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mike c

mike c

Audioholic Warlord
Uncle Mike is probably too stoned to care what happens to junior. Mommy and daddy have an obligation and duty to their offspring, the
wha? i didn't do it, nobody saw me do it, you can't prove anything. :p
 
mike c

mike c

Audioholic Warlord
yeah, nice house ric. can't you get a speech to txt software?
 
C

cbraver

Audioholic Chief
Ric, you're the exception to the rule my friend. You obviously have a need, I'm not a doctor so I couldn't say if it's good or bad for you. As for others that aren't in need, there's no excuse. And for talking out of their butts as pointed out, read what Brown University has to say about short and long term use. And there's no political ax grinding on their site. I don't see any evidence of trolling, just everyone putting forth an opinion.
I think you misread his thread. He speaks from a medical perspective, but also from a smoking for pleasure perspective. He also covers the Brown University stuff (although not directly), which is copy-and-paste bs they have to put on their website for fear of angry parents or whatever. All colleges have that, and just about all of them also have NORML chapters run by professors and a large smoking community of both successful students and professors. There are bumout smokers, and you hear about them, but not the successful ones. It throws perception off.

I don't want to speak for Ric, but, what he is saying is that this thread was just kind of a joke for those who don't think pot is that big of a deal... and it really wasn't neccessary for people to attack us like this and drag this out. It made something that we could chuckle about into a heated discussion. In hindsight, I should have known it could have turned this way, but, when I looked at my calender and chuckled, I guess I figured it might do the same for some other people too.

Pot isn't for everyone, but attacking stoners, or people who don't smoke but have enough to a sense of humor just to laugh about that holiday, when the beer thread downstream is just fine... is hypocracy and just plain bulls**t.

I've learned my lesson. No smoking jokes here. Not a mention of the influence it's had on music, in all genres. But, from the PMs, and responses on this thread, it looks like there is a sizable smoking community here, and a number of people who don't smoke but at least support their rights (like me, I have to quit for drug testing). But, ssshhhhhhhhhhhh.

In a last effort for the spirit of this thread, some laughs: NSFW! It's Redman from Pimp my Ride ....
 
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Gimpy Ric

Gimpy Ric

Moderator
Hey Guys,

Sorry that I took some of this too seriously, but what started out as a joke thread got so hostile so fast. As far as one mod stated, I'm scum of the earth just above child molesters :confused: Whats up with that?

Next month will be twenty years in a chair, and my spasms should be going away, so say some other gimps I know who have been hurt longer than I. But the opposite is true, I'm now prescribed four different drugs for muscle spasms: baclofen, valium, tizanidine, and gabapenton. These are all from the same team of Doctors, so don't think I went "drug shopping" by going from one Doctor to the next.

Alabama doesn't have medical marijuana, but that just makes me a criminal I guess. There are quads, paras, AIDS patients, cancer patients, and MS patients world wide that smoke for medical reasons, why are we not able to use a drug that HELPS? I don't grow, sell, or offer marijuana to anybody. I also don't have children in the house.

If I wasn't in a chair? I'm not sure if I would smoke or not as I would not be retired, and may have a job that requires drug testing. Since I'm not physically addicted nor can be, stopping is not a problem. The same cannot be said for some legal drugs in America.

I haven't been in the beer thread yet because I quit drinking and so theres nothing in there for me. I am kinda pissed about jeffsg4mac, a moderator for saying this:

Drug users are just about the lowest form of scum there is, above them are the dealers and below them are child molesters.
I run a small message board for wheelchair users called Wheelchair Forums and in my opinion, jeffsg4macs personal comments are out of line for a mod. Mike C on the other hand has my full respect.

Ric
 
stratman

stratman

Audioholic Ninja
So Brown University a very liberal establishment that really never caters to parents concerns put bogus information to appease parents? Ok, how about someone less "scholarly,":


" Title: Marijuana: Health Effects
Author: Jim Parker
Publication Date: February 2007

..Fact Attack

One problem in sorting out fact from fiction about marijuana is that the "facts" keep changing into fictions.

Need some examples? Try these:

In the 1930's, a "fact" everyone knew (or thought they did) was that pot was the dreaded "assassin of youth," a one-way ticket to a life of crime, madness, and despair.
By the '60s, that "fact" morphed into a brand-new, mirror-image "fact." Now pot was seen only as a "harmless giggle," maybe not actually good for you, but at least it didn't do any real harm -- like such legal drugs as alcohol and tobacco.
In the '80s, things started changing again. Conservatism was cool again (supposedly), and a whole new set of "facts" was produced to justify a nationwide campaign against a born-again "assassin of youth."
Today, the facts about marijuana are changing again.

It's not that there aren't still a lot of opinions out there, masquerading as facts. It's just that a growing body of scientific research is out there, too, and it's gradually starting to squeeze out all the fake little "facts" that have confused the issue for so long.

