cannabisnews.com: The Blunt on Humboldt





The Blunt on Humboldt
Posted by CN Staff on September 07, 2005 at 06:51:00 PT
By Vincent Gesuele, State Hornet
Source: State Hornet
California -- Humboldt County is known for one thing: marijuana. The county, located in the northern tip of California, is referred to as the marijuana capitol of North America, and has been mentioned in countless rap songs. It is home to the best hemp this side of Amsterdam, and with it comes an unparalleled reputation. Humboldt State University, located in the city of Arcata, is well known for its reputation as a “stoner” college.
A recent issue of High Times magazine named Humboldt State number 8 in its list of the “Top 10 cannabis colleges.”The county has been dealing with marijuana problems for years, and consequently the school’s image suffers because of it. Some students at Humboldt State feel the school’s marijuana reputation is exaggerated by people outside the area.Esmeralda Santana, a senior psychology major at Humboldt State, said the school’s reputation is larger outside the area than it is on campus. Santana says students are aware of marijuana and its prominence in Humboldt, but aren’t so concerned with it. “It’s known to be more common here, but it’s the same on all college campuses,” Santana said. Nicole Alvarado, Humboldt State’s Associated Students President, feels the recent High Times article exploits the school’s negative image on a large scale. “We do not have any more of a marijuana problem than any other university does,” said Alvarado. Billie Waltz, an undeclared sophomore at Humboldt State said he agrees with Alvarado. “If you look for it, you’ll find it, but no more than you would anywhere else,” Waltz said. Roberto Quintana, associate professor of exercise physiology at Sacramento State, is a Humboldt State alum. Quintana said recreational activity and parties at Humboldt State are similar to what happens at Sac State and other universities. “The big difference between Humboldt State and Sac State is the centralized campus and liberal community of Humboldt compared to the commuter campus at Sac State,” Quintana said.Humboldt’s reputation for marijuana is based on the area’s history as a liberal, agricultural community. The environment gives prospective marijuana growers a perfect location to plant their crops.Alvarado said the community is liberal and more open to talk about marijuana, which may lead to people to make assumptions. “It is talked about more in the public eye, which makes it more of an issue,” Alvarado said. Former Arcata resident James Long said he left the county after six years because of the lack of job opportunities. He said that marijuana was prevalent when he lived there. “I was invited to smoke weed more times up there than when I grew up in Los Angeles,” Long said. He says the amount of marijuana available is directly related to the environment and the agriculture.Waltz said the environment is suited for growing marijuana. Despite an ideal environment for harvesting marijuana, significant amounts are rarely seized from Humboldt County. According to the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting’s Web site, Humboldt County ranked 10th among California counties with 15,809 plants seized in 2004. Riverside led the list with 97,104 plants seized. CAMP works in conjunction with local Sheriff’s departments to eradicate marijuana plants from all over the state. This year, the group has broken all previous records for seizures including taking over 20,400 plants from Humboldt County in early August. The university occasionally attracts new students based on the regions reputation for marijuana production. The CAMP numbers indicate that production is not as large as originally predicted. Thomas Dewey, interim police chief for Humboldt State said in an e-mail that students who come to Humboldt because of the county’s reputation would face stiff penalties for marijuana violations. “We give no breaks to anyone selling or furnishing marijuana on campus,” he said. Students caught will face both administrative charges from the university as well as criminal charges. Police at Humboldt State make an average of 100 citations or arrests each year for marijuana violations. Dewey said these arrests include both students and non-students who are arrested during campus events such as concerts. Medical marijuana patients pose a dilemma for university police since state law conflicts with federal law. State law allows card carrying medical marijuana patients to possess the substance, while federal law prohibits it. Humboldt State police enforce the school policy on drugs on campus, which means even medical marijuana patients can be arrested for possession of the substance. Off campus, the officers enforce the California Highway Patrol policy which favors the possible release of card carrying medical marijuana patients. Dewey says marijuana remains a controlled substance as defined by federal law, therefore the university will prohibit the drug on the federally funded campus. “The bottom line is that medical marijuana patients must