[DrCaleb]

Curtman Curtman:

Interesting thing about that relationship...

The Link Between Marijuana and Schizophrenia

$1:

But here's the conundrum: while marijuana went from being a secret shared by a small community of hepcats and beatniks in the 1940s and '50s to a rite of passage for some 70% of youth by the turn of the century, rates of schizophrenia in the U.S. have remained flat, or possibly declined. For as long as it has been tracked, schizophrenia has been found to affect about 1% of the population.

...

One explanation may be that the two factors are coincidental, not causal: perhaps people who have a genetic susceptibility to schizophrenia also happen to especially enjoy marijuana. Still, some studies suggest that smoking pot can actually trigger the disease earlier in individuals who are predisposed, and yet researchers still aren't seeing increases in the overall schizophrenia rate or decreases in the average age of onset.

In recent months, new research has explored some of these issues. One study led by Dr. Serge Sevy, an associate professor of psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, looked at 100 patients between the ages of 16 and 40 with schizophrenia, half of whom smoked marijuana. Sevy and colleagues found that among the marijuana users, 75% had begun smoking before the onset of schizophrenia and that their disease appeared about two years earlier than in those who did not use the drug. But when the researchers controlled for other factors known to influence schizophrenia risk, including gender, education and socioeconomic status, the association between disease onset and marijuana disappeared.

It is interesting. But the sample size is also 100. Any statician would tell you the error in a sample that small won't give any sort of reliable results.

But it does seem to warrant further study. Interesting nonetheless.

[Headstrong]

Just for the people who live under rocks, let me introduce you to the Endocannabinoid system.

http://norml.org/library/item/introduct ... oid-system

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endocannabinoid_system

http://askdrrose.com/?p=61

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gOYVJu__14

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVS9QIzTT7k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN4F1Yy_nnE

[DrCaleb]

dino_bobba_renno dino_bobba_renno:

Headstrong Headstrong:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

It might have benefits. But it's also a drug, and has side effects. We aren't even sure what all it in it yet, nor what all the compounds do and in what concentrations do they do it.

It might have benefits? Do you live under a rock? Everything has a side effect, try ingesting copious amounts of sugar.

I think as a general rule of thumb in life; If you in any way derive enjoyment from something then it's probably bad for you in some way or another. That goes for just about any and everything

Naa, I can think of so many exceptions. A sunset, sitting out on the porch with some good Scotch and some good Blues. Can't see anything bad there. Mosquitos perhaps.

[Headstrong]

$1:

Cannabinoids, like those found in marijuana, occur naturally in human breast milk

(NaturalNews) Woven into the fabric of the human body is an intricate system of proteins known as cannabinoid receptors that are specifically designed to process cannabinoids such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), one of the primary active components of marijuana. And it turns out, based on the findings of several major scientific studies, that human breast milk naturally contains many of the same cannabinoids found in marijuana, which are actually extremely vital for proper human development.

Cell membranes in the body are naturally equipped with these cannabinoid receptors which, when activated by cannabinoids and various other nutritive substances, protect cells against viruses, harmful bacteria, cancer, and other malignancies. And human breast milk is an abundant source of endocannabinoids, a specific type of neuromodulatory lipid that basically teaches a newborn child how to eat by stimulating the suckling process.

If it were not for these cannabinoids in breast milk, newborn children would not know how to eat, nor would they necessarily have the desire to eat, which could result in severe malnourishment and even death. Believe it or not, the process is similar to how adult individuals who smoke pot get the "munchies," as newborn children who are breastfed naturally receive doses of cannabinoids that trigger hunger and promote growth and development.

"[E]ndocannabinoids have been detected in maternal milk and activation of CB1 (cannabinoid receptor type 1) receptors appears to be critical for milk sucking ... apparently activating oral-motor musculature," says the abstract of a 2004 study on the endocannabinoid receptor system that was published in the European Journal of Pharmacology.

"The medical implications of these novel developments are far reaching and suggest a promising future for cannabinoids in pediatric medicine for conditions including 'non-organic failure-to-thrive' and cystic fibrosis."

Studies on cannabinoids in breast milk help further demystify the truth about marijuana
There are two types of cannabinoid receptors in the body -- the CB1 variety which exists in the brain, and the CB2 variety which exists in the immune system and throughout the rest of the body. Each one of these receptors responds to cannabinoids, whether it be from human breast milk in children, or from juiced marijuana, for instance, in adults.

This essentially means that the human body was built for cannabinoids, as these nutritive substances play a critical role in protecting cells against disease, boosting immune function, protecting the brain and nervous system, and relieving pain and disease-causing inflammation, among other things. And because science is finally catching up in discovering how this amazing cannabinoid system works, the stigma associated with marijuana use is, thankfully, in the process of being eliminated.

In another study on the endocannabinoids published in the journal Pharmacological Reviews back in 2006, researchers from the Laboratory of Physiologic Studies at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism uncovered even more about the benefits of cannabinoids. These include their ability to promote proper energy metabolism and appetite regulation, treat metabolic disorders, treat multiple sclerosis, and prevent neurodegeneration, among many other conditions.

