Study; High Potency Pot Can Cause Brain Damage

When I looked at some related articles The Guardian also claimed:

However, there is no evidence to support the notion that CBD/THC ratios differ among the different types.
Click to expand...
The Guardian

That's when I knew these were just more fluff articles from cannabis haters. If you think CBD/THC ratios don't differ and you refer to "skunk" as being super-potent then maybe you should go back to your pills and booze ...
 
get off the lawn!

There are frequently new studies coming out on long term pot use with opposite conclusions. Personally I don't think it's as harmless as many think. I guess for the pot user is disclosure, know what you're getting into. If pot users just used pot that's one thing but I've seen too many people start out with alcohol, then pot, then more alcohol and before you know it a trip to rehab along with things like dwi's.

I also saw this with in the last week: A pot breathalyzer that also does alcohol.

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles...halyzer-may-be-coming-soon-to-police-near-you

I take to the streets for exercise and frequently smell "stuff" coming from a vehicle other than exhaust. Scary, real scary. This is my big beef with any substance. Do what you want as long as it doesn't affect others, especially pot because I can't even tolerate cigarette or cigar smoke anymore. And have no sympathy for those caught driving impaired.

The breathalyzer has implications for both driving and/or workplace. Apparently the model in question will be about the same cost as the alcohol one.
 
WhatInThe said:
There are frequently new studies coming out on long term pot use with opposite conclusions. Personally I don't think it's as harmless as many think. I guess for the pot user is disclosure, know what you're getting into.
Click to expand...

Like anything else, of course. But it doesn't help the cause of education when such outright wrong facts are bandied about as being "scientific findings".

If pot users just used pot that's one thing but I've seen too many people start out with alcohol, then pot, then more alcohol and before you know it a trip to rehab along with things like dwi's.
Click to expand...

But that has nothing to do with the addictive / damaging qualities of pot - that's an addictive / damaging personality.

I also saw this with in the last week: A pot breathalyzer that also does alcohol.

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles...halyzer-may-be-coming-soon-to-police-near-you

I take to the streets for exercise and frequently smell "stuff" coming from a vehicle other than exhaust. Scary, real scary. This is my big beef with any substance. Do what you want as long as it doesn't affect others, especially pot because I can't even tolerate cigarette or cigar smoke anymore. And have no sympathy for those caught driving impaired.

The breathalyzer has implications for both driving and/or workplace. Apparently the model in question will be about the same cost as the alcohol one.
Click to expand...

IF this thing actually works, and IF they can agree on what constitutes an intoxicated level (it's going to be different for each person), and IF it is not used in a way to breach Constitutional rights, then yes, I'm for it also.
 
I haven't had any weed since the very early 70's in Nam and Thailand and with me always liking booze better I did very little then.

Now that I'm retired and no longer have to worry about surprise drug tests it does come to mind every once in awhile........I've got a source but just haven't used it yet.
 
Weird, in my youth those around me smoked like chimneys but it just made me kind of paranoid. But I mean if the opportunity presented itself...;)
 
Just about 40 years or so back, I was sent into a rehab unit and stayed for about a month. I have not had a drink since then and after seeing some drug users so messed up they were taken from our joint unit and sent away to where they say they would be totally removed from their reality and then restored as a new person with a new identity. Just the idea of that happening to me made me forever avoid any of these newly approved street drugs. Certainly don't want any of those allowing me to sample some of the more sever drugs that overtake a persons will and life.
 
Just a scary headline? More about the study. https://www.newsledge.com/marijuana-brain-damage-research/


skunk-marijuana-brain-damage-research.jpg



"Research out of King’s College London is causing quite a stir with both sides of the marijuana debate. It points to the possibility strong variants of ‘skunk’ cannabis (marijuana), used regularly, could damage the corpus callosum. That is the part of the brain (white matter) that carries signals between its left and right hemisphere.
Damage to the area can increase the risk of psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations and possible mental illness.

