drug, which has been in use for thousands of years... mainly for medicinal purposes.

The data from previous studies, published in numerous books and scholarly journals, covered such matters as marijuana's effects on the brain, lungs, immune and reproductive systems; its impact on personality, developmental and motivational states; and its addictive potential.

Although these studies did not answer all remaining questions about marijuana toxicity, they generally supported the idea that marijuana was a relatively safe drug -- not totally free from potential harm, but unlikely to create serious harm for most individual users or society.

The following list will hopefully demystify several myths about marijuana use and help answer a lot of serious questions:health risk myths & realitiesMarijuana Overdose
There is no existing evidence of anyone dying of a marijuana overdose. Tests performed on mice have shown that the ratio of cannabinoids (the chemicals in marijuana that make you high) necessary for overdose to the amount necessary for intoxication is 40,000:1.

For comparison's sake, that ratio for alcohol is generally between 4:1 and 10:1. Alcohol overdoses claim approximately 5,000 casualties yearly, but marijuana overdoses kill no one as far as any official reports.

Brain Damage
Marijuana is psychoactive because it stimulates certain brain receptors, but it does not produce toxins that kill them (like alcohol), and it does not wear them out as other drugs may. There is no evidence that marijuana use causes brain damage. Studies performed on actual human populations will confirm these results, even for chronic marijuana users (up to 18 joints per day) after many years of use.

In fact, following the publication of two 1977 JAMA studies, the American Medical Association (AMA) officially announced its support for the decriminalization of marijuana.

In reality, marijuana has the effect of slightly increasing alpha-wave activity in your brain. Alpha waves are generally associated with meditative and relaxed states, which are, in turn, often associated with human creativity.

Memory
Marijuana does impair short-term memory, but only during intoxication. Although the authoritative studies on marijuana use seem to agree that there is no residual impairment following intoxication, persistent impairment of short-term memory has been noted in chronic marijuana smokers, up to 6 and 12 weeks following abstinence.

What other myths have been going around about smoking a doobie ? Next >>

Article Suggested By: Bill Greig, Newark, NJ

more marijuana mythsHeart Problems
It is accepted in medical circles today that marijuana use causes no evident long-term cardiovascular problems for normal persons. Marijuana smoking, however, does cause changes in the heart and body's circulation characteristic of stress, which may complicate preexisting cardiovascular problems like hypertension, cerebrovascular disease, and coronary atherosclerosis. Marijuana's effects on blood pressure are complex and inconsistent as of yet.

Hormones
Chronic marijuana use has not been found to alter testosterone or other sex hormone levels. In contrast, heavy alcohol use is known to lower these same testosterone levels.

Reproductive Damage
No trustworthy study has ever shown that marijuana use damages the reproductive system, or causes chromosome breakage. Studies of actual human populations have failed to demonstrate that marijuana adversely affects the reproductive system. Claims that marijuana use may impair hormone production, menstrual cycles, or fertility in females are both unproven and unfounded.

The Immune System
Studies in which lab rats were injected with extremely large quantities of THC (the active compound in marijuana) have found that marijuana (in such unrealistically huge quantities) does have an "immunosuppressive effect" in those lab rats, in that it temporarily shuts off certain cells in the liver called lymphocytes and macrophages. These macrophages are useful in fighting off bacterial, not viral, infections.

But this is only for the duration of intoxication. There also exists some evidence that marijuana metabolites remain in the lungs for up to seven months after smoking has ceased, possibly affecting the immune system of the lungs (but not by turning the cells off).

This said, doctors and researchers are still not sure that the immune system is actually negatively affected in realistic situations since there are no numbers to support the idea. In fact, three studies showed that THC might have actually stimulated the immune system in the people studied.

Cancer
Smoking marijuana has the potential to cause both bronchitis and cancer of the lungs, throat, and neck, but this is generally no different than inhaling any other burnt carbon-containing matter since they all increase the number of lesions (and therefore possible infections) in your airways.

