Debunked: The Harmful Effects of Marijuana - Dr. Sanjay Gupta

[Sausalito]

.
no cannabis doesn't increase chances of cancer, that's reefer madness........

Careful not to let your enthusiasm for cannabis cloud your judgement on this one. Inhalation of smoke is generally not a great idea. There's always vaporization .
A study about cannabis/lung cancer correlation:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23846283#
That's just a starting point; there have been a bunch of long term studies, and the results are still kinda hazy. One thing is certain: cannabis smoke contains many of the same carcinogenic substances that are found in tobacco smoke. I strongly support liberty and choice when it comes to cannabis, but not many doctors will tell you that inhaling smoke is wise.

 

[cheeple]

Careful not to let your enthusiasm for cannabis cloud your judgement on this one. Inhalation of smoke is generally not a great idea. There's always vaporization .
A study about cannabis/lung cancer correlation:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23846283#
That's just a starting point; there have been a bunch of long term studies, and the results are still kinda hazy. One thing is certain: cannabis smoke contains many of the same carcinogenic substances that are found in tobacco smoke. I strongly support liberty and choice when it comes to cannabis, but not many doctors will tell you that inhaling smoke is wise.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you meant to say "Many doctors will tell you that inhaling smoke is UNwise"
Yeah, smoking has it's benefits for like MS or Parkinsons, but to get the most healing benefits you must "eat the herb" and run it through the liver. Sativex is gonna be legal here soon, another pharmaceutical company making ungodly money which i'm against when we can grow our own medicine but for people who cant get past the stigma of cannabis, this new prescription drug is gonna change lives, once the word gets out, alot of prescriptions are gonna fall off the face of the earth, then with greed comes competition, they have no idea the magnitude of this, and with Americans growing Hemp again, the textile business will never be the same, we will remember the last 3 decades as the "dark ages'.............

 

[Soulfly]

.
no cannabis doesn't increase chances of cancer, that's reefer madness........




yes I know cannabis cures a panacea of ailments, I myself cures myself of High BP, Diabetes, High Cholesterol, Stage 3 chronic kidney disease, sleep apnea, caffeine addiction, yellow eyes, and that's just what I know of..............

Please site your source for cannabis as a cure for anything. It is a symptom mitigator not a cure. If a cure comes from cannabis it isn't going to come from smoking or eating it.

 

[Soulfly]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you meant to say "Many doctors will tell you that inhaling smoke is UNwise"

Because it's true!

 

[Dan Wilson]

Yeah, smoking has it's benefits for like MS or Parkinsons, but to get the most healing benefits you must "eat the herb" and run it through the liver. Sativex is gonna be legal here soon, another pharmaceutical company making ungodly money which i'm against when we can grow our own medicine but for people who cant get past the stigma of cannabis, this new prescription drug is gonna change lives, once the word gets out, alot of prescriptions are gonna fall off the face of the earth, then with greed comes competition, they have no idea the magnitude of this, and with Americans growing Hemp again, the textile business will never be the same, we will remember the last 3 decades as the "dark ages'.............

So we can agree that cannabis does not reliably cure cancer? Why does running it through the liver give healing effects and what are the healing effects? You can't just assume that "big pharma" is greedy and evil and doesn't want cannabis to steal all of their business. There is a reason that honest hard working researchers aren't recommending that every sick patient uses cannabinoids. For one thing, allowing everyone to use it would likely result in many cases of misuse, as the dose, area of administration, and duration of exposure matter. Furthermore, the evidence for its overall positive effect on different cell lines remains contradictory. So what evidence are you using to support your ideas?

 

[Soulfly]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you meant to say "Many doctors will tell you that inhaling smoke is UNwise"
Yeah, smoking has it's benefits for like MS or Parkinsons, but to get the most healing benefits you must "eat the herb" and run it through the liver. Sativex is gonna be legal here soon, another pharmaceutical company making ungodly money which i'm against when we can grow our own medicine but for people who cant get past the stigma of cannabis, this new prescription drug is gonna change lives, once the word gets out, alot of prescriptions are gonna fall off the face of the earth, then with greed comes competition, they have no idea the magnitude of this, and with Americans growing Hemp again, the textile business will never be the same, we will remember the last 3 decades as the "dark ages'.............

I love this "we can grow our own medicine" idea people use.

Do you really expect someone who is about to undergo a cancer treatment like chemo to start growing their own weed? Seriously, do you expect someone who has no clue on how to grow marijuana to spend the time and money to grow their own all while being sick from therapy?

