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Title: Marijuana DOES cause schizophrenia and triggers heart attacks, experts say in landmark study that slams most of the drug's medical benefits as 'unproven'
Source:
Daily Mail
URL Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a ... medical-benefits-unproven.html
Published: Jan 12, 2017
Author: Mia De Graaf and Associated Press
Post Date: 2017-01-12 20:52:32 by misterwhite
Keywords: None
Views: 6219
Comments: 33
Marijuana does raise the risk of getting schizophrenia and triggers heart attacks, according to the most significant study on the drug's effects to date. A federal advisory panel admitted cannabis can almost certainly ease chronic pain, and might help some people sleep. But it dismisses most of the drug's other supposedly 'medical benefits' as unproven. Crucially, the researchers concluded there is not enough research to say whether marijuana effectively treats epilepsy - one of the most widely-recognized reasons for cannabis prescriptions. The report also casts doubt on using cannabis to treat cancers, irritable bowel syndrome, or certain symptoms of Parkinson's disease, or helping people beat addictions. The experts called for a national effort to learn more about marijuana and its chemical cousins, including similarly acting compounds called cannabinoids. In fact, the current lack of scientific information 'poses a public health risk,' said the report, released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Patients, health care professionals and policy makers need more evidence to make sound decisions, it said. Several factors have limited research. While the federal government has approved some medicines containing ingredients found in marijuana, it still classifies marijuana as illegal and imposes restrictions on research. So scientists have to jump through bureaucratic hoops that some find daunting, the report said. A federal focus on paying for studies of potential harms has also impeded research into possible health benefits, the report said. The range of marijuana products available for study has also been restricted, although the government is expanding the number of approved suppliers. Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for a variety of medical uses, and eight of those states plus the district have also legalized it for recreational use.
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#7. To: misterwhite (#0)
I believe that we went down the wrong road long ago when we submitted to the notion that recreational euphoria was a benefit to all comers. We see in hindsight today how forces operating beyond our horizons made dope popular, coaxing up demand which an illicit supply industry was happy to meet. And while an herb may have its virtues, after a generation or more of experimentation we see that the habitual use of marijuana has been bad for lots of folks. It’s been bad for poor people. It’s been bad for young people. It’s also been bad for the mentally ill as current studies show. It has been a gateway to even more destructive habits – maybe not more often than not, but often enough. The entertainment and information leviathan western countries has conspired to make pot smoking an activity that is condoned, approved of, even celebrated. But “getting high” on a lark has never been an unencumbered practice throughout history. Drug use in traditional societies has always been recognized for its dangers and has always been practiced within the bounds of ceremonial taboo and religious practice. It’s never been just for fun, and I think it would have been better if we’d followed the natural inclination of previous generations for whom the idea of smoking an herb to get high had been viewed as simply abject degeneracy and all of us just walked away. However, many of us didn’t, and now the genie is out of the bottle. Pot is a TRAP that’s been set for us. Perhaps it’s time to recognize unintended consequences of behavior many have come to tolerate. It has become more than just a lifestyle choice on the part of millions. Recreational drug use of all kinds has spawned twin monsters. One head of the dragon is crime, organized and disorganized, from the neighborhood dealer to the dope cartels burrowing into our cities, which suck billions out of the legitimate economy. The other head is the criminal justice monster that feed armies of law enforcement and prison personnel and lives off the legalized confiscation of property and an insane proliferation of law upon law passed for the simple reason that no sane adult wants this stuff in their neighborhoods. No one wants their kids smoking pot. No one with his head screwed on anyway. The unintended consequence is that we are in a TRAP that has no easy exit. On the one hand, there’s significant opposition to legitimizing pot use, for good reason. On the other, feeding the criminal justice system the way we have been doing is immensely destructive. It’s a tragedy when an otherwise good kid is apprehended at a traffic stop with a bowl and a couple of seeds to answer for, and his future is on the hook. Maybe if Michael Brown hadn’t been stuffing blunts and selling dope he might not have been walking down the middle of the street in front of a police cruiser with a box of stolen cigarillos. Perhaps he might not have felt it necessary to go for the gun of an honorable police officer who had to take a life to defend his own. Maybe Michael Brown might have finished school and done something productive with his life. The libertarian voice in many of us tells us that it’s no skin off anyone else’s nose if a man rolls up a joint. But life is not that simple. You won’t escape the unforeseen and unintended.
Some states have decriminalized marijuana. It's still illegal, but possession of small amounts is punishable by a fine -- like a traffic ticket. Of course, those who favor legalization see this as a victory and only the first step. Which demonstrates the problem of trying to meet fanatics halfway.
Which helps to keep a lot of folks caught with small amounts out of jail. That in itself is a good thing. The next step is medical marijuana. And I think where that's being tried they're finding more dope in the hands of more kids. That's not such a good thing.
You're making my point. First, decriminalize. Next, what about medical marijuana? I thought you were against legalization. Now you're for it. No, that's not the next step. Smoked medical marijuana is a scam. It has no medical use. No major medical organization approves of smoked marijuana for any reason..
Nope. I guess it's the contentious nature of this board that forces people to take a king hell stand one way or another. I know posters that maintain that pot has helped them with the symptoms of chronic conditions. I take them at their word and that's just anecdotal evidence. I also know folks that have prescribed marijuana for various problems. I assume they've done it for good reasons and that such prescriptions are licensed and approved. Still more anecdotal evidence. We won't know if MM is a good thing or a bad thing I think for a number or years. The proof is in the pudding. Right now more pot is getting into more hands and often times that product is getting into the hands of those that shouldn't have their mitts on it. As I say, you can try these experiments, but you're going to have outcomes that you haven't gambled on. I'm very skeptical
Sez HOO, my fascist friend?! Why is it YOUR business, POT-NAZI?!
Change the name to pothead slim.
NOT that anyone's judging U, GAY-Aisle...MUD
#28. To: Mudboy Slim (#27)
So says the degenerative pot head. Fuck off, hippie libtard.
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#8. To: randge (#7)
"On the one hand, there’s significant opposition to legitimizing pot use, for good reason. On the other, feeding the criminal justice system the way we have been doing ... "
#9. To: misterwhite (#8)
Some states have decriminalized marijuana.
#10. To: randge (#9)
"The next step is medical marijuana ..."
#11. To: misterwhite (#10)
I thought you were against legalization. Now you're for it.
#23. To: randge (#11)
"Right now more pot is getting into more hands and often times that product is getting into the hands of those that shouldn't have their mitts on it."
#24. To: Mudboy Slim (#23)
#27. To: GrandIsland (#24)
(Edited)
Replies to Comment # 27.
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