Cannabis, Even Medical Cannabis Could Be Much Worse Than Thalidomide - Medical Journal

Medical cannabis on the NHS

This article from a prestigious medical journal is written for medical professionals with terms that most of us

will not understand. I have highlighted a several points so you don't have to read every word.

BMJ - British Medical Journal
doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k335

Known Cannabis Teratogenicity (Birth Defects) Needs to be Carefully Considered

It is no accident that in almost the same week both Australia and UK have decided that cannabis is to be recommended for a host of medical disorders mostly in advance of gold standard clinical trials. This is a direct product of the organized transnational global drug liberalization movement orchestrated from New York 1.

I wish to most respectfully disagree with the points made by BMJ editor Dr. Godlee. Diarrhoea and colic occur in cannabis withdrawal; Crohn’s disease has a prominent immune aspect, and cannabinoids are likely acting partly as immune modulators. Statements from patients are uninterpretable without understanding the treatments tried, their withdrawal symptomatology and their personal preferences.

Most importantly, as Dr Godlee states, cannabis is a mixture of 104 cannabinoids. The tide cannot be both out and in at the same time. Medicines in western nations are universally pure substances. This comprises a fundamental difficulty.

Medical research has confirmed that the body’s endocannabinoid system is a finely regulated and highly complex system which is involved in the detailed regulation of essentially all body systems including the brain and cardiovascular systems and stem cell niches.

Studies have shown that the rate of use of cannabis by expecting mothers closely parallels that in the wider community. In fact given the long half-life of cannabis in tissues even were a maternal habitual smoker to stop when she discovered her pregnancy, her infant would continue to be exposed to her on-board cannabinoid load for several months afterwards during critical periods of organogenesis. And other studies show that the father’s cannabis use is even more damaging than the mothers’ 2.

Studies show that the father’s cannabis use

is even more damaging than the mothers’

Whilst much research has focussed on the effects of endocannabinoids in the adult brain relatively little research has looked at the impact of these same effects in the developing brain of the foetus and neonate. Whilst the brain stem is almost devoid of type 1 cannabinoid receptors (CB1Rs) they are in high concentration in many parts of the midbrain, limbic system, subcortical regions and cerebral and cerebellar cortices 3. Foetal CB1Rs have been shown to play key roles in virtually all aspects of brain development including neural stem cell function, determining the ratio of glial v neuronal differentiation, brain inflammation, axonal growth cone guidance, stem cell niche function and signalling, blood flow signalling, white matter and CNS tract formation, glial cell differentiation, myelination, dendrite formation, neural migration into the developing cortex, synapse formation and integration of newly formed neurons into the neural network. They are also found in high density on endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria from which latter they indirectly control major issues including cognition, DNA maintenance and repair systems both by supplying energy and by metabolite shuttle and RNA signalling 4 5.

Hence it is not surprising that gestational cannabis has been linked with a clear continuum of defects, including in protracted longitudinal studies from Pittsburgh, Ottawa and Netherlands impaired cortical and executive functioning; reduced spatial judgement; the need to recruit more brain to perform similar computational tasks 6; microcephaly 7; lifelong smaller heads and smaller brains 6; anencephaly (in two CDC studies 8), and increased foetal death. This progression clearly reflects a spectrum of congenital neurological impairment which is quite consistent with the known distribution of CB1Rs mainly across the foetal and adult forebrain and midbrain and its derivatives 3.

Consistent with a recent explosion of autism

It is also consistent with a recent explosion of autism in Colorado, California, New Jersey and many other sites in USA and internationally in recent years 9. Moreover cannabis induced synpatopathy closely mimics that seen in autism 10 11, as do similar white matter disconnection endophenotypes 3 12.

A similar scenario plays out in the cardiovasculature. The American Heart Association and American Academy of Pediatrics issued a joint statement as long ago as 2007 noting that foetal cannabis exposure was linked with increased rates of ventricular septal defect and Ebstein's anomaly (complex tricuspid valvopathy) 13. This is consistent with recent Colorado experience where ventricular septal defect has risen from 43.9 to 59.4 / 10,000 live births, or 35.3% 2000-2013. Both of these structures are derivatives of the endocardial cushions which are rich in CB1Rs. Concerningly Colorado has also seen a 262% rise in atrial septal defects over the same period. Exposure to other drugs does not explain this change as they were falling across this period. It has also been reported that the father’s use of cannabis is the strongest environmental factor implicated in cardiovascular defects, here involving transposition of the great arteries 2, which is a derivative of the conoventricular ridges immediately distal and continuous with embryonic endocardial cushions, and also rich in CB1Rs.

Similar findings play out in gastroschisis (a birth defect of the abdominal (belly) wall. The baby's intestines are found outside of the baby's body, exiting through a hole beside the belly button). There is an impressive concordance amongst the larger studies of the relationship of gastroschisis and congenital cannabis exposure where senior Canadian authors concluded that cannabis caused a three-fold rise in gastroschisis 14, consistent with a high density of CB1Rs on the umbilical vessels 15.

A 3-fold increase in babies born

with their intestines outside of their bellies.

And cannabis has also been implicated as an indirect chromosomal clastogen and indirect genotoxin through its effect to disrupt the mitotic spindle by microtubule inhibition 16, and likely DNA maintenance and repair 17 by its effect on nuclear actin filaments 18.

Moreover cannabidiol has been shown to alter the epigenome, to be genotoxic, and to bind to CB1Rs at high doses, so the simplistic case that “Cannabidiol is good” – fails.

The simplistic case that “Cannabidiol is good” – fails

These considerations imply that if clinical trials continue to show efficacy for additional indications for cannabinoids, their genotoxic and teratogenic potential, from both mother and father, will need to be carefully balanced with their clinical utility. They also imply that these issues will need to be more widely canvassed and discussed in order to introduce more balance into the heavily biased present global media coverage of the highly misleading misnomer “medical cannabis”.

