Pot Head
June 27, 2003 3:41 PM Subscribe
Pot doesn't cause permanent brain damage? According to this University of California at San Diego study, no it doesn't even though other illegal drugs, even alcohol, can cause brain damage.
"...marijuana has only a marginally harmful long-term effect on learning and memory."
"...marijuana has only a marginally harmful long-term effect on learning and memory."
Wow - it's been one hell of a week for all us dope-smokin' butt fuckers out here.
posted by scarabic at 3:50 PM on June 27, 2003
posted by scarabic at 3:50 PM on June 27, 2003
No, it doesn't cause brain damage, but it gets your daughter knocked up, causes you to run over little girls at the drive-through, and has also been proven to make fathers of pot-smokers leave loaded guns on the desk in their dens, which the young teen pot-smokers then shoot each other in the heads with. Or so I've learned on television, thanks to my own goddamned taxes.
posted by zekinskia at 3:58 PM on June 27, 2003
posted by zekinskia at 3:58 PM on June 27, 2003
It's still more dangerous than cocaine.
Just saying ...
posted by magullo at 4:00 PM on June 27, 2003
Just saying ...
posted by magullo at 4:00 PM on June 27, 2003
Dude, like I coulda told you that all along, hehehe.
posted by strangeleftydoublethink at 4:09 PM on June 27, 2003
posted by strangeleftydoublethink at 4:09 PM on June 27, 2003
Yeah, but watch out for that tofu
and, btw. How can memory loss != 'brain damage'? I mean, that's where memories are formed
posted by delmoi at 4:28 PM on June 27, 2003
and, btw. How can memory loss != 'brain damage'? I mean, that's where memories are formed
posted by delmoi at 4:28 PM on June 27, 2003
Just to put things in perspective, while marijuana might be shown to have only marginally harmful long-term effects on memory and learning, it has been linked to murder, insanity, and in some cases, death.
posted by eddydamascene at 4:29 PM on June 27, 2003
posted by eddydamascene at 4:29 PM on June 27, 2003
Marijuana is a terrible drug that inflicts pain and torment on americas youth. It is a youth only problem, and your school counselor, pastor, or scout troop leader would be happy to teach you just how bad it is. Im being totally sincere. Please, dont laugh. Marijuana kills. It has been killing for years. Dont let this happen to your children. Lets keep it an "inner city" problem. With your help we can make this dream of prosperous drug free living real.
Now excuse me while I buy some taxed alcohol at a local bar, get in my car and drive home. Then when I wake up the next morning forgetting how I got to my bed, ill pop some legal "medication" to kill my headache. Maybe smoke a cigarette. Who knows. Theres a reason why some things are legal and some things aren't, and I dont care about politics as long as I can live out these comfortable lies. Do I sound like an extremist? Im not. I disregard people encapsulating other people. I myself have been guilty of the same thing. But before you just assume that pot is bad, or that criminals get caught with pot all the time, keep in mind criminals smoke cigarettes and drink booze too. Pot is easily obtainable and enjoyable for some people. Pot is part of a market that people use when they buy more potent and damaging drugs. Cigarettes would be part of that market too if they were prohibited. Very simple. Supply and demand.
posted by Keyser Soze at 4:31 PM on June 27, 2003
Now excuse me while I buy some taxed alcohol at a local bar, get in my car and drive home. Then when I wake up the next morning forgetting how I got to my bed, ill pop some legal "medication" to kill my headache. Maybe smoke a cigarette. Who knows. Theres a reason why some things are legal and some things aren't, and I dont care about politics as long as I can live out these comfortable lies. Do I sound like an extremist? Im not. I disregard people encapsulating other people. I myself have been guilty of the same thing. But before you just assume that pot is bad, or that criminals get caught with pot all the time, keep in mind criminals smoke cigarettes and drink booze too. Pot is easily obtainable and enjoyable for some people. Pot is part of a market that people use when they buy more potent and damaging drugs. Cigarettes would be part of that market too if they were prohibited. Very simple. Supply and demand.
posted by Keyser Soze at 4:31 PM on June 27, 2003
Dude, I was just thinking...y'know...the world is big, dude. Dude! And like, next to the world....I'm small.
Dude!
posted by graventy at 4:37 PM on June 27, 2003
Dude!
posted by graventy at 4:37 PM on June 27, 2003
In other breaking news, sitting close to the TV doesn't make you blind, masturbation doesn't give you hairy palms and your face will not freeze in that goofy expression you're making.
posted by timeistight at 4:40 PM on June 27, 2003
posted by timeistight at 4:40 PM on June 27, 2003
Dammit, now how will I inflict permanent braindamage on myself?
posted by spazzm at 6:06 PM on June 27, 2003
posted by spazzm at 6:06 PM on June 27, 2003
"The studies tested the mental functions of routine pot smokers, but not while they were actually high."
Well, there's the kicker.
