cannabisnews.com: Apes Were First To Get High on Drugs





Apes Were First To Get High on Drugs
Posted by FoM on December 26, 2001 at 09:18:28 PT
By Roger Highfield, Science Editor
Source: Daily Telegraph 
Human beings were not the first to use recreational drugs. Some apes take stimulants and hallucinogens, sometimes munching roots that now show promise in treating human addicts, say scientists.Prof Michael Huffman of the Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University and Don Cousins, author of The Magnificent Gorilla, report in a forthcoming issue of the journal African Study Monographs that apes may indulge in drugs - from a pick-me-up of the kind found in coffee to hallucinogens.
Earlier work in the journal Bioscience by Prof Huffman suggested that the practice of medicine began with our hairy ancestors: some chimps swallow bristly, rough leaves to sweep parasites out of the gut, while others suck the bitter pith from the tree Vernonia amygdalina, which contains compounds active against parasites responsible for malaria and dysentery.Now it seems that apes may use drugs recreationally. African apes eat the seeds of Kola trees which contain caffeine and theobromine and are legendary for their effect in preventing fatigue. They found that two hallucinogenic plants are ingested by gorillas in Equatorial Guinea and chimpanzees in the Republic of Guinea: Alchornea floribunda and A. cordifolia (Euphorbiaceae).A floribunda is used in Gabonese cults where the root has a reputation as an intoxicant and aphrodisiac. It is said to provide a state of intense excitement followed by a deep, sometimes fatal depression. Most intriguing, said Prof Huffman, is how local people claim to have discovered the intoxicating effects of the plant by watching animals, including gorillas, go into a frenzy of fear, as if being chased by invisible objects, after eating the roots.The apes even resort to a drugs detox. The Tabernanthe iboga root has been exploited by gorillas of Sindara on the Ngounie river, South of Lambarene.Newshawk: Michael S.Source: Daily Telegraph (UK)Author: Roger Highfield, Science EditorPublished: December 26, 2001Copyright: 2001 Telegraph Group LimitedContact: dtletters telegraph.co.ukWebsite: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
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Comment #23 posted by FoM on January 05, 2002 at 13:31:38 PT
Digit
Thank you for speaking your mind. I was raised a Christian too but I no longer go to any Church. I haven't for years. If a person believes that Jesus is God or just a Great Prophet it does us good to try to follow the words that He said and we can have peace in our lives even in the midst of a storm. That is just my opinion. Because this is my site I am very careful about talking about religion because I don't want to upset anyone particularly those who aren't from a religious type background. I don't mind if others do but my opinions are best to be left out of most of the discussions. I think that's fair.
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Comment #22 posted by Digit on January 05, 2002 at 13:16:04 PT:
As Posted previously by me elsewhere
Below is a post of mine on Grasscity.com And as a Reverend of the Universal Life Church and raised as a Christian I hope i speak with some Authority on the topic of Christianity.===========
i'd just like to point something out about the bible... It is made from hundreds of re-writes and translations... the original scriptures would resemble very little of our modern day versions, of which there are many. Cristianity is devoid of the practice of acurate copying and the need to learn the language it is originally writen, like we see in so many other religions.... This I believe is why Christianity has become the most hypocritical mainstream religon in the world. The only reason it has survived and thrived is because it was FORCED on people. anyway... i digress. Because of all the inacurate hand copying parts of similar previous religions got tied up in it too... such as paganism. Eastern Philosophies have stood up to the test of time for many thousands of years, as have other, lesser known tribal or shamanistic followings, despite oppression and attack... Christianity on the other hand ... *cough cough* usually, until now i have shyed away from the 'putting down' of other religions, but now that I am a Reverend i do feel it is my duty to at least preach my observations about religions & life & beyond. 