keep their marijuana off campus,” Dewey said. In spite of its reputation, Humboldt State provides strong academic programs. Humboldt State is the smallest school in the CSU system with just over 7,500 students enrolled. The university offers 23 student run organizations, the most of any CSU campus. The small enrollment allows for small class sizes as well as better communication between students and faculty. Alvarado said the county’s image has taken attention away from Humboldt State’s academic programs. She said the school has a very strong biological sciences program as well as the only Native American studies program in the entire CSU system. Waltz said that academics are not downplayed and that students that go to the school get a quality education. “Some students come here under the assumption that we’re a party school, but they leave with a good education,” she said. “It is important for people outside of Humboldt to realize that we breed social conscious individuals who are more apt to be leaders,” Alvarado said. She said she hopes that people will look at Humboldt for its educational value rather than its marijuana image. Note: Northern California county is called 'marijuana capital of North America'.Source: State Hornet, The (CA Edu)Author: Vincent Gesuele, State Hornet Published: September 07, 2005 Copyright: 2005 State HornetContact: hornetop csus.eduWebsite: http://www.statehornet.com/Related Article:HT Lists HSU as One of Top 10 Stoner Collegeshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread21054.shtmlCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml 
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Comment #44 posted by dirtmover on September 10, 2005 at 15:57:51 PT
Back in the day...
I took several courses there in the summer '67.The precious herb was already around.....
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Comment #43 posted by dongenero on September 08, 2005 at 07:18:02 PT
runderwo
heh, yes that would be a clear case of marijuana abuse!
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Comment #42 posted by CorvallisEric on September 07, 2005 at 23:14:35 PT
global_warming (comment #33) - cheap oil
Anyone interested in this problem might find value in the non-survivalist and more politically-moderate views of James Howard Kunstler ("The Long Emergency"). In my opinion, the big unanswered question about the oil future is how much oil can be produced at what cost from hard-to-extract but vast sources like the tar sands (or whatever) in Alberta - there is wild disagreement about this and Kunstler doesn't address it adequately. There is little credible disagreement that the easy sources are running out. See an interview of Kunstler that FoM linked on June 1:http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2005/05/25/little-kunstler/index.html?source=weekly
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Comment #41 posted by runderwo on September 07, 2005 at 19:46:33 PT
dongenero
"Isn't a marijuana problem when you can't get any????"Yeah, and marijuana abuse is when Johnny Pee comes and hacks down your plants.
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Comment #40 posted by runderwo on September 07, 2005 at 19:37:02 PT
Max Flowers
Many universities receive money from the federal government for science programs, financial aid, etc. They have to be careful not to upset that gravy train in any way.
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Comment #39 posted by Hope on September 07, 2005 at 18:37:14 PT
Seems like there was a
deadly nation wide trucking strike about that time, too.
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Comment #38 posted by Hope on September 07, 2005 at 18:33:57 PT
GlobalWarming...Green Power
You said, "...but it would have forced radical changes in our economy." I don't recall for sure about the economy...well it did cause prices on everything to go up, but there were "radical changes" even before that when the speed limit was reduced to 55 everywhere all over the country, I think and 
one winter we had daylight savings time...which was rough...kids to school and to work at eight in the morning and it was still dark. The children had to carry flashlights. There were several years that we were admonished not to even waste energy on decorative Christmas lights at Christmas. That was a real bummer because lots of people enjoyed driving around looking at them and decorating in those days. And there were not only unbelievable lines at pumps...you could only buy on alternate or certain days according, to, I think, something about your license plate numbers. Or am I combining several events in my memory? Anyway...those "changes" seemed pretty "radical" to me, at the time.
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Comment #37 posted by Hope on September 07, 2005 at 18:22:02 PT
I'm sure this is wrong...
cause I can't recall for sure...but wasn't there a Howell Industries?My husband was thinking "banker".
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Comment #36 posted by Truth on September 07, 2005 at 17:25:47 PT
So...
