cannabisnews.com: Cannabis Danger To Men 










  Cannabis Danger To Men 

Posted by CN Staff on July 14, 2003 at 08:50:14 PT
By Isabel Oakeshott, Evening Standard  
Source: London Evening Standard  

Men are today warned that smoking cannabis could affect their fertility. Scientists have uncovered new evidence that the drug upsets the male reproductive system. They fear it could reduce the amount of testosterone - which plays a key role in sperm production - produced by the body. It may have a serious impact on the body's natural hormones and they want more research to assess the risk.
The warning comes in a study by scientists at Aberdeen University, who examined the impact of cannabis on male mice. The animals, whose reproductive systems are similar to those of humans, were injected with cannabinoids - cannabis derivatives - to see if they changed natural messages from the brain to the testes regulating testosterone production. Because the testes also produce testosterone of their own accord, as well as reacting to brain signals, the research team also looked at whether cannabis affected this function. The results suggest that the drug has a significant impact on both processes. Dr Paul Fowler - from the university's department of obstetrics and gynaecology - who led the research, said: "Our study suggests that cannabis interferes with the hormones needed for reproduction. "It appears to affect the way the testes make and release testosterone, and has an impact on the way the brain regulates production of the hormone." The team found that in mice, cannabis may actually boost the amount of testosterone produced as a result of brain signals, but it reduces the amount produced by the testes. Dr Fowler said: "These two things could add together to have a serious negative impact on testosterone production." The research, to be unveiled at a major fertility conference in Aberdeen today, reignites the debate about the potential dangers of so-called soft drugs. Cannabis is the most widely used drug in the United Kingdom after alcohol and cigarettes. Home Office figures suggest that a third of all 15-year-olds have tried it. Experts estimate it is responsible for 30,000 deaths in the UK every year. Last month, it emerged that cannabis users are seven times more likely to suffer from mental illness, triggering fears of an epidemic of schizophrenia. The United Nations drugs watchdog has warned that the Government's "softly, softly" approach is putting the health of a generation at risk. Critics say the decision to downgrade it to a Class C drug has sent out the wrong message, encouraging people to think it is safe. Studies show that nine out of 10 children believe it is legal. Scientists have speculated that falling sperm counts among European men are due to the surge in the use of recreational drugs. Previous studies on mice suggest that women who smoke marijuana during pregnancy risk damaging their baby's reproductive system. Source: London Evening Standard (UK)Author: Isabel Oakeshott, Evening Standard Published: July 14, 2003Copyright: 2003 Associated Newspapers Ltd.Contact: letters standard.co.ukWebsite: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/Related Article:Marijuana Firmly Linked to Infertilityhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7980.shtmlCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml

