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  We're Missing The Point On Benefits Of Marijuana
Posted by FoM on July 11, 2001 at 09:28:26 PT
Editorial 
Source: Courier Post 

medical American leaders have been cowardly, cruel and insensible about the medical uses of marijuana. But Canada has not.

Our well-mannered neighbor to the north is adopting the world's first federal regulatory system for medical marijuana. As of July 30, people can grow and possess marijuana if they are terminally ill or otherwise have the recommendation of a general practitioner and specialist.

Canada is to be applauded. Wildly.

There is ample evidence - mainly anecdotes, but overwhelming numbers of them - and support by the "New England Journal of Medicine" that marijuana can relieve the nausea from chemotherapy and help AIDS patients regain their appetites. One legal drug for cancer patients, Marinol, even is modeled on cannabis, the difference being that Marinol is a lot more expensive and incapacitating, and patients have to buy it from a drug company instead of growing it themselves.

Though there has been talk of this for decades, the official U.S. response has been, alternately, that there are no medical uses for marijuana, that there is no proof of the medical uses, that the medical uses have not been studied enough and that the United States is addressing this by not conducting any studies.

Medical marijuana officially is mocked and persecuted, as are the gravely ill people who use it.

But because the public (if not the government) has mercy for the dying, the lead on this issue has been handed over to the next-most interested party - the pot heads. That's why initiatives in some states have allowed marijuana for everything from AIDS to a headache. The federal government has reacted by quashing the states' laws, while at least one medical marijuana distributor in Oakland, Calif., still operates openly but illegally.

It is all a confounded mess.

But look at Canada. It spent two years developing a plan, is setting up a review process of the new regulations and is setting aside $840,000 to research marijuana's impact on AIDS wasting syndrome. Yet with all this, marijuana still carries more restrictions than do more dangerous drugs here. Even opium requires only one doctor's permission.

Our country has had more than enough time to study the problem and develop a plan like this. Instead, misled by a military approach to what actually is a health problem, our leaders have focused their efforts on punishment and obfuscation. Canada demonstrates a clear-eyed alternative.

Marijuana, certainly, will turn out to have its limits. Cancer patients can build up a tolerance against it, as they do against any other pain killer, and marijuana hardly seems like the appropriate drug for treating a headache. But it promises to have some uses. And by recognizing that, Canada is coming out ahead of the pot heads and the hard- line drug warriors alike. The United States is losing to both.

Note: The U.S. ought to examine its effects on illnesses.

Newshawk: Nicholas Thimmesch II
NORML Media & Communications
Source: Courier-Post (NJ)
Published: Wednesday, July 11, 2001
Copyright: 2001 Courier-Post
Website: http://www.courierpostonline.com/
Contact: http://www.courierpostonline.com/about/edletter.html

FTE's Canadian Links
http://freedomtoexhale.com/can.htm

CannabisNews Articles - Canada
http://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=canada


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Comment #31 posted by FoM on July 11, 2001 at 18:16:39 PT
legalizeit
Hi legalizeit,
It's not off topic. I want to check it out and dddd a little later when I can sit and read.


[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #30 posted by legalizeit on July 11, 2001 at 18:10:47 PT
More interesting Tesla stuff
There is growing suspicion that the Aum Shinrikyo cult is messing with some of Tesla's lesser-known and deadlier inventions in Australia. Pretty interesting (and frightening) stuff. This is one of many web pages about it.

Don't forget, also, DEAland's own HAARP ... this isn't one that angels would play!

An interesting sidebar: Most of Tesla's documents were confiscated by the FBI shortly after his death and many still haven't been made public. A lot of attention for someone everybody thought was nuts!

Edison: "Genius is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration."

Tesla: "If Edison had a needle to find in a haystack, he would proceed at once with the diligence of the bee to examine straw after straw until he found the object of his search. I was a sorry witness of such doings, knowing that a little theory and calculation would have saved him ninety percent of his labor."

Sorry for the off topic rant... just had to make a plug for Tesla...

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #29 posted by Smiling Prophet on July 11, 2001 at 16:53:46 PT
Ras James RSIWH
Hallelujah brother, btw, I never noticed before, but the last three letter in hallelujah are "JAH."

Good is what brings us closer to God. Evil is what drives us farther away and increases our separation. For this reason, although there are others, cannabis is good.

A curse upon the evil ones who persecute the innocent and pure of heart for unless they repent and plead forgiveness their actions will surely be returned upon them in double measure.

God bless all.

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #28 posted by Pontifex on July 11, 2001 at 16:52:28 PT
Amen Ras James
It's always a joy to read your Rastafarian hymns. I
agree, cannabis is more than a weed; it's a sacrament.

To divine hybrids from purebred strains, it is necessary
to cross-breed them. If the offspring are very diverse,
then at least one of the parents is a hybrid.