 

[cheeple]

I love this "we can grow our own medicine" idea people use.

Do you really expect someone who is about to undergo a cancer treatment like chemo to start growing their own weed? Seriously, do you expect someone who has no clue on how to grow marijuana to spend the time and money to grow their own all while being sick from therapy?

no, if they're too weak thats what dispensaries are for.

 

[cheeple]

So we can agree that cannabis does not reliably cure cancer? Why does running it through the liver give healing effects and what are the healing effects? You can't just assume that "big pharma" is greedy and evil and doesn't want cannabis to steal all of their business. There is a reason that honest hard working researchers aren't recommending that every sick patient uses cannabinoids. For one thing, allowing everyone to use it would likely result in many cases of misuse, as the dose, area of administration, and duration of exposure matter. Furthermore, the evidence for its overall positive effect on different cell lines remains contradictory. So what evidence are you using to support your ideas?

1. Cannabis oil cures cancer alot more than chemo and radiation which is 3% to 9% effective depending on your source, if honda made a car that worked 9% of the time it would be out of business.
2. Big pharma is greedy and have no incentive to cure only to keep you on blood pressure and diabetes medication FOR LIFE.
3. You need to run it through your liver because the liver contains an inordinate amount of endo-cannabinoid receptors so does the brain, although they are throughout the whole body, below is a wikipedia link which explains the endo-cannabinoid system in detail, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endocannabinoid_system
4 Cannabis can be abused, just like alcohol, yet there is no stigma attached to alcohol in the same way they've attached a stigma to Cannabis, and by "they" I mean the public fool system, the partnership for a drug free america (which is funded by big alcohol), and the doctors who've broken they're Hippocratic oath to do no harm.
5 Your friendly American govt knows the health benefits of Cannabis and owns patents. Below are some links since you asked for "proof"

Spain study confirms hemp oil cures cancer:
http://www.endalldisease.com/spain-study-confirms-hemp-oil-cures-cancer-without-side-effects/

Harvard study confirms hemp oil cures cancer:
http://www.endalldisease.com/harvard-study-says-marijuana-cures-cancer/

20 medical studies which confirm cannabis cures cancer:
http://www.collective-evolution.com...-studies-that-prove-cannabis-can-cure-cancer/

Doesn't cause lung cancer http://www.thoracic....ung-cancer.html
Doesn't cause lung cancer http://www.sciam.com...55F83414B7F0000
Doesn't cause brain damage http://www.webmd.com...nt-damage-brain
Negligible risk http://norml.org/ind...m?Group_ID=4305
Minimal Effect on Central Nervous System http://www.scienceda...30630112652.htm
Doesn't cause oral cancer http://www.news.uiuc...oralcancer.html
Doesn't cause cancer http://www.umich.edu...t16_06/01.shtml
Pot shrinks tumors http://www.alternet.org/story/9257/
Government perspective http://www.nida.nih..../marijuana.html
Negligible consequences of using marijuana when pregnant http://www.mothering...uana-side4.html
Doesn't cause cancer [ame="[media=youtube]_6pBw0bgmgA[/media]"]YouTube - Marijuana Study Shows No Lung Cancer Links[/ame]
Doesn’t cause cancer even though contains more carcinogens http://health.dailyn...iew/0002267/61/
Shrinks tumors http://www.alternet.org/story/9257/
Slows artery clogging http://thenexthurrah...al_marijua.html
Pot’s cancer healing propertieshttp://www.november....ncerKiller.html
Cannabis Reduces Skin Cancer
http://www.onlinepot.org/medical/skincancerreport.htm
Cancer - various/ unnamed
Derivatives of cannabis for anti-cancer treatment
http://www.eurekaler...uo-do060605.php
Pain Relief http://www.washingto...7021201332.html
Halts growth of Lung cancer tumors http://nallforgovern...th-of-lung.html
Boosts brain cell growth http://www.aphrodite...alth_news.shtml
Very scientific article on effects http://www.pubmedcen...cgi?artid=33571
Many uses http://www.abovetheignorance.org/
Medical studies http://www.cmcr.ucsd...fo/research.htm
Reduces lung cancer tumor growth http://www.scienceda...70417193338.htm
Marijuana is safe http://www.schmoo.co...ub/research.htm
Protects against Alzheimer's http://news.bbc.co.u...lth/4286435.stm
Protects against Alzheimer's http://www.scienceda...50224111638.htm
Protects against Alzheimer's http://www.cbsnews.c...in2072101.shtml

If you made it this far, your conditioning is becoming unraveled, the truth has been out there all along.

