Marijuana use holds three-fold blood pressure death risk: study

[7by7]

It is true that cannabis does have medicinal qualities; but like all medicines there are risks involved in it's use; especially when used recreationally.

 

I was a regular smoker of cannabis from my late teens to early 30s; I stopped after a friend, also a user, developed schizophrenia and eventually killed himself. His doctors said that his cannabis use was very likely to be a factor, if not in his developing schizophrenia then in it's severity; so I did a bit of research.

 

This was in the 1980s, and I found many scholarly articles concerning the links between cannabis use and schizophrenia; the general opinion being that whilst cannabis probably doesn't in itself cause schizophrenia, it can exacerbate the development of the disease in those who are already genetically disposed to it. Search today, and you'll find many more such articles saying the same.

 

There has also been much research and papers published into cannabis use and other mental illness. One example being Cannabis and mental health from the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

 

If you want to use cannabis as a recreational drug; go ahead. But don't kid yourself there are no health risks involved.

[boomerangutang]

3 hours ago, 7by7 said:

It is true that cannabis does have medicinal qualities; but like all medicines there are risks involved in it's use; especially when used recreationally.

 

I was a regular smoker of cannabis from my late teens to early 30s; I stopped after a friend, also a user, developed schizophrenia and eventually killed himself. His doctors said that his cannabis use was very likely to be a factor, if not in his developing schizophrenia then in it's severity; so I did a bit of research.

 

This was in the 1980s, and I found many scholarly articles concerning the links between cannabis use and schizophrenia; the general opinion being that whilst cannabis probably doesn't in itself cause schizophrenia, it can exacerbate the development of the disease in those who are already genetically disposed to it. Search today, and you'll find many more such articles saying the same.

 

There has also been much research and papers published into cannabis use and other mental illness. One example being Cannabis and mental health from the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

 

If you want to use cannabis as a recreational drug; go ahead. But don't kid yourself there are no health risks involved.

                              It's tough to establish causation on a one-case basis.   My mother had mental problems.  She didn't smoke pot.  She did, however, drink martinis every evening, and ate shellfish, rare beef, and lots of sugary crap (as every American does).  Did the martinis contribute to her mental problems?  Would she have had mental problems without ingesting the things I mentioned?   I think so, but I'm not a psychiatrist.  Would she have been better or worse off if she smoked pot?  Who can say?  Same for your friend who killed himself.   Maybe he slept on a mattress which emitted debilitating formaldihyde fumes (most mattresses do).

 

                         Psychiatrists (and professionals related to that field) are liable to make mistakes as often as their Thai equivalents (which are Buddhist monks).  Have you ever read Freud?   He's was as full of BS as Maggie the Numerologist who lives in the tenement apt with her 27 cats, at the end of the street.  Yet Freud essentially wrote the Bible for psychiatrists for the past 3 generations.   As my dad would say;  'it's like the blind leading the blind.'   

[Jingthing]

Don't jump to final conclusions either way. Probably in the earlier days on scientific study of cannabis usage.

[Scott]

5 hours ago, 7by7 said:

It is true that cannabis does have medicinal qualities; but like all medicines there are risks involved in it's use; especially when used recreationally.

 

I was a regular smoker of cannabis from my late teens to early 30s; I stopped after a friend, also a user, developed schizophrenia and eventually killed himself. His doctors said that his cannabis use was very likely to be a factor, if not in his developing schizophrenia then in it's severity; so I did a bit of research.

 

This was in the 1980s, and I found many scholarly articles concerning the links between cannabis use and schizophrenia; the general opinion being that whilst cannabis probably doesn't in itself cause schizophrenia, it can exacerbate the development of the disease in those who are already genetically disposed to it. Search today, and you'll find many more such articles saying the same.

 

There has also been much research and papers published into cannabis use and other mental illness. One example being Cannabis and mental health from the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

 

If you want to use cannabis as a recreational drug; go ahead. But don't kid yourself there are no health risks involved.

It's called self-medicating.   A lot of people with existing mental problems turn to various drugs which provide relief from an otherwise tortured life.   In general, it doesn't work; it's replacing one problem with another problem.  

 

 

[rice555]

9 hours ago, fasteddie said:

Reefer madness?