But then, why are you wasting your flowers making
hemp seed? Smoke them, I say, and leave the
taxonomy to the professionals who have plants to burn!

I follow the "mini-Darwin" approach -- plant a bunch of
seeds and keep only the sprouts that grow most
vigorously. Then you get a nice sampling of several
strains.


[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #27 posted by Ras James rsifwh on July 11, 2001 at 16:34:28 PT
"Healing the Nations"
Most generations never see the Scripture manifest...but praise be to Jah Rastafar-I...for Revelation 22:1&2 has come to life. Miracle of Miracles! Marijuana is the Sacred Tree of Life marking the end of tribulations and the establishment of the City of God here on Earth.

Cannabis Sativa is fruiting (achenes) each month of the year on both sides of the streets in the United States of America. Growroomers are Angels of the Almighty...doing God's work. Yes People!

Crystal Clear Waters are flowing down the centers of our streets in bottled spring water from the cleanest springs in the world. Yes People! Car Drivers carrying bottled water are Angels of God...doing God's work. Yes People!

Nation after Nation...the leaves are medicine. Yes People!

Praise Jah Rastafar-I for mankind now stands on the final words of the Bible: "The Grace of the Lord Jesus be with the All. Ahmen."

Cannabis Sativa is most sacred. Jah Bless!

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #26 posted by FoM on July 11, 2001 at 15:14:50 PT
Kickaha and Everyone
This is an interesting thread. It's answering many questions. My experience is with raising dogs and horses. I tried to focus on what qualities I wanted to achieve and looked for stallions that appeared to be able to help the shortcomings in my mares. I've mostly had German horses and German dogs. I always felt that because the Government supports the horse and I believe dog breeding business, and they don't hesitiate to cull off ( not kill ) unworthy stock, that they were doing it the right way and their dogs and horses are excellent. If the same is done with plants then the results should be the same I would think from what I'm reading. Thanks Everyone.

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #25 posted by Dave in Florida on July 11, 2001 at 15:03:34 PT
Tolerance - Part 2
TroutMask said: My observation regarding tolerance is that the first buzz of the day is always as good as it was 20 years ago regardless of whether I'm smoking the same stuff over months or not.

I aggree with that statement. After partaking for 32 years the first buzz of the day never changes for whatever type of smoke you have, at least for me. I believe that opiates have a tolerance effect, ie; you start doing morphine and it takes more and more to achieve the same effect over time. Same with achohol, and a lot of other drugs.

That was my point.

R.Earing said: 30 members responded positively to a poll question about intermitently switching strains to avoid tolerance to the particular cannibinoid profile of the strain.

That is not tolerance, that is getting bored with your current smoke and wanting somthing different. Like I said, with any type of smoke if you can take a couple of tokes and get a buzz every day for years, there is no tolerance buildup. Of course this is all just my humble opinion.

Peace
Dave


[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #24 posted by Kickaha on July 11, 2001 at 15:01:18 PT
Plants vs Animals
Plants seem to be more resilient in general than animals, but the same holds true breeding plants or puppies. The goal is to suppress the negative and Ac-cen-tuate the Positive. This is more art than science, unless you have a big old research lab and can pluck the nasty genes out directly. Even then it's tricky, because genes are interdependent and often amazingly redundant.

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #23 posted by FoM on July 11, 2001 at 14:23:55 PT
Mongrels
Mongrel pups are generally healthier then pure bred dogs. The more in breeding or even line breeding of dogs that is done the more it brings out their qualities but it also brings out their faults. Is it the same with plants?

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #22 posted by Kickaha on July 11, 2001 at 14:13:16 PT
Not me, Greenfox :)
I'm going to dig out my old Edmund Scientific catalog and buy me one o' them Tesla coils. EMP-treated weed, we could put on the shelves it right next to the irradiated meat!

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #21 posted by Kickaha on July 11, 2001 at 14:02:32 PT
Pure Strains
BTW FOM, your puppy analogy holds true for Cannabis. That's exactly what would happen if you bred two different 'pure' Cannabis strains- some offspring would be like Mom, some like Dad, and some like a cross between the two.

'Pure' is only meaningful when you are talking about the same strain. Two different pure strains bred together do not yield a pure strain that mixes the two types, but a bunch of mongrels, just like with puppies.

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #20 posted by greenfox on July 11, 2001 at 14:01:12 PT
i checked out that site, too.
It really scares the poopity-poo outta me, to tell you the truth. I'll tell you another thing: I wouldn't live by it if I lived there. I would move. And grow herb. :)

-gf

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #19 posted by kaptinemo on July 11, 2001 at 13:47:33 PT:

4D, sounds like they're playing with Tesla's toys
again.

I went to the link you provided. Damn if Uncle isn't up to more stupidity, again. Really dangerous s**t, too.