And my observations conclude that even if christianity was at one point respectable, it is certainly not now due to 1500 years of corruption. and on the topic of "God", its a universally grey area (and should stay that way) because you cannot even look up the term in a dictionary to find it's meaning, simply because whomever wrote the dictionary would have a differant religion from at least 70% of the rest of the world. There are no answers except from within. Reverend Spencer Stewart John Gaudie 
(aka Digit, RevDigit, Reverend Digit, Siljrath) 
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Comment #21 posted by The GCW on December 27, 2001 at 08:27:51 PT
we learn from animals
but we may wrongly apply what we learn. Remember the stroies about a year ago that stated that planes with a certain radar or what ever...could tell the difference from hemp to cannabis at 5,000 ft? The point is that birds choose hemp and cannabis seeds over others and it would be in line for the Gov. to learn this from birds and apply the technology to impose on humans (for sport). 
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Comment #20 posted by Ethan Russo MD on December 27, 2001 at 08:05:25 PT:
High on the Fumes
It certainly is not unheard of to get high in the hemp fields. I can tell you that it did great things for my state of mind to be amidst 11,000 cannabis plants at the GW Pharmaceuticals glasshouse.However, it is not THC that is doing it. Rather, it is from "headspace volatiles" which are terpenoid essential oil components that give cannabis its bouquet. These includes the pinene or pine forest scent, and limonene or citrus scent. Both have marked positive effects on anxiety and depression. 
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Comment #19 posted by The GCW on December 27, 2001 at 07:15:35 PT
Is this too off the wall? The enmisted ones.
This may coincide with another thought. Experiment: to create a model environment that contains cannabis, in a natural setting with high temperatures that are similar to the extremes found in Bible land. Try to emulate the temperatures to see if you can produce natural THC vapors into the model environment, which may prove that natural ingestion of THC is possible and perhaps then by extension, benificial. If it works in experimental invironments such as lab created, then it must work in the real world somewhere. And then, who do you think put that there? Vaporizers work at app. 155 degrees, don’t they? It would be the natural vaporizer therory. Vapor-eyes-or. Is this too off the wall?
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Comment #18 posted by Ethan Russo MD on December 27, 2001 at 06:47:53 PT:
Another $.02
This article nicely points out some simple facts. (Wo)Man has evolved in a specific environment, which s/he has manipulated towards mutual benefit or detriment. Plant medicines are part of that evolution.It is absurd to call a plant evil. Evil is a human trait. It is not created by plants or medicines. They should be thought of as gifts with the potential for benefit or abuse. It is the choice and responsibility of the user to decide. Alcohol can be used to arrest labor, or it can be abused leading to road deaths. Heroin can arrest cardiac pain, or it can lead to constant crime when an abuser has no available medical method of support for its continuation. Similarly, cannabis has extraordinary medical potential that must not be squandered because of moralistic myopia on the part of the oligarchic and uneducated few in power.
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Comment #17 posted by E_Johnson on December 26, 2001 at 22:37:52 PT
Hairballs, that explains it
AAAASH -- CROFFFFFFTAAAASH -- CROF-CROF-CROF-CROFFFFFFTTTTYeah that does sound like a hairball, get me my medicine!
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Comment #16 posted by The GCW on December 26, 2001 at 17:36:50 PT
hairballs
Cats eat grass to rid themselves of hairballs. 
So do we, Biblically.
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Comment #15 posted by TroutMask on December 26, 2001 at 14:53:35 PT
Right on Jose!
I would only add: If you ever consider trying any substance, legal or illegal, research it fully before you try it. Some legal things can induce profound states in humans at the cost of your health and potentially your life. You may try something without researching it, like the way it feels, and continue doing it to find that you've been slowly destroying your liver, brain or other vital organ(s). Similarly, you may try something just because you heard about it to find yourself waking up in a hospital or worse. THEN is the wrong time to research!Just say KNOW!-TM
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Comment #14 posted by Jose Melendez on December 26, 2001 at 13:22:26 PT:
proof abounds
It is nice to see science prevail once again over prevailing "wisdom"...I posted this about Christ on Marijuana.com, it seems appropriate to repost here.