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Comment #36 posted by FoM on July 28, 2003 at 16:16:19 PT
afterburner
Thank you. I'll try not to miss it when it comes on. Horse people are a strange bunch. We are dedicated and passionate. My first horse was a grandson of Man O War. The thoroughbred is a high energy horse and were always challenging. They run and jump like there's no tomorrow. My high jump record was accomplished on a retired race horse. It was 6 feet high and a spread of eight feet wide. I thought I'd never come down. I never will forget it either.PS: I will email you after the concert about a t-shirt. There's no sense in bothering you about one until after the concert.
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Comment #35 posted by afterburner on July 28, 2003 at 15:42:29 PT:
FoM - re Comment #10 
I watched the A&E program "The True Story of Seabiscuit" last night and videotaped it. It's a promo for the movie "Seabiscuit," coming soon. "The racehorse and his jockey, trainer and owner overcome hardship." The setting was the Great Depression and that little brown horse became a blue-collar hero, gathering more press coverage than FDR and Hitler. Even FDR once stopped a meeting to listen to the radio broadcast of one of Seabiscuit's races. Seabiscuit reminds me of the cannabis people fighting for respect today. The story is airing again here on A&E on 8/2/2003 at 11:00AM. Check your local schedule, and catch it if you can. I'm watching it again right now. ego transcendence follows ego destruction, even a spirited horse understands that!
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Comment #34 posted by rchandar on July 17, 2003 at 09:25:13 PT:
the article
come on, folks--everybody should know that prohibition-entrenched governments commission scientists, give them million-dollar grants--to "prove" that cannabis is harmful to the body. these are basically "cuvierian" experiments--which ignore the potentially good findings and only emphasize the bad things.well, it's false. i got tight with my wife after a three week vacation in amsterdam where i smoked maybe a half-pound of potent pot. and i'm not that young, i'm 33.                --fqih
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Comment #33 posted by paulpeterson on July 15, 2003 at 09:41:39 PT
Testosterone may cause autism
I read something recently about how high levels of Testost. actually cause the brain to develop "hyper" male attributes, in other words, the more "male" a brain develops, the higher the likelihood of autism or asbergers's, etc.Hey, maybe all of us males need a little bit LESS of the T, not more. If marijuana usage moderates that hormone, in some small way, that is just what the doctor ordered (unless a guy wants to be stuck in a flat affect, unable to fully communicate his feelings to the nobler gender).For instance, I have read how cannabinoids all work together to moderate the whole package-All drugs work by mimicing natural hormones. I'm thinking that cannabis helps to reset the so-called "stress hormones" back to a condition of rest. It sounds like a lot of America's problems might just be moderated if we put hard-core criminals on pot-maybe a little less rape and terror?Hey-I've got a world class cad in my sights that we could start with-MAYBE POT MIGHT MODERATE MILITARY ADVENTURESOMENESS, EH? PAUL 
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Comment #32 posted by FoM on July 15, 2003 at 08:02:40 PT
Nicholas
I didn't know you were almost 50! Camels too! Too Much! LOL!
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Comment #31 posted by FoM on July 15, 2003 at 08:00:29 PT
UK: Attitudes To Cannabis Are More Tolerant
But there are still clear limits on drug-taking.Published: July 15, 2003People are becoming more tolerant of the use of cannabis, but there are still clear limits to what is acceptable in the area of illegal drug-taking, according to new research funded by the ESRC. 
Views about cannabis have shifted considerably over the past two decades, with 41 per cent of Britons now supporting its legalisation - up from just 12 per cent in 1983. However, very few (eight per cent) endorse the view that adults should be free to take any drugs they wish, says the report into a study led by Nina Stratford of the National Centre for Social Research. The opinions of some 1,000 people in England and Wales and 1600 in Scotland were surveyed. Attitudes towards heroin remain very negative with nine in ten believing it should stay illegal – the same proportion as in 1993. Ecstasy is seen in a similar light, with again nine in 10 wanting it to remain illegal. Only seven per cent agree that ecstasy is not as damaging as some people think, and three-quarters believe that its legalisation would lead to an increase in addiction. The view that ecstasy is a 'soft' drug similar to cannabis has little public support. Most people (86 per cent) support allowing cannabis to be prescribed by doctors for medical purposes. As observed in 1995 research, the young, more educated, professionals and Londoners are more liberal in their attitudes towards the drug. Nina Stratford points out, however, that the increase in liberal attitudes is not confined to those groups. She said: "It is a society-wide phenomenon affecting all ages and social backgrounds." Fewer people now think that cannabis is harmful or addictive or that it causes crime and violence. When asked which drugs are the most harmful to regular users, heroin, cocaine, tobacco and alcohol were top of the list. By contrast, perception of the damage caused by heroin does not change. In fact, today more people link it with crime and violence than a decade ago. Nina Stratford's research supports the notion that cannabis use is becoming accepted alongside drinking or smoking, particularly among young people, whether or not they partake themselves. Two-thirds of 18-34 year-olds have a friend or family member who has used illegal drugs, half have tried cannabis themselves, and only a third think that cannabis should remain illegal. More than half (55 per cent) accept that using illegal drugs is a normal part of some people's lives – up from 41 per cent in 1995 – and even those young people who have never used cannabis are more liberal about its legalisation. Attitudes to cannabis may have become more tolerant, but the research uncovered clear limits to peoples' tolerance. Researchers found that the idea of giving users clean needles was backed by nearly two-thirds of adults. Giving harm-reduction information to young people is also accepted by 55 per cent in Britain as a whole and 47 per cent in Scotland. However, when it comes to prescribing drugs, people's attitudes are very restrictive. Nina Stratford said: "We found that very few people support allowing doctors to prescribe drugs for addicts – something which has been an established part of medical practice for almost a century." For further information, contact: Nina Stratford on 020-7549-9574 (work), 020-8986- 8205 (home) or 078-1843-5906 (mobile) or e-mail: n.stratford natcen.ac.uk or Lesley Lilley or Anna Hinds at ESRC, on 017-9341-3032/41-3119. NOTES FOR EDITORS 1. The research report 'The Measurement of Changing Attitudes towards Illegal Drugs in Britain' was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Nina Stratford is at the National Centre for Social Research, LONDON EC1V 0AX. 2. The ESRC is the UK's largest funding agency for research and postgraduate training relating to social and economic issues. It provides independent, high-quality, relevant research to business, the public sector and Government. The ESRC invests more than £76 million every year in social science and at any time is supporting some 2,000 researchers in academic institutions and research policy institutes. It also funds postgraduate training within the social sciences to nurture the researchers of tomorrow. More at: http://www.esrc.ac.uk 3. REGARD is the ESRC's database of research. It provides a key source of information on ESRC social science research awards and all associated publications and products. The website can be found at: http://www.regard.ac.uk4. NatCen is the largest independent social research institute in Britain. It conducts social research among members of the public to provide information on a range of social policy issues in this country. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-07/esr-atc070903.php