The Gateway Effect
Marijuana use has not been found to act as a gateway drug to the use of harder drugs. Studies show that when the Dutch partially legalized marijuana in the 70's, heroin and cocaine use substantially declined, despite a slight increase in marijuana use.

If the stepping stone theory were true, use should have gone up rather than down. In reality, it appears that marijuana use tends to substitute for the use of relatively more dangerous hard drugs like cocaine and heroin, rather than lead to their use.

Thus, oftentimes strict marijuana laws themselves are the most significant factor involved in moving on to harder drugs like cocaine. Such is the case in Nevada and Arizona, the states toughest on marijuana use.the potential benefitsBecause smoked marijuana contains a variety of combustion compounds, it can damage the lungs and possibly the immune system. Several health committees recommended the development of an inhalation device that delivers pure THC -- the active ingredient in marijuana -- to the lungs. Such a device has not yet been created.


There is some evidence -- but no scientifically valid studies -- that marijuana is useful in treating some forms of epilepsy and spasticity caused by multiple sclerosis.


Some studies show that smoked marijuana is effective for some patients in relieving nausea caused by cancer and chemotherapy.


There is evidence that marijuana may improve the appetite and help patients gain weight. This could be lifesaving for AIDS patients who develop wasting , a severe weight-loss condition.


Smoking marijuana is effective in lowering pressure inside the eyeballs of some patients with glaucoma. A word of caution, however: the drug also drops blood pressure, and this could compromise blood flow to the optic nerve and damage vision.

So there you have it. For additional information on the benefits of marijuana, I highly recommend the book The Benefits of Marijuana : Physical, Psychological, and Spiritual by Joan Bello.

Article Suggested By: Bill Greig, Newark, NJ


thats covers some of the questions that are out there these days. the above does not cover all the benifits. for more proof i suggest that you just type marijuana benifits in whatever search engine you want & become a little more educated in a topic before you bash something.

i do respect your opinoin tho so feel free to bash whatever. this is america so feel free to do all the bashing you want. all i ask while i sit back & read your rants is to be able to take a one hit now & then & then a shot of crown & wipe the tears of laughter away while i read.

Just think of the good use the tax dollars from it if it was legal, people are gonna smoke it anyway, society could benefit from its profits instead of the dealers, and it would be regualted much better!!

i was not stoned or drunk at the time of my above 2 postings

Lets clear this up...not ALL cancer patients use this!! I didn't use it when I had my cancer. Sure I was in pain and I was sick and couldn't eat and lost a lot of weight BUT I still didn't use it!!
I think the people that sell it to the patients just want to make a ton of money!! I think its sad that they make that much money.

Marijuana has an adverse affect on you after years of usage. I've watched guys shake so bad it was unreal because they couldn't get their marijuana...i worked with a guy that smoked it all his life...he couldn't carry on a decent conversation because his brain was so screwed up from usage, couldn't remember half what he was suppose to be doing... I knew the guy since childhood and it's a shame what it did to him. You can't sell me on it...i've seen too much from its usage. Anything that addles the mind is not good for you. I used it in my early 20's and had sense enough to walk away from it.

My wife never used it either. There were drugs at her disposal for anything she needed. Including pain and nasea.

Can anyone tell me with a straight face that no one has ever gotten stoned and gotten in to a car accident with fatalities. If you really believe that this drug is not dangerous, then the only person you are fooling is yourself.

My thoughts on medical marijuana, is that for the person smoking it.....its natural.....a plant.

Now, alot of medicine you buy over the counter is also from plants etc.......and alot are synthetic. It depends if the person wants to put something natural in their body or synthetic.

I dont advocate marijuana usage to everyone....but there are some instances where I can see their point.

I agree with you Captain...my favorite one is that its NOT addictive!! It is ADDICTIVE!!
Thats another reason why I chose not to use it for my cancer. It would have been another thing I would have been addicted to. Look I know cancer is bad...but being addicted to something is also bad. I guess you can't win any way you go!!

Addiction is in the mind..I walked away from it after a years usage, quit drinking after severals years of it. Was on pain medication for many years...when it got to the point it didn't help I quit taking it.