Only once before has a known teratogen been marketed globally: 

thalidomide

Only once before has a known teratogen been marketed globally: the thalidomide disaster is the proximate reason for modern pharmaceutical laws. With its widespread uptake, rising concentrations, asymptotic genotoxic dose-response curves and actions through the paternal line cannabis could be much worse.

References

1. Open Society Foundations. Open Society Foundations New York: Open Society Foundations; 2018 [cited 2018 4th August 2018]. Available from: https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/ accessed 4th August 2018 2018.

2. Wilson PD, Loffredo CA, Correa-Villasenor A, et al. Attributable fraction for cardiac malformations. Am J Epidemiol 1998;148(5):414-23.

3. Yang Q, Huang P, Li C, et al. Mapping alterations of gray matter volume and white matter integrity in children with autism spectrum disorder: evidence from fMRI findings. Neuroreport 2018 doi: 10.1097/WNR.0000000000001094

4. Hebert-Chatelain E, Desprez T, Serrat R, et al. A cannabinoid link between mitochondria and memory. Nature 2016;539(7630):555-59. doi: 10.1038/nature20127

5. Yates D. Learning and memory: The cannabinoid connection. Nat Rev Neurosci 2016;18(1):4. doi: 10.1038/nrn.2016.171

6. Brents L. Correlates and consequences of Prenatal Cannabis Exposure (PCE): Identifying and Characterizing Vulnerable Maternal Populations and Determining Outcomes in Exposed Offspring In: Preedy V.R., ed. Handbook of Cannabis and Related Pathologies: Biology, Pharmacology, Diagnosis and Treatment. London: Academic Press 2017:160-70.

7. Forrester MB, Merz RD. Risk of selected birth defects with prenatal illicit drug use, Hawaii, 1986-2002. Journal of toxicology and environmental health 2007;70(1):7-18.

8. Van Gelder MMHJ, Donders ART, Devine O, et al. Using bayesian models to assess the effects of under-reporting of cannabis use on the association with birth defects, national birth defects prevention study, 1997-2005. Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology 2014;28(5):424-33. doi: 10.1111/ppe.12140

9. Christensen DL, Baio J, Van Naarden Braun K, et al. Prevalence and Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 8 Years--Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2012. MMWR Surveill Summ 2016;65(3):1-23. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.ss6503a1

10. Anderson GR, Aoto J, Tabuchi K, et al. beta-Neurexins Control Neural Circuits by Regulating Synaptic Endocannabinoid Signaling. Cell 2015;162(3):593-606. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2015.06.056

11. Won H, Mah W, Kim E. Autism spectrum disorder causes, mechanisms, and treatments: focus on neuronal synapses. Front Mol Neurosci 2013;6:19. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2013.00019

12. Zalesky A, Solowij N, Yucel M, et al. Effect of long-term cannabis use on axonal fibre connectivity. Brain 2012;135(Pt 7):2245-55. doi: aws136 [pii]

10.1093/brain/aws136 [published Online First: 2012/06/07]

13. Jenkins KJ, Correa A, Feinstein JA, et al. Noninherited risk factors and congenital cardiovascular defects: current knowledge: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young: endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Circulation 2007;115(23):2995-3014. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.106.183216

14. Moore A., Roulean J., Skarsgard E. Congenital Anomalies in Canada, 2013. A Perinatal Health Surveillance Report. Chapter 7. Gastroschisis.

. In: Public Health Agency of Canada HC, ed. Ottawa: Health Canada, 2013:57-63.

15. Pacher P, Steffens S, Hasko G, et al. Cardiovascular effects of marijuana and synthetic cannabinoids: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Nat Rev Cardiol 2018;15(3):151-66. doi: 10.1038/nrcardio.2017.130

16. Reece AS, Hulse GK. Chromothripsis and epigenomics complete causality criteria for cannabis- and addiction-connected carcinogenicity, congenital toxicity and heritable genotoxicity. Mutat Res 2016;789:15-25. doi: 10.1016/j.mrfmmm.2016.05.002

17. Caridi CP, D'Agostino C, Ryu T, et al. Nuclear F-actin and myosins drive relocalization of heterochromatic breaks. Nature 2018;559(7712):54-60. doi: 10.1038/s41586-018-0242-8

18. Wang J, Yuan W, Li MD. Genes and pathways co-associated with the exposure to multiple drugs of abuse, including alcohol, amphetamine/methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, morphine, and/or nicotine: a review of proteomics analyses. Molecular neurobiology 2011;44(3):269-86. doi: 10.1007/s12035-011-8202-4

Marketplace Tests Today's Marijuana and Finds It Very Dangerous for Under 25s

What's in your pot? Marketplace tests today's weed

As Ottawa prepares to legalize recreational marijuana, Marketplace investigation shows how weed has changed

By Tyana Grundig and David Common, CBC News 

    Marijuana is still illegal in Canada, but there’s been a proliferation of shops that allow people to

    walk in off the street and buy the product for medical or recreational purpose

    (Ron Ward/Canadian Press)

Marijuana legalization is looming in Canada, but what's in today's weed — and what isn't — may surprise you.

CBC's Marketplace looked into the marijuana market ahead of the legalization of recreational pot, which is expected to be introduced through legislation in spring 2017 and to take effect in 2018.

When producers visited seven Toronto dispensaries and collected 12 of the most popular marijuana strains, laboratory test results showed average THC levels of around 20 per cent. THC is the active ingredient that provides pot's high.

Some strains reached as high at 30 per cent THC, much higher than pot in the 1970s, when levels in Canada hovered between two to eight per cent, according to Jonathan Page, an adjunct professor of botany at the University of British Columbia.