With literally thousands of published studies now showing their safety and usefulness, cannabinoids, and particularly marijuana from which it is largely derived, truly are a health-promoting "super" nutrient with virtually unlimited potential in health promotion and disease prevention.

Be sure to check out how juicing raw marijuana leaves, which contain a diverse array of health-promoting cannabinoids, is an excellent non-psychoactive way to prevent and treat a host of diseases, including cancer: http://www.naturalnews.com/035759_canna ... ealth.html

Sources for this article include:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar ... 9904007423

http://pharmrev.aspetjournals.org/content/58/3/389.full

http://pharmrev.aspetjournals.org/conte ... ll#title49

http://www.whattoexpect.com

http://bioteaching.wordpress.com/2011/0 ... -cannabis/

http://www.naturalnews.com/036526_canna ... k_THC.html

[dino_bobba_renno]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

Naa, I can think of so many exceptions. A sunset, sitting out on the porch with some good Scotch and some good Blues. Can't see anything bad there. Mosquitos perhaps.

Mmm Scotch, the wife and kids are out of town so I think I just might watch the sunset with a nice glass of scotch myself tonight (whether it's good for me or not)

[Curtman]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

Curtman Curtman:

Interesting thing about that relationship...

The Link Between Marijuana and Schizophrenia

$1:

But here's the conundrum: while marijuana went from being a secret shared by a small community of hepcats and beatniks in the 1940s and '50s to a rite of passage for some 70% of youth by the turn of the century, rates of schizophrenia in the U.S. have remained flat, or possibly declined. For as long as it has been tracked, schizophrenia has been found to affect about 1% of the population.

...

One explanation may be that the two factors are coincidental, not causal: perhaps people who have a genetic susceptibility to schizophrenia also happen to especially enjoy marijuana. Still, some studies suggest that smoking pot can actually trigger the disease earlier in individuals who are predisposed, and yet researchers still aren't seeing increases in the overall schizophrenia rate or decreases in the average age of onset.

In recent months, new research has explored some of these issues. One study led by Dr. Serge Sevy, an associate professor of psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, looked at 100 patients between the ages of 16 and 40 with schizophrenia, half of whom smoked marijuana. Sevy and colleagues found that among the marijuana users, 75% had begun smoking before the onset of schizophrenia and that their disease appeared about two years earlier than in those who did not use the drug. But when the researchers controlled for other factors known to influence schizophrenia risk, including gender, education and socioeconomic status, the association between disease onset and marijuana disappeared.

It is interesting. But the sample size is also 100. Any statician would tell you the error in a sample that small won't give any sort of reliable results.

But it does seem to warrant further study. Interesting nonetheless.

Well when you're studying the link between marijuana and schizophrenia, your sample size is going to be limited.

The point to be taken from that article is that rates of schizophrenia in the whole population has not increased along with the dramatic rise in use of marijuana from the 1950's onward. It has declined. That lends credence to the theory that schizophrenics self-medicate with marijuana, which explains the statistical relationship.

Any statistician attempting to show a causal link better scratch his head for a while on that one.

[Jabberwalker]

dino_bobba_renno dino_bobba_renno:

Headstrong Headstrong:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

It might have benefits. But it's also a drug, and has side effects. We aren't even sure what all it in it yet, nor what all the compounds do and in what concentrations do they do it.

It might have benefits? Do you live under a rock? Everything has a side effect, try ingesting copious amounts of sugar.

I think as a general rule of thumb in life; If you in any way derive enjoyment from something then it's probably bad for you in some way or another. That goes for just about any and everything *If you enjoy eating Kale that might be the only exception*

That is a very Presbyterian attitude that you have, there, Calvin.

[Lemmy]

stratos stratos:

Lemmy he might have told the truth there about trying it 5-6 times. Thing is Bill Clintion said basicly the same thing but it was " I did not inhale" Kind of makes it a bit hard to trust that he just had a few puffs of it. Then again I will give him credit he admited to smoking it and I'm sure both in Canada and the USA we have a ton of poloticans that have done pot if not even stronger drugs.

Trudeau's admission is on par with a 1920s politician admitting to a few glasses of wine during prohibition. Canadians 100 years from now will view this entire nonsense the same way we view someone admitting to having some wine in the '20s.

[ShepherdsDog]

Consumption of alcohol wasn't illegal during prohibition, under the Volstead Act. Purchase and production(unless you had a special government permit) were. Like pot now, you could get a prescription from a doctor to allow you to consume it. It was also a product that had been consumed legally for centuries by the majority of the population.

[dino_bobba_renno]

ShepherdsDog ShepherdsDog:

Consumption of alcohol wasn't illegal during prohibition. Purchase and production(unless you had a special government permit) were. Like pot now, you could get a prescription from a doctor to allow you to consume it. It was also a product that had been consumed legally for centuries by the majority of the population.

Really? I didn't know that (prescription to drink). So in theory I could go to the doctor to get a prescription to go out drinking with my buddies on the weekend "Sorry hun, I don't like the fact that I have to go out to the bar tonight any more than you do but my doctor said it's medically necessary" I kind of like the sounds of that idea

[ShepherdsDog]

more like a medicinal grade rum or vodka. It was dispensed by the pint usually. Much the same way some abuse medical marijuana permits, so to did most of those who had 'prescriptions' for booze.

