cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Makes Blood Rush To The Head Marijuana Makes Blood Rush To The Head Posted by CN Staff on February 07, 2005 at 15:44:07 PT By Katharine Davis, NewScientist.com News Service Source: New Scientist UK Smoking marijuana can affect blood flow in the brain so much that it takes over a month to return to normal. And for heavy smokers, the effects could last much longer, a new study suggests.Regular marijuana use can harm memory and the ability to make decisions, according to Jean Cadet at the National Institute on Drug Abuse in Baltimore, Maryland, US. To find out why, he monitored the flow of blood through the brains of 54 marijuana smokers, among whom the heaviest user smoked 50 joints every day. People who smoked cannabis had higher blood flow through their brains than non-users. Yet there was also greater resistance to the blood flow, suggesting that cannabis changes the blood vessels in the brain in a way which hinders oxygen in reaching the tissue effectively. In an attempt to compensate, extra blood is sent to that part of the brain, increasing resistance but probably failing to get enough oxygen through the vessels, Cadet suggests.Cadet and his colleagues used an extremely sensitive non-invasive technique called transcranial Doppler sonography to "see" the blood flow through individual arteries from the head's surface. The technique is so sensitive that it even reveals variation in the blood flow caused by the heart beating.After a month without cannabis - during which the volunteers agreed to remain in a clinic, with no access to marijuana - Cadet repeated the sonography. The resistance to blood flow of light and moderate users - who usually smoked an average of 11 and 44 joints per week, respectively - was starting to return to normal.Neuropsychological ProblemsBut there was no improvement observed in the heavy users, who smoked an average of 131 joints per week. "We were surprised because we'd expected that as marijuana cleared the system things would improve," says Cadet. He now wants to see if there is a link between the changes in the brain's blood flow and the extent of neuropsychological problems.To eliminate the effect of tobacco in the joints, Cadet compared his results to those obtained from smokers, who showed normal blood flow. But, says William Notcutt of James Paget Hospital in Norfolk, UK, the longer-term effect on the brain may not have been caused by the same substance that produces the high."Somebody smoking 50 joints per day is getting a huge number of carcinogens from the marijuana plant," he notes. "We know the cardiovascular effect [of cannabis] is very complex and multi-factorial so it's not as simple as with other drugs. The group that needs to be studied now is people that use high quality medicinal extracts." He adds that the results may also be different for people that only smoke marijuana occasionally, and so are exposed to lower doses of the toxic substances.Journal reference: Neurology (vol 64, p 488)Source: New Scientist (UK)Author: Katharine Davis, NewScientist.com News Service Published: February 7, 2005Copyright: New Scientist, RBI Limited 2005Contact: letters newscientist.comWebsite: http://www.newscientist.com/Related Articles:Marijuana's Effects Linger in The Brainhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20206.shtmlPot Shots for Israeli Soldiers http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread19285.shtmlChemical in Pot Puts Haze on Bad Memories http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13606.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #29 posted by observer on February 15, 2005 at 12:20:45 PT isn't increased blood flow often a good thing? search for:blood flow ginko bilobahttp://www.google.com/search?q=blood+flow+ginko+bilobaIn other words ... pot helps blood flow in your head, like taking ginko biloba helps with blood flow in your head.People pay good money for ginko products, also.Thank you, doctor. Drug War Propaganda (book) [ Post Comment ] Comment #28 posted by FoM on February 08, 2005 at 13:09:20 PT potpal I agree with you. That's how I see it too. [ Post Comment ] Comment #27 posted by potpal on February 08, 2005 at 13:06:21 PT bbc Found this on the bbc heatlh site also...my reply...Does anyone bother to even read this crap before it gets posted on your website. This 'research' is so bogus I'm not sure why it gets the title 'news'. Apparently, your organization is nothing more than an organ of the state. A parrot if you will, mindlessly assisting in the demonization of a plant which holds tremendous potential to improve the condition of mankind...