What’s Skunk?

Skunk is a cannabis strain that ups the THC concentration. A typical skunk variant will have concentrations of 14-15% THC while the average marijuana strain contains 2-4%. The strain and the subsets get the name from the strong smell. Think of the spray from a skunk. Fun times, right?

Recreational users like the strains due to the potency and medicinal proponents advocate them thanks to the analgesic properties. The issue with skunk strains is the low concentration of CBD. The uneven ratios of THC/CBD can make the side effects more pronounced.

Marijuana and Brain Damage?

The King’s College London study used 99 volunteers for the research published in the journal Psychological Medicine. Researchers used both MRI and DTI imaging to examine the corpus callosum of 56 patients admitted for an episode of psychosis and 43 local volunteers.

The findings? A daily user of high-potency cannabis had a 2% greater ‘mean diffusivity’ in the white matter of the brain. The higher the mean diffusivity, the more inefficient your white matter functions. Information transfer slows down between the two hemispheres, possibly leading to mental illness or symptoms of psychosis.
Paola Dazzan, the lead author of the study, commented on the results.

“If you look at the corpus callosum, what we’re seeing is a significant difference in the white matter between those who use high potency cannabis and those who never use the drug, or use the low-potency drug.”

What the study could not find was a direct causal relationship between THC and the changes in white matter. Dazza’s response is the research shows that if you are a daily user of skunk strains, your brain will be impacted.

“It is possible that these people already have a different brain, and they are more likely to use cannabis. But what we can say is if it’s high potency, and if you smoke frequently, your brain is different from the brain of someone who smokes normal cannabis, and from someone who doesn’t smoke cannabis at all.”

Nuances and Marijuana

The issue with the debate over legalization always morphs into an all or none question. The research by Dazza and her team does not discount the possible benefits of marijuana. Nor does the paper say marijuana causes brain damage.

It comes down to moderation and regulation. Dazza puts it best when comparing it to alcohol.

“When it comes to alcohol, we are used to thinking about how much people drink, and whether they are drinking wine, beer, or whiskey. We should think of cannabis in a similar way, in terms of THC and the different contents cannabis can have, and potentially the effects on health will be different.”

Nuance. Moderation. Regulation. Proponents of marijuana should be onboard with all three. Yes, the research makes for scary headlines. It also points out the glaring gap in research and the lack of oversight in marijuana strains."


Some over-the-counter and prescription drugs that cause brain damage. More here.
 
SifuPhil said:
...
But that has nothing to do with the addictive / damaging qualities of pot - that's an addictive / damaging personality.
...
Click to expand...

I mostly agree but also think at least some forms of pot are more dangerous or potent than people think. It's anecdotal but I've seen it. Note; person a lifetime drinker to the point of consequences including some dwi's. I know at least one gray haired adult who increased their pot use later in life and I see behaviors that even their excessive drinking can't explain. Their behavior on or off pot is significantly different than their drunk behavior years ago. It's anecdotal I know but simply cannot believe pot is as harmless or not as strong many are lead to believe.

And again what one does in their own home or out of public purview is fine with me. I used to be a lock em up and throw away the key for sellers & users. Now as long as long as there is no other crime involved other than the use or sale of the drug I don't give it priority on things to worry about. If the dealer is killing competition, evading taxes etc or the user is committing crimes for their drug choices then it's an issue.
 
fureverywhere said:
Weird, in my youth those around me smoked like chimneys but it just made me kind of paranoid. But I mean if the opportunity presented itself...;)
Click to expand...

LOL - it had that effect on me too, but then I'm ultra-paranoid to begin with. Pot just made me crawl into a dark corner on my hands and knees like Gollum, hissing at people "My precioussssss..." ;)
 
Skunk is a cannabis strain that ups the THC concentration. A typical skunk variant will have concentrations of 14-15% THC while the average marijuana strain contains 2-4%.
Click to expand...

Wrong again.

