New Study Shows Marijuana Is Linked To brain Changes.

there was a Canadian study in 2002 that looked into heavy smokers and there were no brain changes
 
"Allegations that marijuana smoking alters brain function or has long-term effects on cognition are reckless and scientifically unfounded. Federally sponsored population studies conducted in Jamaica, Greece and Costa Rica found no significant differences in brain function between long-term smokers and non-users.<a></a>48 Similarly, a 1999 study of 1,300 volunteers published in The American Journal of Epidemiology reported "no significant differences in cognitive decline between heavy users, light users, and nonusers of cannabis” over a 15-year period.<a></a>49 More recently, a meta-analysis of neuropsychological studies of long-term marijuana smokers by the National Institute on Drug Abuse reaffirmed this conclusion.<a></a>50 In addition, a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal in April 2002 reported that even former heavy marijuana smokers experience no negative measurable effects on intelligence quotient.<a></a>51
Most recently, researchers at Harvard Medical School performed magnetic resonance imaging on the brains of 22 long-term cannabis users (reporting a mean of 20,100 lifetime episodes of smoking) and 26 controls (subjects with no history of cannabis use). Imaging displayed "no significant differences" between heavy cannabis smokers compared to controls. "These findings are consistent with recent literature suggesting that cannabis use is not associated with structural changes within the brain as a whole or the hippocampus in particular," authors concluded.<a></a>52
Claims specifically charging that marijuana leads to brain changes similar to those induced by heroin and cocaine are based solely on the results of a handful of animal studies that demonstrated that THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana) can stimulate dopamine production under certain extreme conditions, and that the immediate cessation of THC (via the administration of a chemical blocking agent) will initiate some mild symptoms of withdrawal. These findings have little bearing on the human population because, according to the US Institute of Medicine, “The long half-life and slow elimination from the body of THC … prevent substantial abstinence symptoms” in humans.<a></a>53 As a result, such symptoms have only been identified in rare, unique patient settings – limited to adolescents in treatment for substance abuse, or in clinical research trials where volunteers are administered marijuana or THC daily.<a></a>54"
 
http://norml.org/library/item/your-government-is-lying-to-you-again-about-marijuana
 
We need more studies on cannabis and the funny part is america is so far behind other countries like Israel, britian, etc its disgusting

 

Yeah I don't buy it

 

It still probably doesn't alter your brain nearly the amount that pharmaceuticals do, hell weed's illegal and we still know more about it than many of the pills people are taking these days. Weed won't make you die and that's enough for me lol.

 

OHHHHH GOODDDD NOOOOOOO. lol who cares. tht study cud suck my dick

 

Consider the source........ the National Institute on Drug Abuse!
 
"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."
 
 
 
Granny

 

LOL so far the only studies i saw highlighting possible issues had printed at the bottom: long term studies are needed to determine whether the changes were caused by cannabis.

In the mean time while the propagandists are looking for more fairy tales...

Scientific research has already confirmed that cannabis stimulates neurogenesis - creation of new brain cells. It's also demonstrated to be a supreme neuroprotectant and antioxidant. Let me just say that these benefits target the stem of neuro degenerative conditions: poor blood flow, high free radical/oxidative damage.

Look up oxidative stress sometime and associated diseases and conditions. All the big players are up there, especially cancer. The research behind the patents tells us what the plant has now been confirmed to do.

High plant based diet + some high quality meats and healthy fats, lots of omega 3, consume cannabis, capsicum, ginseng and ginkgo liberally... This protocol would do wonders for most of America.

Anyways, the only confirmed brain changes from cannabis are good ones. That's why we look st the patent research and see:

Neurogenesis, neuro protectant, antioxidant, treatment for Alzheimers and all neuro degenerative conditions. Even GW pharma glioma patent speaks volumes. It was originally worded as a patent for using cannabinoids to treat ALL cancers! Then reduced to glioma (brain) because it was too sweeping and probably invalid. Patenting on what has already been disclosed to the public is not allowed.

If it weren't for people like Rick Simpson talking to the masses, therefore no majority disclosure, that wouldn't have happened. They then could have claimed to invent the process.

Long story short that article is biased, unscientific and clearly motivated by prohibitionist interests, not our health or well being.

 

more studies that need more studies that are banned studies that are banned because lack of studies. can anyone say study??

 

"Dinosaurs" may kick a lot as they die....but they still DIE!
 
Keep spreading the facts, kids! DON'T let articles like this go unchallenged in the news!  Mention that cannabis IS a neuroprotectant!  Talk about how it stops a major malfunction of the brain, epilepsy, that CAN be fatal. Talk about how cannabis appears to PROTECT the brain from alcohol damage (which we ALL know is very real). Use my List to find  appropriate titles to back yourself up! 
 
To get your FREE copy of the List, check out the bottom of my sig and email me, or PM me your email address!  I usually will get it off to you within 24 hours!
 