 

[cheeple]

Please site your source for cannabis as a cure for anything. It is a symptom mitigator not a cure. If a cure comes from cannabis it isn't going to come from smoking or eating it.

No problem just posted a list of over 20 medical studies which prove cannabis cures cancer, refer to my response to Dan Wilson.

 

[cheeple]

Please site your source for cannabis as a cure for anything. It is a symptom mitigator not a cure. If a cure comes from cannabis it isn't going to come from smoking or eating it.

in response to your last part about no cure from smoking or eating it, smoking is the best delivery method for Glaucoma, smoking and eating are good for ms, parkinsons, arthritis, high BP, and diabetes, the oil is the most potent and has cured brain tumors and other types of cancer, Hemp seed oil is good for all types of skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and diabetic open sores. Hemp Protein Powder is the cure for high cholesterol, every part of the plant has medicinal use, and there are different delivery systems for different ailments.

I can provide links to medical studies for most, and personal testimonies for others, you can also.

 

[Soulfly]

no, if they're too weak thats what dispensaries are for.

And if they can't afford the cost of weed because it's legal for all and insurance wont cover it?

 

[Soulfly]

in response to your last part about no cure from smoking or eating it, smoking is the best delivery method for Glaucoma, smoking and eating are good for ms, parkinsons, arthritis, high BP, and diabetes, the oil is the most potent and has cured brain tumors and other types of cancer, Hemp seed oil is good for all types of skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and diabetic open sores. Hemp Protein Powder is the cure for high cholesterol, every part of the plant has medicinal use, and there are different delivery systems for different ailments.

I can provide links to medical studies for most, and personal testimonies for others, you can also.

Again it is not a cure but a symptom mitigator, nothing more.

If pot cured all those things why are pot heads getting diagnosed with them in the first place?

 

[Soulfly]

I smoke pot, but I don't use the excuses a lot of pot heads use to justify getting high. It is a selfish thing I do and I don't want it to be legal just so I can get high and not get in trouble for it, there has to be a good reason for it.

I know weird, a pot head that doesn't care either way if it is legalized or not. If there was a vote in my state today for full legalization I would lean towards a no vote. I would vote yes on a medicinal. If I lived in California still then that would probably be a different story.

 

[Soulfly]

1. Cannabis oil cures cancer alot more than chemo and radiation which is 3% to 9% effective depending on your source, if honda made a car that worked 9% of the time it would be out of business.
2. Big pharma is greedy and have no incentive to cure only to keep you on blood pressure and diabetes medication FOR LIFE.
3. You need to run it through your liver because the liver contains an inordinate amount of endo-cannabinoid receptors so does the brain, although they are throughout the whole body, below is a wikipedia link which explains the endo-cannabinoid system in detail, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endocannabinoid_system
4 Cannabis can be abused, just like alcohol, yet there is no stigma attached to alcohol in the same way they've attached a stigma to Cannabis, and by "they" I mean the public fool system, the partnership for a drug free america (which is funded by big alcohol), and the doctors who've broken they're Hippocratic oath to do no harm.
5 Your friendly American govt knows the health benefits of Cannabis and owns patents. Below are some links since you asked for "proof"

Spain study confirms hemp oil cures cancer:
http://www.endalldisease.com/spain-study-confirms-hemp-oil-cures-cancer-without-side-effects/

Harvard study confirms hemp oil cures cancer:
http://www.endalldisease.com/harvard-study-says-marijuana-cures-cancer/

20 medical studies which confirm cannabis cures cancer:
http://www.collective-evolution.com...-studies-that-prove-cannabis-can-cure-cancer/