People I know who have been smoking for long periods are always high.
Except when they sleep, and I suspect testing a sleeping pothead is more difficult than testing a stoned one.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 6:20 PM on June 27, 2003
Well, there's the kicker.
People I know who have been smoking for long periods are always high.
Except when they sleep, and I suspect testing a sleeping pothead is more difficult than testing a stoned one.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 6:20 PM on June 27, 2003
you know, I was an undergraduate at UCSD, a school which does more cognitive research than just about any other place on the planet, and this "does pot cause brain damage?" question was asked within the first week in every single neurobiology class I took.
and the answer was ALWAYS the same as in this article. still is today. in fact, most neuro profs described the greatest risk from smoking pot as "recurrent bronchitis".
something that certain, er, friends of, ah, mine, yeah, that's the ticket! can easily verify
posted by badzen at 6:41 PM on June 27, 2003
and the answer was ALWAYS the same as in this article. still is today. in fact, most neuro profs described the greatest risk from smoking pot as "recurrent bronchitis".
something that certain, er, friends of, ah, mine, yeah, that's the ticket! can easily verify
posted by badzen at 6:41 PM on June 27, 2003
I am reasonably stoned right now, yet I remain adroitly poised to outwit any of you motherfuckers.
And I will take your snacks.
posted by Ignatius J. Reilly at 7:10 PM on June 27, 2003
And I will take your snacks.
posted by Ignatius J. Reilly at 7:10 PM on June 27, 2003
oooooh! snacks!
Oh, I'm sorry...what were we talking about?
posted by dejah420 at 7:14 PM on June 27, 2003
Oh, I'm sorry...what were we talking about?
posted by dejah420 at 7:14 PM on June 27, 2003
"Fortunately, I'm adhering to a pretty strict, uh, drug, uh, regimen to keep my mind, you know, uh . . . limber. "
posted by Zonker at 7:46 PM on June 27, 2003
posted by Zonker at 7:46 PM on June 27, 2003
I have no doubt that pot does not cause permanent brain damage. Nor does smoking cigarettes...both are healthy and relatively inexpensive and make life much nicer all around. Both relax you. Both are nice pacifiers to hold onto at social engagements. If you cough, your'e off.
posted by Postroad at 8:10 PM on June 27, 2003
posted by Postroad at 8:10 PM on June 27, 2003
scarabic, you said it. This couldn't have happened on a better day.
Whoa.
What a great day this is.
posted by squirrel at 8:51 PM on June 27, 2003
Whoa.
What a great day this is.
posted by squirrel at 8:51 PM on June 27, 2003
People I know who have been smoking for long periods are always high.
Yeah, maybe some of them. But then you probably know a lot of people who have been smoking a few joints a week for the last thirty years. Only you don't know about it because it's a seamless lifestyle choice for millions of hard working people. Every bit as legitimate as a couple of glasses of wine, only no carbohydrates and better conversations. You also don't know because you don't get invited to their parties.
posted by squirrel at 9:01 PM on June 27, 2003
Yeah, maybe some of them. But then you probably know a lot of people who have been smoking a few joints a week for the last thirty years. Only you don't know about it because it's a seamless lifestyle choice for millions of hard working people. Every bit as legitimate as a couple of glasses of wine, only no carbohydrates and better conversations. You also don't know because you don't get invited to their parties.
posted by squirrel at 9:01 PM on June 27, 2003
"You also don't know because you don't get invited to their parties."
Don't kid yourself, squirrel.
I don't get invited to any parties.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:30 PM on June 27, 2003
Don't kid yourself, squirrel.
I don't get invited to any parties.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:30 PM on June 27, 2003
in fact, most neuro profs described the greatest risk from smoking pot as "recurrent bronchitis".
As an asthmatic, quite frankly I can say that sucks enough just by itself. All you people smoking pot (and cigarettes) make me sick. Until you've experienced not being able to breathe, you just take breathing for granted. The idea that people voluntarily destroy their lungs in that manner is just depressing to someone that only has about 60% of the airflow of a normal person.
better conversations
Maybe if you're also high. If not, then quite frankly the conversation is stunningly pathetic. (Although I suppose at time it can provide a fair amount of entertainment at just how stupid people can look). Course, this isn't limited to people smoking pot, drunks also do a wonderful job at this.
posted by piper28 at 10:30 PM on June 27, 2003
As an asthmatic, quite frankly I can say that sucks enough just by itself. All you people smoking pot (and cigarettes) make me sick. Until you've experienced not being able to breathe, you just take breathing for granted. The idea that people voluntarily destroy their lungs in that manner is just depressing to someone that only has about 60% of the airflow of a normal person.
better conversations
Maybe if you're also high. If not, then quite frankly the conversation is stunningly pathetic. (Although I suppose at time it can provide a fair amount of entertainment at just how stupid people can look). Course, this isn't limited to people smoking pot, drunks also do a wonderful job at this.
posted by piper28 at 10:30 PM on June 27, 2003
And it looks like piper28 is going to the wrong parties. This stereotype is so thin. Also, if pot were legal, we could all use hash oil and preserve our lungs.