So where did Mr. Howell's money come from?
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Comment #35 posted by JSM on September 07, 2005 at 15:37:55 PT
Bob Denver ...Pot Pop
It happened in Bluefield, WV where Bob was living sometime around '96 - '98. 
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Comment #34 posted by FoM on September 07, 2005 at 15:25:42 PT
Thanks Siege
Cannabis Joins Battle of The Bulge: http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread21092.shtml
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Comment #33 posted by global_warming on September 07, 2005 at 15:14:59 PT
Green Power
"Cheap fuel has driven the U.S. economy for decades, helping to promote urban and suburban sprawl as well as environmental degradation that may now be irreversible. Had gas hit $3 a gallon during its last great spike, in 1973, much of that damage might have been avoided, but it would have forced radical changes in our economy. Now, with so many more people habituated to so many more comforts and conveniences, the hangover is going to be much worse.""Some very hard times are coming: perhaps not this fall, or even next year, but in the near future. Thanks to George Bush’s overt and implicit invitations, terrorists who now have even greater reason to hate this country will revisit us in memorable fashion, and that will only exacerbate the inevitable recession that gasoline prices impose. The cost of transporting food may make it unaffordable for many, while our water supply is being poisoned by corporate contamination and stolen by bottling companies. As many survivalists have predicted and as some New Orleans neighborhoods have illustrated, those who own the guns will soon determine who eats, drinks, and survives."
America Implodes
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Comment #32 posted by siege on September 07, 2005 at 14:52:31 PT
Go to Google News
Cannabis researchers find tool to fight obesity
Scotsman, United Kingdom - 22 hours agohttp://news.scotsman.com/health.cfm?id=1900542005SCIENTISTS studying cannabis have located a part of the brain that could be key to fighting obesity, stress and bringing pain relief. ...
Cannabis joins battle of the bulge
Guardian Unlimited, UK - 22 hours agohttp://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1563998,00.htmlScientists have unveiled an unlikely weapon in the battle against the bulge: cannabis. More specifically, one of its key ingredients ...
Cannabis drug could be new obesity treatment
Independent, UK - 22 hours agohttp://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article310795.eceBy Steve Connor, Science Editor. A natural constituent of cannabis can suppress the appetite and may open the door to a new class ...
New cannabis research breakthrough
Daily Mail - UK, UK - Sep 6, 2005http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/thehealthnews.html?in_article_id=361494&in_page_id=1797Cannabis research has led to a British breakthrough that could lead to new ways of fighting obesity, controlling pain and combating cancer, it has been revealed ...
         (( Can't find ))''''Cannabis could suppress hunger
United Press International - 4 hours ago
ABERDEEN, Scotland, Sept. 7 (UPI) -- A Scottish scientist says a key ingredient in cannabis suppresses appetite, a finding that ''''...Dope study may lead to obesity cure
Daily Mail - UK, UK - Sep 6, 2005
Research into the effects of cannabis on users has led to a breakthrough that could lead to new ways of fighting obesity, controlling pain and combating cancer ... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=361501&in_page_id=1774Pot Use Down Where Medical Use OK
Los Angeles Times - CA,USA
... by anti-drug warriors, the 10 states that approved medical marijuana laws over the last decade have experienced sharp declines in cannabis use among teenagers ... http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-pot7sep07,1,3527430.story?coll=la-headlines-california&ctrack=1&cset=true
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Comment #31 posted by Toker00 on September 07, 2005 at 14:48:31 PT
Dankhank!
Roflmao!!! So well put!Wage peace on war! END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!
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Comment #30 posted by FoM on September 07, 2005 at 14:20:04 PT
Dankhank
I'm not going there! LOL!
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Comment #29 posted by Dankhank on September 07, 2005 at 14:11:00 PT
ludes ...
so ..........the secret to get lovelies to share ...:-)
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Comment #28 posted by potpal on September 07, 2005 at 12:51:16 PT
Bob Denver
Learning of his death brought tears to my eyes. It occured to me once that Dobie was the model for Seinfeld. Think about it...a girl friend who is not his girl friend, Maynard=Kramer, parents in there, let's see, he talked to the audience before the show, kinda, show about nothing really...I believe Bob had been popped with pot somewhere in past years. Farewell little buddy.
