The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

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zoegirl
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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by zoegirl »

There are no FDA-approved medications that are smoked. For one thing, smoking is generally a poor way to deliver medicine. It is difficult to administer safe, regulated dosages of medicines in smoked form. Secondly, the harmful chemicals and carcinogens that are byproducts of smoking create entirely new health problems. There are four times the level of tar in a marijuana cigarette, for example, than in a tobacco cigarette

Morphine, for example, has proven to be a medically valuable drug, but the FDA does not endorse the smoking of opium or heroin. Instead, scientists have extracted active ingredients from opium, which are sold as pharmaceutical products like morphine, codeine, hydrocodone or oxycodone. In a similar vein, the FDA has not approved smoking marijuana for medicinal purposes, but has approved the active ingredient-THC-in the form of scientifically regulated Marinol.


The DEA helped facilitate the research on Marinol. The National Cancer Institute approached the DEA in the early 1980s regarding their study of THC's in relieving nausea and vomiting. As a result, the DEA facilitated the registration and provided regulatory support and guidance for the study.


The DEA recognizes the importance of listening to science. That's why the DEA has registered seven research initiatives to continue researching the effects of smoked marijuana as medicine. For example, under one program established by the State of California, researchers are studying the potential use of marijuana and its ingredients on conditions such as multiple sclerosis and pain. At this time, however, neither the medical community nor the scientific community has found sufficient data to conclude that smoked marijuana is the best approach to dealing with these important medical issues.

The most comprehensive, scientifically rigorous review of studies of smoked marijuana was conducted by the Institute of Medicine, an organization chartered by the National Academy of Sciences. In a report released in 1999, the Institute did not recommend the use of smoked marijuana, but did conclude that active ingredients in marijuana could be isolated and developed into a variety of pharmaceuticals, such as Marinol.


In the meantime, the DEA is working with pain management groups, such as Last Acts, to make sure that those who need access to safe, effective pain medication can get the best medication available.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetrahydrocannabinol

Umm, the "other" compounds theymention in my referenced article are the toxic ones....THC is the main active psychoactive chemical in marijuana. I wan't referring to the other cannabinoids

Geez, even the government isn't saying no to THC, they have isolated the active ingredient, just like they have with morphine, and they are prepared to use it when it has been shown to work reliably. It's the smoking and the toxicity that's the problem!

AS for Rich's article not having any good points, then you certainly shouldn't have any problem disputing, point by point, his article.
"And we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Jesus Christ"
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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by ageofknowledge »

psalms55.21 wrote:
ageofknowledge wrote:I tried. As you can see, the deception and self-deception in the marijuana community is very real and very strong on those it has a hold on.
sure thing. what point exactly do you have about vaporised cannabis?

none that i've seen. but it's my self-deception. you people are being silly. i don't even use it!

y#-o
You make false assertion after false assertion while refusing to examine our evidence, purposefully misstate almost everything we tell you and then attempt to turn it around to support a position you argue like a 9th grade stoner. No offense intended friend but how can anyone whose not high on a mind altering drug take you seriously? I'm just laughing this point.
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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by binaxa »

Does smoking really speed up your metabolism and help you lose weight? Do people have to smoke alot to lose weight because of smoking? Not that i'm planning on doing it lol, just curious.
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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by ageofknowledge »

binaxa wrote:Does smoking really speed up your metabolism and help you lose weight? Do people have to smoke alot to lose weight because of smoking? Not that i'm planning on doing it lol, just curious.
In my observations and past experience marijuana is a mild mind altering depressant. People who are addicted to regular use tend to be lethargic and gain weight.

Speed makes you lose weight. But you lose your teeth and your sanity too on it. Definitely not a good trade.

Smoking tobacco can have a mild weight loss effect on some people but they develop all sorts of medical problems later down the line, are isolated to a large degree today in society, have less money as its expensive due to heavy taxation, and are often addicted for life. It's very addicting.

Get addicted to your local gym. I used to work out three times a week aerobics and weights as well as practice Gracie jiu-jitsu. Today I am not in a position to do anything except walk. It makes me very sad. At least I still have my teeth. Not that anyone cares.
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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by warhoop »

Speed accelerates you to your death. In other words, all those things happen because you are aging at a more rapid rate.
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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by ageofknowledge »

warhoop wrote:Speed accelerates you to your death. In other words, all those things happen because you are aging at a more rapid rate.
Very true. I've seen meth users in the desert areas that look in their late 60's that are in their early 30's. And this highly addictive poison affects people's behavior driving them to do crazy things. Hence the word 'tweaker' to describe a meth user. Get me to tell you the true tale of tragedy surrounding 'Two Guns' Logan sometime. I have the stories.
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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by warhoop »

Being a former tweaker, I'm sure that I would recognize and relate to the elements of such a story. But I would still find it interesting.
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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by ageofknowledge »

warhoop wrote:Being a former tweaker, I'm sure that I would recognize and relate to the elements of such a story. But I would still find it interesting.
Entertaining in hindsight but tragic while occurring of course. Now I've never been a tweaker but I can certainly thank God for the blood of the lamb with those who were in the Celebrate Recovery meetings I attended.
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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by scienceboy »

Hi I'm posting regarding this page: http://www.godandscience.org/doctrine/marijuana.html

It states "Okay, so there are no verses that talk directly about marijuana."

