Attention Parents Of Teens!!!!

The cannabinoids in cannabis are organic, nontoxic compounds. Meaning they bind to brain receptors, but do not produce neurotoxins that cause damage to the cells. I don't have time right now to really get into this, and I don't feel like arguing. But you are making claims that have been disproven by a lot of science. So you would probably really benefit by doing more research.

 

Indeed.

 

yo.. i wasnt serious about cutting wrist of heroin.. i was using sarcasm incase no one noticed..no worrys though, u dint understand, hell i barely understood what i wrote.

 

RE: Where is this study? Are you going to provide facts with your assertions?

Would it make any difference anyway? The core of this, which people keep trying to sidetrack from, is the fact that a parent has a certain right to determining what goes on or does not go on under his or her roof.

RE: yo.. i wasnt serious about cutting wrist of heroin.. i was using sarcasm incase no one noticed..no worrys though, u dint understand, hell i barely understood what i wrote

Nobody could understand what you wrote. It was pure stoner drivel combined with drama queen theatrics.

 

IronGoth, in your last 4 posts you still continue to make generalizations about the effects of marijuana. Just try to realize that it improves some lives and is detrimental to some lives. Quit saying that I'm going to ruin my life because I choose to smoke regularly. I think it's pretty safe to say that you are not going to sway the view of established stoners so stop spitting that bitch ass, straight and narrow, government-propaganda, robot bullshit and start thinking for yourself instead of relying on the government's inaccurate "statistics".

 

Weed, here in the U.S., is illegal. To possess it is a crime. When a kid has his stash in his own place he is risking his own ass. When a kid is living with his parents he is risking himself and his parent's ass, and that is not fair to the parents. What person wants to get into trouble with the law because of something their kid is doing?

Kids dont ever think of it from that perspective, however.

My father is a kind man, however, and explained it to me in similar terms rather than freaking out on me (when he found a pack of papers of mine). I do admit, parents could do well to react more calmly to their children's indiscretions. An enraged reaction from my parents did nothing but get them an enraged reaction from me.

 

Sure, it's the parents responsibility to protect their children and help them to make the right decisions. But they are also supposed to supply their children with accurate and nonbias information. Instead of telling them that marijuana is bad, they should tell them that it CAN be bad when it's abused and used irresponsibly.

 

Cannabis is a controversial drug; many people argue that it is relatively innocuous, and that it should be considered in the same category as alcohol. Others argue that it is the first step on the slippery slope into the grip of drug addiction. The legalisation of marijuana always has a place in the political debating field, and the list of countries bending toward the policy of decriminalisation is slowly growing.

However, it's not just a political debate; both the beneficial and harmful medical effects of cannabis are also under constant scrutiny. Serious research into the beneficial medical properties of cannabinoids is only a relatively recent endeavour, but it is highlighting many exciting therapeutic possibilities. These include its use as an effective anti-emetic agent in those receiving cancer chemotherapy; a property brought to light by teenage users of cannabis who were receiving treatment for leukaemia (Grinspoon, 1990). Other beneficial possibilities include use as a treatment for glaucoma (Zahn et al, 2005), as an anti-spasmodic (Pryce, Baker, 2005) (a property that can be manipulated to great effect in neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis), as an anti-asthmatic (Tashkin, 1993) and as an anti-convulsant (Cunha et al, 1980).

However, we are also only just beginning to fully understand the adverse effects of long-term marijuana use. For example, it has been found that smoking cannabis is far more dangerous than smoking tobacco; it is estimated that smoking 3-4 joints a day is the equivalent of smoking 20 cigarettes per day in terms of incidence of acute and chronic bronchitis and damage to the bronchial epithelium. Harmful effects are not limited to the lungs; cannabinoid receptors are located throughout the body. Therefore, someone who self-medicates themselves with cannabis is disrupting the normal working chemistry of their entire body. For example, cannabinoids are antiandrogenic, and so chronic cannabis use appears to be associated with decreased sperm counts in men and suppression of ovulation in women (Ashton, 1999). One study in particular showed a 50% decrease in testosterone levels and sperm count in men who smoked more than 10 joints a week (Rang et al, 2003). However, the majority of the literature on the adverse effects of cannabis have focused not on the workings of the body, but the workings of the brain.