As if they haven't got enough trouble screwing around with the environment, they have to let off non-nuclear Electro-Magnetic Pulses into the atmosphere. That's the only thing that could account for the electronic equipment getting fried...and anything in really close proximity to electrical lines. Those people were lucky they weren't touching anything grounded when the pulse went off.

(I'm a tech, remember? Radio Frequency applications were my bread-and-butter for the longest time. And I was a Ham radio operator and a Communications Officer for a local CAP squadron in the 1970's. Not to mention a 'puter tech. I know how to thoroughly f**k up anything electrical with EMFs)

Somebody's playing with a damn' big Tesla coil, to do that. Or something so close to it it makes no difference. Damn' fools and idiots.

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #18 posted by Kickaha on July 11, 2001 at 13:26:09 PT
Purity Of Essence
Kudos to Greenfox for explaining this succinctly and understandably. Unfortunately we have to make assumptions about the heritage of a given strain, based on what we're told by the source coupled with observation of the results compared with the known characteristics of the different varieties. It is ultimately an assumption, but if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck it probably is a duck, so it's a reasonable one.

I'd really love to have access to molecular and genetic testing equipment to get down to the real core of the issue. GW accepting applications?

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #17 posted by dddd on July 11, 2001 at 13:07:26 PT
Wanna read a really good strange thing?
Check this out,,,you wont be dissappointed!

http://www.1090wjkm.com/

[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #16 posted by FoM on July 11, 2001 at 12:59:48 PT
Pure
If two different breeds of dogs mate you will get pups that look a little like both of them and maybe a few that look like they could pass as pure. If you breed the pup that looks pure to a real purebred dog it still can produce mongrel looking pups. That can go on for generations. Once that happens the dogs born from subsequent breedings can never be classified as pure because there always can be a kick back. That's why the word pure throws me. Maybe it isn't the same as with animals.

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #15 posted by dddd on July 11, 2001 at 12:53:47 PT
coffee
Your darn right you would be grumpy FoM...you would experience
the opposite of a tolerance......AKA.....withdrawal......

d
.d
..d
...d


[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #14 posted by FoM on July 11, 2001 at 12:53:01 PT
Thanks greenfox
I think I understand. I think.

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #13 posted by Cranston on July 11, 2001 at 12:50:10 PT
pure
Kind of like a purebred dog

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #12 posted by FoM on July 11, 2001 at 12:47:41 PT
dddd
Sometimes I wonder if it is just that people who have smoked for a long time become accustomed to seeing the world thru rose colored glasses if that makes sense? I don't know how I would perceive the world if my coffee was taken away. I know I sure would be grumpy. What do you think?

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #11 posted by greenfox on July 11, 2001 at 12:45:44 PT
Genetics 101 - FOM in mind

Kickaha I have a question. How does anyone know if a strain is pure or not? I haven't been able to figure that out in my mind. Is there a way to test for purity? I'm not kidding I really don't know.

Well, in a nutshell here's how it works:

Until recently, no one knew how to classify the weed, marijuana. It has been put in every slot from ... well, enough of that. But anyway, they got it straight and broke it down like so:

cannabis sativa l. <--- native mostly to western hem
cannabis indica l. <--- native mostly in Asia
cannabis ruderalis l. <--- Russia, upper Europe

Anyway, when a strain is "pure" or "true breeding" that means it will ALWAYS have the growth carachteristics of that strain. For example, when you have a PURE Afghan strain, you know that if you plant a hundred seeds, then 100 plants will be indica, look and smell heady, and look much like EACH OTHER. Pure strains are sought for breeding because it's easier to get the traits you want when there isn't a lot of variation.

ON THE OTHER HAND there are hybrids (Northern Lights x Skunk x Big bud, etc.) These are plants that are usually indica x sativa crosses (they aren't ALWAYS but usually) and a hybrid is not going to be the same if you plant the seeds. Hybrids are sought for there extremes, (be it in yield, potency, etc.) and are RARELY grown for breeding. In a nutshell, it doesn't really affect the quality of the herb, although breeders like to think so and that's why they are into genetics.

For breeders, it's important to know because it's easier for people like US to grow better pot for people like YOU. :)

For the common smoker's sake, hybrids, pure strains, F1 hybrids, etc., are meaningless terms and the only thing that matters is if your shit gets you high.

Hope it was helpful!

class....dismissed!

sly in ....green... foxy in................kind.

