Marijuana: The good, the bad and the ugly

The following 3 paragraphs are from Wikipedia

Cannabis, also known as marijuana (sometimes spelled "marihuana" among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes.

The major psychoactive chemical compound in cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol (commonly abbreviated as THC). Cannabis contains more than 400 different chemical compounds, including at least 66 other cannabinoids (cannabidiol (CBD), cannabinol (CBN) and tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), etc.) which can result in different effects from those of THC alone.

Cannabis use has been found to have occurred as long ago as the 3rd millennium BC. In modern times, the drug has been used for recreational, religious or spiritual, and medicinal purposes. The UN estimated that in 2004 about 4% of the world's adult population (162 million people) use cannabis annually, and about 0.6% (22.5 million) use it on a daily basis. The possession, use, or sale of cannabis preparations containing psychoactive cannabinoids became illegal in most parts of the world in the early 20th century.

THE GOOD

Between 1840 and 1900, European and American medical journals published more than 100 articles on the therapeutic use of the drug known then as Cannabis Indica (or Indian hemp) and now simply as cannabis.

Cannabis used medically does have several well-documented beneficial effects. Among these are: the amelioration of nausea and vomiting, stimulation of hunger in chemotherapy and AIDS patients, lowered intraocular eye pressure (shown to be effective for treating glaucoma), as well as general analgesic effects (pain reliever).

Medical use in Canada

‘Health Canada’ grants access to marijuana for medical use to those who are suffering from grave and debilitating illnesses. It is important to note that the Marijuana Medical Access Regulations deal exclusively with the medical use of marijuana.

Health Canada has restored its standard processing times of 8 to 10 weeks to process all complete applications, including new, renewals and amendments, for an authorization to possess and/or a licence to produce marijuana for medical purposes.

Marijuana for medical use should not be confused with the movement to legalize marijuana for general consumption. Health Canada does not advocate the legalization of marijuana. This drug still remains an illegal and controlled substance, similar to other controlled products. Unlawful possession is a criminal offence with the exception of those who under the authority of ‘Health Canada’ are permitted to possess it. Those who have that permission are not permitted to distribute it in any manner since it is to be used for personal consumption for those permitted to use it for medicinal purposes.

In December 2000, Health Canada contracted Prairie Plant Systems Inc. (PPS) to cultivate and produce a safe, standardized, homogenous supply of Marijuana. If a person is authorized by ‘Health Canada’ to possess dried Marijuana for medical purposes, that person can apply for a Personal-Use Production Licence or apply to have someone grow it for that with a Designated-Person Production Licence if the person who intends to use it for medicinal purposes is unable to grow it on his or her own.

On July 30, 2001, ‘Health Canada’ implemented the Marijuana Medical Access Regulations, which clearly define the circumstances and the manner in which access to Marijuana for medical purposes will be permitted. The Regulations contain three main components: Authorizations to possess dried Marijuana; licences to produce Marijuana, which include Personal-Use Production Licences and Designated Person Production Licences; and access to supply of marijuana seeds or dried marijuana.

Category 1 is comprised of any symptoms treated within the context of providing compassionate end-of-life care; or the symptoms associated with the specified medical conditions listed in the schedule to the Regulations, namely:
Severe pain and/or persistent muscle spasms from multiple sclerosis;
Severe pain and/or persistent muscle spasms from a spinal cord injury;
Severe pain and/or persistent muscle spasms from spinal cord disease;
Severe pain, cachexia, anorexia, weight loss, and/or severe nausea from cancer;
Severe pain, cachexia, anorexia, weight loss, and/or severe nausea from HIV/AIDS infection;
Severe pain from severe forms of arthritis;
Seizures from epilepsy.

Also, persistent and disabling pain can have numerous and sometimes multiple causes, including cancer; AIDS; sickle cell anemia; multiple sclerosis; defects or injuries to the back, neck and spinal cord; arthritis and other rheumatic and degenerative hip, joint and connective tissue disorders; and severe burns.

Applicants must provide a declaration from a medical practitioner to support their application.