THC and the Brain

* hippocampus (memory formation)
* cerebellum (motor co-ordination)
* substantia nigra (motor control)
* mesolimbic dopamine pathway (reward centre of brain)
* cortex (processing centres)

The combined effect of cannabinoids on these systems is to produce the following effects:

* impairment of short-term memory, and simple learning tasks; subjective feelings of confidence and heightened creativity are not reflected in actual performance
* impairment of motor co-ordination, e.g., reduced driving performance
* catalepsy (the retention of fixed unnatural postures)
* analgesia
* antiemetic action
* increased appetite

Cannabis and Psychosis

The term 'psychosis' is non-specific, but is usually used to describe the severe forms of mental disorder seen in organic mental disorders, schizophrenia and some affective disorders. In general, it describes a state where the patient is unable to differentiate between reality and their own subjective experiences, which are clouded by the manifestation of hallucinations and delusions. The patient often has no insight into their condition, and hospitalisation for treatment is almost certainly a necessity.

Cannabis has an association with psychosis in two different contexts. Excessive self-medication has been shown to cause a state called acute toxic psychosis. There is also a very strong link between the use of cannabis and the development of a psychosis in patients who have schizophrenia or a schizophrenia-like psychotic illness.
Acute Toxic Psychosis

Cannabis related acute toxic psychosis is the clinical result of the administration of a single large amount of cannabis. Features include delirium with confusion, prostration, emotional lability, disorientation, derealisation and auditory and visual hallucinations. These signs may be accompanied by an acutely paranoid state, and in addition there may be a mania or hypomania with persecutory and religious delusions or a schizophreniform psychosis.

This state is usually self-limiting, and treatment is the withdrawal of cannabis from the patient. Whilst this state was previously a rare occurrence, it is becoming more common with the development and availability of more potent preparations of cannabis. Most patients recover within a couple of days, but certain groups often find that the psychosis can last for a couple weeks. These include those with a previously diagnosed mental illness and those with a family history of schizophrenia or psychosis. These groups also have a higher risk of developing an acute toxic state to begin with.

Chronic Cannabis use and the Risk of Psychotic Illness

A causal relationship between cannabis and the eventual development of psychosis is hotly debated. Up until five years ago, only one significant case-control study had been carried out (Andreasson et al, 1987) into the association between long-term cannabis use and the risk of development of psychotic illness. Over the last five years, many more studies have been published that have looked into this issue, and its repercussions on psychiatric health. What has been shown is that there is a very strong association between cannabis use and the development of psychosis; what we don't know is why this should be.

The conclusion of most studies is that the rates of cannabis use are nearly twice as high amongst those with schizophrenia than in normal populations (van Os et al, 2002). The important question, therefore, is whether the increased use of cannabis in those diagnosed with schizophrenia is a cause of the disease or a result of the disease. Unfortunately, the answer to this question is currently unknown. Schizophrenia is to some degree a genetic disease, and so it may be that those who are genetically predisposed to developing the disease exhibit behavioural trends that lead to cannabis use. The problem with most of the studies that have been undertaken is that they have failed to show a temporal priority between the first use of cannabis and the first emergence of psychotic symptoms, i.e., in order to show causation, there should be a period of time between first use of cannabis and subsequent schizophrenia that is completely free of any psychotic symptoms. The only study to show this temporal priority was completed by Silva and Stanton, 1996, in a general population birth cohort study based in Dunedin, New Zealand.