You can find the movie on u-tube, I watched

again a few months back, saw it 68 at SF State

put on by a Socialist group with some Chaplin 

movies.

rice555

[georgemandm]

19 hours ago, eeyang wah said:

I would say quite the opposite is true. Legalising means you can regulate. 

Can't believe how many western in thailand seem to care about that rubbish  marijuana , but up to them , it will neve ever happen in my country to  legalise it  .

and it will never ever happen in thailand.

so all you pot smokes keep smoking that rubbish in thailand, you will get  court and end up in a thai  jail . 

[fasteddie]

53 minutes ago, georgemandm said:

Can't believe how many western in thailand seem to care about that rubbish  marijuana , but up to them , it will neve ever happen in my country to  legalise it  .

and it will never ever happen in thailand.

so all you pot smokes keep smoking that rubbish in thailand, you will get  court and end up in a thai  jail . 

Ironically, out of all the posters on this thread you sound like the one most in need of a smoke.

 

[248900_1469958220]

I think pot should be decriminalised at the very least....however, I find potheads amusing  that cannot fathom that its anything but TOTALLY harmless. Putting people in jail for smoking or eating it is just a waste of resources. Infact, if it were legal the option of NOT smoking it  but eating/drinking it is appealling. I dont really like smoking anything and a lot weed is very harsh on the lungs. I made some leaf tea once in Australia. It was very relaxing and tasted nice with honey. THAT should not be a crime......However, I had a few friends that smoked too much in their late teens and developed schizophrenia. It started giving me panic attacks when consumed....then even when not consumed. It also elevated my heart rate at times to uncomfortable levels and the ONLY way I want my heart rate elevated to that level is when I exercise!!!! Sitting on my butt playing guitar with a heart rate of 120 bpm is NOT comfortable. 

 

Dont make criminals of people that consume it but also, dont glorify it as the cure all answer to headaches and pimples on your dick.....

Edited August 10, 2017 by 248900_1469958220

[Grumpy Duck]

On 8/9/2017 at 4:13 PM, simple1 said:

We all differ, I smoked ganja most weeks for approx 25 years on average 2/3 sessions a week, after work etc. For a number of reasons I found dope very pleasurable.

I understand the term "dope" refers originally to glue sniffing then spread to opiates, never heard of marijuana called dope

[simple1]

9 minutes ago, Grumpy Duck said:

I understand the term "dope" refers originally to glue sniffing then spread to opiates, never heard of marijuana called dope

So what, one of the terms I used, as did others, for marijuana / hashish in various countries I lived in, along with other slang words.

Edited August 11, 2017 by simple1

[chrisinth]

On 8/9/2017 at 11:20 PM, nisakiman said:

 

No, it doesn't rest on the 'health community' and policy makers to 'protect' the public. We've gone much too far down this road already, with the lifestyle police telling us how we should live our lives.

Inform - yes.

Force through application of unjust law - no.

 

'Public Health' has over the past few decades gone from an institution designed to ensure clean water supplies and to react to communicable diseases and has turned into a many-headed serpent intent on micromanaging people's lives according to the latest PC fashion of the day. They've destroyed the pleasures of tobacco with their draconian bans, medico-porn plastered all over the packs and persecution of smokers; they are in the process of trying to do the same with alcohol, already demanding 'warning labels' and 'plain' packaging for booze, plus numerous restrictions on how, when and where you can drink; sugar is the next dragon they wish to slay with punitive legislation, salt too. The list gets ever longer.

 

Oh, they won't run out of stuff to try to ban. Their existence depends on creating scare stories about stuff which they can then lobby gullible politicians (who generally know sweet FA about the stuff they legislate) to ban. They've been at it for years. "Experts have said....", "Research suggests...." are their favourite introductory phrases, usually culminating in "More research is needed...", which roughly translated means "We want more taxpayer's money".

 

If the charlatans in 'Public Health' were all sacked tomorrow, the world would be a better place. And probably healthier, too.

 

They have created a situation in which evidence based policy is a thing of the past. It's all now policy based evidence. Honesty and ethics left the room a long time ago.

Agree with the majority of that. Spot on.