We are almost to the point where cannabis will HAVE TO be legalized! It looks like even Florida will have MMJ this fall! And once Florida goes MMJ, the rest of the southern states will (reluctantly) follow. We need to let our politicians know that we WILL be voting, and if they want our votes, they better have legalization (in some form) on their platform!   http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
 
 
 
Granny

 

Yeah, well the government also says I'm 4-8 times more susceptible to getting a heart attack. In which case, I guess I am (and have been) 4-8 times more lucky than the average joe for 7 years.
 
Until I personally start suffering from pot, these "scientists" can take their biased information and shove it.
 
Hell, I don't even care if the "scientist" is an advocate or a prohibitionist either. Just let me, and everyone else enjoy their damn weed.

 

I inhale so much concentrated smoke every day, get stupid, unmotivated and my short term memory is down the drain. I wake up the next day and I'm back to normal, there may be a very small lasting effect on motivation/memory but it can be cured with time.

 

I never did drugs in high school and I dropped out. Right after that I started smoking pot. 10 years later I can say I'm a very successful adult and many people are jealous of what I do for a living. Whatever changes that weed made in my brain were for the good...

 

Number21, were you ADD or ADHD as a child? A lot of folks with it find that cannabis use enables them to concentrate better! There have been a few studies on it-
 
Fitness to drive in spite (because) of THC    (abst - 2007)
http://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/ebm/record/17879702/abstract/%5BFitness_to_drive_in_spite__because__of_THC%5D
 
Cannabis Improves Symptoms of ADHD       (full - 2008)
http://www.cannabis-med.org/english/journal/en_2008_01_1.pdf
 
Cannabis use and adult ADHD symptoms.      (abst - 2008)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18242878
 
More like that can be found in "Granny Storm Crow's List". To get your free PDF copy, just PM me your email address, or check out the bottom of my sig for mine!
 
 
Granny

 

they are trying to get canna laws changed in Georgia at present.
 
these kind of news stories always pop up during that. most are negative so the news crews can pander to fear oriented individuals ..aka their bread and butter.

 

I just don't know who i can believe anymore.

All I'm really sure of is that I've been testing it on myself heavily for three years and I've noticed nothing but improvement. Mentally, physically, and emotionally.

 

 
 
NORML explains how flawed the 'test' was. the potheads had been on an alcohol binge prior to the study...and all other factors ignored... i.e.."guy is ran over by a blind drunk driver in a defective ford truck with exploding firestone tires that was gassed up with pure alcohol by mistake, the victims blood test positive for thc..blame the pot"

 

My thoughts on this study:
 
1. This study STILL DOES NOT PROVE CAUSATION. 
 
Even our NIDA director understands this:
 
"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."
 
Scientists may use "proportionality" to suggest causation where there is correlation. In other words, if cannabis use is correlated with brain changes, and more cannabis use is correlated with more brain changes, this suggests that cannabis use causes brain changes.
 
However, if we reverse the "cause and effect" equation we can actually suggest reverse causation.
 
If brain changes are correlated with cannabis use, and more brain changes are correlated with more cannabis use, this may suggest that brain changes cause cannabis use.
 
In the "self medication" paradigm where it is theorized that individuals suffering from psychosis/schizophrenia use cannabis to relieve symptoms, it is logical to believe that those who suffer most from the symptoms will use more cannabis.
 
So what if the "brain changes" in the study cause symptoms in the individuals that are alleviated by cannabis? It is logical to believe that those individuals who suffer more from symptoms would use more cannabis.
 
2. There is no scientific explanation as to how cannabis supposedly causes these brain changes. We are still dealing with correlation and "suggestions" of causation.
 
But we do know that compounds in cannabis can function as neuroprotective agents.
 
"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."
 
Higher density, to me, means "more cells". So could cannabis use actually be protecting the cells from the natural attrition processes? Could it be keeping cells alive that normally would have died? And could this also explain the differences in shape?
 
3. Obvious bias:
 
"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."
 
As we all know, there is no scientific basis for the claim that prolonged cannabis use leads to lack of focus or impaired judgment. Acute cannabis intoxication may leads to lack of focus, but even at very high intoxication levels I don't think there is a significant impairment of judgment. And the lack of focus associated with acute intoxication disappears along with the effects of the drug.
 
The author of the study exposed his bias in this statement. He clearly went into the study looking for indications of what he believed to be problems associated with prolonged use, not proven problems.
 
I don't want to sound like a "denier", because I think advocates may be to eager to dismiss every negative study that comes along. Overall I think the media did a fair job of reporting this story, including statements by scientists that point out the NIH/NIDA agenda and selection of which studies to fund.
 
But in the end, we all know that MILLIONS of people use cannabis every day, and people have been using it for THOUSANDS of years, and so far no one has grown horns out of their head from using it....yet

 

 
Funny you say that, no, I was never diagnosed, but I've been thinking more and more lately that I have adult ADD. Going to the doc for it soon.