Marijuana...Good or Bad???

[Shaggy 2 Dope]

so the big question...can you over dose on pot?? i have heard alot of controversy on this one. i myself have not.

[cresslove]

I think it has both good and bad aspects.  No, I don't think you can overdose on marijuana.  According to which US Government authority you want to believe, the lethal dose of marijuana is either about one-third your body weight, or about 1,500 pounds, consumed all at once.  That isn't even humanly possible.  That would take quite a bong! 

I have smoked marijuana when I was in high school and college, but not for years.  I do think that it has side effects such as cognitive "fogginess" and paranoia.  However, there are many drugs that are much worse than pot.  I also think that it is a portal to other stronger drugs especially if started at an impressionable young age.  Would I tell a teen to not smoke pot, absolutely.  In regards to the use of medicinal marijuana.  I believe that it should absolutely be allowed for control of symptoms associated with terminal illnesses.  If we treat terminal patients with Fentanyl and Morphine then why not Cannabis?  Fentanyl and Morphine may not be illegal but there is a much higher rate of death with these drugs from adverse reactions etc.  Also the rate of abuse is much higher.  Political opponents of allowing the use of marijuana as a medicine routinely say that there is no scientific basis for claims that the drug is useful. For instance, U.S. drug czar Barry McCaffrey has said, "There is not a shred of scientific evidence that smoked marijuana is useful or needed."  Let him undergo chemo with intractable nausea and emesis and see if he feels medicinal marijuana isn't beneficial. 

Nonaddictive pain control
In October 1997, new animal studies of cannabinoids by research groups at the University of California in San Francisco, the University of Michigan, and Brown University were presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. Researchers in these studies found evidence that THC and other cannabinoids have a direct effect on pain signals in the central nervous system, by tracing the biochemical pathway that pain signals follow from the site of an injury, through the spinal cord, to the brain. The studies also concluded that, unlike the current crop of painkillers based on opiates, cannabinoids are not addictive, nor do they appear to carry the risk that patients may develop tolerance for them and require increasing doses to achieve
relief.

Protecting the brain from effects of stroke, other disordersMore recently, in just the last few months, new information has emerged from studies by federal researchers at the National Institutes of Mental Health. Their reports have stated that THC, the chief psychoactive compound found in marijuana, and cannabidiol (CBD), a nonpsychoactive component, both appear to protect brain cells from the damage that often occurs during a stroke. When the brain's blood supply is cut, as occurs during a stroke, THC and CBD act as powerful antioxidants, protecting the brain cells from exposure to toxic levels of the brain chemical called glutamate. This finding also indicates that marijuana may hold medical value in the treatment of brain injuries and diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
I think much reseach is still needed to determine the benefits of cannabis for Medicinal needs.

[The H8R]

At least spell it right stoner.

[xDollface]

It's not like he butchered the entire word. He missed a letter.

I can't lie, I've smoked it a few times.. it definitely isn't for me, neither is any other illegal drug for that matter, but I guess its ok for other people as long as they don't smoke excessive amounts of it. I am pretty tired of seeing young kids walking around with it thinking they're cool. The people smoking it should at least be 18 since that's the legal age at which you can smoke tobacco.

[Shaggy 2 Dope]

dam* i did miss the j didnt i...ahh ohh well. but me personally i know its got its side affects and stuff. but it is a natural plant. how can the goverment control something that just grows naturally. its not like you have to add anything to it, or make it. i think its just another way for the governemt to try to control the people in our country. like one glass of whine a day is good for you, why couldnt one joint a day be good for you. smoke in moderation.

[Britneysucks]

Peyote is also a 'natural' - think that's good to take?

Lauren, btw, it's not that hard to ingest that amopunt when you're not smoking crud, but stuff grown by botanists - then it's not that impossible, remember stats work on averages.


Lets face it, it's not such a good thing for productivity, unless you're sweeping streets for a living. Messes up reactions, perceptions, all sortsw of stuff.

But way I see it, if you wanna blow your brains out, that's as good a way as any.

[Shaggy 2 Dope]

Peyote is also a 'natural' - think that's good to take?

Lauren, btw, it's not that hard to ingest that amopunt when you're not smoking crud, but stuff grown by botanists - then it's not that impossible, remember stats work on averages.


Lets face it, it's not such a good thing for productivity, unless you're sweeping streets for a living. Messes up reactions, perceptions, all sortsw of stuff.

But way I see it, if you wanna blow your brains out, that's as good a way as any.

you have got a point on the peyote. natural but completely f**** you up and can kill you. me personally i dont smoke pot, do drugs, but i just wanted to hear other peoples perceptions on it all.

[Britneysucks]

You'll get two sides - that of those who do them (most of them will give you pro's) and those who have either stopped or never have, who will show you the cons.
The ones who give both sides like to keep their options open, so to speak, LOL!

[Shaggy 2 Dope]

yeah i hear ya. i can see both the good and the bad. but i can see more bad then good with any drugs if there is any good at all.

[Britneysucks]

True - all of them, including marijuana, will most likely cause a permanent chemical change in your brain - and most people do not know, or care, what that means, until it's WAY too late.
I think the need to do drugs is just sad.

[Shaggy 2 Dope]

i think the same thing. chemical damage to the brain will eventually kill you, or just make you stupid, constantly. lol. im actually surprised that im not a pot head myself. almost all of my friends are big pot heads. my own grandmother grows pot. along with most of my friends. but im glad i dont need to depend on any drug in order for me to get through the day.

[Britneysucks]

I find myself having very little time for people who do drugs, but realise that with some people, it's bad choice, with others it's more like inevitable, and just hope they see how senseless it is at the end of the day.

[cresslove]

I find myself having very little time for people who do drugs, but realise that with some people, it's bad choice, with others it's more like inevitable, and just hope they see how senseless it is at the end of the day.

I agree, but don't you think Medicinal Marijuana should be allowed to ease someones suffering from a terminal illness?

[Shaggy 2 Dope]

I agree, but don't you think Medicinal Marijuana should be allowed to ease someones suffering from a terminal illness?

if not abused then yes.

[Britneysucks]

I agree with shaggy - it's only the abuse fzactor that's worrying. Then again, if youy want out of life, and cannot go euthanasia, what else do you do if you have no quality of life?