The advantage of this particular cohort study is the administration of a self-assessed report of psychotic symptoms for all participants aged 11 years, and then again at 15 and 18 years, with a standard psychiatric assessment for all members of the cohort at 26 years. Cannabis use was self-reported at ages 15 and 18 years. Analysis of this data shows that individuals using cannabis at ages 15 and 18 years had higher rates of psychotic symptoms at age 26 years compared to those who had eschewed the consumption of cannabis (Arseneault et al, 2002). These rates remained significant even after controlling for psychotic symptoms reported at age 11 before the first use of cannabis. Overall, 10.3% of cannabis users aged 15 years in this cohort were diagnosed with schizophreniform disorder at age 26 years, as opposed to 3% of the controls (Arseneault, 2004). However, one significant study does not a causal relationship make. There needs to be more, larger prospective studies done to confirm these findings.

Current research points to two separate areas of importance when considering a cannabis user's risk of developing a schizophreniform psychosis; their genetic background and the age of exposure to significant levels of cannabis. A person's genetic susceptibility to a disease is unfortunately something that medicine is yet to have any control over. However, the age of exposure to cannabis is, to some extent, controllable, and if there is a causal relationship between the two, it only makes sense that cannabis consumption by minors should be limited, the same way that the majority of countries have age limits on the purchasing of alcohol; a substance that can be very damaging to the brains and livers of the young.

Arsenault estimates the removal of exposure of cannabis to all 15 year olds would have led to an 8% decrease in the rates of schizophrenia seen in Dunedin (Arseneault, 2004). Reports show that use of cannabis by those under the age of 16 years is on the increase, especially in the US (Johnston et al, 2002). It remains a matter of speculation as to whether we will see an increase in rates of schizophrenia over the next 10 years that can be attributed to this. These population observations may have a physical basis though; brain imaging has shown that those who begin smoking cannabis before the age of 17 years have a lower percentage of cortical grey matter (neuronal cell bodies) and an increased percentage of white matter (cell axons) than those who began using cannabis at a later age. These findings are independent of the actual duration of cannabis use, and it is thought that these changes are seen because the developing brain is particularly vulnerable to the effects of cannabis (Wilson et al, 2000).

The majority of young people are able to experiment with cannabis with no long-term ill effects. However, there is a vulnerable minority for whom the effects are catastrophic. While more research is essential, it may also be equally important for public health bodies to communicate these risks to those under the age of 18 years. This is especially true in countries where the governmental stance is one of criminalisation rather than regulation. A delay in the use of cannabis of three years could make all the difference for the rest of someone's life.

References

* Andreasson S, Allebeck P, Engstrom A, Rydberg U, 1987, Cannabis and schizophrenia. A longitudinal study of Swedish conscripts, Lancet 1987;ii: 1483-6
* Arseneault L, Cannon M, Poulton R, et al, 2002, Cannabis use in adolescence and risk for adult psychosis: longitudinal prospective study, BMJ 2002; 325:1212 -1213
* Arseneault L, Cannon M, Witton J, Murray R M, 2004, Causal association between cannabis and psychosis: examination of the evidence, Br. J. Psychiatry, 2004; 184: 110 - 117
* Ashton C H, 1999, Adverse Effects of Cannabis and Cannabinoids, Br. J. Anaesth., 1999; 83: 637 - 649
* Cunha J M, Carlini E, Pereira A E, Ramos O L, Pimentel C, Gagliardi R, Sanvito W L, Lander N, Mechoulam R, 1980, Chronic administration of cannabidiol to healthy volunteers and epileptic patients, Pharmacology 1980; 21:175-185.
* Grinspoon L, 1990, Testimony In The Matter of Marihuana Rescheduling In R Randall (ed) Cancer Treatment and Marijuana Therapy. Washington, DC: Galen Press
* Hall W, Solowij N, 1998, Adverse effects of cannabis, Lancet 1998; 352:1611-16
* Henquet C, Krabbendam L, Spauwen J, Kaplan C, Lieb R, Wittchen H, van Os J, 2005, Prospective cohort study of cannabis use, predisposition for psychosis, and psychotic symptoms in young people, BMJ 2005; 330: 11
* Johnston L D, O'Malley P M, Bachman J G, 2002, Monitoring the Future National Results on Adolescent Drug Use: Overview of Key Findings 2001 (NIH Publication No. 02-5105). Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Drug Abuse
* Mikuriya T H, Aldrich M R, 1988, Cannabis 1988. Old drug, new dangers. The potency question J. Psychoactive drugs, 1988
* van Os J, Bak M, Hanssen M, Bijl R V, de Graaf R, Verdoux H, 2002, Cannabis Use and Psychosis: A Longitudinal Population-based Study, Am. J. Epidemiol. 2002; 156: 319 - 327
* Pryce G, Baker D, 2005, Emerging properties of cannabinoid medicines in management of multiple sclerosis, Trends Neurosci. 2005; 28(5):272-6
* Rang H P, Dale M M, Ritter J M, Moore P K, 2003, Pharmacology, 5th edition, Churchill Livingstone, 515-522
* Semple D M, McIntosh A M, Lawrie S M, 2005, Cannabis as a risk factor for psychosis: systematic review, J Psychopharmacol. 2005; 19(2):187-94
* Silva P A, Stanton, W R, 1996, From Child to Adult: the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, Auckland: Oxford University Press
* Tashkin D P, 1993, The pulmonary effects of cannabis Paper presented to conference on Cannabis and Health, Wellington, New Zealand; October 1993
* Tzavara E T, Davis R J, Perry K W, Li X, Salhoff C, Bymaster F P, Witkin J M, Nomikos G G, 2003, The CB1 receptor antagonist SR141716A selectively increases monoaminergic neurotransmission in the medial prefrontal cortex: implications for therapeutic actions. , Br J Pharmacol. 2003; 138(4):544-53.
* Wilson W, Mathew R, Turkington T, Hawk T, Coleman R E, Provenzale J, 2000, Brain morphological changes and early cannabis use: a magnetic resonance and positron emission tomography study, J Addict Dis, 2000; 19:1-22
* Zhan G L, Camras C B, Palmberg P F, Toris C B, 2005, Effects of marijuana on aqueous humor dynamics in a glaucoma patient, J Glaucoma. 2005; 14(2):175-7

