🚀 go-pugleaf

so you use a fake organization and a 20 year old discredited report?

DrPostman wrote:

> NORMEL E-Zine
> Volume 7
> Issue 34
> September 4, 2004
> 
> The NORMEL E-Zine is a free weekly compilation of major news items
> regarding marijuana hazards. Text of archived stories is available on
> NORMEL's website at with a picture of our 34 year old leader:
> 
> http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/cpress/20040204/capt.2020404au.jpg
> 
> Donate today to NORMEL's long-standing efforts to educate people on the
> dangers of Pot use!
> http://www.screenagercentral.com/summit/right_angle/
> 
> Sign up for NORMEL's monthly pledge program today, and know the health
> risks!
> http://www.skincareindia.com/index-cid-19-pid-1960.html
> 
> 
> Cannabis link to mental illness strengthened
> 
> 23:01 21 November 02
> 
> NewScientist.com news service
> 
> The link between regular cannabis use and later depression and schizophrenia
> has been significantly strengthened by three new studies.
> The studies provide "little support" for an alternative explanation - that
> people with mental illnesses self-medicate with marijuana - according to
> Joseph Rey and Christopher Tennant of the University of Sydney, who have
> written an editorial on the papers in the British Medical Journal.
> 
> One of the key conclusions of the research is that people who start smoking
> cannabis as adolescents are at the greatest risk of later developing mental
> health problems. Another team calculates that eliminating cannabis use in
> the UK population could reduce cases of schizophrenia by 13 per cent.
> 
> Until now, say Rey and Tennant, there was "a dearth of reliable evidence" to
> support the idea that cannabis use could cause schizophrenia or depression.
> That lack of good evidence "has handicapped the development of rational
> public health policies," according to one of the research groups, led by
> George Patton at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Melbourne,
> Australia.
> The works also highlights potential risks associated with using cannabis as
> a medicine to ease the symptoms of muscular sclerosis, for example.
> 
> Pharmacological effect
> 
> Patton's team followed over 1600 Australian school pupils aged 14 to 15 for
> seven years. Daily cannabis use was associated with a five-fold increased
> risk of depression at the age of 20. Weekly use was linked to a two-fold
> increase. The regular users were no more likely to have suffered from
> depression or anxiety at the start of the study.
> 
> The reason for the link is unclear. Social consequences of frequent cannabis
> use include educational failure and unemployment, which could increase the
> risk of depression. "However, because the risk seems confined largely to
> daily users, the question about a direct pharmacological effect remains,"
> says Patton.
> 
> In separate research, a team led by Stanley Zammit at the University of
> Cardiff, UK, evaluated data on over 50,000 men who had been Swedish military
> conscripts in 1969 and1970. This group represents 97 per cent of men aged 18
> to 20 in the population at that time.
> The new analysis revealed a dose-dependant relationship between the
> frequency of cannabis use and schizophrenia. This held true in men with no
> psychotic symptoms before they started using cannabis, suggesting they were
> not self-medicating.
> 
> Genetic factors
> 
> Finally, researchers led by Terrie Moffitt at King's College London, UK,
> analysed comprehensive data on over 1000 people born in Dunedin, New Zealand
> in 1972 and 1973.
> 
> They found that people who used cannabis by age 15 were four times as likely
> to have a diagnosis of schizophreniform disorder (a milder version of
> schizophrenia) at age 26 than non-users.
> 
> 
> But when the number of psychotic symptoms at age 11 was controlled for, this
> increased risk dropped to become non-significant. This suggests that people
> already at greater risk of later developing mental health problems are also
> more likely to smoke cannabis.
> The total number of high quality studies on cannabis use and mental health
> disorders remains small, stress Rey and Tennant. And it is still not clear
> whether cannabis can cause these conditions in people not predisposed by
> genetic factors, for example, to develop them.
> "The overall weight of evidence is that occasional use of cannabis has few
> harmful effects overall," Zammit's team writes. "Nevertheless, our results
> indicate a potentially serious risk to the mental health of people who use
> cannabis. Such risks need to be considered in the current move to liberalise
> and possibly legalise the use of cannabis in the UK and other countries."
> Journal references: British Medical Journal (vol 325, p1195, p1199, p1212,
> p1183)
> 
> Chronic marijuana users are said to develop an "amotivational syndrome"
> characterized by passivity, decreased motivation and preoccupation with drug
> taking. The relationship of this syndrome to marijuana use, however, has no
> been established. Like alcohol intoxication, marijuana intoxication impairs
> reading comprehension, memory, speech, problem-solving ability and reaction
> time. The effects of long-term use are unknown. Consistent evidence that
> marijuana induces or causes brain damage does not exist. Medical researchers
> are studying the effectiveness of the drug in relieving some of the symptoms
> of glaucoma and in treating the nausea induced by cancer chemotherapy and