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4244489.stm [ Post Comment ] Comment #26 posted by FoM on February 08, 2005 at 08:26:12 PT Kozmo You are so right! [ Post Comment ] Comment #25 posted by Kozmo on February 08, 2005 at 08:05:15 PT using the right words Note the words "suggesting" , "probably" , and "may""...suggesting that cannabis changes the blood vessels..." "...but probably failing to get enough oxygen through..." "...results may also be different for people that only smoke marijuana occasionally..."Whats the matter prohibs ? Can't seem to make a definate determination ? Same ole BS. Some how I don't think that we will ever see a NIDA or ONDCP study that includes the words "definately" "certainly" "absolutely" "will" "did" etc. etc. etc... [ Post Comment ] Comment #24 posted by Love Truth on February 08, 2005 at 07:47:56 PT Science - or More Babble for Babylon? The Truth who made the plant certainly knows...Jonas 2:8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy."This is your brain...This is your brain on LIES...Any questions?" Yes...Do these liars really believe they can hide FOREVER? The deceptive manner in which this broken pile of wind and biased presumption is presented is obviously intended to scare, or at least confuse the unaware in regards to what is actually a very *beneficial* property and action of the True Vine.However, before we investigate that, let us first take notice of the key words in the following crude prattle which reveal a stark absence of any substantive depth of knowledge concerning the biochemical processes which are attempting to be described:"People who smoked cannabis had higher blood flow through their brains than non-users. Yet there was also greater resistance to the blood flow, *suggesting* that cannabis changes the blood vessels in the brain in a way which hinders oxygen in reaching the tissue effectively. In an attempt to compensate, extra blood is sent to that part of the brain, increasing resistance but *probably* failing to get enough oxygen through the vessels, Cadet *suggests*.""suggesting""probably""suggests"I hear the *Spirit of Truth* rightly "suggesting" that - if they don't want to ultimately end up in the pit of destruction - this stiffnecked breed of so-called scientists and all of their shameless harlot media mouthpieces should "probably" do some honest "study" before they continue to spread more needless ignorance and "suggest" such deceitful falsehoods in the attempt to confuse and control people.Proverbs 10:18 He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.Proverbs 12:19 The lip of Truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment. Proverbs 12:22 Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are His delight.Relevant excerpts from: Cannabis and Cannabis Extracts:Greater Than The Sum of Their Parts?(Link: http://www.montananorml.org/docs/McPartland-Russo-JCANT-1-3-4-2001.pdf)By John M. McPartland and Ethan B Russo MDJournal of Cannabis Therapeutics Vol. 1 No. 3-4; 2001; 103-132SummaryA central tenet underlying the use of botanical remedies is that herbs contain many active ingredients. Primary active ingredients may be enhanced by secondary compounds, which act in beneficial synergy. Other herbal constituents may mitigate the side effects of dominant active ingredients. We reviewed the literature concerning medical cannabis and its primary active ingredient, ∆ 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Good evidence shows that secondary compounds in cannabis may enhance the beneficial effects of THC. Other cannabinoid and non-cannabinoid compounds in herbal cannabis or its extracts may reduce THC-induced anxiety, cholinergic deficits, and immunosuppression. *Cannabis terpenoids and flavonoids may also increase cerebral blood flow*, enhance cortical activity, kill respiratory pathogens, and provide anti-inflammatory activity.INTRODUCTION Cannabis is an herb; it contains hundreds of pharmaceutical compounds (Turner et al. 1980). Herbalists contend that polypharmaceutical herbs provide two advantages over single-ingredient synthetic drugs: (1) therapeutic effects of the primary active ingredients in herbs may be synergized by other compounds, and (2) side effects of the primary active ingredients may be mitigated by other compounds. Thus, cannabis has been characterized as a "synergistic shotgun",in contrast to Marinol (9-tetrahydrocannabinol,THC), a synthetic, single-ingredient "silver bullet" (McPartland and Pruitt 1999).TERPENOIDS1,8-Cineole, a bicyclic monoterpenoid, is a minor constituent of cannabis and the major aromatic found in Eucalyptus species. Studies show the inhalation of 1,8-cineole *increases cerebral blood flow* and ***enhances*** cortical activity(Nasel et al. 1994). Brain function is ***enhanced*** by administering terpenoids that