Let me not catch you wandering too freely afoot, thought, lest you mock the paraplegic.
posted by squirrel at 10:40 PM on June 27, 2003
Let me not catch you wandering too freely afoot, thought, lest you mock the paraplegic.
posted by squirrel at 10:40 PM on June 27, 2003
Maybe if you're also high. If not, then quite frankly the conversation is stunningly pathetic.
word. people tend to have a boasting kinda tone when they say they're high or they use marijuana, but it's like alcohol... great, you make yourself more stupid for fun. ok then.
posted by kv at 11:14 PM on June 27, 2003
word. people tend to have a boasting kinda tone when they say they're high or they use marijuana, but it's like alcohol... great, you make yourself more stupid for fun. ok then.
posted by kv at 11:14 PM on June 27, 2003
I wouldn't claim that pot grants users the ability to transcend mundane human boorishness. Among other things, it's an intoxicant. Voila silliness. It doesn't sound like you enjoy hanging out with them, so why should you care? Let them enjoy this good news.
posted by squirrel at 11:33 PM on June 27, 2003
posted by squirrel at 11:33 PM on June 27, 2003
I find people who find people who smoke pot boring boring.
"Bah, people who smoke pot are soooo boring! I on the other hand..."
posted by spazzm at 11:42 PM on June 27, 2003
"Bah, people who smoke pot are soooo boring! I on the other hand..."
posted by spazzm at 11:42 PM on June 27, 2003
I would say something about this, but I am too drubk.
posted by interrobang at 1:34 AM on June 28, 2003
posted by interrobang at 1:34 AM on June 28, 2003
Remove it from the smoke and you could have a very nice treatment for asthma.
More on that:
Tashkin et al (1975), for example, compared the bronchodilator effect of smoked cannabis with that of a standard clinical dose of the bronchodilator isoproterenol in relieving experimentally induced asthma in asthmatic patients. They found that smoking a 2 per cent-THC cannabis cigarette produced a bronchodilator nearly equivalent to that of a clinical dose of isoproterenol. (The Health and Psychological Consequences of Cannabis Use, section 8.5)
Strangley, the report says that aerosolized THC may actually produce reflex bronchoconstriction, and oral THC acts only after a substantial delay. The kicker is, of course, that smoked cannabis "would inevitably involve the delivery of other noxious chemicals that would nullify its therapeutic value in the short term, and carry an increased risk of other respiratory disease and possibly cancer in the long term".
posted by eddydamascene at 10:01 AM on June 28, 2003
More on that:
Tashkin et al (1975), for example, compared the bronchodilator effect of smoked cannabis with that of a standard clinical dose of the bronchodilator isoproterenol in relieving experimentally induced asthma in asthmatic patients. They found that smoking a 2 per cent-THC cannabis cigarette produced a bronchodilator nearly equivalent to that of a clinical dose of isoproterenol. (The Health and Psychological Consequences of Cannabis Use, section 8.5)
Strangley, the report says that aerosolized THC may actually produce reflex bronchoconstriction, and oral THC acts only after a substantial delay. The kicker is, of course, that smoked cannabis "would inevitably involve the delivery of other noxious chemicals that would nullify its therapeutic value in the short term, and carry an increased risk of other respiratory disease and possibly cancer in the long term".
posted by eddydamascene at 10:01 AM on June 28, 2003
Sadly, no amount of research showing the harmlessness of marijuana, relative to alcohol and even many over-the-counter medications, will make any difference in the political realities the control this issue.
Let's face it, drug prohibition is a pork-barrel project, an employment program for law enforcement types, who will protect those jobs with all the political clout they can muster, no matter how many people are harmed by the real drug problem: Drug Laws.
It would be far cheaper, more humane, and much more effective, to spend a fraction of the money spent in the drug war for medical/psychological treatment for the minority that would actually get into trouble with substances.
But then again, debate on this issue is always stifled by ridicule and accusations of being a drug user (I'm straight-edge, by the way).
Pathetic fascist culture...
posted by reality at 10:12 AM on June 28, 2003
Let's face it, drug prohibition is a pork-barrel project, an employment program for law enforcement types, who will protect those jobs with all the political clout they can muster, no matter how many people are harmed by the real drug problem: Drug Laws.
It would be far cheaper, more humane, and much more effective, to spend a fraction of the money spent in the drug war for medical/psychological treatment for the minority that would actually get into trouble with substances.
But then again, debate on this issue is always stifled by ridicule and accusations of being a drug user (I'm straight-edge, by the way).
Pathetic fascist culture...
posted by reality at 10:12 AM on June 28, 2003
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posted by Wingy at 3:47 PM on June 27, 2003