Category 2, covers persons with debilitating symptoms who can apply to obtain an Authorization to Possess dried marijuana for medical purposes, if a specialist confirms the diagnosis and that conventional treatments have failed or judged inappropriate to relieve symptoms of the medical condition. While an assessment of the applicant's case by a specialist is required, the treating physician, whether or not a specialist, can sign the medical declaration.

Medical use in the United States

In approximately thirty-six states in the US, medical marijuana is legal for certain chronic pain sufferers such as terminal illness, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and severe arthritis.

In 2004, the United States Supreme Court upheld earlier federal court decisions that doctors have a fundamental Constitutional right to recommend cannabis to their patients. In Conant v. Walters, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in the United States held that the federal government could neither punish nor threaten a doctor merely for recommending the use of cannabis to a patient. But it remains illegal for a doctor to "aid and abet" a patient in obtaining cannabis. This means a physician may discuss the pros and cons of medical cannabis with any patient, and issue a written or oral recommendation to use cannabis without fear of legal reprisal. This is true regardless of whether the physician anticipates that the patient will, in turn, use this recommendation to obtain cannabis. What physicians may not do is actually prescribe or dispense cannabis to a patient or tell patients how to use a written recommendation to procure it from a cannabis club or dispensary. Doctors can tell patients they may be helped by cannabis. They can put that in writing. They just can't help patients obtain the cannabis itself.

Does Marijuana ease pain?

Pain is not a primary condition or injury, but rather a severe, frequently intolerable symptom that varies in frequency, duration, and severity according to the individual. The underlying condition determines the appropriate curative approach, but does not determine the proper symptom management. It is the character, severity, location and duration of the pain that determines the range of appropriate therapies. After nausea and vomiting, chronic pain is the condition cited most often.

Marijuana does not relieve the pain of chronic sufferers. This has been a myth by non-users for a great many years. It reduces anxiety or controls nausea so that the person in pain feels better. Its use is not unlike that of ‘laughing gas’ (nitrous oxide) which dentists give some of their patients if they are suffering from anxiety while sitting in the dentist’s chair. It eases their minds. It helps to take their minds off the pain they may be suffering from.

What actually relieves pain?

The opioid analgesics commonly used to combat pain include codeine (Dolacet, Hydrocet, Lorcet, Lortab, Vicodin); morphine (Avinza, Oramorph); oxycodone (Oxycontin, Roxicodone, Percocet, Roxicet); propoxyphene (Darvon, Darvocet) and tramadol (Ultram, Ultracet).

These medicines have side effects and can cause psychological and physical dependence, as well as constipation, dizziness, lightheadedness, mood changes, nausea, sedation, shortness of breath and vomiting.

Taking high doses of the drugs or mixing them with alcohol can slow down breathing which is a potentially fatal condition.

THE BAD

One of the common questions asked about marijuana is whether or not it is addictive. The question is an interesting one because most people automatically assume that it is not an addictive substance based on their knowledge of the drug and the culture that surrounds it. On the other hand, more and more people these days are seeking treatment for dependency on the drug, and some people definitely seem to show real signs of marijuana addiction. So what is the right answer? Is it addictive or not?

Very few people who smoke it and even become habitual users of the drug turn into what we call “pot heads.” On the other hand, the same is true of alcohol. For example, a man can drink a glass of wine every night for years and never become an alcoholic.

There are however consequences related to the use of marijuana that causes most people who have tried it to stay away from its use. Here are the main reasons for its abstinence.

1) It is illegal and therefore it becomes a risk of being arrested.

2) Smoking it daily affects the health negatively (harsh cough, obvious damage to the lungs, etc.)

3) The drug begins to dominate your lifestyle. It influences how you spend your time, the people you hang around with, etc. It thus limits your freedom.

4) Smoking it daily stunts your personal and emotional growth. You use it to medicate your feelings instead of learning and growing through new situations.

But in addition to all this, consider the following points about Marijuana:

1) There is evidence that it activates reward centers in the brain.

2) Heavy users seem to develop tolerance (it takes more and more of the drug for them to reach the same level of “high”).