Doesn't cause lung cancer http://www.thoracic....ung-cancer.html
Doesn't cause lung cancer http://www.sciam.com...55F83414B7F0000
Doesn't cause brain damage http://www.webmd.com...nt-damage-brain
Negligible risk http://norml.org/ind...m?Group_ID=4305
Minimal Effect on Central Nervous System http://www.scienceda...30630112652.htm
Doesn't cause oral cancer http://www.news.uiuc...oralcancer.html
Doesn't cause cancer http://www.umich.edu...t16_06/01.shtml
Pot shrinks tumors http://www.alternet.org/story/9257/
Government perspective http://www.nida.nih..../marijuana.html
Negligible consequences of using marijuana when pregnant http://www.mothering...uana-side4.html
Doesn't cause cancer [ame="[media=youtube]_6pBw0bgmgA[/media]"]YouTube - Marijuana Study Shows No Lung Cancer Links[/ame]
Doesn’t cause cancer even though contains more carcinogens http://health.dailyn...iew/0002267/61/
Shrinks tumors http://www.alternet.org/story/9257/
Slows artery clogging http://thenexthurrah...al_marijua.html
Pot’s cancer healing propertieshttp://www.november....ncerKiller.html
Cannabis Reduces Skin Cancer
http://www.onlinepot.org/medical/skincancerreport.htm
Cancer - various/ unnamed
Derivatives of cannabis for anti-cancer treatment
http://www.eurekaler...uo-do060605.php
Pain Relief http://www.washingto...7021201332.html
Halts growth of Lung cancer tumors http://nallforgovern...th-of-lung.html
Boosts brain cell growth http://www.aphrodite...alth_news.shtml
Very scientific article on effects http://www.pubmedcen...cgi?artid=33571
Many uses http://www.abovetheignorance.org/
Medical studies http://www.cmcr.ucsd...fo/research.htm
Reduces lung cancer tumor growth http://www.scienceda...70417193338.htm
Marijuana is safe http://www.schmoo.co...ub/research.htm
Protects against Alzheimer's http://news.bbc.co.u...lth/4286435.stm
Protects against Alzheimer's http://www.scienceda...50224111638.htm
Protects against Alzheimer's http://www.cbsnews.c...in2072101.shtml

If you made it this far, your conditioning is becoming unraveled, the truth has been out there all along.

nice gish galllop of news articles and not medical studies. Can you please go through them and pull out any that link medical studies please.

 

[Dan Wilson]

Spain study confirms hemp oil cures cancer:
http://www.endalldisease.com/spain-study-confirms-hemp-oil-cures-cancer-without-side-effects/

Harvard study confirms hemp oil cures cancer:
http://www.endalldisease.com/harvard-study-says-marijuana-cures-cancer/

Your conclusions do not logically follow what these experiments demonstrate. Also for the future, please post the actual publication and not an article reporting on it. The Spain study uses unmodified THC and MA to stop the invasion of HeLa cells (cervical cancer cells) and reports results that identify a mechanism for how this reduction of invasion happens. Not a cure for cancer.

A Science Daily article that covers the Harvard study, the findings of which were presented but not published at the American Association for Cancer Research, has this quote from the author:

Preet says much work is needed to clarify the pathway by which THC functions, and cautions that some animal studies have shown that THC can stimulate some cancers. "THC offers some promise, but we have a long way to go before we know what its potential is," she said.

Content from External Source

So it shows promise when used correctly and still has risk factors to it. No cure for cancer is being claimed here. You are stretching the facts to make an outright misrepresentation of what the data actually shows. Every study you referenced shows that THC can reduce tumor growth and size if administered in a certain dosage. That is not a cure. There are dozens of compounds, enzymes, and treatments in the literature that have been shown to reduce tumor growth. Yet cancer still remains to be the emperor of all maladies. Cancer is a diverse and complex illness that is incredibly hard to target without damaging the rest of the body. Taking the fact that THC derivatives show some promise as a future method for treatment and translating that to a public message that pot cures cancer is absolutely ridiculous and borders on outright lying to sick patients and grieving families.

You posted articles referencing meta-studies that show no association with marijuana and cancer, yet there is conflicting evidence.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19057263?dopt=Abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23846283
http://lungcancer.about.com/od/causesoflungcance1/f/marijuana.htm

Meta-studies can easily be flawed or fail to account for many lifestyle factors that could be involved in pathogenesis. What we know about marijuana smoke is that it does contain carcinogens and does cause damage to cell tissue. That alone makes it a risk factor. It is for that reason that biopharmacologists are looking elsewhere for drugs and treatments that are more specific to the ailment and involve less risk.

Is there anything specific within that mashup of news articles that you would still like to discuss?

 

[cheeple]

nice gish galllop of news articles and not medical studies. Can you please go through them and pull out any that link medical studies please.

I did, the first 3 including spain and harvard

 

[cheeple]

And if they can't afford the cost of weed because it's legal for all and insurance wont cover it?