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Comment #27 posted by FoM on September 07, 2005 at 12:25:35 PT
Dankhank
What a delightfully demented bunch of writers on that show ...........You got that right!PS: Celia said: I took a lude.
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Comment #26 posted by dongenero on September 07, 2005 at 12:24:48 PT
alcohol vs cannabis
It's interesting that year after year college students die of alcohol abuse yet nothing brings the anti-drug kooks out of the woodwork like the concept of cannabis use........which incidently has killed no one.
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Comment #25 posted by Dankhank on September 07, 2005 at 12:21:50 PT
yes ..........
"White folks get soda pop, Niggers get bullets ..."What a delightfully demented bunch of writers on that show ...........and this ... "Is someone gonna call the police?" and "Baby, that probably WAS the police."
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Comment #24 posted by FoM on September 07, 2005 at 11:59:48 PT
Dankhank
Thanks. I only like the part about drinking! LOL!PS: They get soda pop and we get bullets.
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Comment #23 posted by CorvallisEric on September 07, 2005 at 11:52:09 PT
What are real campus problems?
Meanwhile at Oregon State (wannabe bigtime football school celebrating its brand-new zillion dollar stadium expansion) it's another game, another underage alcohol death [highly credible speculation].Authorities released little information Sunday about the 18-year-old man found dead in an Oregon State University dormitory Saturday.On Sunday, a pathologist serving as a medical examiner for the county performed an autopsy on the teen's body. Authorities will release the results after lab work is completed, said Benton County District Attorney Scott Heiser, adding that alcohol is believed to have been involved.Oregon State Police are investigating the death of *** who was discovered late Saturday morning in an unoccupied room of Finley Hall on the OSU campus.Heiser said he suspects ***, who is not a student at OSU, was on campus drinking and partying with friends in advance of Saturday night's football game."He was ostensibly sleeping it off in an unoccupied room in the dorm," he said.Irrelevant name censored by Eric. Source: 
http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2005/09/05/news/community/monloc02.txt
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Comment #22 posted by Dankhank on September 07, 2005 at 11:50:13 PT
not exactly ....
http://lyrics.rare-lyrics.com/R/Ringo-Starr/No-Song.htmlgives it up, FOMIt was Ringo ... :-)
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Comment #21 posted by FoM on September 07, 2005 at 11:29:01 PT
Max Flowers 
I'm sorry about your brother. 
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Comment #20 posted by Max Flowers on September 07, 2005 at 11:06:15 PT
Someone explain this to me
Medical marijuana patients pose a dilemma for university police since state law conflicts with federal law. State law allows card carrying medical marijuana patients to possess the substance, while federal law prohibits it.This kind of statement, so common in these kinds of "news" articles, always confuse me. Why the *%#*& would a university police officer be at all concerned with enforcing federal law? What exactly is the "dilemma" they refer to? Federal law is not in his jurisdiction or purview. He cannot go run off campus to investigate bank robberies or counterfeiters as a Secret Service or FBI man would do, so why would he concern himself with any other federal law? As a university police officer, his job is to deal with issues within his jurisdiction (which is the dang campus and security issues therein, and that's IT). 
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Comment #19 posted by Max Flowers on September 07, 2005 at 10:58:46 PT
Alcohol vs cannabis
When I was about 13, my twin brother (now deceased---murdered about 12 years ago by another alcoholic) drank a huge amount of hard liquor (for a 13 year old) in what I believe was an attempted suicide and nearly died. Seeing him in the hospital bed, pale, filled with IVs, an oxygen tube in his face and looking about an inch away from expiring was enough to make a very lasting impression on me about the nature of alcohol as a drug.Around the same time, I was discovering pot and noticing the fact that it never put anyone in a similar state to the one my brother was in. I nevertheless dabbled with alcohol a bit in high school, but never whole-heartedly, probably due to the memory of what it did to my brother and the knowledge that he at that time was already an alcoholic---even *after* his near-death liquor OD he continued to use it.It's just another sad story among millions I suppose...
