Cannabis hotline plan to help users kick drug

[WantDaChronic]

There is also scientific evidence that medicinal marijuana can treat these same people. Anecdotal evidence can go jump.

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dude, get used to the fact marijuana isnt as perfect as you think it is, it DOES have side effects like helping some mental ilnesses come out AND it does have withdrawal symptoms when a person who has been smoking for a long time quits cold turkey...

 

like you i once believed marijuana was gonna be the saviour of humanity but i have since come to relize it is truely a double edge sword we are dealing with, the sooner you relise, the better :smoke

[freako420]

dude, get used to the fact marijuana isnt as perfect as you think it is, it DOES have side effects like helping some mental ilnesses come out AND it does have withdrawal symptoms when a person who has been smoking for a long time quits cold turkey...

 

like you i once believed marijuana was gonna be the saviour of humanity but i have since come to relize it is truely a double edge sword we are dealing with, the sooner you relise, the better  :smoke

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Whatever. I'm not some kiddy pothead, believe what you want to believe. Scientific research beats anecdotal "evidence" hands down.

[Guest niall]

There is also scientific evidence that medicinal marijuana can treat these same people.

 

Cannabinoids can be used to treat a range of conditions and influence the symptoms of certain mental illnesses and diseases, but we're not talking about "these same people". We're talking about adolescents who have experienced early onset of mental illness or "psychosis" and depression. Cannabis has anti-depressive and anti-psychotic properties, when used at the right dosage and on the right people. Everyone's different, some strains and cannabinoid profiles work for some people and don't work on others or have the exact opposite effect. Our cannabinoid receptors are not all found in the same concentrations. Myself for example, I get an energetic/cerebral high and can't eat or sleep for many hours whereas other people smoking the same batch get drowsy and hungry. Everyone's different. When you're talking about adolescents who are experiencing mental illness and severe depressiona and anxiety triggered by cannabis use, no these same people cannot be helped with medicinal marijuana.

 

Anecdotal evidence can go jump.

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Indeed.

[jabez]

When I was about 15 ( been a heavy smoker since I was 13 by the way) me and my mates started getting in to the trips, anyway one of my friends had a bad trip for weeks after everytime we would have a smoke he would start talking about how he was hearing voices in his head so he decided he was going to quit the ganja. About a week later me and my mates where smoking bongs down at the park just chillin, then out of nowhere my friend who had just quit jumped out of the bushes with a fake gun (it looked very real) saying we where laughing at him and that he was going to shoot us all. I don't know how long he was in the bushes for but it must have been a while nobody sore him hide there, anyway he calmed down after a while and went home. This same bloke went to jail for doing all sorts of flipped out shit, he smashed a shop window once because he didn't feel the lady was nice enough to him, I might ad that his dad had a mental illness and killed himself. My point to this story is if he went to get help the doctor would look straight over the poly drug use and the history of mental illness in the family and would just blame the herb.

Also being a heavy smoker from such a young age and watching all my friends smoke from a young age I think I can say more then any doctor atleast if weed gives you mental illness and in my opinion cannabis does not directly give you a mental illness the life style of sitting around playing video games and smoking all day long can, one thing I will point out is back in highschool we had a crew of about 20 people that hanged out together right though high school and there was always some kid who was clearly 10 cents short of a dollar who would just tag around for a while then they would just drop out of school and go become a junkie or something, but can you see what I'm saying these kids clearly had a screw loose in the first place and for some reason they were just drawn to the weed scene.

Who came first the chicken or the egg.

By the way cannabis is very addictive, at least to me it is. :smoke

[freako420]

Cannabinoids can be used to treat a range of conditions and influence the symptoms of certain mental illnesses and diseases, but we're not talking about "these same people".  We're talking about adolescents who have experienced early onset of mental illness or "psychosis" and depression.  Cannabis has anti-depressive and anti-psychotic properties, when used at the right dosage and on the right people.  Everyone's different, some strains and cannabinoid profiles work for some people and don't work on others or have the exact opposite effect.  Our cannabinoid receptors are not all found in the same concentrations.  Myself for example, I get an energetic/cerebral high and can't eat or sleep for many hours whereas other people smoking the same batch get drowsy and hungry.  Everyone's different.  When you're talking about adolescents who are experiencing mental illness and severe depressiona and anxiety triggered by cannabis use, no these same people cannot be helped with medicinal marijuana.

Indeed.

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Read my posts, I agreed completely that marijuana is not good for growing minds. It's been shown that the phase of the growing mind continues into the mid-20's, in fact.

Edited December 16, 2005 by freako420

[dsyfer]

OK, a few things need to be cleared up

 

1. The brain has finished making all it's pysical wiring by age 20

 

2. Any substance that changes brain chemicals, can have a negative effect on a growing brain (coffee, nicotine, marijuana, alcohol, codine etc)

 

3. Marijuana is not 'physically' addictive; just about all substances that change brain chemicals are physically addictive, this is because they elevate or lower the "normal" level of a chemical and then leave it there for a period of time, the brain eventually (if done enough) resets it's "normal" level to this new nicer level, thus feeling withdrawl if the brain isn't at it's new normal level (obviously different substances have different withdrawl symptoms). Any substance that can be physically addictive can also be emotionally addictive.