What Jesus would do.Quit His job, and encourage others to do the same.Matthew 19:21 
Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
Surf. John 6:18 
A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough.
John 6:19 
When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified.
John 6:20 
But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid."
(How would YOU walk on rough waters?)
Expose religious fraud.Matthew 21:12 
Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.
Matthew:21-13 
"It is written," he said to them, "`My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a `den of robbers.'"
Consume and distribute psychoactive substances. John2:7 
Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim.
John2:8 
Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so,
John2:9 
and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside
John2:10 
and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."(psychedelic tea can be made easily from many plants, even from Coleus, which is legally sold at the local garden shop)

Expose ridiculous firmly held beliefs.Mark 7:14 
Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen to me, everyone, and understand this.
Mark 7:15 
Nothing outside a man can make him `unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him `unclean.'"(In the process of keeping the community healthy, rules were developed to ensure sanitation. But because the true reasons for this were not explained to the people, some in power were able to take advantage of these rules to repress other groups...)
Stay up all night with friends, and live as if today were your last day.Mattew 26:40 
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter.
Matthew 26:41 
"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

Arrest Prohibition - Drug War is FRAUD
Compiled by:Jose Melendezwww.narcosoft.com
Search the Bible
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Comment #13 posted by CorvallisEric on December 26, 2001 at 13:13:30 PT
Terence McKenna?
Long ago I heard on a radio talk one of those little unforgettable bits. He asked us to imagine a world where all walls were transparent - everything you did could be seen by anyone - how could you cope? Well, you simply learn to forgive (or accept?) everyone and then it wouldn't be a problem.I think this was either Terence McKenna or Alan Watts. Are any of you familiar with this?I often think about this idea in relation to the drug war. Many of us have become very protective of our privacy because our government, and others influenced by government like employers, are unwilling to accept our innocuous eccentricities. Sometimes protective to the point of hurting oneself and society. For example, not responding appropriately to genuine threats because of fear of police.There may be reform advocacy possible through this kind of thinking for those who are not terminally cynical. I drift in and out of hope.
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Comment #12 posted by DdC on December 26, 2001 at 13:04:57 PT
Back to the Planet of D.E.Apes!
Hidden Weapons o Mass Destruction! 450,000 US DEAD! 
http://pub3.ezboard.com/fendingcannabisprohibitionstuff.showMessage?topicID=151.topicThe Greatest Addiction 
http://pub3.ezboard.com/fendingcannabisprohibitionstuff.showMessage?topicID=144.topicThe Chemical Manipulation of Human Consciousness
http://www.trufax.org/menu/chem.html
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on December 26, 2001 at 12:30:15 PT
CorvallisEric 
I saw somewhere where they almost succeeded in making coffee illegal and I believe it was around the time that cannabis prohibition was enacted. Anyone wolf down a bunch of Christmas cookies? Buzz buzz buzz buzz!
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Comment #10 posted by CorvallisEric on December 26, 2001 at 12:10:45 PT
FoM
As I was reading I said to myself out loud "me, me, me, I did it, I abstained" ... then "oops, no I guess I didn't" ... indeed caffeine really is a drug, the one I'm sort-of addicted to and just gobble down unconsciously.
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Comment #9 posted by DdC on December 26, 2001 at 11:53:37 PT
Terence Was Ahead of His Time
Some of his theories were that the apes ate mushrooms and cannabis, and like humans, expanded their minds. Also the memory surface area if memory serves, creating two brain hemispheres and two thought patterns coming together. Seeing a bigger picture. Analytical and Creative thought merging and expanding til communication, tools and Mickey D's everywhere!