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Comment #30 posted by Nicholas Thimmesch on July 15, 2003 at 00:28:27 PT:
I showed this story....
....to my wife & kid, whom I fathered at nearly fifty after more than 30 years of smoking (both Camels & pot).
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Comment #29 posted by 312 on July 14, 2003 at 22:13:26 PT
On a further note...
A while back I read an article which said that the level of testosterone in men who had been brought up on a vegan diet was less than that of pre-pubescent school boys. By the same reckoning, there should have been articles entitled, "Vegan Diet Danger To Men", but funnily enough, nothing.Any offended vegans out there: What you put into your body is your decision, no-one else's (you are what you eat). As SoberStoner quite rightly put it, the whole thing is a big joke that would be funny if it weren't so serious.
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Comment #28 posted by 312 on July 14, 2003 at 22:03:38 PT
SoberStoner
Nah... If you have a mouse problem, all you have to do is catch them all, inject them with an unspecified amount of synthetic cannabinoids, release them again and it might "affect the way the testes make and release testosterone", which may or may not affect their reproductive ability (they haven't even checked whether the mice can still breed, even if testosterone is affected) and then you realise you should have just killed them when you first caught them.From this the headline reads, "Cannabis Danger To Men". Hmm... Perhaps it should be, "Unspecified quantities of synthetic cannabinoids injected into mice alter testoterone levels in an unquantified way." I bet if you looked at the paper the difference from normal is very slight (they didn't report how much from the standard level it is altered). Thank God I don't know anyone who injects cannabinoids.
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Comment #27 posted by goneposthole on July 14, 2003 at 21:44:12 PT
I think
they haven't a haploid set of chromosomes, those scientists.gives them more problems than you can shake a stick at. gives them a lot to worry about, you know, hey.pure conjecture on my part, I could be wrong.
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Comment #26 posted by SoberStoner on July 14, 2003 at 20:28:26 PT
Hey...wait a minute..
The tests were done with mice so that means if i have a mouse problem I should just get them stoned and eventually they'll die off since they'll be sterile right??And the 30,000 deaths things is most likely a reference to the 'study' that was released a few months ago claiming that the evil killer satan plant from mars could be taking 30,000 lives a year!!!! oh no!! the sky is falling!!!Basically it's one junk science paper trying to validate another junk science paper.It would be outlandishly funny if the subject wasnt so deadly serious. As it is, it's just mean spirited, stupid and traitorous to all of mankind.SS
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Comment #25 posted by Kegan on July 14, 2003 at 18:44:33 PT
Worried that
worried that it might cause 30,000 deaths a year, although no one has ever died from it.Journalistic integrity always has a home in Britain.
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Comment #24 posted by FoM on July 14, 2003 at 17:17:46 PT
dhc
Thank you for your comment. It's very hard for me to understand what is happening in the UK. One time it seems like they want to take away penalties for growing and then we see propaganda. I am only now beginning to understand what is going on in Canada. Soon we will have an e - mail list. I'm not sure what it will be used for but just like CNews in time it will develop it's own personality. I believe the news is important from Canada and The UK. Once I get the details worked out on the e-mail list I will let everyone know.
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Comment #23 posted by dhc on July 14, 2003 at 17:02:57 PT
The Press Complaints Commission
To complain about an article in the press we in the UK can either a) write to the newspaper or b) write to the Press Complaints Commission. I think the latter the best option.The Evening Standard and The Daily Mail are sister papers, both owned by the same organisation and both targeted at Middle England (early 30s - mid 50s, conservative with a small 'c', easily scared, a much softer version of the Bible Belt). Both also have a real thing about cannabis and often publish blatant lies about it.I really want to take these papers to task and would like your help to do it. The 30,000 deaths claim is a joke and easily disproved. The mental illness claim is a bit harder to dispute from my perspective, so any useful info anyone can give me would be very much appreciated. I’m sure part of the falling fertility rate is explained by increasing levels of oestrogen in the water supply but if anyone else (Dr Ethan Russo ideally :) ) could help debunk the main claim as concisely as possible that would help enormously.I’ll then write to the PCC and let you know what, if any, response I get.Thanks in advance.
http://www.thehempire.com
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Comment #22 posted by lag on July 14, 2003 at 17:00:25 PT
Wait a sec...
What's next...Cannabis turns men into women?
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Comment #21 posted by E_Johnson on July 14, 2003 at 15:53:32 PT
Dr. Russo, they really need a UK MPP or NORML
"In essence, what we have here is another free shot by the reactionary press. The public deserves better.
"The public deserves a lot better but there doesn't seem to be a strong activist presence in the UK that is able to challenge this nonsense from their press.
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Comment #20 posted by JHarshaw on July 14, 2003 at 14:26:41 PT
Decreased Fertility
Hi.Even if this were the case there's too many people on the planet now!Peace and Pot
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Comment #19 posted by FoM on July 14, 2003 at 14:14:22 PT
Chronic Cannabis Use
I think this is the study that Dr. Russo mentioned.http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/ccu.pdf
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Comment #18 posted by Ethan Russo MD on July 14, 2003 at 13:41:20 PT:
Stealth Reporting
This is not even posted on PubMed yet. The fact they are implicating "cannabinoids" is a likely sign that they used synthetics, not THC, and certainly not a cannabis extract. Usually, this involves some incredible dose that does not correspond to reality.In our Chronic Use Study, the testosterone levels were normal despite very marked daily intake. Cannabis has not been demonstrated to affect fertility or sperm count in men over the long-term. In essence, what we have here is another free shot by the reactionary press. The public deserves better.
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Comment #17 posted by GentleGiant on July 14, 2003 at 13:28:46 PT:
More Propaganda.......More B.S.
These guys just don't quit do they. OK, well, for my scientific research, after smoking cannabis daily for 12 years, didn't have no problems conceiving kids. You prohibitionist scientist take this and shove it up a**. P.S. All my friends smoke and have kids too, so quit lying to the public and get on with the real research, not propaganda.
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Comment #16 posted by E_Johnson on July 14, 2003 at 12:46:36 PT