Study after study points to the attributes of combining THC and CBD. The science isn't settled, but  research suggests CBD can mitigate some of the negative effects that can happen with high-THC weed, including anxiety, paranoia, and psychosis.

CBD is also the focus of much research on possible medicinal benefits in treating everything from childhood epilepsy to schizophrenia and arthritis.

Dr. Steven Laviolette says teenagers are particularly at risk when it comes to marijuana use, especially when it comes to high-THC pot. (Marketplace/CBC)

Dr. Steven Laviolette, a neuroscientist and one of Canada's top researchers into the effects of marijuana on the brain, says the lab findings are cause for alarm.

"There's basically nothing to put a brake on the psychological and neurophysical effects," he says of the findings.

Laviolette, who is based out of Western University in London, Ont., has spent 12 years researching the effect of marijuana chemicals on the brains and behaviours of adolescent rats. He found that when the teenage rat brain is exposed to high THC levels, it can produce paranoia, or even schizophrenia-like symptoms in the animals. CBD, however, can reverse schizophrenia-like symptoms, according to his research.

Buying pot on the spot

The Toronto-area dispensaries whose products Marketplace tested were chosen at random, but each of the selected shops allowed customers to buy marijuana on the spot.

Several locations had the veneer of medical dispensaries, with many requiring customers to fill out medical history forms. One location described itself as a recreational dispensary and only required proof of age to enter. Like all the other dispensaries Marketplace visited, the minimum age at that shop was 19.

Marijuana dispensaries in Canada are operating illegally, but are widespread.

Marketplace bought whichever strains came recommended as popular by store staff or other customers.

The samples were sent to an accredited lab to test for THC and CBD levels.

Half of the samples (six strains) came labelled with their THC content — ranging from 13 to 23 per cent. One sample included a CBD percentage, listed at one per cent.

Testing showed that many of the labels were not accurate; only two of the labelled samples fell within one percentage point of what was listed. And many of the samples contained more THC than listed.

For example, one sample said it contained 13 per cent THC, but testing showed it contained 18 per cent. Another sample contained only half of what was promised. Of the unlabelled samples, THC content ranged between 15 and 30 per cent.

None of the samples contained a detectable level of CBD

Will 'high-potency' products be regulated?

Dr. Mark Ware, an associate professor of family medicine and anesthesia at McGill University who is serving as vice-chair of the federal task force on the legalization and regulation of marijuana,  says there's some suggestion that cannabis has been bred to boost THC levels and push down CBD levels.

Some suggestion? Hello?

Northwoods Ministries: Does Pot make you Crazy?
'Skunk-Like Cannabis' Increases Risk of Psychosis by 3 to 5 Times
More Research on the Dangerous Effects of Marijuana on the Brain
Northwoods Ministries: Pot, Schizophrenia, and The Truth
Northwoods Ministries: Playing Russian Roulette with Your Sanity

CBD, he notes, "hasn't been of interest to the recreational market or growers because it doesn't cause that euphoric potential.

Ware, who thinks more research is needed on the interaction between THC and CBD, says in a "perfect world" buyers would have access to a "sort of fingerprint of every cannabis molecule, every cannabis product."

"Just like the list of ingredients that you have in a good product."

When asked whether he thinks CBD should be in all marijuana, he says he's interested to see how "CBD and THC levels play out in a recreational, non-medical framework." But he says it's "way too early to recommend" to make it a requirement, citing the need for a better understanding of cannabidiol.

Then it is way too early to legalize marijuana.

Health Canada told Marketplace in an email that the task force has been asked to advise on whether there should be limits on THC potency, or on "high-potency" marijuana products.

The task force has yet to release its recommendations.

"But we've talked about regulating the ingredients of the product so that people know what's in it, regulating the potency, regulating the quality," says Ware, who also directs clinical research at a pain management unit at McGill in Montreal.

How to decide who is old enough to buy?

Also on the legalization task force's agenda? The minimum age to buy legal marijuana, which is expected to be between 19 and 25.

Most scientists now agree that critical brain development continues to age 25.

Setting the age at 25 might send a message to some teens that there is a problem with developing brains and pot. Setting it at 18 or 19 is just confirmation in the teenage mind that there is nothing wrong with it. Of course, most teens will ignore the warning, but the few who are bright enough to listen might just save their own sanity.

Laviolette says there will surely be quibbles about what the exact minimum age should be, but he cautions that teenagers are particularly vulnerable.

Ware, the task force member, agrees that marijuana can be harmful to the developing brain, and argues that legislation can help.

"Regulation includes education," he says, and will offer both young people — and adults— a better understanding of what's known about marijuana use, and what science is still trying to sort out.

Education - like that's going to help teens make better decisions as to what pot products to use. Most teens will go for whatever makes them the highest without regard for whether or not there is an increased risk of sheer madness. Teens are gamblers and risks are part of the fun. 

Why would we expect teens to make good decisions about pot when we have dozens of adults shooting themselves up on the streets of Vancouver with cocaine laced with fentanyl or car-fentanyl and overdosing to the point where they need emergency treatment within minutes to keep them alive? Pop musician Prince died from a fentanyl overdose. When it comes to drugs, education and common sense have no part.

Fentanyl
Between January and September, at least 332 overdose deaths in Vancouver were linked to fentanyl, according to the British Columbia Coroners Service. That’s a 196 per cent increase from the same period in 2015 –- and emergency response crews fear the problem is getting worse.

On Thursday, fire hall No. 2 received 15 calls for overdoses within a three-hour period.

There are volunteer groups administering naloxone, an antidote for fentanyl overdosing, and there are temporary 'safe injection sites' popping up in east Vancouver because the permanent sites are all full to overflowing. This is more than just a drug problem, it's a serious, even catastrophic societal problem, and I'm hard pressed to see how the government is doing anything but making it worse.