Peace, Love and Liberty
DdCTerence McKenna Mind Foods of the Gods
http://nepenthes.lycaeum.org/McKenna/index.htmlTerence McKenna Land
http://deoxy.org/mckenna.htm#word Alter-Nativity
http://boards.marihemp.com/boards/politics/media/39/39261.gifSacramental Cannabis 
http://www.angelfire.com/ca7/ddc/Sacramental.html
Terence "Everybody's Busted"
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on December 26, 2001 at 11:18:44 PT
I'd like to see a poll like this
I'd like a few big newspapers to do a poll and ask how many people abstained from consuming any mind altering substances over Christmas. That would say alot about our human nature.Note: That means coffee, tea, chocolate, sugar, prescription drugs, alcohol, tobacco and yes a few drugs that are illegal.
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Comment #7 posted by el_toonces on December 26, 2001 at 11:16:19 PT:
Add DEA pages to Punchline?
In fact, maybe we should consider adding some anti-style sites like DEA, DARE, et alia, to the Punchline collection of Humor Sites. Of course, they would appear under the heading "Parody" so nobody would get confused;)El
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Comment #6 posted by el_toonces on December 26, 2001 at 11:13:16 PT:
I know, I know......
I KNOW it's a parody, Morgan. In fact, I posted it as a parody of a parody, so to speak. I keep the Landover site and the Betty Bowers ("Amercia's Best Christian") site in the "Humor" folder of my Fav's.....just wanted you guys to get in on the fun!Also, a new site friends of mine are developing:http://www.thepunchline.com/
The Punchline
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Comment #5 posted by Morgan on December 26, 2001 at 11:05:21 PT
el toonces
Um... I think that landoverbaptist church site is a parody. You know, tounge in cheek. Although i wouldn't be surprised (being raised in the buckle of the bible belt) that many church-going people do find that it speaks to their own truths.
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Comment #4 posted by Ethan Russo MD on December 26, 2001 at 11:04:17 PT:
It's Natural, Stupid
People do it. Apes do it. Medicine from plants is natural.The words for medicine and poison are synonymous in many idigenous cultures. It's a matter of dose. A little cannabis treats a variety of medical conditions. More may produce a "high" and that is a problem only if it causes some type of impairment. To claim that cannabis is immoral is to deny the utility of all plant drugs and pharmaceuticals in general. It cannot be justified based on the science.
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Comment #3 posted by The GCW on December 26, 2001 at 10:41:31 PT
Anyone can say they are Christian
The Bible indicates that only those who love Christ will obey him. To obey Christ is to extend Love! Christ example does not display, what many "christians" display in zero tolerance, hatred etc. Christ is the example that is not being shown. Don't let those "christians" who don't follow Christ example lead you away from the Holy Spirit of Truth. It is the righteous that love Christ, not the evil. The Holy Spirit IS available to those who accept cannabis, unlike what some may teach. That's a promise. As our Father is well aware, there are many different kinds of Christians, but only those who obey the words of Christ God have the access to the Holy Spirit of Truth. John 14, 15 & 16. 
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Comment #2 posted by el_toonces on December 26, 2001 at 10:06:58 PT:
More Christian links.......
More Chirstian links from Landover Baptist Church, where their motto is "Gold TOLD me to hate you":http://www.landoverbaptist.org/hellhouse/6.htmlhttp://www.landoverbaptist.org/ptic.htmlhttp://www.landoverbaptist.org/news0101/renovation.htmlDon't y'all just get a warm, fuzzy feeling from all the Christian Love at Landover? I think Assa and John A. are regular churchgoers there........suprising, no?El
http://www.landoverbaptist.org/ministries.html
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Comment #1 posted by el_toonces on December 26, 2001 at 09:54:59 PT:
Evolution.......
When will these primitive beasts evolve into more sophisticated creatures like us, you know, teaching their youngins all about D.A.R.E. and good, educational material like it? When will they evolve enough so that their feet become supplanted with jackboots?See, this story proves drugs are evil as apes are lower beings, specifically condemned in the Bible (see www.landoverbaptist.com), and thus only evil creatures use drugs;)Be well;)El
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