*sigh* Cannabis damages rats.

[Nooby]

Pity it doesn't damage stupid reporting.

 

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/how-ca...5647827071.html

 

"YOUNG rats high on cannabis suffer far greater memory loss, and more lasting changes in brain function than doped-up adult rodents.

 

Research by Sydney scientists has also found the drug is a turn-off for grown-up rats. However, the wisdom of age comes too late.

 

"Cannabis produces much greater long-term changes in adolescent than adult rat brains," said Iain McGregor, professor of psychopharmacology at the University of Sydney.

 

His research team used sophisticated cages - more like three-room houses - for the experiments. Each room was given different wallpaper and smells so the rats could tell them apart.

 

Adolescent and adult rats were locked in one room and injected 12 times over two weeks with tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the drug's active ingredient.

 

When the doors were opened, allowing the rats to roam from room to room, the researchers noticed something unusual.

 

"The adults avoided the room where they had been under the influence of THC," Professor McGregor said. But the adolescents had no fear of the room.

 

Professor McGregor said the results reflected cannabis use patterns in humans. "Studies show that most adult [humans] have given it away by the time they are 30 or 35."

 

The rats were then left drug-free for two weeks, given blood checks to ensure they no longer had THC in their bodies, and then had their memory tested. "The 'teenagers' that had received cannabis were still memory impaired two weeks later, while the adults were fine," Professor McGregor said. "The adolescents showed poor memory for what had happened an hour ago."

 

Finally the researchers examined the brains of the rats, looking for tell-tale protein changes in the hippocampus, the area responsible for memory.

 

The adolescents that had been given cannabis had three times as many changed proteins in this brain region as the adults given the same dose.

 

"It was a double whammy," Professor McGregor said. "The adolescents liked cannabis more, but it was worse for their brains and their memory."

 

Although Professor McGregor did not want to sound as if he was preaching that cannabis was "a drug of doom", he said it was "another cautionary study about heavy use" by young people whose brains were still developing."

 

 

So how much THC were the rats injected with over the 2 week period? The article says 12 times in 14 days but not how much was given. I guess the hint is the mention of 'heavy use'. Also the rats were only tested after 2 weeks without THC, why not longer?

 

Of course the report also implies that people over 30 have nothing to fear anyway. ;-)

 

 

(LMAO, I emailed the guy who did the study in order to get those details and his autoresponder tells me he's away on leave until 31st of December. Hopefully he'll reply eventually.)

Edited July 30, 2007 by Nooby

[Al Fish]

The message is clear: Be responsible. Don't give Cannabis to rats - particularly young rats!

[jimbojones5678]

Finally the researchers examined the brains of the rats, looking for tell-tale protein changes in the hippocampus, the area responsible for memory.

Gee....I hope the rats were ok....(sarcasm noted in Jimbos voice)

 

Jimbo

[mull]

It's interesting how they've presented these findings.

 

I don't know any stoners that inject thc. Wonder how it was extracted.

 

So the study shows that the fear of being grabbed and injected 12 times, lasted with the adults. Whereas the younger rats found that fear bearable for another high?

 

I'd like to see the study done over, with food. No manhandling rats and jabbing them 12 times. Just 12 cannatreats. Reckon then all the adults would return also.

 

This study shows that young rats can take more pain for pleasure. The question is how synthetic or poorly derived was the thc they were tested with.

[freddie]

Professor McGregor said the results reflected cannabis use patterns in humans. "Studies show that most adult [humans] have given it away by the time they are 30 or 35."

Interesting conclusion professor however I think you will find that in many other cultures such as you find in India or Egypt (and I think many Islamic) that this is not the case. Plenty of elderly smokers. I know a surprising number of 40-60 year olds that still choof. Maybe these studies should be repeated on Indian rats to cover for cultural bias.

 

Cannabis probably does have a negative effect on certain types of memory (ie short term) and the part of the brain called the hippocampus is crucial. If that is removed you will have no memory of what has just happened. The article does not really say what the changes are apart from protein changes. Not sure if that means permanent. Testing only 2 weeks after the pot was stopped does not seem long enough to me even if they were THC free. Other studies have shown no long term damage after a month cannabis free.

 

I wonder how alcoholic rats would go in this study?

 

The message is clear: Be responsible. Don't give Cannabis to rats - particularly young rats!

 

I guess that the adult rats wouldn't be interested anyway. Only junior rats will eat your stash.

[Nooby]

Cool, I got a reply from the guy who did the experiment.

 

"there were a couple of 1 mg/kg injections to begin with - this dose is broadly considered to be equivalent to one joint in a human - after this dose it is hard to tell that the rat has been given a drug.

 

we then upped the dose to 5 mg/kg, which is quite a heavy intoxicating dose (i.e. 5 joints worth) and gave 9 of these injections in total, one injection every second day (to mimic heavy intermittent use in humans). the rats look quite "stoned" after this dose."

 

So a couple of one-joint-a-day doses and 9 5-joint-a-day doses.

[Pam]

Why don't I believe the dose was that low...

That's animal cruelty, either way!

What other atrocities will they think of to attempt to prove their lies are real?

 

I'll bet there weren't even munchies provided.....

[Al Fish]

I agree that the rats involved should have been given a choice as to their ingestion via food. And no shit stuff either. I’m talking finest quality hash cookies and selected grains marinated in honey oil and then lightly sautéed until caramelised. A choice between sativa highs and indica stones, small mixed drinks and some Mantovani.

 

Remember “Ben” by Michael Jackson? That was a love song about a rat. What hope did the kid really have? He achieves fame for a pop song based on next to impossible bestiality themes. The mind doesn’t boggle as much as it revolts!

 

Now someone involved with that - and on a pretty high level, if you’ll excuse the pun – must have been using something. I mean, really! A song full of the eternal themes of love, sexual awakening and the subliminal but nonetheless insatiable lust between a small boy and his rat. How many young and impressionable kiddies had their innocence shattered by listening to that shit? How many young men and women on the cusp of maturity forsook normal sexual congress for rodent sex?

 

Just goes to show that shit is ever present. Only its manifestations alter.

[themanwhoinventedmeh]

with that reply you can see that there was something wrong with the report. I think most people taking five joints a day at an older age without having used it before will prob not want to use it again!

 

Maybe the rats didn't think getting it for free was right, thus they went out looking for jobs to earn the drugs, kids wont do that, thats why they have parents. They should make us scientists, we'll come up with the right hypothesis-ees! (whats the plural of hypothesis?)

 

it wont be long until these reporters will be be eating their words and our friend will be legal.

 

peace