-gf


[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #10 posted by dddd on July 11, 2001 at 12:44:53 PT
Once again,I am butting in with my shpeil
I will put it bluntly,,,,,not that I dont respect Daves opinion,and everyone
elses for that matter..................................What I think,,,is,,,

Of course their is a tolerance built up!.....as any living organism will
prove,,,If you dig a ditch all day,,your hands will have blisters from
the shovel,,but a few weeks later,you will have callouses where the
blisters were....If you go barefoot every day,,soon the bottoms of your
feet will develop soles.....If you are in the sun every day,soon you will
no longer get sunburn.......if you do the same thing over and over again,
your body will adapt and compensate in one way or another...at least that's what I think....if our bodies didnt adapt to things,and build up tolerances,,,we'd be in trouble....dddd


[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #9 posted by FoM on July 11, 2001 at 12:03:53 PT
Question
Kickaha I have a question. How does anyone know if a strain is pure or not? I haven't been able to figure that out in my mind. Is there a way to test for purity? I'm not kidding I really don't know.

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #8 posted by Kickaha on July 11, 2001 at 11:39:58 PT
More Observations on Tolerance
I have observed some kind of tolerance effect, but it seems to be self-cancelling. In my experience, not smoking for a while produces a more profound effect the first time back than subsequent times, but I don't experience a continually diminishing effect from the same dose after that.

I find no need for increased doses, having consumed very regularly for many years. On the other hand, I often find those used to standard commercial product are initially overwhelmed by the good stuff, which also implies tolerance as they are able to smoke more after they get used to it. However, this could also imply that they are simply learning to cope with the stronger effects over time, and not experiencing an actual lessening of effect. I also simply tend to get bored with one strain over a long period of use, so any tolerance effect could be entirely pyschological.

In addition to this strain-tolerance, whatever the cause, I've also observed that blending certain pure Sativas (Like Durban Poison) With Indicas will actually DIMINISH the effect of either smoked alone.

Of course, this is all based on analysis of my own observations, and it is quite possible that the perceived differences in effect are influenced by external factors other than dose and strain, such as mood, setting,individual response, experience, etc.



[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #7 posted by FoM on July 11, 2001 at 10:37:37 PT
Headache Information
Hemp For Headaches

An In-Depth Historical and Scientific Review of Cannabis in Migraine Treatment

Ethan Russo M.D.

Hemp For Headaches
http://www.montananorml.org/docs/Hemp_for_Headache.PDF

FDA Approves Marijuana Study On Migraines
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread3222.shtml

Marijuana & The Migraine - Research
http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread3117.shtml


[ Post Comment ]

 
Comment #6 posted by smileysmiles on July 11, 2001 at 10:36:27 PT
OH NO! <:o
Marijuana, certainly, will turn out to have its limits.

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #5 posted by J.R. Bob Dobbs on July 11, 2001 at 10:22:50 PT
Headache
>>marijuana hardly seems like the appropriate drug for treating a headache<<

... except I know people who swear by it. Migrane sufferers, too - not just ordinary headaches. As with all medical cannabis, certain strains are more effective for specific illnesses than other strains. Hey, if it can stop an asthma attack, why can't it cure a headache? Cannabis relieves stress, one of the leading causes of headaches, and many other conditions to boot...

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #4 posted by FoM on July 11, 2001 at 10:22:43 PT
My Opinion
I think that a person could develop a tolerance to just one strain. With herbal medicine you could be taking SJW and Scullcap combination and if you switched to SJW and Valarian it helps with tolerance. I think it's called synergizing (sp) herbs.

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #3 posted by TroutMask on July 11, 2001 at 10:20:58 PT
My Tolerance Observation
My observation regarding tolerance is that the first buzz of the day is always as good as it was 20 years ago regardless of whether I'm smoking the same stuff over months or not. I have never had to increase dosage because I've been using the same stuff for extended periods. If I had any tolerance I would have to smoke more for the first buzz of the day over the years. Additionally: I realize that the THC and other cannabinoids can vary between strains, but to put a link between this variation and variations in tolerance is a great leap, imho.

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #2 posted by R.Earing on July 11, 2001 at 10:13:50 PT:

reply to Dave in Florida
I have reason to beleive that MJ does indeed have tolerance effects.On a recent thread on Overgrow.com approx. 30 members responded positively to a poll question about intermitently switching strains to avoid tolerance to the particular cannibinoid profile of the strain.(The ratio of responders was about 75% reporting tolerance, 25% reporting NO tolerance).It is a question that pops up about once a day at Overgrow.com,and the convential wisdom is that,indeed,there are at least SUBJECTIVE signs of tolerance. Escalation of usage is very rarely mentioned in connection with this tolerance phenomenom.Most users simply switch strains to achieve the same effect.

[ Post Comment ]
 
Comment #1 posted by Dave in Florida on July 11, 2001 at 09:41:01 PT
No Tolerance
Cancer patients can build up a tolerance against it, as
they do against any other pain killer, and marijuana hardly seems like the appropriate drug for treating a headache. But it promises to have some uses.

That is incorrect. User's do NOT build a tolerance to cannabis. You may smoke the excact same amount daily for years and achieve the same result every time. You do NOT need to take more and more to achieve the desired effect.

[ Post Comment ]


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