3) Withdrawal might be really mild, but people do report cravings, and others say they feel sluggish and “down” if they go without it.

4) Physical addiction in the body is beside the point, people get wrapped up in a lifestyle of smoking marijuana every day

There is evidence that Marijuana is indeed a gateway drug, and can lead users to other substances that are also harmful to them (though in reality, Marijuana addiction is bad enough, when you consider all of the negative ways in which it can and does impact a person’s life).

The biggest issue here is not really physical addiction regarding Marijuana, but rather the idea of psychological addiction is what is important. This is because Marijuana is very addictive to some people in a psychological sense because the person uses the drug to basically escape reality and to medicate their feelings.

THE UGLY

The ingestion of marijuana has serious harmful effects on the skills required to drive safely: alertness, the ability to concentrate, coordination, and the ability to react quickly. These effects can last up to 24 hours after smoking marijuana. Marijuana use can make it difficult to judge distances and react to signals and sounds on the road.

Marijuana sometimes plays a role in car accidents. In one study conducted in Memphis, Tennessee, researchers found that, of 150 reckless drivers who were tested for drugs at the arrest scene, 33 percent tested positive for marijuana. Admittedly, some drivers are simply careless because they don’t care how their driving effects others on the road, but 33 users out of a 100 drivers is alarming.

Data have also shown that while smoking marijuana, people show the same lack of coordination on standard "drunk driver" tests as do people who have had too much to drink. When users combine marijuana with alcohol, as they often do, the hazards of driving can be more severe than with either drug alone. A study of patients in a shock-trauma unit who had been in traffic accidents revealed that 15 percent of those who had been driving a car or motorcycle had been smoking marijuana, and another 17 percent had both THC and alcohol in their blood.

How long does Marijuana remain in the body?

The following 12 paragraphs I down loaded from About.com

The active ingredient in marijuana (Tetrahydrocannabinol or delta-9-THC or simply THC) enters the body's bloodstream rapidly after smoking marijuana. If marijuana is ingested, rather than smoked, it takes longer to be absorbed into the blood, usually from 20 minutes to an hour and a half. The effects of smoking marijuana fade quickly, but the drug can be detected in the body for weeks and sometimes longer. How long it remains in the system depends on how often or how much marijuana the user has been smoking.

THC is detectable in the blood for a short time, usually a few hours, because it is rapidly metabolized into molecules known as metabolites. At least 80 different metabolites are formed from THC. These metabolites are stored in body fat and are gradually eliminated from the body through feces and urine.

Because marijuana stays in the bloodstream for a short time, blood tests for marijuana are usually not used, except in the case of automobile accidents and some roadside sobriety check points. Blood or saliva tests can show current intoxication. However, unlike blood alcohol concentration tests, they do not indicate a level of intoxication or impairment. However, there are other sobriety tests that can be given that may detect impairment of the user’s senses.

Urine tests for marijuana metabolites can only show recent marijuana use, not intoxication or impairment, because of the time required between smoking and the metabolites being eliminated in the urine.

The effects of smoking marijuana fade quickly, but the drug can be detected in the body for weeks and sometimes longer. How long it remains in the system depends on how often or how much marijuana the user has been smoking.

How Marijuana Is Metabolized

The active ingredient in marijuana (Tetrahydrocannabinol or delta-9-THC or simply THC) enters the body's bloodstream rapidly after smoking marijuana. If marijuana is ingested, rather than smoked, it takes longer to be absorbed into the blood, usually from 20 minutes to an hour and a half.

But THC is detectable in the blood for a short time, usually a few hours, because it is rapidly metabolized into molecules known as metabolites. At least 80 different metabolites are formed from THC. These metabolites are stored in body fat and are gradually eliminated from the body through feces and urine.

Limitations of Drug Tests

Because marijuana stays in the bloodstream for a short time, blood tests for marijuana are usually not used, except in the case of automobile accidents and some roadside sobriety check points. Blood or saliva tests can show current intoxication. However, unlike blood alcohol concentration tests, they do not indicate a level of intoxication or impairment.