 

RE: IronGoth, in your last 4 posts you still continue to make generalizations about the effects of marijuana

STOP TRYING TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT

THIS IS ABOUT THE PARENTS NOT WANTING THEIR KIDS TO DO DOPE AND THEM HAVING THE RIGHT, WHILE THE KIDS ARE STILL AT HOME, TO DICTATE WHAT THEY DO AND DO NOT DO.

 

Absolutely, kids will find out when they are being lied to. Honesty is always the best route to take - but there are a lot of adults in this country that believe all they hype and propaganda about pot. The adults are bring lied to too!

But none of that changes the fact that it is against the law to possess in this country, and a child's possession could get the parents into big trouble (or at the least, a huge hassle of running your kid to probation and community service all the damn time).

I smoke pretty much daily, but my husband and I have already decided we will discourage our child (our hypothetical child, currently) from doing it as long as we are responsible for him. When he is responsible for himself (in the eyes of the law) he can do whatever he wants without judgement from us.

 

RE: But none of that changes the fact that it is against the law to possess in this country, and a child's possession could get the parents into bug trouble (or at the least, a huge hassle of running your kid to probation and community service all the damn time).

THANK YOU!

There are SOME with a functioning BRAIN IN THIS DISCUSSION!

 

RE: smoke pretty much daily, but my husband and I have already decided we will discourage our child from doing it as long as we are responsible for him. When he is responsible for himself (in the eyes of the law) he can do whatever he wants without judgement from us.

Which is the healthy, parental attitude towards it.

Sorry OP, but your teenage whiny angst don't cut it in the real world.

 

I smoke pot and am perfectly fine

Its the Marijuana laws that interfere with security clearance of a job, not the drug itself

Doing dope?

I agree with ya there, lol... but not to say every pot smoker is as un grammerly correct as he =)

Is this how you attack someone? Using their own hobbies against them? Ha.. dumbass

-Have a nice day-

 

Once again, trusting someone elses findings over your own experience. Even If all of that is true, it is still far better than alot of things that are completely legal and are used in everyday life by billions of people around the world. It is far sfer than most, if not all, pescription drugs and OTC drugs. It is safer than alcohol. Wjile the smoke may be harsher than tobacco, it is not addictive and is far more beneficial to a person's state of mind. It brought me out of depression and actually brought happiness to my life, which is something that all of the medications I was prescribed failed to accomplish. It has also been proven to destroy certain types of cancer cells.