improve cerebral blood flow, much as the ginkgolides in Ginkgo biloba (Russo 2000). Similarly, cerebral blood flow increases after inhaling cannabis smoke, and this increase is not related to plasma levels of THC (Mathew and Wilson 1993).A stimulatory effect on rat locomotion was demonstrated employing a 1,8-cineole-rich essential oil of rosemary with a terpene profile similar to that of cannabis (Kovar et al. 1987). Blood levels correlated with the degree of stimulation observed. Antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of 1,8-cineole were demonstrated at high doses in rats, using carrageenan rat paw and cotton pellet-induced granuloma models (Santos and Rao 2000). An analgesic effect of an essential oil was demonstrated in another animal study, and correlated with the 1,8-cineole concentration (Aydin et al. 1999).Perry et al. (2000) demonstrated that 1,8-cineole was an inhibitor of human erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase, but that an essential oil of Salvia lavandulaefolia containing 1,8-cineole and other terpenoids produced a synergistic inhibition of acetylcholinesterase that suggested utility in the clinical treatment of *Alzheimer's disease.* A similar mechanism may operate in cannabis essential oil with the same components.In other words, *this* kind of blood flow to the brain is a *good* thing! Thank you Love - for Your Truth regarding this matter; and thank you John and Ethan for searching it out and publishing it as *real* science for all who still care. If any have not read the above study in its entirety - it is extremely well done, full of many other elightening and similarly useful insights (particularly concerning the smoking issue : see 'limonene') and highly recommended for those who wish to increase in Wisdom and Understanding regarding the "hundreds of other compounds" found in cannabis (which, if you believe the vain howlings of the liars, are supposed to be "dangerous" simply due to their great number alone!). In addition to these important facts which directly shed light upon and soundly correct the hollow "suggestions" of this lame NIDA "study", it would also be wise to consider the profuse abundance of other *unbiased* science in recent years which have revealed the link between cannabis and neuroprotection, head injury treatments, tumor necrosis, and other related miraculous neuropharmacologic properties. Isaiah 5:20-21 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Isaiah 32:7 The instruments also of the schemer are evil: he deviseth wicked devices to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaketh right.Remember friends:1John 2:21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the Truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the Truth. With Love and prayers to all - - Even to my lying enemies whom I forgive - may the Truth chasten you and bring you to repentance before the coming End of Time - Which for the children of Love is only the Beginning...Love Truth [ Post Comment ] Comment #23 posted by Dankhank on February 08, 2005 at 06:42:35 PT little miffed left this on the Bloomberg site just now ...With your boss on record as saying he smoked marijuana and liked it one has to wonder why your TV people seize upon the most ridiculous "study" yet to come from the Brits.The British Government is moving to decriminalize and/or possibly legalize Cannabis use while "NEW Scientist.com" seeks to stymie that effort at sanity.One wonders what the "New Scientist" is like these days until one remembers that "Intelligent Design" is supported by some "Scientists" as well these days ...Check out this link for some truth about this story and much else.http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread20207.shtmlyou can do the same ...http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/fbk [ Post Comment ] Comment #22 posted by potpal on February 08, 2005 at 06:42:13 PT Addiction > After a month without cannabis - during which the volunteers agreed to remain in a clinic, with no access to marijuana...Were they climbing the walls? Guess this squashes the addiction theory.I remember spending a month in Amsterdam one week and while there discovered the spliff. Came home with an addiction to tobacco. Luckily I manage to quit that bad habit long ago, partially thanks to pot.Have a green day. [ Post Comment ] Comment #21 posted by paulpeterson on February 08, 2005 at 06:17:18 PT University of Iowa Study 2001 I spoke with a lead researcher at U of I in 2001. They had been doing chronic use studies for 3 years at that time. He told me they WOULD NOT PUBLISH ANYTHING because they were trying to get their DEA grant renewed. Point blank: if they published anything POSITIVE about marijuana they