Watch the full Marketplace investigation into marijuana

'Skunk-Like Cannabis' Increases Risk of Psychosis by 3 to 5 Times

Former skunk user Liaquat Zaman: "It brought me to a very dark place in my life"

Smoking potent cannabis was linked to 24% of new psychosis cases analysed in a study by King's College London.

The research suggests the risk of psychosis is three times higher for users of potent "skunk-like" cannabis than for non-users.

The study of 780 people was carried out by KCL's Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience.

A Home Office spokesman said the report underlines the reasons why cannabis is illegal.

Scientists found the risk of psychosis was five times higher for those who use it every day compared with non-users.

They also concluded the use of hash, a milder form of the drug, was not associated with increased risk of psychosis.

Psychosis refers to delusions or hallucinations that can be present in certain psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Risk increased 'threefold'
"Compared with those who had never tried cannabis, users of high potency skunk-like cannabis had a threefold increase in risk of psychosis,' said Dr Marta Di Forti, lead author on the research.

She added: "The results show that psychosis risk in cannabis users depends on both the frequency of use and cannabis potency."

Dr Di Forti told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the availability of skunk-like cannabis was becoming more widespread.

'I was a wreck'
Cath from Berkshire, who asked to remain anonymous, believes smoking skunk caused her to experience mental health problems.

"I dabbled with a friends' group in my early 20s, and went from someone who had never experienced any mental health issues whatsoever, to an absolute wreck.

"I was terrified of leaving the house, and I became petrified of death, of the mysteries of the universe, and of being alone. You name it, I was terrified of it.

"It took about six years to feel normal again and now, almost 20 years later, I have absolutely no doubt that my issues were triggered by casually and naively smoking this so called 'soft' drug.

"For years I have shuddered as campaigners have sought to declassify or promote the product as I understand first-hand the hidden yet, until now, unspoken dangers of this awful drug."

"In London, it's very difficult to find anything else," Dr Di Forti said.

"There were lots of reports from police across the UK saying we have become a great producer of skunk. And not only do we use it locally but we export, so this is a Made in England product."

Someone suffering from psychosis would often be "extremely paranoid and become very suspicious" about the people around them, she added.

She has called for "a clear public message" to cannabis users, comparable to medical advice on alcohol and tobacco.

GPs should be encouraged to ask how often and what type of cannabis patients use, she added,

A Home Office spokesman said the findings backed up the government's approach: "Drugs such as cannabis are illegal because scientific and medical evidence demonstrates they are harmful.

"This report serves to emphasise how they can destroy lives and communities."

'Without risk'
Skunk contains more THC - the main psychoactive ingredient - than other types of cannabis.

Unlike skunk, hashish - cannabis resin - contains substantial quantities of another chemical called cannabidiol or CBD and research suggests this can act as an antidote to the THC, counteracting psychotic side effects.

Sir Robin Murray, professor of psychiatric research at King's, commented: "This paper suggests that we could prevent almost one quarter of cases of psychosis if no-one smoked high potency cannabis.

"This could save young patients a lot of suffering and the NHS a lot of money."

The research was carried out over several years, comparing 410 patients aged 18-65 who reported a first episode of psychosis at a south London psychiatric hospital with 370 healthy participants within the same age range from the same area of London.

It will be published later this week in the Lancet Psychiatry.

Rosanna O'Connor, director of alcohol, drugs and tobacco at Public Health England, responded: "No drug use is without risk as this report demonstrates.

"Anyone having problems with drug use should seek help from their local specialist drug services. It is important to remember that treatment for all types of drug problems, including cannabis, are readily available and very effective".

Cannabis user Robert, from Hertfordshire experienced a "temporary psychosis" after taking home-grown cannabis in his 20s.

"It was utterly terrifying, and the worst night of my life," he told the BBC News website.

"As someone affected by this issue it is hard watching mainstream media, particularly comedy films, portraying cannabis as a harmless life-enhancing substance with limited ill-effects - it's simply not true."

Another person who contacted the BBC website felt that legalising cannabis would allow varieties to be regulated.

Phil, from Cambridgeshire, said: "Speaking as a 'toker' for past 25 years, super skunk is the term they should be using.

"The cause of all this is the illegality. If things were more open and informed, people could buy 'saner' variety seeds."

Yes, people 'could' buy 'saner' seeds, but would they? I doubt it very much. If there was a demand for less potent marijuana, it would dominate the market, but it doesn't. Users want the maximum impact from the drug.

Skunk, has been reclassified as a hard-drug in Holland where pot is legal.

See, Playing Russian Roulette with Your Sanity, for more info and several more links.

Playing Russian Roulette with Your Sanity

Millions of people, especially teenagers and pre-teens (tweens) are playing Russian Roulette with their sanity and it is very dangerous.

Russian Roulette, for some of you  young people who may not know, is a 'game' played with a gun, with potentially deadly consequences. How it works is like this: you take an old fashioned revolver, one with a cylinder that spins and holds 6 bullets, like they used in old western movies where the hero is the only one who can count to 6 so he knows when the bad guy is out of bullets before the bad guy does.

Next, you empty the cylinder of all the bullets, then put one bullet back into the cylinder and spin the cylinder. Without looking at the gun, you lift it to the side of your head and pull the trigger. If you are lucky the active chamber will be empty; if the rest of the world is lucky, you'll be dead, thereby qualifying for a Darwin award. Darwin awards are given to those who improve the gene pool of the planet by eliminating one idiot - them.

Teens and even some tweens are 'playing the game' and don't even know it. They think the chambers are all empty so they can put the gun to their heads and shoot without fear. But the guns are not empty, and young people are putting their sanity at great risk.

How? By smoking pot! Kids under 16 have a 1 in 6 chance of developing full-blown, irreversible Schizophrenia, or Paranoia, or both, from smoking pot. 1 in 6 - just like Russian Roulette. The odds improve somewhat as you get older but never approach zero. 