They really need a NORML or MPP in the UK
NORML and MPP both have made a lot of progress in keeping blatant pseudoscience from being propagated successfully in the US. The British press really need to have an organization on their backs constantly about accuracy and objectivity.The 30,000 deaths figure was an extrapolation, it was never claimed to be a number measured by counting dead bodies. It was a pure surmisal, it was pure speculation. It was initially reported as speculatiobn but now the British press is re-remembering it as a measured number. That is bad and someone needs to be on their case about that in particular. They can't even report on each other's reporting accurately. Someone needs to be on their case over that claim especially.When they try to speculate this way in America, we have organizations like NORML and MPP to drag them back to measured reality. Apparently there is no such organization in the UK that can step up and get this job done.
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Comment #15 posted by drfistusa on July 14, 2003 at 12:33:02 PT:

real risks never reported like "wheat"
more bogus stuff, the real risk and low spern counts and postate cancer are caused by common agricultural pesticides.
Why not ban them?? jail the "ag chem "pushers". check this out.
"(AP) Babies born in major wheat-producing counties were twice as likely
to have birth defects as those born in rural counties with low wheat
production, a new federal study shows.The research, published in the July issue of Environmental Health
Perspectives, a peer-reviewed journal of the National Institutes of
Health, suggests exposure to common herbicides applied to wheat could be
responsible for the increased rate of birth defects.The study was conducted by Dr. Dina Schreinemachers, a researcher with
the Environmental Protection Agency in North Carolina. She examined more
than 43,000 births from 1995 to 1997 in 147 rural counties in Montana,
North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota.She divided the counties by their rates of wheat production according to
U.S. Department of Agriculture data, then compared the rates of birth
defects among children born in the counties as provided by the National
Center for Health Statistics.Schreinemachers said results of her study indicate that in rural,
agricultural counties with high wheat production - where the use of
chlorophenoxy herbicides is higher - rates of certain birth defects
"significantly increased."Specifically, instances of circulatory-respiratory and musculoskeletal
defects were twice as frequent in high-wheat counties, she said."this kind of stuff is reality and it does not make the headlines.
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on July 14, 2003 at 12:20:21 PT