 

4. Marijuana does not increase or decrease brain chemicals to a constant level, instead it continually fluctuates up and down, because of this the brain cannot set a 'normal' level, and you can't get physically addicted to it.

 

5. You can however get emotionally addicted (attached) to it. You can get emotionally attached to any activity or substance. People that have quit smoking after many years will know what this is about, Within two weeks of stopping smoking (as long as you don't use the patches) your body no longer needs or wants nicotine, but YOU do. The mind can fool you into thinking you can't do with out it but you can.

 

All the facts come out of psych text books and proper research.

 

You must also remember, it is not just the anti-marijuana people that can spread propaganda, the pro side can do it too.

 

But don't listen to me anyway I just did a wake'n'bake

[freako420]

OK, a few things need to be cleared up

 

1. The brain has finished making all it's pysical wiring by age 20

 

Actually I saw a report about research into this on the Catalyst science show I think it was, where it was established that the process doesn't finish until the mid-20's. :scratchin

 

2. Any substance that changes brain chemicals, can have a negative effect on a growing brain (coffee, nicotine, marijuana, alcohol, codine etc)

 

Yup, just like I said.

 

3. Marijuana is not 'physically' addictive; just about all substances that change brain chemicals are physically addictive, this is because they elevate or lower the "normal" level of a chemical and then leave it there for a period of time, the brain eventually (if done enough) resets it's "normal" level to this new nicer level, thus feeling withdrawl if the brain isn't at it's new normal level (obviously different substances have different withdrawl symptoms). Any substance that can be physically addictive can also be emotionally addictive.

 

This is a complicated one. For instance, with people mixing with tobacco I believe some level of addiction to the nicotine could be possible. Also an "habitual" emotional dependence seems to make sense, and would explain some people's dependence/"withdrawal".

 

Also, marijuana does radically increase levels of Melanin in the brain. This can disrupt the normal circadian rythm of the body, resulting in "withdrawal" symptoms such as insomnia.

 

4. Marijuana does not increase or decrease brain chemicals to a constant level, instead it continually fluctuates up and down, because of this the brain cannot set a 'normal' level, and you can't get physically addicted to it.

 

See last point

 

5. You can however get emotionally addicted (attached) to it. You can get emotionally attached to any activity or substance. People that have quit smoking after many years will know what this is about, Within two weeks of stopping smoking (as long as you don't use the patches) your body no longer needs or wants nicotine, but YOU do. The mind can fool you into thinking you can't do with out it but you can.

 

See reply to point 3 ::

 

You must also remember, it is not just the anti-marijuana people that can spread propaganda, the pro side can do it too.

 

But don't listen to me anyway I just did a wake'n'bake

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Yeah, you're right about this one. We all grow up with these myths and it can be very easy to lapse into them, hence some youngun's perspective "I used to believe, now I am jaded"

 

I don't have time yet, from this thread it really does seem that a compilation of all the recent pro-marijuana scientific studies is needed, to encourage the spreading of facts in the cannabis culture in Australia and not fallacy.

 

People wonder why there isn't much action in marijuana law reform in this country? Because there are so many people that smoke it that deep down still aren't sure this is a good idea, or that believe fully in the power of medicinal marijuana.

 

That, and the Hemp movement singlehandedly killing the medicinal movement with the 90's industrial hemp crusade. Look where that got us!

 

Finally, I'm a grumpy ass at the moment because life has been ugly lately and I haven't smoked in almost two months

Edited December 16, 2005 by freako420

[Tom]

I have found that I can take a break from the mj with no problems, taking a break from growing has turned out to be a problem for me though.

 

[dsyfer]

People wonder why there isn't much action in marijuana law reform in this country? Because there are so many people that smoke it that deep down still aren't sure this is a good idea, or that believe fully in the power of medicinal marijuana.

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Nah not so sure about that, even abused pot isn't anywhere as dangerous as alcohol is on society.

 

I do believe marijuana has many medicinal uses, appetite stimulator, pain relief (especially for chronic constant pain), good for stress relief, relaxation, helps aid MS relief, etc

 

Although it can be used in a similar way as alcohol, sort of a recreational social thing, it is much harder to determine its impact on society if regulated (like tobacco and alcohol)

 

Probably the best way to find out is to look to Amsterdam, how it works, pros cons etc.. this is not an area I am familiar with (Amsterdam that is) but wouldn't mind doing a bit of research on it.

[HighRising]

I have found that I can take a break from the mj with no problems, taking a break from growing has turned out to be a problem for me though.

 

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Indeed. If I run out, or I think my tolerance is getting a little high, or my lungs are feeling the burn of days of constant smoking, I can and often do give it a break for a week or so.

 

Asides from anything, it's just for the peace of mind so I know I'm in control of it.