It's a good thing, too. Because a lot of the new facts really are facts, this time around. And they're worth thinking about if you're thinking about -- or on -- pot.

..What's new about marijuana today?

A lot. But quite a bit has stayed the same.

Because even though people have been using the marijuana (or hemp) plant, Cannabis sativa, in medicine and manufacturing for at least 5,000 years, it's better known for its recreational drug uses. Nothing new about that.

Not much new in another fact, either: Pot is still the most-used illegal drug in America. More than 97.5 million Americans have tried it, according to a 2005 national survey, and some 14.6 million smoke it regularly.

What they keep coming back to is a swirl of sensation and fog of intoxication that the drug sets in motion.

When it's smoked or eaten, marijuana triggers a mild euphoria and increased sensitivity to bodily sensations, along with a range of other perceptual distortions that are usually experienced as pleasant -- but not always, and not by all users.

Effects usually peak within an hour or two and fade altogether in 3-4 hours. After-effects can include a slight hangover and impaired concentration.

..How does pot work in the body?

Good question--but it's not an easy one to answer. Because the simple fact is that pot is a complicated drug.

For one thing, marijuana isn't a single drug molecule, like alcohol or cocaine, but a mix of more than 400 different chemical components.They're so different, in fact, that 60 of them (called cannabinoids) are unique to marijuana.

Since we're talking numbers, we'll point out that the main mind-altering cannabinoid is a little number called delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, for short. It's the chemical that trigger marijuana's main drug actions and effects in the body and brain.

THC is like a feel-good chemical bomb that explodes on contact, then breaks up into at least 80 different byproducts (or metabolites) before it's eliminated from the body. And that can take a while.

The process starts as soon as THC enters the bloodstream, and begins zeroing in on cannabinoid receptors (called anandamides) in the brain and central nervous system.

Once it checks into the brain, THC takes its own sweet time in checking out. Unlike many other drugs, which are excreted from the body within hours, THC metabolites stick around -- stored in fatty tissue, mostly -- for 3-5 days, even weeks, in heavy users.

What THC metabolites do, if anything, during this time is still mostly unknown. But it's this buildup of metabolites, and the duration of their hangtime in the body, that raises the most concern about possible long-term risks.

..What risks are linked to pot?

We'll start with the heart, because pot can get things pumping faster there than a tricked-up drum machine at a techno music festival.

In fact, rapid heartbeat -- which, for some users, can speed up by as much as 50 percent--is one of the few universal physical effects of marijuana. (Another is increased appetite -- AKA "the munchies.")

Even though increased heart rate only lasts minutes and isn't a threat to most people, it could add strain for users with heart disorders or high blood pressure.

A bigger threat to more users is irritation to the lungs and respiratory airways, since users tend to inhale pot deeply and hold it in the lungs for as long as possible.

Even though a direct link with lung cancer is unproven, pot smoke does contain cancer-causing chemicals (known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), so it's not that farfetched, either.


..Are other body systems affected?

They sure seem to be. Take the endocrine system, for example. It produces body hormones, the internal chemicals that control how and when we develop. Here's what pot does there:

Triggers a short-term drop in the hormones that direct growth and development.
Lowers sperm production in males, resulting in fewer normal sperm cells.
Tinkers with the balance of hormones that control the menstrual cycles of girls and women.
In adults, these changes are temporary. But researchers suspect that young people risk possible long-range developmental problems. As a precaution, they warn kids to avoid pot to reduce the risk.


..How does pot affect the brain?

That's the trickiest question of all -- because nobody knows all the intricacies of how the brain works in the first place. And we know even less about how it works with a bongload of marijuana inside it.

Still, we're closer to real answers than ever before.

What we know for sure is that pot changes more than just the way people feel. It also triggers a number of changes in brain function and behavior.

Let's consider just a couple of the main ones:

Pot tilts the balance of chemicals in the brain that regulate mood, energy, appetite, and attention.
It affects learning and memory processes, and can cause forgetfulness and reduced concentration.
Pot also reduces logical thinking and calculation skills, and can impair a user's ability to perform complex tasks, including driving a car.
Uncovering the actual machinery of most of pot's effects in the brain is still probably years away.

But this much is known right now: Heavy smokers in general and longtime users in particular are more likely to experience ongoing problems than occasional smokers and nonsmokers.


..Can marijuana cause birth defects?

It doesn't cause full-blown birth defects, but that doesn't mean it's okay to smoke if you're pregnant. Because the fact is that pregnancy and unnecessary drug use just don't go together at all.

Not only that, but with pot, there's some evidence that use during pregnancy could lead to unnecessary problems for a developing fetus, even raising levels of miscarriage and stillbirth.

That's because THC metabolites (remember them?) freely cross the placenta, where they interact with developing body systems.

Possible effects include lowered birth weight, nervous system changes, and delayed learning.