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Comment #18 posted by runruff on September 07, 2005 at 10:39:39 PT:
Both!
At a young age I began to see the harmful effects alcohol.
At the same time I developed an addiction to it. Fortunatly I was able to quit it at a young age. That was very difficult for me and took several trys. I also had great love and support from many.As for Bob Denver. I connected with his character immediatly
and evolved from the beatnick to the hippy culture. I'm not at all sorry for the expieriences I've had. These time were unique and historic.Namaste
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on September 07, 2005 at 10:24:17 PT
afterburner
Thinking people scare the powers that be I think.
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Comment #16 posted by FoM on September 07, 2005 at 10:22:53 PT
runruff
You were referring to Bob Denver right? As far as the other post waking up on the floor got old real fast! LOL!
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on September 07, 2005 at 10:19:39 PT
runruff 
That's nice to know! He made us laugh and even gave us a direction for a better way. Well it was a better way in my mind.
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Comment #14 posted by afterburner on September 07, 2005 at 10:16:41 PT
They Still Don't Get It
Cannabis (marijuana) is associated with higher levels of thought, which is what Universities are supposed to be about. The slacker/stoner fiction, propagated by the federal know-nothings, clouds the public consciousness and that of College administrations. The result: people see a 'marijuana problem' where the actual truth is mind enhancement, creative thinking and critical questioning. Long live laughing grass, the love grass!
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Comment #13 posted by runruff on September 07, 2005 at 10:14:10 PT:
FoM
Me too!
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on September 07, 2005 at 10:11:37 PT
Just a Comment About Bob Denver
When I was very young I saw Bob Denver when he was a bongo-loving beatnik named Maynard G. Krebs. I always thought he was cool. Maybe that was the beginning of my interest in the counter culture. Bob Denver -- starred in 'Gilligan's Island'http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/09/07/BAGM2EJF961.DTL&hw=bob+denver&sn=003&sc=1000
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on September 07, 2005 at 09:34:27 PT
runruff
No No No No I don't drink it no moreI'm tired of waking up on the floor! 
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Comment #10 posted by Toker00 on September 07, 2005 at 09:28:12 PT
***  ***  ***
"The county has been dealing with marijuana problems for years, and consequently the school’s image suffers because of it." It's not the image of the college that is suffering. It is the image of Cannabis that is suffering. Blame your business department for the college image problem."Some students at Humboldt State feel the school’s marijuana reputation is exaggerated by people outside the area."And some students at Humbolt State feel the school's "marijuana" reputation is exaggerated by people who know nothing about it, like the DEA, FDA, etc."Humboldt’s reputation for marijuana is based on the area’s history as a liberal, agricultural community. The environment gives prospective marijuana growers a perfect location to plant their crops."I wish my area was that excellent. Great Reputation.Nazi Science is EXACTLY right, Hope.Wage Peace on War. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!
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Comment #9 posted by runruff on September 07, 2005 at 09:27:53 PT:
I was a teenage alcoholic, burp!
Yes I actually started drinking alcohol when I was about seven years old. My father hauled wine for Petrie Bro. Winery and he used to bring it home by the case. My parents were professional musicians in my later teen years. I met celebs and hung out with fast kids. Dad brewed his own beer
and since we lived in the mountians I knew where all the loggers kept their beer and wine in the springs around their camps. While they were at work my friends and I made the rounds getting pretty snokered almost every day. I quit drinking after I returned home from serving overseas in the military. I stayed with the pot I learned about while in Germany but droped the alcohol. I tell you many of my friend are now dead from alcohol related problems or accidents. Those still living are in vary bad shape. 