Numerous studies by some of the top psychologists in the world have confirmed this, and yet Countries and States all over the world are either decriminalizing marijuana, legalizing it, or are thinking about it. Once it is legalized or decriminalized, kids will be convinced that it must not be harmful, that the gun is empty.

You might assume that about even harder drugs if you  live in Edinburgh, Scotland, where the city council just issued a booklet to at least one school with 13 year old kids, explaining how to use street-drugs safely; drugs like cannabis, ecstasy and cocaine. I think they were probably on something when they approved the booklet - there is no such thing as taking street-drugs safely.

More and more research is finding more and more problems with cannabis. It is now associated with lower IQs, poorer memories, and lesser degrees of accomplishment. Aside from a 1 in 6 risk of insanity, there is a 1 in 6 probability that kids will become addicted to pot. Modern pot is several times more powerful than the older stuff.

Research on the Dangerous Effects of Marijuana on the Brain

Marijuana Linked to Death of Colorado Exchange Student

Marijuana Use Linked to Brain Abnormalities

20 Year Study Confirms Significant Dangers from Regular Marijuana Use

More Scary Research into the Effects of Marijuana on Teenagers

Effects of Marijuana Sales in Colorado Serious Cause for Concern

Colorado pot shop

There is so much more information in the links above, please check them out. There is one more effect that science is just beginning to discover about marijuana. It's something I have observed for almost 40 years. It is that regular pot smokers stop maturing! They literally get stuck in the year that they start regular use of the drug.

A neighbour I knew in 1978 was stuck in 1965. He and his wife loved kids but had none - didn't want the responsibility; the drove a 1965 Mustang, they listened to 1964-65 Beatles music on Walkmans all weekend, they dressed like hippies all weekend, and they smoked pot all weekend.

That is one of many examples; the most extreme example, I believe, is Michael Jackson, whom, I have heard began smoking pot with his brothers at about 8 or 9. Most of Jackson's friends described him as a boy in a man's body. I  have no doubt that he was mentally, emotionally and socially, an 8 or 9 year old boy all his life; and I have little doubt that pot was entirely to blame.

You can function in this world while being stuck in an undeveloped state of maturity, but it will eventually catch up to you and make your life miserable. It will also prevent you from ever finding and accomplishing the very reason for your existence.

Please, if you are a parent, tell your kids that there are real bullets in that gun, and there is no coming back from it.

20 Year Study Confirms Significant Dangers from Regular Marijuana Use

VANCOUVER – A 20-year study from Britain looking into the health risks of cannabis finds that smoking pot is far from harmless.

The study, published in the journal Addiction, finds regular use of the drug by teens impairs intellectual development and doubles the risk of developing psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia, can lead to other mental disorders, car crashes, unhealthy babies and more problems.

It also finds there is strong evidence regular pot use leads to the use of other drugs.

“Marijuana is just not the same benign substance that we knew about in the 60s,” says Kerrie Watt from Coastal Health. “It does have real health impacts and impacts in the lives of young people and their families in particular, and it’s something worth taking a look at.”

“Particularly in adolescents, the memory centres of the brain appear to shrink and that they are impaired in terms of their ability to learn and have good recalls of memories.”

Dr. Wayne Hall, who conducted the study, came to some of the following conclusions:

Regular cannabis users can develop a dependence syndrome, the risks of which are around one in 10 of all cannabis users and one in six among those who start in adolescence.

Dr Wayne Hall

Regular cannabis users double their risks of experiencing psychotic symptoms and disorders, especially if they have a personal or family history of psychotic disorders, and if they start using cannabis in their mid-teens.

Regular adolescent cannabis users have lower educational attainment than non-using peers but we don’t know whether the link is causal.

Driving while cannabis-intoxicated doubles the risk of a car crash; this risk increases substantially if users are also alcohol-intoxicated.

A regular cannabis user refers to someone who gets high at least three times a week.

Professor Wayne Hall, a drugs advisor to the World Health Organization and professor of addiction policy at King's College London, said that heavy, daily use can also lead to dependence and serve as a gateway to other harder drugs.

Among the more startling findings in his study, published in the journal Addiction, are that people who drive after smoking marijuana are twice as likely to be in a car accident, and teens who smoke regularly are twice as likely to have impaired brain function and mental disorders as adults.

"The perception that cannabis is a safe drug is a mistaken reaction to a past history of exaggeration of its health risks," Hall told Live Science .

Other findings of the study: Babies born to mothers who had smoked marijuana may have lower birth weights and smoking marijuana may increase the risk for chronic bronchitis.

Teens and young adults are just as likely to smoke marijuana as they are cigarettes, the study also said.

Because overdosing on cannabis is rare, many view it as safer. But the long-term effects should not be discounted, Hall said. For example, smoking marijuana may not immediately cause a heart attack, but people can die of heart problems that may have been brought on by repeated use.

You've probably read it here before as I campaign to increase awareness of the dangers of pot. 
I have seen people go horribly and irreversibly schizophrenic from it. I've seen people lose their memory and you wonder how they can function. Mostly, I have seen a complete cessation in mental and emotional growth. Most regular users change very little from when they started.

Effects of Marijuana Sales in Colorado Serious Cause for Concern

(CNN) -- This week, Washington state opened recreational marijuana stores for the first time. And these stores don't just carry your father's kind of weed. In addition to highly potent cigarettes -- which are much stronger than those some people might remember from Woodstock -- stores will also soon sell super-strength, pot-infused cookies, candies, sodas, vapor and wax concentrates.

Time will tell what the effects will be, but the state is not the first place to implement such a policy. Colorado started to sell marijuana six months ago. When President Barack Obama stopped by a Denver bar on Tuesday night, it comes as no surprise that someone offered him weed.