Trekkie
I'm done preaching! LOL! I'm going away quietly. 
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Comment #12 posted by Trekkie on July 14, 2003 at 12:02:39 PT

Preach it!
FoM, Sam Adams,I've been telling my wife that for years! ;)Seriously, though. I was just trying to prove a point about MJ NOT lowering count, and another possible use for Medical MJ.
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Comment #11 posted by Sam Adams on July 14, 2003 at 11:52:24 PT

Advice?
Having more cannabis and more sex is good advice for anyone!Dick Cheney should try it some time, maybe it would lower his blood pressure.
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Comment #10 posted by FoM on July 14, 2003 at 11:48:43 PT

 Trekkie 
Well let me see if I can give any advice. I'm blushing as I write this and I hope it makes some of you laugh. I'm from a time where we didn't talk about sex. That was between a couple and private. I hear the laughing! Enough now.Raising horses and dogs most of my life I know that frequent sex lowers the sperm count. So having more frequent sex should help but I'm not a doctor so that's just my opinion.
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Comment #9 posted by afterburner on July 14, 2003 at 11:41:10 PT:

Poll: Cannabis in Canada
Poll: Cannabis in Canada http://poll.excite.com/poll/home.jsp?cat_id=1Mon, Jul 14, 2003 Discuss today's poll Today's Poll • Instant Results • More Polls 
The Canadian government began providing medical marijuana and seeds last Wednesday to eligible patients and authorized growers in response to a court ruling that declared that the old prohibitive laws created a situation where "seriously ill, vulnerable people deal with the criminal underworld to get medicine." (AP) 
Where do you stand on the legalization of medical marijuana? 
O For it O Against it O I’m not sure O I don’t care 
 
Current results:For it 71% => 9031 votes Against it 18% => 2385 votes I’m not sure 6% => 834 votes I don’t care 2% => 354 votes Current number of voters: 12604 If this link just gives only results, go instead to My Excite http://www.excite.com/ and look for the poll. 