I have not drank in about 35 years now and in spite of 
heart surgery in '03 I look and feel great. The heart disease
was not related to either my early alcohol or my past pot use, [no, no, no, no, I don't hessst no more] or in any way to my use of cannabis in fact cannabis may have prolonged the problem. My Dr. said I have an inheirited disease which is now under controll and I am doing great. Real happy in spite of the fact that the feds say they are going to lock me up for two years. I could have killed myself on alcohol and it would hav been perfectly legal. Crazy times indeed!
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Comment #8 posted by Hope on September 07, 2005 at 09:14:28 PT
Kind of like the novel I'm reading now...
which, weirdly, takes place in New Orleans. The humanoid creations in the science fiction novel cannot experience hope or love, nor do they have the ability to defy in any way their master and creator. They work, eat, follow orders, and have sex...but without the love and hope they are an extremely miserable, angry, dangerous, and hateful bunch. They wish for death but are practically unkillable and are programmed to avoid suicide. Brrrr.
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Comment #7 posted by Hope on September 07, 2005 at 09:07:39 PT
Can you imagine a civilization that could not
experience pleasure? I have a feeling it wouldn't be a good thing.
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Comment #6 posted by Hope on September 07, 2005 at 09:06:12 PT
sounds like some sort of nazi science
Disable the part of the brain that allows the creature to experience pleasure. Might as well just chop it's head off. 
That would fix that pleasure seeking problem.
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on September 07, 2005 at 08:40:59 PT
Press Release from AScribe
Study Examines Role of Cannabinoid Receptors in Alcohol Abuse; Another Brain Receptor Confirmed to Affect Alcohol Intake; May Serve as Treatment TargetWed Sep 7 07:44:56 2005 Pacific Time    UPTON, N.Y., Sept. 7 (AScribe Newswire) -- A new set of experiments in mice confirms that a brain receptor associated with the reinforcing effects of marijuana also helps to stimulate the rewarding and pleasurable effects of alcohol. The research, which was conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and was published online September 2, 2005, by the journal Behavioural Brain Research, confirms a genetic basis for susceptibility to alcohol abuse and also suggests that drugs designed to block these receptors could be useful in treatment.    "These findings build on our understanding of how various receptors in the brain's reward circuits contribute to alcohol abuse, help us understand the role of genetic susceptibility, and move us farther along the path toward successful treatments," said Brookhaven's Panayotis (Peter) Thanos, lead author of this study and many others on "reward" receptors and drinking see: http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/pubaf/pr/PR_display.asp?prID=05-49 and , http://www.bnl.gov/thanoslab    Earlier studies in animals and humans have suggested that so-called cannabinoid receptors known as CB1 - which are directly involved in triggering the reinforcing properties of marijuana - might also stimulate reward pathways in response to drinking alcohol. Thanos' group investigated this association in two experiments.    In the first experiment, they measured alcohol preference and intake in mice with different levels of CB1 receptors: wild type mice with normal levels of CB1; heterozygous mice with approximately 50 percent levels; and so-called knockout (KO) mice that lack the gene for CB1 and therefore have no CB1 receptors. All mice were given a choice of two drinking bottles, one with pure water and one with a 10 percent alcohol solution - approximately equivalent to the alcohol content of wine. Mice with the normal levels of CB1 receptors had a stronger preference for alcohol and drank more than the other two groups, with the CB1-deficient mice showing the lowest alcohol consumption.    After establishing each group's level of drinking, the scientists treated animals with a drug known to block CB1 receptors (SR141716A) and tested them again. (These animals were also compared with animals injected with plain saline to control for the effect of the injection.) In response to the CB1 receptor-blocking drug, mice with normal and intermediate levels of receptors drank significantly less alcohol compared to their pre-treatment levels, while KO mice showed no change in drinking in response to the treatment.    In the second experiment, the scientists compared the tendency of wild type and KO mice to seek out an environment in which they had previously been given alcohol. Known as "conditioned place preference," this is an established technique for determining an animal's preference for a drug.    