> radiation treatments.
> 
> Are there any other adverse reactions to marijuana?
> A common bad reaction to marijuana is the "acute panic anxiety reaction."
> People describe this reaction as an extreme fear of "losing control," which
> causes panic. The symptoms usually disappear in a few hours.
> 
> What about psychological dependence on marijuana?
> Long-term regular users of marijuana may become psychologically dependent.
> They may have a hard time limiting their use, they may need more of the drug
> to get the same effect, and they may develop problems with their jobs and
> personal relationships. The drug can become the most important aspect of
> their lives.
> 
> What are the dangers for young people?
> One major concern about marijuana is its possible effects on young people as
> they grow up. Research shows that the earlier people start using drugs, the
> more likely they are to go on to experiment with other drugs. In addition,
> when young people start using marijuana regularly, they often lose interest
> and are not motivated to do their schoolwork. The effects of marijuana can
> interfere with learning by impairing thinking, reading comprehension, and
> verbal and mathematical skills. Research shows that students do not remember
> what they have learned when they are "high".
> 
> How does marijuana affect driving ability?
> Driving experiments show that marijuana affects a wide range of skills
> needed for safe driving -- thinking and reflexes are slowed, making it hard
> for drivers to respond to sudden, unexpected events. Also, a driver's
> ability to "track" (stay in lane) through curves, to brake quickly, and to
> maintain speed and the proper distance between cars is affected. Research
> shows that these skills are impaired for at least 4-6 hours after smoking a
> single marijuana cigarette, long after the "high" is gone. If a person
> drinks alcohol, along with using marijuana, the risk of an accident greatly
> increases. Marijuana presents a definite danger on the road.
> 
> Does marijuana affect the human reproductive system?
> Some research studies suggest that the use of marijuana during pregnancy may
> result in premature babies and in low birth weights. Studies of men and
> women may have a temporary loss of fertility. These findings suggest that
> marijuana may be especially harmful during adolescence, a period of rapid
> physical and sexual development.
> 
> How does marijuana affect the heart?
> Marijuana use increases the heart rate as much as 50 percent, depending on
> the amount of THC. It can cause chest pain in people who have a poor blood
> supply to the heart - and it produces these effects more rapidly than
> tobacco smoke does.
> 
> How does marijuana affect the lungs?
> Scientists believe that marijuana can be especially harmful to the lungs
> because users often inhale the unfiltered smoke deeply and hold it in their
> lungs as long as possible. Therefore, the smoke is in contact with lung
> tissues for long periods of time, which irritates the lungs and damages the
> way they work. Marijuana smoke contains some of the same ingredients in
> tobacco smoke that can cause emphysema and cancer. In addition, many
> marijuana users also smoke cigarettes; the combined effects of smoking these
> two substances creates an increased health risk.
> 
> Can marijuana cause cancer?
> Marijuana smoke has been found to contain more cancer-causing agents than is
> found in tobacco smoke. Examination of human lung tissue that had been
> exposed to marijuana smoke over a long period of time in a laboratory showed
> cellular changes called metaplasia that are considered precancerous. In
> laboratory test, the tars from marijuana smoke have produced tumors when
> applied to animal skin. These studies suggest that it is likely that
> marijuana may cause cancer if used for a number of years.
> 
> How are people usually introduced to marijuana?
> Many young people are introduced to marijuana by their peers - usually
> acquaintances, friends, sisters, and brothers. People often try drugs such
> as marijuana because they feel pressured by peers to be part of the group.
> Children must be taught how to say no to peer pressure to try drugs. Parents
> can get involved by becoming informed about marijuana and by talking to
> their children about drug use.
> 
> What is marijuana "burnout"?
> "Burnout" is a term first used by marijuana smokers themselves to describe
> the effect of prolonged use. Young people who smoke marijuana heavily over
> long periods of time can become dull, slow moving, and inattentive. These
> "burned-out" users are sometimes so unaware of their surroundings that they
> do not respond when friends speak to them, and they do not realize they have
> a problem.
> 
> How long do chemicals from marijuana stay in the body after the drug is
> smoked?
> When marijuana is smoked, THC, its active ingredient, is absorbed by most
> tissues and organs in the body; however, it is primarily found in fat
> tissues. The body, in its attempt to rid itself of the foreign chemical,
> chemically transforms the THC into metabolites. Urine tests can detect THC
> metabolites for up to a week after people have smoked marijuana. Tests
> involving radioactively labeled THC have traced these metabolites in animals
> for up to a month.
> 
> Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse, 1984.
> 
> 

-- 
To live outside the law, you must be honest...
(Absolutely Sweet Marie - Blonde on Blonde - 1966)