I'm saying you have this idea people cant grow they're own medicine, I said if they cant that's why we have medical cannabis dispensaries, eat it, drink it, and use it topically - it cant hurt you, and you just might enjoy it.

 

[Soulfly]

I'm saying you have this idea people cant grow they're own medicine, I said if they cant that's why we have medical cannabis dispensaries, eat it, drink it, and use it topically - it cant hurt you, and you just might enjoy it.

If you want to get high then just get high, don't use medicine to justify it!

Adding....

I don't have a notion that people can't grow their own medicine as a symptom mitigator. I have a notion that, that medicine isn't going to cure them of anything just by eating or smoking it. If there is a cure for anything as a result of cannabinoids then it will most likely come from a targeted treatment regiment.

 

[cheeple]

If you want to get high then just get high, don't use medicine to justify it!

LOL, I actually don't like to get high, I use CBD Tintcure which has no euphoric value, no high just healing. two puffs of the flower before I go on my daily walk for exercise, I would hardly call "getting high", things are changing, the stigma of the unproductive pothead is heading on it's way out, very functional cannabis users are taking up seats next to you at your job.

 

[Soulfly]

LOL, I actually don't like to get high, I use CBD Tintcure which has no euphoric value, no high just healing. two puffs of the flower before I go on my daily walk for exercise, I would hardly call "getting high", things are changing, the stigma of the unproductive pothead is heading on it's way out, very functional cannabis users are taking up seats next to you at your job.

Maybe it is the walks that are healing you. Pure anecdotal account on your part!

So from you just might enjoy it to you don't like to get high.

 

[Soulfly]

And no pot heads will always have that stigma, because it's mostly true.

 

[Soulfly]

I don't have any aliments that would warrant me having a medicinal card in my home and former state of Ca, not without feeling like I was somehow cheating a system I hope works out in the end. Yeah my back pain sucks but there are people who need that medicine more than I do. There for I will not use medicinal marijuana as an argument or justification to get high. I'm glad real patients have access to it in the limited states there are where it is legal.

For reasons I explained before and you agreed with, the legalization of pot for recreational use should IMO be kept separate from the medicinal aspect.

 

[cheeple]

Maybe it is the walks that are healing you. Pure anecdotal account on your part!

So from you just might enjoy it to you don't like to get high.

I don't think so because besides being free of high bp, diabetes, reducing cholesterol, and reversing chronic kidney disease, it's little things like whitening of the eyes (they used to be yellow), discolorations on my knuckles (diabetic skin condition), open sores that wouldn't heal (diabetic skin condition), able to sleep without c-pap machine for sleep apnea, this is all my personal testimony so it is anecdotal, so if your waiting for the President to make an announcement that Cannabis cures a host of ailments but the truth has been hidden for profit, and all the people that died from cancer didn't have to, that's not gonna happen, if your also waiting for the president to tell you extracting cellulose from trees is probably the worst way to get paper, and that Hemp can do it annually and with less chemicals, that's not gonna happen either.

 

[Soulfly]

I don't think so because besides being free of high bp, diabetes, reducing cholesterol, and reversing chronic kidney disease, it's little things like whitening of the eyes (they used to be yellow), discolorations on my knuckles (diabetic skin condition), open sores that wouldn't heal (diabetic skin condition), able to sleep without c-pap machine for sleep apnea, this is all my personal testimony so it is anecdotal, so if your waiting for the President to make an announcement that Cannabis cures a host of ailments but the truth has been hidden for profit, and all the people that died from cancer didn't have to, that's not gonna happen, if your also waiting for the president to tell you extracting cellulose from trees is probably the worst way to get paper, and that Hemp can do it annually and with less chemicals, that's not gonna happen either.

Sorry but bigpharma can't wait for weed to become legal and open fully to research so they can exploit it just like they have every other plant that has medicinal properties.

 

[Dan Wilson]

I did, the first 3 including spain and harvard

See my post on that, please.

it cant hurt you

Not true. With anyone growing and using their own cannabis products, uneducated people are bound to consume incorrect doses and harm themselves. That's after they correctly perform the dangerous extraction process.

http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2013/03/medical_marijuana_overdose_dabbing.php
http://www.beyondthc.com/use-of-dabs-gaining-popularity/

this is all my personal testimony so it is anecdotal,

Thanks for sharing, but we have no way of knowing whether or not CBD had a direct positive effect on you. You said that you go for a daily exercise walk, so good lifestyle choices like that could help lead to an overall healthier state. But that's all pretty off topic.