And if you're pregnant (or you're planning to be), risks like those are too real to disregard -- and too important to ignore.

.Final Facts

We still have a long way to go if we're ever going to round up all the facts about marijuana.

For that matter, we'll probably never have every answer to every possible question about its effects on the body and brain.

Because of all the facts in a shifting mountain of facts (and pseudo-facts and fictions) about pot that has accumulated over the years, one that hasn't changed is that marijuana is a drug -- and a pretty complex one, at that.

And like every other drug that's ever been used and abused, it can cause real problems for real people.

And that's a fact that's likely to always be true.


..Sidebar | Final Facts

For most people, getting off pot isn't that big a deal. All they need to do is stop -- and stay stopped. Quitting may not be fun, but it doesn't take much more than a little time and a lot of willpower.

For others, it can get more complicated -- usually, because they let THC & Company become a regular thing, like coffee in the morning or brushing their teeth at night.

For them, quitting is just the first step in a longer process of rebalancing their lives -- and finding alternatives to fill the spaces that leaving pot can leave behind. Places to start:

Get Moving! Any serious physical activity can boost your spirits and clear your head. Running, cycling, or just shooting hoops can turn on the same feel-good brain chemicals that pot does, without the risks--or the expense.

Undo the Dew! A junk-food-free diet can turn down any blues that can come from giving up pot. Taking a break from caffeine and sugar can't hurt, either.

Relax! Take it easy. Turn on to a new activity or a skill that you've let slide for a while. Now is as good a time as any to be experimental with who you're going to be from here on out.

If you think you need help, get it. And if you've thought about it before, be different and do it now. Now happens to be the only time there ever is for doing anything -- including getting your life back together.

And come to think of it, another installment of it is scheduled to begin again any second now.
 
C

cbraver

Audioholic Chief
Mazer, thank you for taking this for what it was!

So Brown University a very liberal establishment that really never caters to parents concerns put bogus information to appease parents?
Brown as a whole, I have no idea. Their health site is like every other colleges.

Is there something painful about just letting this go? I mean, this thread wasn't even intended to necessary support pot use, it was just a joke about a holiday that people with a sense of humor chuckle at. I don't have a problem with scholarly. Even what you posted isn't bad, I would have figured you'd go find one of the "ITS GUNNA KILL YOU" ones...

..What risks are linked to pot?

We'll start with the heart, because pot can get things pumping faster there than a tricked-up drum machine at a techno music festival.

In fact, rapid heartbeat -- which, for some users, can speed up by as much as 50 percent--is one of the few universal physical effects of marijuana. (Another is increased appetite -- AKA "the munchies.")

Even though increased heart rate only lasts minutes and isn't a threat to most people, it could add strain for users with heart disorders or high blood pressure.

A bigger threat to more users is irritation to the lungs and respiratory airways, since users tend to inhale pot deeply and hold it in the lungs for as long as possible.

Even though a direct link with lung cancer is unproven, pot smoke does contain cancer-causing chemicals (known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons), so it's not that farfetched, either.
Heart does speed up, which might be a concern for some people. Irritation to the lungs and respiratory system is also an issue, but this is bypassed by oral or vaporized use. Additionally, it takes only two or three tokes of kind bud to peak, so even smoked there isn't much going in there. This is also why the cancer correlation hasn't ever been really proven (much to the dismay of many), basically potheads don't really smoke that much. Some don't even smoke at all anymore, preferring homemade cannabutter and such. Nevertheless, it's still a concern.

I honestly could deal with marijuana being illegal for recreational use (even though I think its wrong and misguided), if it was legalized for medical use nationally. Look at these negative effects in the study you showed me. Now go look at the negative/side effects of any other drug we take. By comparison, the risks are extremely low. Take a drug like Sudafed, that will raise your heart rate too (more than pot, in my experience)... and has a myriad of other side effects (not to mention, meth is constructed from it). And that's just an OTC example.
 
obscbyclouds

obscbyclouds

Senior Audioholic
I haven't been in the beer thread yet because I quit drinking and so theres nothing in there for me. I am kinda pissed about jeffsg4mac, a moderator for saying this:

I run a small message board for wheelchair users called Wheelchair Forums and in my opinion, jeffsg4macs personal comments are out of line for a mod. Mike C on the other hand has my full respect.

Ric
I completely agree with Ric here, at one point he (Jeff) was berating Joe Schmoe for making personal attacks when confronted with facts, and next thing you know, he's doing the same thing. Hypocritical much? :(
 
Matt34

Matt34

Moderator
I like to think we have a higher standard here at Audioholics than to celebrate the use of an illegal substance(recreational use).

...and I personally cherish the fact that I am healthy enough both mentally and physically that I do not need chemicals in my system to enhance my quaility of life. I couldn't even begin to imagine what Ric experiences day to day.
 
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