My Excite 
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Comment #8 posted by Sam Adams on July 14, 2003 at 11:29:51 PT

Bob Marley had 22 children by 7 different women
'nuff said.
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Comment #7 posted by Trekkie on July 14, 2003 at 11:24:40 PT

Not to boast, okay, I will...
I haven't smoked in a few years, but when I did, I smoked a lot.My wife and I are trying to have children, so we were tested for fertility. A normal sperm count is something like 60 - 100 million. My count was a staggering 640 million. The nurse was even impressed. :) Part of the problem is there is a "traffic jam," and the swimmers can't get through.So, should I smoke, again, to increase our chances? Or is the report complete BS?I favor the former, and I suspect the latter...
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Comment #6 posted by schmeff on July 14, 2003 at 11:15:38 PT

Cannabis kills 30,000 per year in UK!!!!
"Experts estimate it is responsible for 30,000 deaths in the UK every year."This is the kind of claptrap that affects "journalists" whose entire diet consists of "mad cow" tainted beef.
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Comment #5 posted by goneposthole on July 14, 2003 at 10:38:47 PT

priapistic prohibitionists
the only danger posed to cannabis.
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on July 14, 2003 at 10:19:22 PT

Male Fertility
I have never met anyone that has used Cannabis that has had fertility problems. Even married children of old friends that also have smoked cannabis have children too.
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Comment #3 posted by jvthc on July 14, 2003 at 10:12:30 PT:

More like "Junk Reporting"
A year or so ago, there was a "scientific" finding of a rock hurtling through space toward earth! A direct impact was possible, perhaps eminent!The U.K. papers thrived on the emotional impact of the headlines, warning of danger and possible world catastrophe. Oops! Since the observations of the rock were so close together, the margin of error was quite high. As they continued to study the rock, the accuracy of their tracking improved, putting this near collision outside the orbit of the moon. There have actually been closer near misses in our lifetime.Even in the U.S. the press' ability to interpret scientific material is abismal, but in the U.K., it appears, when there's an angle they can use to grab readers (of which there might be a few more per capita), they really blow the smoke.No single study is a scientific determination. There should never be a public policy formed on such basis. Independent verification by duplicating the study is a pre-requisite for any study to be considered a "finding" - and even then these studies are further scrutinized. That's how we discovered there was a "good" cholesterol and a "bad" cholesterol.Now, how long have I known that testosterone production is slightly reduced in males that consume marijuana? I think that goes back about 15 years. Subsequent studies indicated the interference is so slight, you have more of a problem from eating the "female" hormones found in chicken! (Can you say man-breasts? You can't say you'll get enlarged breasts from marijuana, now can you?). A woman's fertility can be seriously affected by consuming one wild yamm per day! That's a cute one, used by native Mexican indians about 1500 years ago - as birth control. Guess where the "progesterone" birth control pill get's it's progesterone? Yamms.
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Comment #2 posted by E_Johnson on July 14, 2003 at 09:13:55 PT

The UKCIA is useless, this proves it
What the hell is the UKCIA for if they can't manage to get British newspapers to be objective about marijuana science and admit there are opposing views?They need a decent marijuana liberation organization in Britain. Clearly they do not have one, judging from the way the prohibitionist point of view is being recycled without opposition in the press.If only they had a NORML in the UK.
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Comment #1 posted by darwin on July 14, 2003 at 09:08:13 PT

more junk science?

Why can't they do these studies using true cannabis smoke, in amounts similar to those that human users encounter, as opposed to cannabis based derivitives? 
From personal experience, I have smoked up to once a day for ten years. My wife and I got pregnant on the very first try. 
Also, for those with terminal pain, who the hell cares? Is this reason to call someone a criminal?
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