would LOSE THEIR GRANT. He told me marijuana usage INCREASES BLOOD FLOW TO THE VENTRAL AREAS OF THE FRONTAL LOBES. Further, their were NO LONG TERM CHANGES FROM EVEN HEAVY SMOKING. Specifically, MJ usage does not REWIRE THE STIMULUS REWARD CENTER (like those ritalin/amphetamines they give in scripts-like cocaine).This article is a trite rehash of what science has already proven, (increased blood flow that is) which is a good thing, and that nicotine impact is what really does ANY damage. Just thought I would chime in. PAUL [ Post Comment ] Comment #20 posted by potpal on February 08, 2005 at 06:16:49 PT anti food NewsFlash: If you smoke cannabis, one day you'll die!Man, the press don't wait long to proliferate this garbage either. Saw a text message on Bloomberg this am (0700est) repeating this malarkey. Let's see 'em harp on a positivie effect cannabis has to offer... [ Post Comment ] Comment #19 posted by kaptinemo on February 08, 2005 at 06:02:23 PT: Telarus is right It's a common practice in Europe and the UK to add tobacco to joints because the most available form of cannabis there is HASHISH. They have to crumble it and mix it with tobacco to prevent it from burning too quickly.BTW, a straight joint with no tobacco in it is often called an "american", because of our predilection NOT to mix it. [ Post Comment ] Comment #18 posted by AlvinCool on February 08, 2005 at 03:57:24 PT Ok OK it's done now The secret is out. The guy that smokes 50 bought the machine previously used by the US to force monkeys to smoke. His wife straps him in every day and she taunts him with creme pies till he gives in.Well, I know it sounds silly but it's got the same justification as this article [ Post Comment ] Comment #17 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on February 08, 2005 at 02:25:08 PT Silliness I smoke 50 joints in the morning, I smoke 50 joints at night... I smoke 50 joints in the afternoon, it makes me feel all right...Maybe with the NIDA weed - pre-rolled so you can spend all your time smoking, and it takes 49 just to get a buzz.But I also don't believe anyone who smokes this constantly would say, "Why yes Mr. Government man, I smoke a lotta weed. What, put my brain in this machine? Suuuuure." [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by warhater on February 07, 2005 at 23:23:28 PT: I don't trust anything... Out of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. These people have a vested interest in further demonizing MJ. I get the impression that they determined how much pot the subjects smoked by survey. It sounds like the subjects mix pot with tobacco(what a waste) and smoke it all day like cigarettes."Cadet compared his results to those obtained from smokers, who showed normal blood flow."So the control group smoked commerical cigarettes while the pot smokers got a liberal dose of unfiltered tobbaco with every joint, and they did a deep lung inhale on it. I wonder if they paid any attention to the total dose of nicotine and carbon monoxide the control group and the test group were getting."..Yet there was also greater resistance to the blood flow, suggesting that cannabis changes the blood vessels in the brain in a way which hinders oxygen in reaching the tissue effectively."Scary stuff kids. The demon weed changes your blood vessels and makes you stupid via oxygen deprivation. Next thing you know you're sitting in the closet with trembling hands screaming "May, Bring Me some reefers!". Actually, it sounds alot like nicotine to me. It constricts blood vessels and raises blood pressure. Carbon monooxide, present in all smoke, lowers the blood's capacity to carry oxygen. This would hinder oxygen reaching the tissue or at least cause the the increased total blood flow to the brain they observed to compensate. "The technique is so sensitive that it even reveals variation in the blood flow caused by the heart beating."Wow, it can detect the changes in blood flow caused by the heart beating! Somebody pinch me, I must be dreaming. If a technique to measure blood flow can't measure the flow caused by the heart beating, what blood flow it does measure? Did I miss that day in anatomy class? The New Scientist needs a new editor. This is pure drivel."The resistance to blood flow of light and moderate users - who usually smoked an average of 11 and 44 joints per week, respectively - was starting to return to normal."Okay, but how long did it take on average for the blood flow of each group to return to "normal"? They never tell me this anywhere in the entire blurb. Science is about numbers not wishy washy weasel words. What exactly does "starting to return to normal" mean?"But there was no improvement observed in the heavy users, who smoked an average of 131 