THC levels can and have varied from as little as 3% in the '70's all the way up to 37% for some imported strains.

A recent study in Colorado shows that the average potency of legal weed is now 18.7% - not 2-4%.

I understand and agree with what they're saying - moderation. But don't come out with these doomsday headlines - that's definitely an anti-pot tactic. And get your numbers straight.

Besides - Willie doesn't seem to have any problem connecting both sides of his brain, and his tour bus flies through the air on fumes.
 
WhatInThe said:
I mostly agree but also think at least some forms of pot are more dangerous or potent than people think. It's anecdotal but I've seen it. Note; person a lifetime drinker to the point of consequences including some dwi's. I know at least one gray haired adult who increased their pot use later in life and I see behaviors that even their excessive drinking can't explain. Their behavior on or off pot is significantly different than their drunk behavior years ago. It's anecdotal I know but simply cannot believe pot is as harmless or not as strong many are lead to believe.
Click to expand...

Again, I'm not disagreeing that some strains of pot are stronger than others. If you read the King's College study you'll see that they picked patients / test subjects that were admitted for psychotic episodes.

That's sort of stacking the deck. It would be like saying that a person with the flu got that way because they drank tea.

Yes, you have to use common sense. I just have a problem with their experimental design and shoddy research.

And again what one does in their own home or out of public purview is fine with me. I used to be a lock em up and throw away the key for sellers & users. Now as long as long as there is no other crime involved other than the use or sale of the drug I don't give it priority on things to worry about. If the dealer is killing competition, evading taxes etc or the user is committing crimes for their drug choices then it's an issue.
Click to expand...

I've never been a lock-'em-up-for-weed type - I see it as just a way to make privatized prisons rich - but I agree with the rest of your comment. :D
 
Alcohol and prescription drugs kill far more people than marijuana ever will. No one has ever died from a pot overdose. Cannabis ("marijuana" is actually a slang term) strains affect people differently. Medical grade cannabis is clean, safe and grown without pesticides, totally unlike back alley pot in the past. And yes, there are mental illnesses that cannabis may actually aggravate--again depending on the patient.

I've seen first hand several people who've weaned themselves off prescribed narcotics with cannabis. Also there are numerous patients who've given up alcohol by using cannabis. Others still have given up smoking cigarettes. All are positive side effects.
 
I seem to remember reading in one of Willie's memoirs about his group getting together with some Kingston musicians. Willie of course wasn't a virgin to heavy toking...but these guys were smoking a foot long doobie...and still able to record afterwards. I'm sure you develop a tolerance depending on your habits...maybe permanently baked, but hey it's all good mon.
 
Willkie switched from booze to weed because the booze made him a mean drunk, the weed made him mellow, and we have enjoyed the results...
 
jnos said:
Alcohol and prescription drugs kill far more people than marijuana ever will. No one has ever died from a pot overdose. Cannabis ("marijuana" is actually a slang term) strains affect people differently. Medical grade cannabis is clean, safe and grown without pesticides, totally unlike back alley pot in the past. And yes, there are mental illnesses that cannabis may actually aggravate--again depending on the patient.

I've seen first hand several people who've weaned themselves off prescribed narcotics with cannabis. Also there are numerous patients who've given up alcohol by using cannabis. Others still have given up smoking cigarettes. All are positive side effects.
Click to expand...


I've heard similar stories but I've also witnessed increased pot use coincide with increase use of alcohol by an existing alcoholic. It's not pretty. Like any drug or substance used in moderation, carefully, smartly, with purpose etc wth probably little or no consequence. I will say with alcohol I'm seeing more of these home brews/brewers. This makes me as nervous as a lot of the pot use because now you have a bunch of beer "connoiseurs" rationalizing heavy beer drinking akin to being a wine snob. And that includes driving to these places.

But again I don't think pot is as harmless as many think just like alcohol. Still early game but now that it's more 'legal' this should lead to better statistics.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top