Animals were first conditioned to "expect" alcohol in a given portion of a three-chambered cage while being given an injection of saline in the opposite end, and then monitored for how much time they spent in the alcohol chamber "seeking" the drug. Wild type animals, with normal levels of CB1, spent more time in the alcohol-associated chamber than the saline chamber, showing a decided preference, while KO mice (with no CB1 receptors) showed no significant preference for one chamber over the other.    "These results support our belief that the cannabinoid system and CB1 receptors play a critical role in mediating the rewarding and pleasurable properties of alcohol, contributing to alcohol dependency and abuse," Thanos said.    In addition, the fact that the mice with intermediate levels of CB1 exhibited alcohol preference and intake midway between those with high levels of receptors and those with none suggests that the genetic difference between strains quantitatively influences the preference for and the amount of alcohol consumed. "These results provide further evidence for a genetic component to alcohol abuse that includes the CB1 gene - the same gene that is important for the behavioral effects of marijuana," Thanos said.    While it remains unclear exactly how CB1 triggers the rewarding effects of alcohol, one possibility is that activation of the CB1 receptor somehow blocks the brain's normal "stop" signals for the production of dopamine, another brain chemical known to play a role in addiction. Without the stop signal, more dopamine is released to produce a pleasure/reward response.    Since blockade of the CB1 receptor with SR141716A appears to effectively reduce alcohol intake and preference, this study also suggests that such CB1 receptor-blocking drugs might play an important role in the future treatment of alcohol abuse.    This study was funded by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research within the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science; by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Intramural Research Program of the NIH, [National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism]. The DOE has a long-standing interest in research on addiction that builds, as this study does, on the knowledge of brain receptors gained through brain-imaging studies. Brain-imaging techniques such as MRI and PET are a direct outgrowth of DOE's support of basic physics research.    - - - -    NOTE TO LOCAL EDITORS: Peter Thanos lives in Coram, New York.    CONTACT: Karen McNulty Walsh, kmcnulty bnl.gov, 631-344-8350 or Mona S. Rowe, mrowe bnl.gov, 631-344-5056    ABOUT BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LAB:    One of ten national laboratories overseen and primarily funded by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Brookhaven National Laboratory conducts research in the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences, as well as in energy technologies and national security. Brookhaven Lab also builds and operates major scientific facilities available to university, industry and government researchers. Brookhaven is operated and managed for DOE's Office of Science by Brookhaven Science Associates, a limited-liability company founded by Stony Brook University, the largest academic user of Laboratory facilities, and Battelle, a nonprofit, applied science and technology organization.    Media Contact: Karen McNulty Walsh, kmcnulty bnl.gov, 631-344-8350 Mona S. Rowe, mrowe bnl.gov, 631-344-5056 http://www.ascribe.org/cgi-bin/behold.pl?ascribeid=20050907.063547
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on September 07, 2005 at 08:34:00 PT
runruff 
40 years! Wow that's a long time. I bet a person who drank for 40 years wouldn't be happy and in good mental condition. But alcohol is legal so it's ok.
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Comment #3 posted by runruff on September 07, 2005 at 08:31:27 PT:
Ocifer, i have a marjuana problimo! 
Could the writer of this article be a little more specific about the "marijuana problems", I hear about these problems all the time but nobody ever cites any. Not with
any real documentation any way. Of course I read volumes of opinions and suppositions. Even lies and propaganda. But no facts. I've been stoned for over 40 years and gargol goopes drap
neva sta beeble dorp it hasn't affected me grad nu farb. 
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Comment #2 posted by dongenero on September 07, 2005 at 07:47:35 PT
this comment too....
"The county has been dealing with marijuana problems for years, and........"Isn't a marijuana problem when you can't get any????
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Comment #1 posted by knowhemp on September 07, 2005 at 07:36:24 PT
hmph
It is home to the best hemp this side of Amsterdam, and with it comes an unparalleled reputation -isn't it annoying when people call the flowery tops 'hemp'? nothing could be so ignorant. no wonder people think you can smoke hemp clothes.i couldn't read much of the article after that. 
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