joints per week. "We were surprised because we'd expected that as marijuana cleared the system things would improve," says Cadet."The implication is that the MJ smoke has permanently damaged these poor souls. I have to wonder if these people were allowed to smoke cigarettes during the month they quit smoking an average of 19 unfiltered joints laced with tobacco per day. If they were, I bet they smoked two packs a day to get their needed nicotine fix. I will score the paper and see what they actually have to say. If they didn't pair subjects and controls according to the doses of nicotine and CO they got from the joints and the cigarettes, the study is flawed.Finally, I am suspicious about the number of subjects vis-a-vis the quantity of MJ smoked. If you are going to do a clinical study on the effects MJ with only 54 subjects why rig it so an entire group of subjects smokes a ridiculous average of 19 joints a day? I have a hard time believing even 2 people out of 54 who smoke pot smoke this much regularly. The middle group seems more typical of very heavy MJ smokers at about 6 joints a day every day. The low group is more typical of the everyday smoker at 1-2 joints a day. The people who only smoke occasionally are barely represented at all. [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by goneposthole on February 07, 2005 at 19:54:52 PT I just got done smoking fifty joints myself, and all today.I suppose somebody has smoked fifty joints in a day, but when it comes to skunk numero uno, it ain't gonna happen.I have never heard of anybody smoking fifty joints a day until today. I have problems smoking three joints a day. Smoke two joints, and that'll do 'er.Someday, I might give it a try. I really don't think it can be done unless you roll pinners with nothing in them except a tiny amount. What's the use then?We breathe an average of one tablespoon of dust into our lungs each and every day. I'll bet the farm that there are some carcinogens in that dust. There is no escaping any of the various hazardous compounds that are floating around in the atmosphere. Smoke from power plants, exhaust from automobiles,diesel exhaust, factory emissions. Smoke everywhere, all around the world. Smoke some cannabis and clear your lungs. Give me a break. [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by CannabisMark on February 07, 2005 at 19:54:10 PT: Damnnnnnnnnnnnn 50 a day LIES! 50 joints a day! I don't believe it. If this man smoked any more in a day he would be the first man ever to overdose on marijuana. Man, I would pass out after about the 15th or so. so that obviously proves that this whole thing is bogus.Last week or so HBO presented a comedy show with Bill Maher, a man who like us, is an adversary of the war on drugs. He made this one joke wich I just have to reiterate.I don't know if you have seen this particular commercial for anti-marijuana propaganda but it involves two 12 year olds who have just smoked marijuana and are sitting in one of their home offices (totally baked out btw). One of the boys pulls out a pistol and begins playin with it and ends up shooting his high friend. Then it goes into its usual anti-marijuana BS and the commercial ends. Bill Maher, after describing the commercial , says (not in his exact words) "O ofcourse blame marijuana, and you can neglect all the sh!tty parenting and the fact that theres a f#cking GUN in the house. But why not just blame marijuana, everyone else does."It was funnier when he said it but still funny. [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by telarus on February 07, 2005 at 19:53:26 PT: Oopps Sorry, plz disregard the first paragraph there, I typed this up for the last thread, then did a straight copy/paste. Sorry if it confused. [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by telarus on February 07, 2005 at 19:51:52 PT: There was Tobacco in them there Joints. This also hit NewScientist.com, although there was one paragraph that sent me furioulsy hunting through my FireFox History to find it there after I read this article here."To eliminate the effect of tobacco in the joints , Cadet compared his results to those obtained from smokers, who showed normal blood flow. But, says William Notcutt of James Paget Hospital in Norfolk, UK, the longer-term effect on the brain may not have been caused by the same substance that produces the high."The spin on this was brilliant. When I read the article here on CN.com, a little alarm when off in my head, and after scanning through the follow-up articles, and desperatly searching Google and my History today for the inconsistency, I realized that the NewScientist story was the only one to mention that there was TOBACCO IN THE JOINTS. Now, as anyone who has mixed these 2 into a joint knows, the effects are not simply additive but synergetic. Now, you any of you seriously smoke 350-78, or eaven 70-17 joints a week if they were half-and-half????? From the phrasing above, there were were no straight MJ joints used in the study. [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by charmed quark on February 07, 2005 at 18:14:14 PT No numbers ... Did you notice that no quantitative information was given. So the effect, if it exists and isn't due to the typical poor, flawed study the NDIA does, might be so small that it just barely sticks it's head above the statistical noise.But the whole thing sounds suspicious. 