In fact, there is one verse that directly mentions it:
Moreover, the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 23 Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even 250 shekels, and of qaneh-bosm [cannabis] 250 shekels, 24 And of cassia 500 shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin: 25 And thou shalt make it an oil of holy anointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil. 26 And thous shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony, 27 And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick ahd his vessels, and the altar of incense, 28 And the altar of burnt offerings with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot. 29 And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy. (Exodus 30:22-29)
(Note: In the King James version 'qaneh-bosm' is incorrectly translated as 'sweet calamus'.)

A few other relevant verses you may consider adding can be found at (removed by moderator as violation of board spam policy)
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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by ageofknowledge »

As promised by Los Angeles's District Attorney, the pot crackdowns in Southern California have begun. Dana Point just closed five and is requiring all member records to be transferred over to the city. The LA DA is going after every single LA dispensary now. The closures and crackdowns have begun.
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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by Gman »

scienceboy wrote:Hi I'm posting regarding this page: http://www.godandscience.org/doctrine/marijuana.html

It states "Okay, so there are no verses that talk directly about marijuana."

In fact, there is one verse that directly mentions it:
Moreover, the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 23 Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even 250 shekels, and of qaneh-bosm [cannabis] 250 shekels, 24 And of cassia 500 shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin: 25 And thou shalt make it an oil of holy anointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil. 26 And thous shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony, 27 And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick ahd his vessels, and the altar of incense, 28 And the altar of burnt offerings with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot. 29 And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy. (Exodus 30:22-29)
(Note: In the King James version 'qaneh-bosm' is incorrectly translated as 'sweet calamus'.)

A few other relevant verses you may consider adding can be found at (removed by moderator as violation of board spam policy)
Not at all... Please read.
Scripture never mentions marijuana directly. You will not find it on the pages of either the Hebrew or the Greek texts. But then, neither are oranges, bananas, peaches, asparagus, spinach, artichokes, potatoes, tomatoes, rosary peas, castor beans (perhaps the most poisonous plant known to man), yews, poison ivy, poison oak, and numerous other plants both good and bad for health.

There are some who see Exodus 30:23 as a direct reference to marijuana. They cite Sula Benet, an etymologist from Poland who concluded in 1936 that the Hebrew words "q'nah-bosem" found at Exodus 30:23 were etymologically related to "cannabis" and then reached the further conclusion that the anointing oil included marijuana. She noted the similarities with words from other Middle Eastern language groups. She noted that the word could be used to reference a reed plant or a hemp plant, but she reached the definite conclusion that in the Exodus passage it meant the hemp plant. (I realize this was not the main point of her treatise, but it is the point that most impacts the present debate.) Others have stated that the Hebrew University supports this view, although no one apparently has been able to come up with a definitive source at that university for this statement. If you check out the Wikipedia article on cannabis (etymology), Raphael Mechoulam of the Hebrew University suggests a different etymology for the word "cannabis." [Please note that people differ on the way to transliterate the relevant Hebrew words (to show the Hebrew word using English characters). I use "q'nah-bosem" for the passage in Exodus (the only place where the basic Hebrew word "qaneh" appears with the Hebrew word "bosem") and "qaneh" elsewhere. Some might use "kaneh" or other transliterations. The underlying Hebrew word "qof," "nun," "hey" (the three letters of the Hebrew alphabet used for "qaneh") remains the same.]

In my view Dr. Benet's evidence falls far short of proving the conclusion that "q'nah-bosem" was marijuana. The problem with her conclusion is at least seven-fold. First, there are no clear references that I have been able to find to cannabis in ancient Hebrew before the time of the Mishnah. The word "qaneh" is not associated with traditional aspects of hemp, either as rope, medicinal use, food use, or narcotic use in any of the ancient Hebrew texts, at least that I can find. Given this paucity of evidence, I do not think that anyone is able to reach a definite conclusion that the Hebrew word "q'nah-bosem" was a reference to cannabis.

Second, the fact that the Mishnah used a different word spelled with different Hebrew characters to reference marijuana lends support to a conclusion that the rabbis did not think that the word "q'nah-bosem" was a reference to marijuana. This is not a situation where the words "qaneh" and "bosem" ceased to exist and were replaced by "qanabos." The words "qaneh" and "bosem" continued to be used by Hebrew writers at the same time that "qanabos" came into the Hebrew vocabulary. And the words "qaneh" and "bosem" in post Biblical writings are not associated with hemp. Dr. Benet's thesis that "q'nah-bosem" over time became "qanabos" is undermined by this continued use of "qaneh" and "bosem" to mean something other than "qanabos."