Colorado's experience with pot legalization can hardly be called a success. In fact, it should be considered a warning for the residents of Washington.

Special-interest "Big Tobacco"-like groups and businesses have ensured that marijuana is widely promoted, advertised and commercialized in Colorado. As a result, calls to poison centers have skyrocketed, incidents involving kids going to school with marijuana candy and vaporizers seem more common, and explosions involving butane hash oil extraction have risen. Employers are reporting more workplace incidents involving marijuana use, and deaths have been attributed to ingesting marijuana cookies and food items.

So much for the old notion that "pot doesn't kill."

Marijuana companies, like their predecessors in the tobacco industry, are determined to keep lining their pockets.

Indeed, legalization has come down to one thing: money. And it's not money for the government -- Colorado has only raised a third of the amount of tax revenue they have projected -- it's money for this new industry and its shareholders.

Open Colorado newspapers and magazines on any given day and you will find pages of marijuana advertisements, coupons and cartoons promoting greater and greater highs. The marijuana industry is making attractive a wide selection of marijuana-related products such as candies, sodas, ice cream and cartoon-themed paraphernalia and vaporizers, which are undoubtedly appealing to children and teens.

As Al Bronstein, medical director of the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center recently said, "We're seeing hallucinations, they become sick to their stomachs, they throw up, they become dizzy and very anxious." Bronstein reported that in 2013, there were 126 calls concerning adverse reactions to marijuana. From January to April this year, the center receive 65 calls.

And, since Colorado expanded marijuana stores for medical users, peer-reviewed research has found a major upsurge in stoned driving-related deaths (that is not surprising since marijuana intoxication doubles the risk of a car crash).

It is little wonder that every major public health association, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Society of Addiction Medicine oppose the legalization of marijuana.

The scientific verdict is that marijuana can be addictive and dangerous.

Like a deli that stinks

Despite denials by special interest groups and marijuana businesses, the drug's addictiveness is not debatable: 1 in 6 kids who ever try marijuana will become addicted to the drug, according to the National Institutes of Health. Many baby boomers have a hard time understanding this simply because today's marijuana can be so much stronger than the marijuana of the past.

In fact, more than 450,000 incidents of emergency room admissions related to marijuana occur every year, and heavy marijuana use in adolescence is connected to an 8-point reduction of IQ later in life, irrespective of alcohol use.

As if our national mental illness crisis needed more fuel, marijuana users also have a six times higher risk of schizophrenia and are significantly more likely to development other psychotic illnesses. It is no wonder that health groups such as the National Alliance of Mental Illness are increasingly concerned about marijuana use and legalization.

That does not mean we need to arrest our way out of a marijuana problem.

We should reform criminal justice practices and emphasize prevention, early intervention and treatment when necessary. But we do not need to legalize -- and thus commercialize and advertise -- marijuana to implement these reforms.

The only people better off under legalization are the big companies that stand to profit from sales of marijuana. And we can be sure they will get even richer while public health and safety suffers.

The New York Times
Law enforcement officers in Colorado and neighboring states, emergency room doctors and legalization opponents increasingly are highlighting a series of recent problems as cautionary lessons for other states flirting with loosening marijuana laws.

There is the Denver man who, hours after buying a package of marijuana-infused Karma Kandy from one of Colorado’s new recreational marijuana shops, began raving about the end of the world and then pulled a handgun from the family safe and killed his wife, the authorities say. Some hospital officials say they are treating growing numbers of children and adults sickened by potent doses of edible marijuana. Sheriffs in neighboring states complain about stoned drivers streaming out of Colorado and through their towns.


“I think, by any measure, the experience of Colorado has not been a good one unless you’re in the marijuana business,” said Kevin A. Sabet, executive director of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, which opposes legalization. “We’ve seen lives damaged. We’ve seen deaths directly attributed to marijuana legalization. We’ve seen marijuana slipping through Colorado’s borders. We’ve seen marijuana getting into the hands of kids.”

More Research on the Dangerous Effects of Marijuana on the Brain

Research from Harvard Medical School indicates that even casual use of pot can cause permanent brain damage.

People who had only used cannabis once or twice a week for a matter of months were found to have changes in the brain that govern emotion, motivation and addiction. The damage increased with the amount of cannabis used.

Dr Hans Breiter, professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, (author of the study reported in the post immediately below)
“People think a little recreational use shouldn’t cause a problem, if someone is doing OK with work or school. Our data directly says this is not the case.
“I’ve developed a severe worry about whether we should be allowing anybody under age 30 to use pot unless they have a terminal illness and need it for pain.”

“Drug abuse can cause more dopamine release than natural rewards like food, sex and social interaction. That is why drugs take on so much salience, and everything else loses its importance.” The study is published in the Journal of Neurosciences.

Mark Winstanley, chief executive of Rethink Mental Illness, said: “For too long cannabis has been seen as a safe drug, but as this study suggests, it can have a really serious impact on your mental health.

“Research also shows that when people smoke cannabis before the age of 15, it quadruples their chance of developing psychosis. But very few people are aware of the risks involved.”

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• The younger drug abuse starts, the more abnormal the brain

CHICAGO --- Teens who were heavy marijuana users -- smoking it daily for about three years -- had abnormal changes in their brain structures related to working memory and performed poorly on memory tasks, reports a new Northwestern Medicine® study. 

A poor working memory predicts poor academic performance and everyday functioning.

The Northwestern research shows, of the 15 marijuana smokers who had schizophrenia in the study, 90 percent started heavily using the drug before they developed the mental disorder. Marijuana abuse has been linked to developing schizophrenia in prior research.

***************************************************************

A New Zealand study found the cannabis users were more than twice as likely to have a stroke at an early age (18-55). Interestingly, there is no evidence of any correlation with heart attacks.

See post immediately below for more info and also Does Pot make You Crazy?