50 joints a day. That's at least 3 joints an hour, every hour, for every hour you are awake. I'd love to meet such a character.-CQ [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by freedom23 on February 07, 2005 at 17:45:15 PT 50 joints a day? LOL. I don't think Bob Marley could've smoke that much. What they didn't mention is that the joints they used were made from rolling paper from Cheech and Chong's Big Bambu album. =)I needed a good laugh. "Bullsh*t: Penn & Teller" vs the War on Drugs [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by jfrolang on February 07, 2005 at 17:09:17 PT they're getting desperate If this is in fact the lie it so seems to be, then it just reinforces how stretched thin the anti's arguments are. It can only be so long before their hammock breaks and they fall through, with the entire karmic weight of their agenda on top of them. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by Hope on February 07, 2005 at 16:29:35 PT This reminds me of that study during the Vietnam War that said some young killed GI's brain just crumbled during autopsy or was aged horribly because he smoked regularly.Give us a break! We aren't that stupid.They think so little of the public up there in their constricted little ivory towers. [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Hope on February 07, 2005 at 16:25:06 PT It's a big fat lie The whole thing stinks to high heaven.Where do you suppose they found volunteers for this study?How many fit the description of heavy users they use? How did the volunteers find out about the study and why would they volunteer such goofy information to an arm of the government? How do you suppose the government let that much cannabis be delivered there? There is no way.Obviously it wasn't any of that super cannabis they are always talking about.Fifty joints? I smell a stinking liar. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by Sam Adams on February 07, 2005 at 16:21:00 PT Blood flow The thing about this article is....I think it's....ah...AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH too much blood...somebody help....shouldn't have taken that last hit......*clunk*What a joke! I love the way they always need some high-tech machine to see the damage that cannabis does to the brain. Like somehow the credibility boost these researchers will get by using "Doppler Sonography" to say marijuana is bad will overwhelm everyone's common sense."Well, my own use of marijuana has show it to be harmless, none of the dozens of people I know have ever had a problem, but wait - DOPPLER SONOGRPAHY shows that it's bad! Forget it! I quit! Throw everyone in jail! It's the only answer!" [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Hope on February 07, 2005 at 16:14:50 PT My theory This study never happened. Too many little clues that suggest to me that it never happened. It never could have happened in the U.S. Any of you "volunteers" for the study out there want to tell us about it?No? [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on February 07, 2005 at 16:13:39 PT 50 Joints A Day!!! I am trying to visualize a person who can smoke 50 Joints a day and have a family, job, a home and a life. It's impossible! [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by sixtyfps on February 07, 2005 at 16:10:57 PT Marketing Idea BRAIN VIAGRA [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Hope on February 07, 2005 at 16:09:41 PT Blood flow I always thought increased blood flow to any part of the body was good. But oh no...not with cannabis. They have to find a way to call it bad.Sounds like more anti "spew" to me.Oh yeah, it's NIDA...of course it's spew. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by sixtyfps on February 07, 2005 at 15:59:04 PT Ha! "The group that needs to be studied now is people that use high quality medicinal extracts."No, the group that needs to be studied now is people who use vaporizers.Health before wealth, mon capitaine...and watch your pronouns; they're betraying your facade. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment