The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

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Rich
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The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by Rich »

I have received quite a number of emails from Christians touting the benefits of using marijuana. Being in medical research, I have known for some time that the research does not support the idea that marijuana is a harmless recreational pastime. This is a summary of the medical research on the efficacy of marijuana as a treatment modality, along with its adverse side effects.

The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana: a Review of the Current Scientific Literature
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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by zoegirl »

that's wonderful, Rich,very well-researched.
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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by Zebulon »

Rich wrote:...marijuana is a harmless recreational pastime. This is a summary of the medical research on the efficacy of marijuana as a treatment modality, along with its adverse side effects.
Thanks Rich for the link about the MariGoRound subject. Cause this is how I feel about it: it is a Mary Go Round recreational pastime that is defenitely not harmless, and I am saying this only from personal experiences. You see I am no scientific guru here but I am a Type 1 diabetic... mutch to say that my Languerand cells or shortly Pancreatic cells never worked at all... from the time I was brougth into this world.

I believe that todays very strong THC Marijuana joints creates a small or high Hypoglycemia factor (depending on physical physionomy of each smocker or eater). And believe me I very well know what Hypoglycemia effects are... being a Diabetic person for more than 53 years, I am one of the few lucky ones who are able to feel a start of hypoglycemia as short (or high) as a 4,2 blood glucose shortness.

In my youth I smoked it often and it did cause sometimes a hypoglycemia factor. I have tried it again 2 years ago with my wife and I completely collapsed in a mixture of non controled hypoglicemia brainstorm.

My 2 cents on the MariGoRound stuff. It is physical and I believe spiritual damaging.

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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by angeldiana4 »

It is important to point of that smoking marijuana is still known to be toxic. It is more correct to say that marijuana contains chemicals that have useful medical benefits. Unfortunately, for those that may be helped by those chemicals, marijuana also contains toxic and psychoactive chemicals.In fact, marijuana contains over 400 chemicals.

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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by Gman »

Great article Rich!! It was long past due.

Perhaps the biggest challenge marijuana faces is smoking it.. It is known to cause lung cancer just like cigarettes or chronic bronchitis. Smokers beware..
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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by Cross.eyed »

A very good article Rich, thanks

I guess our drive by media doesn't feel a need to report these findings (and more!)to educate the public
about the dangers of continued use, so that the people can make better informed decisions ??
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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by Gman »

Let me be clear... SMOKING POT IS A DESTROYER OF FAMILIES!!! It is a SAVAGE trap with DEATH written all over it!!!
The heart cannot rejoice in what the mind rejects as false - Galileo

We learn from history that we do not learn from history - Georg Friedrich Wilhelm Hegel

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 rs_shadow0000 »

It is important to point of that smoker marijuana is still accepted to be toxic. It is added actual to say that marijuana contains chemicals that accept advantageous medical benefits. Unfortunately, for those that may be helped by those chemicals, marijuana aswell contains baneful and consciousness-expanding chemicals.In fact, marijuana contains over 400 chemicals.

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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by psalms55.21 »

Gman wrote:Let me be clear... SMOKING POT IS A DESTROYER OF FAMILIES!!! It is a SAVAGE trap with DEATH written all over it!!!
Way to be neutral. It's medicine. Is aspirin a SAVAGE DEATH TRAP because it's contraindicated for pregnant women? Try to be a little more adult, please.

Cannabis (I refuse to use the slave name 'Marijuana') has helped both of my parents - my elderly mother has severe glaucoma and my father uses it do deal with his CP.

While smoking IS harmful, vaporization is not. The research is available for anyone with a mind open enough to read first, judge second.
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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by ageofknowledge »

psalms55.21 wrote:
Gman wrote:Let me be clear... SMOKING POT IS A DESTROYER OF FAMILIES!!! It is a SAVAGE trap with DEATH written all over it!!!
Way to be neutral. It's medicine. Is aspirin a SAVAGE DEATH TRAP because it's contraindicated for pregnant women? Try to be a little more adult, please.

Cannabis (I refuse to use the slave name 'Marijuana') has helped both of my parents - my elderly mother has severe glaucoma and my father uses it do deal with his CP.

While smoking IS harmful, vaporization is not. The research is available for anyone with a mind open enough to read first, judge second.
Most of the people, including those Christians that I see use it, continue using it because they are psychologically addicted to the pleasurable effect it brings. They all end up the same I've noticed after using it long enough, namely lying around (often on disability and welfare of some sort) getting high. As they spend more and more of their time and energy on the weed, over time they become flaky and difficult to deal with in any serious way. They all have their card and their excuses, of course, to use the "plant that God has given us." But it's drivel to me. I smoked it daily from 15 to 23 before I started following Christ and haven't touched it since despite my own health problems. I'm very familiar with its effects on your mind, body, emotional state, and spiritual life and have no desire to go around stoned deceiving myself that getting high on pot is excusable due to some medical condition that can be treated without it.

Vaporization results in allmost the same problems that smoking it does (see Rich's article) minus the ones associated with the lungs because the user is still absorbing the ingredients found in marijuana. Examples include brain effects, memory loss, change in cognitive function, psychiatric changes, emotional changes, addiction, etc... over time.

Playing word games with the substance changes none of this and reminds me of a video on You Tube I saw recently where a modern liberal atheist ends his own life by swallowing a poison to kill himself. You know what he said on camera right before he drank it? "I'm ready for medicine." Talk about deception. That guy would give ANYTHING to be able to come back sans-deception but it's too late.

I'm not trying to offend you. The fun of trying something new that alters your state of mind in a pleasurable way and makes you feels good is a powerful incentive to create the justifications to continue using it despite the reality that it really is not good for you on many levels. This leads to deception and eventually negatively affects your spiritual life and relationships with non-users.
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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by psalms55.21 »

ageofknowledge wrote:They all have their card and their excuses, of course, to use the "plant that God has given us." But it's drivel to me.
so, you're not into the bible as authority? i mean, that's not my argument, per se, but it is pretty clear in Genesis, "ALL the seed bearing plants and herbs to use". or are you a bible cherry-picker?
ageofknowledge wrote: I smoked it daily from 15 to 23 before I started following Christ and haven't touched it since despite my own health problems. I'm very familiar with its effects on your mind, body, emotional state, and spiritual life and have no desire to go around stoned deceiving myself that getting high on pot is excusable due to some medical condition that can be treated without it.
that's all well and good for you, but it doesn't make you an authority, medical or moral. are you saying my parents should be subjected to harsh chemicals because the plant that helps them also gets them "high" as you put it?
ageofknowledge wrote: Vaporization results in allmost the same problems that smoking it does (see Rich's article) minus the ones associated with the lungs because the user is still absorbing the ingredients found in marijuana. Examples include brain effects, memory loss, change in cognitive function, psychiatric changes, emotional changes, addiction, etc... over time.
you can't produce any evidence of this because the studies don't point to that.
http://www.harmreductionjournal.com/con ... 7-4-11.pdf
ageofknowledge wrote:Playing word games with the substance changes none of this and reminds me of a video on You Tube I saw recently where a modern liberal atheist ends his own life by swallowing a poison to kill himself. You know what he said on camera right before he drank it? "I'm ready for medicine." Talk about deception. That guy would give ANYTHING to be able to come back sans-deception but it's too late.
wrong again. "word games" as you put it, are exactly what's in play. Marinol, the synthetic version of THC, one of the active ingredients in Cannabis (it's proper scientific name, if you don't mind, not the propaganda word whipped up by paper magnate and yellow journalist William Randolph Hearst.) is prescribed by MD's all the time. do you have a problem with Marinol? I didn't think so. It's either intellectual laziness or hypocrisy - either way, it stinks.
ageofknowledge wrote: I'm not trying to offend you. The fun of trying something new that alters your state of mind in a pleasurable way and makes you feels good is a powerful incentive to create the justifications to continue using it despite the reality that it really is not good for you on many levels. This leads to deception and eventually negatively affects your spiritual life and relationships with non-users.
the fun of trying something new? yeah... my dad got CP so he could relive his hippie days. no, i'm not offended at all. :shakehead:

you lack scientific evidence for any of your claims. you *think* it's bad, so it must be. i'm praying for you.
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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by zoegirl »

Psalms let's calm down...

YOu are accusing those here of not researching and yet age of knowledge brings up a good point about the vaporization in RIch's article. Why don't you, since i is you who is stressing reading before accusing, tackle Rich's article?

And secondly, The verse you quote from Genesis also carries with it he burden of using it wisely. YOu are theone who is cherry picking the *purpose* of the verse. Just because a pant has acertain property does not allow us to use it...or suggest that we should. Shoot, you can justify that for tobacco, for alcohol (yeast), for mushroom-derived drugs, and for multiple other plant derive drugs.

Cocerning marinol, aquic search brings up the government's description of it.

http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/ongoing/marinol.html
Medical marijuana already exists. It's called Marinol.


A pharmaceutical product, Marinol, is widely available through prescription. It comes in the form of a pill and is also being studied by researchers for suitability via other delivery methods, such as an inhaler or patch. The active ingredient of Marinol is synthetic THC, which has been found to relieve the nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy for cancer patients and to assist with loss of appetite with AIDS patients.


Unlike smoked marijuana--which contains more than 400 different chemicals, including most of the hazardous chemicals found in tobacco smoke-Marinol has been studied and approved by the medical community and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the nation's watchdog over unsafe and harmful food and drug products. Since the passage of the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act, any drug that is marketed in the United States must undergo rigorous scientific testing. The approval process mandated by this act ensures that claims of safety and therapeutic value are supported by clinical evidence and keeps unsafe, ineffective and dangerous drugs off the market.


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
Considering that there *is* a safe form of it, why the huge puush to legalize he smoking?!?!?
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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by ageofknowledge »

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.
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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by psalms55.21 »

zoegirl wrote:Psalms let's calm down...

YOu are accusing those here of not researching and yet age of knowledge brings up a good point about the vaporization in RIch's article. Why don't you, since i is you who is stressing reading before accusing, tackle Rich's article?
zoe, you can calm down when your parents are dying in pain and have to take harsh chemicals to 'alleviate' the pain while causing massive other symptoms. kthx.

WHAT good point are you referencing? I didn't see one, so you'll have to enlighten me. Show me a study that is negative about vaporization. Please.
zoegirl wrote: And secondly, The verse you quote from Genesis also carries with it he burden of using it wisely. YOu are theone who is cherry picking the *purpose* of the verse. Just because a pant has acertain property does not allow us to use it...or suggest that we should. Shoot, you can justify that for tobacco, for alcohol (yeast), for mushroom-derived drugs, and for multiple other plant derive drugs.
Wow. It's almost like you've made my point for me. :pound: We're not talking about using it for intoxication - we're talking about using it for medicinal use.

zoegirl wrote: A pharmaceutical product, Marinol, is widely available through prescription. It comes in the form of a pill and is also being studied by researchers for suitability via other delivery methods, such as an inhaler or patch. The active ingredient of Marinol is synthetic THC, which has been found to relieve the nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy for cancer patients and to assist with loss of appetite with AIDS patients.

Considering that there *is* a safe form of it, why the huge puush to legalize he smoking?!?!?
1.) This demonstrates your lack of knowledge on the subject. Those scary 400 other cannabinoids are the compounds that are doing most of the heavy lifting in terms of appetite stimulation, sleep aid, etc. The delta-9-thc is the compound that gets you 'high'. Why make it ok to be high from the same chemical in pill form, but demonize the useful aspects of the naturally occurring plant? It's the worst logic I've seen in quite some time.

2.) I have never seen a "huge push to legalise smoking?!?!?". The federal laws are overstepping their bounds, and people like you just roll over for it. Do your homework about the FDA and why they *can't* even evaluate natural remedies. They can only evaluate patented drugs, and since you can't patent a plant... :crying:
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Re: The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana

Post by psalms55.21 »

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
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