Marijuana Use Linked to Brain Abnormalities

NEW YORK — A small study of casual marijuana smokers has turned up evidence of changes in the brain, a possible sign of trouble ahead, researchers say.

Smoking a few joints with friends growing up may be the furthest thing from harmless for developing young brains, a new U.S. study suggests.

Teens deluded by adults into thinking that pot is harmless. It's not!

The young adults who volunteered for the study were not dependent on pot, nor did they show any marijuana-related problems.

“What we think we are seeing here is a very early indication of what becomes a problem later on with prolonged use,” things like lack of focus and impaired judgment, said Dr. Hans Breiter, a study author.

Longer-term studies will be needed to see if such brain changes cause any symptoms over time, said Breiter, of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Previous studies have shown mixed results in looking for brain changes from marijuana use, perhaps because of differences in the techniques used, he and others noted in Wednesday’s issue of the Journal of Neurosciences.

Also, read Does Pot Make You Crazy?

The study is among the first to focus on possible brain effects in recreational pot smokers, said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The federal agency helped pay for the work. She called the work important but preliminary.

The 20 pot users in the study, ages 18 to 25, said they smoked marijuana an average of about four days a week, for an average total of about 11 joints. Half of them smoked fewer than six joints a week. Researchers scanned their brains and compared the results to those of 20 non-users who were matched for age, sex and other traits.

The results showed differences in two brain areas associated with emotion and motivation — the amygdala and the nucleus accumbens. Users showed higher density than non-users, as well as differences in shape of those areas. Both differences were more pronounced in those who reported smoking more marijuana.

Volkow said larger studies are needed to explore whether casual to moderate marijuana use really does cause anatomical brain changes, and if so, whether that leads to any impairment.

The current work doesn’t determine whether casual to moderate marijuana use is harmful to the brain, she said.

Murat Yucel of Monash University in Australia, who has studied the brains of marijuana users but didn’t participate in the new study, said in an email that the new results suggest “the effects of marijuana can occur much earlier than previously thought.” Some of the effect may depend on a person’s age when marijuana use starts, he said.

Another brain researcher, Krista Lisdahl of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said her own work has found similar results. “I think the clear message is we see brain alterations before you develop dependence,” she said.

Marijuana Linked to Death of Colorado Exchange Student

An exchange student fell to his death after ingesting marijuana in Colorado - the first death linked to the drug since it was legalised in the US state.

Levy Thamba, 19, plummeted from the balcony of a Denver hotel on 11 March after eating a cannabis-laced cookie.

A post-mortem examination found marijuana intoxication was a factor in the Wyoming student's death.

Colorado became the first US state to legalise recreational use of the drug in January.

So, pot has been legalized for just three months and one death has been attributed to it already. Unfortunately, we don't know how many deaths were attributed to alcohol in the same period, but regardless, we can no longer say that pot is harmless.

Mr Thamba, a native of the Republic of Congo, had reportedly begun taking classes at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming, the same month.

Currently, 20 US states as well as Washington, DC allow for the sale of medical marijuana, while Washington state is set to introduce legal sales later this year.

Recently, US President Barack Obama said marijuana was no more dangerous than alcohol, while cautioning both were bad decisions.

Nonetheless, he has instructed the Department of Justice to halt prosecutions of banks that do business with cannabis firms.

Pot, Schizophrenia, and The Truth

Since posting 'Does Pot Make You Crazy?" last month, I have had some interesting comments about it. The post lists a number of Psychiatric doctors, leaders in their respective countries, who claim that high potency pot has contributed to a dramatic increase in the incidence of schizophrenia, especially, but not exclusively, among young teens. 

Many readers reject the opinions of these learned and experienced scientists in favour of their own opinion, which they deem to be much superior, regardless of their education or lack of it. I have come to the opinion that these people are users and no amount of 'proof' would convince them that there is any problem with their habit.

There was an old Christian teacher, one time, who declared, "morality dictates theology". In other words, we construct our image of God and His requirements according to what will allow us to continue with the habits that we enjoy. This is certainly true for some but others diligently seek the truth and eventually find it, even though it comes at some cost.

Pot smokers have a similar standing. They construct the truth to meet their own desires disregarding scientific fact or reality. Paul Simon wrote in his wonderful song, 'The Boxer', "Still a man he hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest". This selective hearing has nothing to do with the truth and everything to do with the 'will'. 

Our will overpowers our common sense, our ability to hear the truth, and rejects anything that comes with a cost. I'm not talking money here, I'm talking having to give up something - sacrifice. You can only really know the truth when you are willing to sacrifice whatever it is that gets in the way of it. You don't actually have to sacrifice it to know the truth, but you have to be willing to sacrifice it.

Once you know the truth, it is up to you whether you want to continue with your habit. You can play Russian Roulette with your sanity if you so choose, but don't pretend that there is no risk involved - that gun has a bullet in it!

11 Students Suspended for a Semester after Smoking Pot on School Trip

The Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada school district says it's planning a policy review after 11 students who admitted to smoking marijuana on a school trip were suspended for the semester.

On Monday morning, 12 students from Sardis Secondary were called to the principal's office to discuss the allegations of drug use, which apparently took place last month during an overnight soccer trip to Surrey.

Eleven of those students admitted to smoking pot, as well as breaking curfew, and were consequently kicked out of school for the entire semester.

The parent of one of the suspended students, however, felt the punishment went too far.

Derek Middleton met with school officials and eventually had his son's suspension overturned, though the teen must now complete community service and participate in a course that explore the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

"To me, with today's system — even in the justice system — restorative justice is a better system. I think that plan can also be in the school in a situation like this," Middleton said.

Evelyn Novak, superintendent of the Chilliwack school district, said a review is necessary following harsh criticisms from parents who felt the punishment was too extreme.  But she said a policy change is not necessarily assured. No wonder their kids were smoking pot.