 

RE: I smoke pot and am perfectly fine

Did you notice that the word "all" was nowhere in there? I know a guy who smoked like a train and died of natural causes at 92. That's no reason to discount the link between smoking and cancer.

RE: Its the Marijuana laws that interfere with security clearance of a job, not the drug itself

What the hell difference does it make? The law is what it is. The consequences are what they are. The parents do NOT want to take these risks with their kids or their property - AND THEY HAVE THAT RIGHT - my only statements about this were simply that he should grow up because the idea that parents should simply be OK about pot use is farfetched, unrealistic, and stupid.

RE: Doing dope?

Yeah, you deaf or something?

RE: I agree with ya there, lol... but not to say every pot smoker is as un grammerly correct as he =)

However, he seems to be more interested in the bong than classes, or learning to spell.

RE: Is this how you attack someone? Using their own hobbies against them? Ha.. dumbass

It's totally par for the course for a stoner to think that way - also for children. You are 15 and unless I'm mistaken still live at home so until you can stand on your own two feet and pay your own bills do NOT badmouth your betters.

 

Nobody, not even parents, have the MORAL right to dictate anyone. They have the right to inform them and influence their decisions, but they can't make the dicisions for them.

 

RE: Once again, trusting someone elses findings over your own experience.

I also trust medical professionals to treat my illnesses rather than guess it myself. Note this info was NOT furnished by any government body.

RE: Even If all of that is true, it is still far better than alot of things that are completely legal

Agreed. But just because you can rot your liver out with booze doesn't mean it's OK to rot your brain out with dope.

RE: and are used in everyday life by billions of people around the world. It is far sfer than most, if not all, pescription drugs and OTC drugs. It is safer than alcohol.

That's agreed too. I don't drink either, nor do I think kids should. Wow. My position is cogent...

RE: Wjile the smoke may be harsher than tobacco, it is not addictive and is far more beneficial to a person's state of mind.

I disagree. Adolescence is when you work your stuff out, not run away from it in a bong or a bottle. You become a better, more well balanced adult that way.

RE: It brought me out of depression and actually brought happiness to my life, which is something that all of the medications I was prescribed failed to accomplish. It has also been proven to destroy certain types of cancer cells.

Wow, you need to ingest a psychoactive drug to feel good? How about getting a job or a hobby or finding something positive and constructive? Oh, right, you can simply smoke up instead.

 

"Hemp! Hemp! Hooray!"

The Drug War is A War on The People of The World.

 

We aren't arguing wether pot should be legal or not here.

What we are talking about is why a parent wouldn't want their child to smoke pot in today's reality. I think it is safe to say that most parent's have a problem because it is a CRIME to possess.

I know a lot of smokers say they are fine, but we aren't always aware of the things going on in our bodies, and there is no way to know what our mental or physical capacity would have been like had we never smoked. I think if pot were legal we would know a lot more about it - more studies would have been done, more information gathered, and it wouldn't be tainted by propaganda. I definitely think that is a shame, and that our gov't does more harm that good by keeping it illegal.

However, were it legal I am not sure I would like my kid smoking it any more than if they were smoking cigarettes. I'm sure if it were ever made legal it would still be something kids couldn't buy or possess (kinda like alcohol). Please don't think I feel that way because I don't trust kids - I think kids are completely undervalued and underrated in our society and we should treat them as respectfully as any adult. It is a health thing, to me. Putting smoke in your lungs is just not healthy and I know as a teenager I didn't have enough foresight or consideration to make an informed, responsible decision on the subject.

 

All I mean by this is that marijuana can be used theraputically, and with much better results than prescrition anti-depressants which have been proven to cause severe mental disorders with long term use. Prescription anti-depressants are also much more addictive and can cause negative and sometimes fatal reactions, even at recommended dosages.