On the other hand, urine tests for marijuana metabolites can only show recent marijuana use, not intoxication or impairment, because of the time required between smoking and the metabolites being eliminated in the urine. However, because many employers have a zero tolerance for drug use, most workplaces use urine tests for any recent use of drugs.

How Long Can Marijuana Be Detected?

Some THC metabolites have an elimination half-life of 20 hours. However, some are stored in body fat and have a elimination half-life of 10 to 13 days. Most researchers agree that urine tests for marijuana can detect the presence of the drug in the body for up to 13 days.

How Effective Are Marijuana Urine Tests?

Although false positives are common for other substances, they are rare for marijuana due to the sophistication of today's tests. The laboratory first screens the sample with an immunoassay test, known as the EMIT or RIA. If positive results are returned, the sample is again screened with a gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GCMS), which is much more accurate. That's why false positives are rare.

No known substances would cause a marijuana urine test to return a false positive. At one time, ibuprofen sold over-the-counter as Advil, Motrin, Nuprin and others would cause false marijuana positives. But today's tests have been adjusted to eliminate that problem.

My own comments

I can appreciate why people (including myself) will take a stimulate on occasion such as alcohol to make me feel a bit happier in certain surroundings such as a party and I can see the day in the future when marijuana may be legalized for this purpose.

Marijuana has often been touted as one of the safest recreational substances available. This is perhaps true; because many reputable scientific studies support the conclusion that cocaine, heroine, alcohol, and cigarettes are more dangerous for the people to ingest. However, just as alcohol has become a scourge that has ravaged our communities, it is conceivable that marijuana will do the same thing. And just as tobacco has ruined the lives and killed millions of people, so will smoking marijuana do the same thing. That is because the toxins from cannabis smoke causes lung inflammation, lung damage and cancer just as the toxins in cigarettes do.

Smoking marijuana regularly (a joint a day) can damage the cells in the bronchial passages which protect the body against inhaled microorganisms and decrease the ability of the immune cells in the lungs to fight off fungi, bacteria, and tumor cells. For patients with already weakened immune systems, this means an increase in the possibility of dangerous pulmonary infections, including pneumonia, which often proves fatal in AIDS patients.

Studies further suggest that marijuana is a general "immunosuppressant" whose degenerative influence extends beyond the respiratory system.

Regular smoking has been shown to materially affect the overall ability of the smokers body to defend itself against infection by weakening various natural immune mechanisms, including macrophages (a.k.a. "killer cells") and the all-important T-cells. Obviously, this suggests the conclusion, which is well-supported by scientific studies, that the use of marijuana as a medical therapy can and does have a very serious negative effect on patients with pre-existing immune deficits resulting from AIDS, organ transplantation, or cancer chemotherapy, the very conditions for which marijuana has most often been touted and suggested as a treatment. It has also been shown that marijuana use can accelerate the progression of HIV to full-blown AIDS and increase the occurrence of infections and Kaposis sarcoma. In addition, patients with weak immune systems will be even less able to defend themselves against the various respiratory cancers and conditions to which consistent marijuana use has been linked.

Just as the smoking of tobacco has killed many millions of smokers, I can see the day when millions of people will die the same way tobacco smokers do because they have inhaled cannabis into their lungs.

Just as I would like to see the day (which I won’t as I won’t be around long enough to see the day) when selling cigarettes will be illegal, I do not want to see the day when marijuana can be purchased at a local store or a marijuana outlet. I think the sale of it should be illegal (except for medicinal purposes only) and drug pushers who are moving it around the country should spend the rest of their lives in prison. I wish I could say the same about those in the tobacco industry who have been pushing cigarettes into the mouths of the millions who died because of the tobacco industry’s greed. There has to be a safer way to get high without destroying our bodies in the process by smoking marijuana. It is too bad that tobacco wasn’t outlawed years ago. If it had been, millions of lives would have been saved. Perhaps it isn’t too late to make it illegal to sell marijuana in our stores the same way tobacco was. If it made illegal to sell marijuana in our stores for recreational use, millions of lives in the future will be saved.