 

[JeffreyNotGeoffrey]

As I've said before, I smoke as a secondary treatment to my pain meds. My back pain may never go away, but pot eases it for a while. Additionally, it soothes muscle pain (temporarily), and most importantly it makes me hungry so I can eat. I know the potential dangers and damage. I just don't have the money for a good vaporizer (I also smoke stealthily and vaporizers aren't very subtle), and I have neither the time nor the inclination to put it in my food.
As for growing pot, it is notoriously finicky for a weed. All sorts of conditions must be maintained to have a good crop. Also the supplies and attention required for a good grow are just lacking for most people. I would just rather buy it from someone, break it up, shell a cigar, and smoke my blunt to "blunt" my pain and emotions.

 

[Soulfly]

As for growing pot, it is notoriously finicky for a weed. All sorts of conditions must be maintained to have a good crop. Also the supplies and attention required for a good grow are just lacking for most people.

Two words sum this up, spider mites. Weed infested with them is not something a sick person would want to smoke.

 

[Soulfly]

I found a worm/caterpillar on a nug once. It was about half a cm long and green. Moved and looked like an inch worm.

 

[JeffreyNotGeoffrey]

Not to mention a "quality" hydroponics (you don't want to try outdoor) set up is expensive. The reflective tent is expensive, and so is the drip system. Then you have O2 scrubbers to maintain high C02 in the area. The light bulbs are shockingly expensive, and on and on. Also cancer patients might not have the strength to move the heavy light system or move a full grown adult plant in its pot. This whole set up runs above a thousand bucks and is only rational for growers. I consume about an 3.5g every 10-14 days. One adult plant produces about a pound or so (depending on yield and cuttings, etc). That's about 450g. Or about 150 times my normal consumption. That is literally over a year's worth of product for me. By that point the stuff would be dry and useless. There is no earthly reason for someone like me to grow for my own stash, so why expect frail cancer patients to do that for themselves?

 

[Gary Cook]

Like has been said by Mike on this forum that conspiracy theories are a theory involving a conspiracy that didnt really happen. Therefore a conspiracy that did happen is not a conspiracy theory. I do not think it is just simple greed etc. The prohibition of weed. I do not smoke it anymore but it really does make one realise a lot of what we are taught/indoctrinated to believe is at least not completly correct, if not absolutly false. Especially in regards to history and authority.

 

[chedca]

Meta-studies can easily be flawed or fail to account for many lifestyle factors that could be involved in pathogenesis. What we know about marijuana smoke is that it does contain carcinogens and does cause damage to cell tissue. That alone makes it a risk factor. It is for that reason that biopharmacologists are looking elsewhere for drugs and treatments that are more specific to the ailment and involve less risk.

If we consider vaporizing besides smoking, which I understand is a different ordeal, is the potential for pot derived fat's to have a place in a modern cancer protocol?

 

[Dan Wilson]

If we consider vaporizing besides smoking, which I understand is a different ordeal, is the potential for pot derived fat's to have a place in a modern cancer protocol?

Vaporization has greater therapeutic value than smoking, for sure. You eliminate most of the carcinogenic by-products that way. It could be recommended in some circumstances to help alleviate symptoms, yes I could see that happening. Not sure if I'd call it a modern cancer protocol, more like a situational supplement I think.

 

[November]

What gets me here is all these people who are making it sound so bad and shameful, if someone does want to get high.

The world is a stressful place. People are on edge. They come home, they want to relax and chill, mellow out -- why should anyone have to feel shame about that? That IS a "medicinal" effect, because STRESS IS A REALLY BAD THING FOR ONE'S HEALTH IN A THOUSAND DIFFERENT WAYS!!!!~!

I wish I liked pot. I'd smoke it every day.

And btw, growing pot is no big deal. Get a book, go online, find out the right soil mix you want, get a 5-gallon bucket, add soil,. Start the seeds in a moist napkin, in a dark place, once the seeds root, stick them in the soil... and water as needed. NO BIG DEAL.

All this continued debate and nonsense over a simple little plant that half the people I know -- have smoked since they were teenagers, they all have jobs, they are all wonderful, pleasant people, and truthfully, I prefer them when they are high sometimes. When they aren't, they just aren't quite as cool. They kind of seem stressed out without their pot. What do I care?