[steven100]

Drug pushers, users, sellers and traffickers deserve death and not less.

Philippine government is seeing to that and it will eradicate the scourge.

[Grumpy Duck]

I will suspect this "study" was financed by the alcoholic beverage industry. 

Glaucoma is caused by high pressure in the eye and excessive exposure to UV radiation. I had both lenses replaced due to glaucoma. I now have 20/20 vision because my union medical plan paid the extra $1500 for toric lenses. (But I need reading glasses) 

I have read that marijuana will lower blood pressure in some cases.

Note; I have had no interest in smoking marijuana since smoking crack. 555

Remember how they claimed "smoking marijuana will cause reefer madness"? That pot smokers will go on rape and violent rampages after smoking it. 555 the only side effects I have seen is weight gain due to overdosing on munchies. 

 

[simple1]

3 minutes ago, steven100 said:

Drug pushers, users, sellers and traffickers deserve death and not less.

Philippine government is seeing to that and it will eradicate the scourge.

Be terrible if alcohol were made illegal, about half the adult population would be up for being murdered according to you.

[steven100]

7 minutes ago, simple1 said:

Be terrible if alcohol were made illegal, about half the adult population would be up for being murdered according to you.

yes ... but it's not ...  only drugs. I have seen what drugs do to many and it is illegal. Ice, meth, and many other drugs are rampant in schools and universities as well as ... I would say most country towns in Australia as has been documented recently.  Australia as other countries are a mess with drug users. It's sickening.

 

[simple1]

1 minute ago, steven100 said:

yes ... but it's not ...  only drugs. I have seen what drugs do to many and it is illegal. Ice, meth, and many other drugs are rampant in schools and universities as well as ... I would say most country towns in Australia as has been documented recently.  Australia as other countries are a mess with drug users. It's sickening.

 

The topic is in reference to marijuana which IMO should be decriminalised and rules in place for usage in the same manner as alcohol. In any case IMO anyone supporting extra judicial killing steps over many boundaries. Many of the murders in the Philippines have been by police concerned about their dealers dobbing them in. Same happened in Thailand when Thaksin supported a similar campaign & eventually completely failed in objectives due to endemic corruption; highly likely same outcome in the Philippines.

[steven100]

2 minutes ago, simple1 said:

The topic is in reference to marijuana which IMO should be decriminalised and rules in place for usage in the same manner as alcohol. In any case IMO anyone supporting extra judicial killing steps over many boundaries. Many of the murders in the Philippines have been by police concerned about their dealers dobbing them in. Same happened in Thailand when Thaksin supported a similar campaign & eventually completely failed in objectives due to endemic corruption; highly likely same outcome in the Philippines.

agree partly.  Anyway,  anything that eradicates pushers, sellers & users i'm all for. Maybe pot smokers could be allowed but anything else only leads to trouble. imo.

 

[Grumpy Duck]

45 minutes ago, simple1 said:

So what, one of the terms I used, as did others, for marijuana / hashish in various countries I lived in, along with other slang words.

Just sharing the history. In the early 20th century model airplane glue was originally named "Dope" by its manufacturer. Inhale too much of the toluene fumes would get a person high, (as it melted their brains)

[boomerangutang]

4 hours ago, georgemandm said:

Can't believe how many western in thailand seem to care about that rubbish  marijuana , but up to them , it will neve ever happen in my country to  legalise it. and it will never ever happen in thailand.

so all you pot smokes keep smoking that rubbish in thailand, you will get  court and end up in a thai  jail . 

Wrong.  Thailand follows the US on all drug laws.  The US is liberalizing pot use, so will Thailand.   Similar with hemp. 
 

1 hour ago, Grumpy Duck said:

I understand the term "dope" refers originally to glue sniffing then spread to opiates, never heard of marijuana called dope

Pot is called 'dope' by many old timers.  Cops were pigs.  Dopers called themselves 'freaks.'   A girlfriend/boyfriend was called 'my ol lady' or 'my old man.'  You probably know what 'narcs' were.

 

1 hour ago, steven100 said:

Drug pushers, users, sellers and traffickers deserve death and not less.

Philippine government is seeing to that and it will eradicate the scourge.