"When we talk review, we're not necessarily going to change our regulation or policy. But we are trying to look at making sure we do reflect our community and that we do listen to parents," she said.

British Columbia's lower Fraser Valley

The 10 students removed from Sardis Secondary will finish out the semester at another school in the Chilliwack district.

The review is planned for early next year.

The punishment seemed, at first, to be severe until you read that the students can finish the semester at another school. So the only real punishment is having to go to a different school. If they all go to the same school, they are not even separated from their friends. It appears the new school is the one who is being punished more than the miscreants.

But, more importantly, the effect of marijuana on young teens is just starting to come to light. High potency pot is believed by many experts in psychiatry to be responsible for irreversible insanity in one out of six kids under 16. The number decreases with age but even adult users are vulnerable to schizophrenia, paranoia, hallucinations, and the inability to discern reality from fantasy. See the science behind this.

Does Pot make you Crazy?

At a time when there is considerable lobbying to legalize possession of pot, (indeed, it has already happened in Washington state and Uruguay is voting on it next week), significant amounts of research show a strong link between cannabis use and psychosis, ie schizophrenia, paranoia, hallucinations, etc.

From Australia
A new report from John McGrath, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Queensland, Australia, suggests young adults more vulnerable to psychosis start smoking marijuana at a younger age, an event that could trigger a non-affective psychotic disorder, such as schizophrenia. - See more at:
http://www.livescience.com/6135-marijuana-linked-psychosis.html#sthash.2gXQBZVP.dpuf

 The Downside of High (CBC Nature of Things documentary with Dr David Suzuki)

Teenagers who start smoking marijuana before the age of sixteen are four times more likely to become schizophrenic.

For all young adults, smoking marijuana nearly doubles the risk of developing recurring psychosis, paranoia and hallucinations - the hallmarks of schizophrenia.


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.

Marijuana and mental illness 30 sec trailer
http://www.cbc.ca/player/Nature+of+Things+Promos/ID/1385846605/

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. See the full documentary:
http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/natureofthings/2010/downsideofhigh/


Research from the UK (reported in the Telegraph)

The number of cannabis users suffering serious mental or behaviour disorders has increased by half in just four years.
In 2008, leading psychiatrists warned people who smoked super strength were 18 times more likely to suffer a psychotic episode.
“Skunk (super strength pot), which accounts for about 80 per cent of the UK market has an average THC (a psychoactive ingredient) content of 16.2 per cent and ranges up to 46 per cent.
“Old fashioned 60 to 70s cannabis had around 1-2 per cent THC. “
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/10116830/Mental-health-issues-linked-to-cannabis-increase-by-half-in-four-years.html


Research from the UK (reported in the Daily Mail)

Cannabis is a threat to mental health.
Cannabis use is now the biggest single cause of serious mental disorders in the UK, a leading expert warned yesterday.

Up to 80 per cent of new patients at many units have a history of smoking the drug, said consultant psychiatrist Professor Robin Murray.

The stark message comes just three weeks before the Government officially downgrades cannabis to Class C, putting it on the same level as growth hormones and prescription painkillers.

Doctors fear the change will wrongly lead young people to believe the drug is harmless and that more people will try it as they are unlikely to be prosecuted.

Professor Murray, head of psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, said the vast majority of psychotic patients - those who lose contact with reality and are unable to function in their daily lives - have used cannabis.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-205447/Cannabis-causes-mental-illness.html#ixzz2ZBTIWEs7

He added: "Since then, there have been at least four studies that show the use of cannabis, particularly in young people, can significantly increase the likelihood of the onset of psychosis."

Professor Murray himself led a study last year which showed that cannabis users are seven times more at risk of developing mental illness than the population in general.

Experts believe the figures reflect the fact that cannabis typically contains ten times as much tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - the crucial ingredient which induces the feeling of being "high" - today as it did in the 1960s and 1970s.

Pot and Cancer
Cannabis also causes cancer and lung disease and doctors say it could be responsible for 30,000 deaths a year in the UK.


The Netherlands (reported by BBC)
The famous cannabis-selling coffee shops of the Netherlands are facing new tighter restrictions.
The Dutch government is reclassifying high-strength cannabis to put it in the same category as hard drugs.

It says the amount of the main active chemical in the drug, THC, has gone up, making it far more potent than a generation ago.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15225270


Livescience.com

Marijuana users sometimes report that pot enhances their desire for sex. But a new review of research on marijuana and sexual health suggests that male smokers could be courting sexual dysfunction. Rany Shamloul, a physician with appointments at the University of Ottawa and Queen's University in Canada as well as the University of Cairo, said "It's a strong message to our younger generations and younger men.”
See more at: http://www.livescience.com/12825-marijuana-men-sexual-function.html#sthash.caagytyZ.dpuf


From Brown University
A variety of physical risk factors can contribute to erectile dysfunction. Factors that may be present for younger men include:
Substance abuse - Chronic use of alcohol, marijuana or other drugs can cause erectile dysfunction and decreased sexual drive.
http://brown.edu/Student_Services/Health_Services/Health_Education/mens_health/erectile_dysfunction.php


Northwoods Ministries 

Aside from erectile dysfunction, male marijuana users have a decreased capacity to father children.

Many of the statistics quoted above are likely to increase, perhaps dramatically, as super strength pot was becoming more and more popular while some of these studies were in progress.

My personal observations of people who smoke pot regularly is that they simply stop maturing. If they started smoking pot at 15 years of age and continued for 25 years, at 40 they would still act, talk and even dress like they did when they were 15. Even their taste in music would not change. And those observations were mostly made before super strength pot became popular.

This may not be true of everyone, but I have seen it frequently enough to know that it is often the case. Look at the people you know who smoke pot. Do you know anyone like that? Do you know any young people who have suddenly become psychotic? I'll bet you do.