Now some numb nut is going to completely ignore the some I posted in regards to medical marijuana and the most I used to qualify those who had a prescription for booze. I've always acknowledged the fact that marijuana should be a medication

[fifeboy]

Unsound Unsound:

stratos stratos:

I do not understand why those who support marijuana use want to compare it to alcohol. If you are so strong in wanting marijuana let its positive stand on its own don't compare your substance to another.

In a free society those who wish to ban someone else's private vice need to show why it should be banned. The anti-pot folks only answer to that is "its harmful", which would be fair except that our society allows many harmful substances to be legal. Therefore it is incumbent on those who wish to limit other's freedoms to prove why this particular substance is worse than other legal substances.

It shouldn't be up to people to prove why they should have personal freedom.

Well said!

[fifeboy]

Curtman Curtman:

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

$1:

Teenagers who start smoking marijuana before the age of sixteen are four times more likely to become schizophrenic. That's the startling conclusion of some of the world's top schizophrenia experts, whose research is featured in the new documentary The Downside of High.

The scientists' groundbreaking work on the connection between marijuana and mental illness also reveals that, for all young adults, smoking marijuana nearly doubles the risk of developing recurring psychosis, paranoia and hallucinations - the hallmarks of schizophrenia.

Ben was first introduced to marijuana while at a high school in BC. His increasingly psychotic behaviour led to a year-long hospitalization. The Downside of High, directed and written by Bruce Mohun, tells the stories of three young people from British Columbia who believe - along with their doctors - that their mental illness was triggered by marijuana use. All three spent months in hospital psychiatric wards, and still wage a battle with their illness. Today's super-potent pot may be a big part of the problem. Modern growing techniques have dramatically increased the amount of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana - ramping up the threat to the developing teenage brain.

But there's an intriguing twist to the story: in the process of cultivating more potent strains of pot, growers have also been breeding out a little-known ingredient called cannabidiol that seems to buffer the effects of THC. So today's high-octane pot actually contains a double-whammy - more psychosis-producing THC, and less of the protective CBD or cannabidiol.

Tyler was 14 years old when he first started experiencing psychotic episodes. For many people, smoking marijuana is not a big deal - it is, after all, the most widely-used illegal drug in the world. The Downside of High provides a scientific perspective on some of the little-known and little discussed risks of marijuana, particularly for teenagers.

The Downside of High is directed and written by Bruce Mohun, story-produced by Maureen Palmer, and produced by Sue Ridout for Dreamfilm Productions of Vancouver.

http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/natureo ... index.html

Watch the whole episode:

http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/natureo ... video.html

Interesting thing about that relationship..
The Link Between Marijuana and Schizophrenia

$1:

But here's the conundrum: while marijuana went from being a secret shared by a small community of hepcats and beatniks in the 1940s and '50s to a rite of passage for some 70% of youth by the turn of the century, rates of schizophrenia in the U.S. have remained flat, or possibly declined. For as long as it has been tracked, schizophrenia has been found to affect about 1% of the population.

...

One explanation may be that the two factors are coincidental, not causal: perhaps people who have a genetic susceptibility to schizophrenia also happen to especially enjoy marijuana. Still, some studies suggest that smoking pot can actually trigger the disease earlier in individuals who are predisposed, and yet researchers still aren't seeing increases in the overall schizophrenia rate or decreases in the average age of onset.

In recent months, new research has explored some of these issues. One study led by Dr. Serge Sevy, an associate professor of psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, looked at 100 patients between the ages of 16 and 40 with schizophrenia, half of whom smoked marijuana. Sevy and colleagues found that among the marijuana users, 75% had begun smoking before the onset of schizophrenia and that their disease appeared about two years earlier than in those who did not use the drug. But when the researchers controlled for other factors known to influence schizophrenia risk, including gender, education and socioeconomic status, the association between disease onset and marijuana disappeared.

I have a son with schizophrenia. He began showing signs of the disease shortly after we adopted him. It blew up when he became a teen. He hates the meds he takes for it and self medicated with pot or alcohol. Neither help (although he thinks they do) but alcohol is much worst.

[ShepherdsDog]

alcohol and pot can both exacerbate dissociative states. Even is those that don't suffer from schizophrenia you see how personalities undergo rapid transformations as inhibitions are lowered. Look at how quiet people can change after a few drinks, or become violent, emotional wrecks after a few more

[Curtman]

ShepherdsDog ShepherdsDog:

alcohol and pot can both exacerbate dissociative states. Even is those that don't suffer from schizophrenia you see how personalities undergo rapid transformations as inhibitions are lowered. Look at how quiet people can change after a few drinks, or become violent, emotional wrecks after a few more

I think we're talking about what happens after those people sober up. Whether the pot causes the psychosis, or the psychosis causes the pot. There isn't much evidence either way because its a hard thing to study.

Alcoholism is common with the homeless. Does alcoholism cause homelessness? Probably. Does homelessness cause alcoholism? Maybe. Is there a 3rd underlying factor? Mental illness?