Darn, you'd fit right in as a guard at a WWII German concentration camp.  If you include alcoholic drink peddlers in your missive, that would be a lot of dead people - round about 80% of the population.  
 

57 minutes ago, steven100 said:

yes ... but it's not ...  only drugs. I have seen what drugs do to many and it is illegal. Ice, meth, and many other drugs are rampant in schools and universities as well as ... I would say most country towns in Australia as has been documented recently.  Australia as other countries are a mess with drug users. It's sickening.

Every knowledgeable person, even the most right-wing among us, know that alcoholic drinks are drugs. Alcohol and pharma drugs, individually, cause more harm than all illegal drugs combined. Look it up.

 

[F4UCorsair]

On 8/9/2017 at 7:13 PM, simple1 said:

We all differ, I smoked ganja most weeks for approx 25 years on average 2/3 sessions a week, after work etc. For a number of reasons I found dope very pleasurable.

 

So that explains your posts simple1???   I thought it was just that you were a lefty!!

 

Only joking man.  Don't take it too seriously.

 

I haven't read the entire thread, but I'm sure many have already noted that weed is not as harmful as tobacco or alcohol??

 

Edit....and then I looked at the post immediately above.

Edited August 11, 2017 by F4UCorsair

[F4UCorsair]

41 minutes ago, Grumpy Duck said:

Just sharing the history. In the early 20th century model airplane glue was originally named "Dope" by its manufacturer. Inhale too much of the toluene fumes would get a person high, (as it melted their brains)

A technical point.....dope is not actually glue, although it does have some adhesive properties.  It's what was painted on the fabric covering on full scale aircraft many years ago to tighten the fabric.   It then found its way into model aircraft when they were covered in tissue, before the heat shrink materials now available.

 

I only ever used dope a couple of times, the tightening type of dope, and it's nasty stuff if the room isn't really well ventilated.  How anybody could trade the mother of all headaches off for a 'high' is beyond me.

Edited August 11, 2017 by F4UCorsair

[Justgrazing]

7 hours ago, Grumpy Duck said:

I understand the term "dope" refers originally to glue sniffing then spread to opiates, never heard of marijuana called dope

The term dope quite often does refer to midnight tokers but has been " attatched " to users of other narc's .. Other uses   :-  resin used to protect canvas skin of Brit' WW2 Hurricane fighters wings was called " dope " and some not very bright people are ( can be ) called dope .. Or dopey .. 

[metisdead]

Troll posts and replies have been removed. 

[F4UCorsair]

From the OP....

 

LONDON (Reuters) - People who smoke marijuana have a three times greater risk of dying from hypertension, or high blood pressure, than those who have never used the drug, scientists said on Wednesday.

 

Well that sure as hell won't stop anybody using it, not even intelligent people.   Terror campaigns about effects on health haven't stopped people boozing or smoking tobacco

Edited August 11, 2017 by F4UCorsair

[7by7]

17 hours ago, Scott said:

23 hours ago, 7by7 said:

 

<snip>

I was a regular smoker of cannabis from my late teens to early 30s; I stopped after a friend, also a user, developed schizophrenia and eventually killed himself. His doctors said that his cannabis use was very likely to be a factor, if not in his developing schizophrenia then in it's severity; so I did a bit of research.

It's called self-medicating.   A lot of people with existing mental problems turn to various drugs which provide relief from an otherwise tortured life.   In general, it doesn't work; it's replacing one problem with another problem.  

 

 

It seems I wasn't clear.

 

Before stating to smoke cannabis he had no mental health problems at all. It was only after he had been a user for a couple of years that his problems began to manifest.

 

OK, he probably had latent schizophrenia, and he may very well have developed severe symptoms anyway. But, according to his mother, his doctors said that his cannabis use could very well have aggravated his symptoms, and had he never used it he may have never developed symptoms at all.

 

Medical research adds credence to this theory.

 

As I said: if one wants to use cannabis as a recreational drug; go ahead. But don't kid yourself there are no health risks involved. 

 

 

 

 

 

[F4UCorsair]

1 minute ago, 7by7 said:

It seems I wasn't clear.