Third, the support for linking "qanabos" to "q'nah-bosem" is not particularly strong. Of the six letters in the two Hebrew words "q'nah-bosem" (Hebrew words do not include the vowels), that is, the letters "qof," "nun," "hey," "bet," "shin," and "mem," only three of them appear in the word "qanabos." The letters shared are qof, nun, and bet. The letters hey, shin, and mem are not shared. Further, the word "qanabos" contains the letters "vav" and "samech," letters not contained in the earlier "q'nah-bosem." Given that three letters from the earlier word are left out and two letters are supplied, in a five letter word, does not provide great confidence to me that the source word for "qanabos" is "q'nah-bosem," even if the sounds are somewhat the same. While I acknowledge that the loss of the "hey" and the inclusion of the "vav" may be due to shifts in spelling, and while I acknowledge that the letters "shin" and "samech" sometimes cross over into each other's territory, I am at a loss to explain the loss of "mem." The "mem" in "bosem" is not a plural or other additive to a stem as it is in "elohim," as some sites wrongly state. It is the basic stem of the word.

Fifth, cannabis or hemp has long been a source of rope and yet the words for rope or cord in the Hebrew have no correlation to the term "qaneh."

Sixth, Dr. Benet's speculation is perhaps the best an etymologist can do, but it is hardly "proof" of the conclusion that "q'neh-bosem" is the source for "qanabos." Several web sources state that Dr. Benet's conclusions were confirmed by the Hebrew University in 1960; but no one seems to be able to say who at the Hebrew University provided the confirmation. Hebrew University is a big place. Unverifiable facts do not build credence to claims. As stated above, Raphael Mechoulam of Hebrew University suggests a different etymology, though he is far more cautious in asserting that his conclusion is the definitive statement on the issue (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_(etymology)).

Seventh, even if the modern word "qanabos" should be properly traced back to the words "q'nah-bosem," a position I do not accept for reasons stated in this article, the conclusion that the ancient meaning of "q'nah-bosem" was cannabis is a leap. This is especially true given the continued use of "qaneh" in Hebrew to mean something different than "qanabos." Word etymology is interesting, but hardly conclusive as to what a word meant in ancient times. Our modern word "dynamite" comes from a Greek word "dunamis," but one should never read "dunamis" in the New Testament and think the ancient author meant "dynamite." Even within languages, the meanings of words change. One would be foolish to transpose the modern usage of the word "gay" to its intended meaning in 18th century documents. The modern word "matzpun" in Hebrew means "conscience," but the ancient Hebrew word meant "treasure." The word did not slowly change into another meaning. The modern word meaning "conscience" entered the Hebrew vocabulary in the Middle Ages as a new word, displacing the old word of the same spelling. This and other examples of changes in meaning in Hebrew words can be found in an article by Professor E. Y. Kutscher, Professor of Hebrew Philology at Hebrew University (http://www.adath-shalom.ca/hebrew_words_history.htm). Even if one were to accept Dr. Benet's conclusions as the etymological source for the modern word "cannabis," which I do not, I have found no evidence, outside of what I see as a weak conclusion drawn from etymology, that the word "qaneh" ever meant hemp in ancient Hebrew. However, the fact that the word can mean the reed plant seems to be admitted by all, including Dr. Benet.
Source: http://truthsaves.org/articles/marijuan ... ture.shtml
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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by jlay »

What if this word is Cannibis? It is used as an ANNOINTING OIL. Not to injest or smoke, or alter one's mind.
-“The Bible treated allegorically becomes putty in the hands of the exegete.” John Walvoord

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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by Gman »

jlay wrote:What if this word is Cannibis? It is used as an ANNOINTING OIL. Not to injest or smoke, or alter one's mind.
True, but I think the idea here is using holy hemp as an anointing. Augmenting it as something sacred.

To the marijuana users, for all they know, the priests (or Cheech and Chong) probably used it to get stoned in the temple. Yeah man, we will use it as incense or candle oil and toke up on some gnarly buds. Smoke the whole temple out... Cool dude. :roll:

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The heart cannot rejoice in what the mind rejects as false - Galileo

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Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. -Philippians 4:8
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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by DannyM »

Could someone please tell me if it's true that Obama is set to legalise cannabis over in the States...? I'm hearing all sorts over here and can't access any concrete links. Thanks in anticipation.

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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by ageofknowledge »

DannyM wrote:Could someone please tell me if it's true that Obama is set to legalise cannabis over in the States...? I'm hearing all sorts over here and can't access any concrete links. Thanks in anticipation.

Dan
He's simply ordered the Federal governmental law enforcement organs not to work "medical marijuana" cases leaving that to the states. Each state decides how they want to handle it. He's not "about to legalize marijuana".
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