Seriously. We have to get all these people that are freaking out over the blasphemous possibility that some people will want to use pot to get HIGH!!! OMG!!!!, to shut the heck up.

So what if people want to get high? Let em. It's these freaked-out, judgmental, over-thinking, opinionated, brain-washed, model-citizens -- they are trying to get away from.

------------

heheh, now that was fun... haha (need some tunage...)

 

[Alhazred The Sane]

You can't ignore the power big pharma has over the US government, that plays a huge role in keeping pot illegal. Various conditions can be treated with it, instead of expensive pharmaceuticals. If the US government won't allow Americans access to the same drugs, but cheaper because they are from Canada, why on earth allow a treatment people could produce themselves, for free.

What would prevent Big Pharma from taking over the business? They've the financial clout to buy up large swathes of land, and the ability to mass produce the stuff if they wanted. Growing your own comes with its own set of problems and hassles, believe me, and you're never guaranteed a quality crop at the end. Besides, you'd need quite a lot of plants to provide for a continual, fresh supply, and all those lights, irrigation, and the lot can add up to quite an investment. It's not a matter of sticking a few seeds in a pot and hoping for the best.

Perhaps there are other reasons why it's kept illegal. As Mick observed in his OP, the incarceration system in the US is being privatized, and there are profits to be made. A substantial number of inmates are imprisoned because of petty drug offenses, and in some states there's the ludicrous 3-strikes law. I'd imagine there are other factors involved too - cultural taboos, for example, where using marijuana is seen as little different to using heroin. I've actually come across this attitude. Then there's the history of marijuana being labelled as a gateway drug to the bad boys. Lot's of factors to be found in this particular equation, Big Pharma's influence might be one factor, but it would be a poor CEO that couldn't see a way of making it being legal to work for his corporation.

 

[JeffreyNotGeoffrey]

The irony Alhazred is that there is a crossover of people who find all illegal drugs to be terrible, and those who find legal ones like Xanax to be OK as long as you somehow got a doctor to sign off on it. Many just don't know the drug trade. Enough people think you buy pot from some gang banger or high end connected criminal, when usually you just buy from another stoner who buys and sells to fund his own habit.
And as was said before, a quality crop is hard to come by. When you made a pie or painted a picture for the first time, did it come out perfect? Same for growing. Lots of trial and error and dialing in your own set up to get a crop. And then it still takes months between planting and harvesting. I don't have the time to wait for that to come in. When I need pot, I need it right here, right now. Not in a few months and it may just be hemp because I accidentally left a male in the mix and pollinated the whole crop.

 

[Alhazred The Sane]

Never mind Xanax, how many people who hold marijuana in low esteem are perfectly happy to drink alcohol or smoke tobacco? Industrialized and government taxed intoxication and drug-dependence, that's acceptable?

Fortunately, the tobacco thing seems to be getting a real kicking. Good. I'm a smoker. How the fuck does an 8 year old boy manage to become a smoker? And keep that habit? It took far too long for governments to get that under control.

I live in Finland now. Before I moved here I lived in South Africa, Ireland, Spain, and Ireland again. I smoked the ganj almost daily, and I was amazed at how easy it was to not smoke it except when I bumped into it, once I came here. Something I thought was an essential part of my life, pfffft, gone. I still smoke tobacco, roll-ups. And I have some beers on the weekend.

 

[chedca]

It's not a matter of sticking a few seeds in a pot and hoping for the best.

It is really, it's a weed you know! Sow the seeds, come back to kill the males, come back once again to harvest. Makes the same hash in the end and you get a flavor using soil, I use to know a guy who did it this way to get himself enough for a year.

I think it is interesting to note that there are legal compounds deemed "safe" by the Canadian government with effects equivalent to street ecstasy.

 

[Alhazred The Sane]

It is really, it's a weed you know! Sow the seeds, come back to kill the males, come back once again to harvest. Makes the same hash in the end and you get a flavor using soil, I use to know a guy who did it this way to get himself enough for a year.

I think it is interesting to note that there are legal compounds deemed "safe" by the Canadian government with effects equivalent to street ecstasy.

Fine and dandy for those who can spot the difference between the sexes, and have the space to grow so many plants that they can afford to waste space on males. I was thinking about the vast numbers of people who live in small apartments, etc.

 

[Pete Tar]

Males have balls. No joke.

 

[Alhazred The Sane]

I've grown the stuff, I know how to tell the difference.