 

Before stating to smoke cannabis he had no mental health problems at all. It was only after he had been a user for a couple of years that his problems began to manifest.

 

OK, he probably had latent schizophrenia, and he may very well have developed severe symptoms anyway. But, according to his mother, his doctors said that his cannabis use could very well have aggravated his symptoms, and had he never used it he may have never developed symptoms at all.

 

Medical research adds credence to this theory.

 

As I said: if one wants to use cannabis as a recreational drug; go ahead. But don't kid yourself there are no health risks involved. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have a daughter who is a smoker of cannabis, and who has diabolical mental issues that didn't exist prior.  She won't listen, but she's in her 40's, so has to make her own decisions, and currently they are irrational....at best.

 

She is in the IT industry, and many who are in that industry feel almost an obligation to smoke to feed their creativity.   Sounds like a crock to me, but that's what they contend.

[simple1]

27 minutes ago, F4UCorsair said:

 

I have a daughter who is a smoker of cannabis, and who has diabolical mental issues that didn't exist prior.  She won't listen, but she's in her 40's, so has to make her own decisions, and currently they are irrational....at best.

 

She is in the IT industry, and many who are in that industry feel almost an obligation to smoke to feed their creativity.   Sounds like a crock to me, but that's what they contend.

I worked in the IT industry for 30+ years in small organisations to multinational corporations, never heard the justification you mention in any of the roles / genders I worked with. Primary reasons, if talked about, were relaxation, enhanced sexual experience and basically having fun.

Edited August 11, 2017 by simple1

[Grumpy Duck]

I remember in elementary school, (7th grade in AZ) we had a class in health, one day we had a health lecture, we were told, "if you use marijuana you will use herion (yes he actually said har e on) & get addicted. We had never heard of such things. Great job of sparking youthful curiosity. 

The following year we moved to Calif. I was a freshman in HS the first time I had a chance to try it. I inhaled deeply, then coughed it was a good high. When I was in the Army I stayed away from all drugs, except once in Korea we smoked some pot cured with opium....

oh yeaaaaa I was out of the park. My gf  threw my 6' carcas over her 5' tall shoulders and carried me home. 5555

I have not touched pot in almost 40 years. But I remember it well, smoke a bowl, go horizontal watching TV, then getting the "gleans" (that's that big smile that stretches ear to ear) then come the munchies, then morning time to wake up. Now at 65 pushing 45 a pizza gets me to the same nirvana. Lol

[Morch]

Over the years, I knew some people who had extreme reactions (mostly mental) to Marijuana. Not many, but some. Perhaps more so when ingesting it in other ways other than smoking. I think that the main issues associated with bad experiences were feelings related to disorientation, loss of control and warped perception. Not for everyone. Can't offhand recall anyone flipping as a result of a single experience, though.

 

As for long term issues, many of my friends are well into it, some more, some less. Again, no negative health related stuff I'm aware of - for those getting on board later in life, quite an eye opener and for a couple, the only thing that eases chronic pains. As @simple1 said people cite relaxation, better sensory experience, and plain old fun. Well, ok - thinking about it, some may get a bit irritable if they can't score some, but won't go berserk or anything.

 

I think the question is how all this stacks compared to other substances and medicine. People indulging in one thing or another is as old as history itself. More a matter of choices and balance.

[Morch]

14 minutes ago, Grumpy Duck said:

I remember in elementary school, (7th grade in AZ) we had a class in health, one day we had a health lecture, we were told, "if you use marijuana you will use herion (yes he actually said har e on) & get addicted. We had never heard of such things. Great job of sparking youthful curiosity. 

The following year we moved to Calif. I was a freshman in HS the first time I had a chance to try it. I inhaled deeply, then coughed it was a good high. When I was in the Army I stayed away from all drugs, except once in Korea we smoked some pot cured with opium....

oh yeaaaaa I was out of the park. My gf  threw my 6' carcas over her 5' tall shoulders and carried me home. 5555

I have not touched pot in almost 40 years. But I remember it well, smoke a bowl, go horizontal watching TV, then getting the "gleans" (that's that big smile that stretches ear to ear) then come the munchies, then morning time to wake up. Now at 65 pushing 45 a pizza gets me to the same nirvana. Lol