Does Weed Really Harm You??

[Snowman450]

I'm so lost.... i hear so many different things about weed and it's affects. :confused: I hear that it causes cancer in the lungs, then i hear that all the bad crap is expelled in the mucus, so all u do is just spit alot to keep the lungs clean. Which is true??

[daima]

To this day not one single person who used(s) cannabis only has ever developed lung cancer or any other kind of cancer.
Unlike tobacco smoke, which cause cancer because the tars in tobacco smoke contain radioactivity, cannabis smoke doesnt contain radiation in its tars, therefore we see nor hear of any reported cases of lung cancer in the cannabis using population. Tobacco smoke causes permanent long term damage to the lungs. Cannabis smoke doesnt. This research is presented to us from Dr. Tashkins, America's number one lung expert when it comes to Marijuana smoke, U.C.L.A.
The statistics that come from the U.S. Surgeon Generals Report confirm his findings. Cannabis is known to be anti-tumor.
A book(s) i would suggest is Ernest Ables "Marijuana, the first 12,000 years"
Encyclopedia of the World Britannica: Great accurate information can be found in both.

dai*ma :thumbsup:

[xNoa]

To this day not one single person who used(s) cannabis only has ever developed lung cancer or any other kind of cancer.

hmmmmmm, sounds a bit too good to be true if you ask me, i mean were talking a cure or at least prevention for cancer there ;)

[daima]

For me it doesnt sound too good to be true when you research the farming practices of tobacco & Cannabis. I believe that it was in 1988 when U.S. Surgeon General C. Everette(sp) Koop admitted that it was indeed tobacco farming practices that led to the cancer deaths associated with tobacco users. It was also 1969, when i was a young man, and we were told that by the year 2000 that we would see hundreds and hundreds of cannabis smokers invading americas health clinics with lung cancer and severe resperatory problems. None.
My suggestion to those who arent sure would be to ask them to research outside of pro-government funded studies and make an educated decision that worlks for them. Dr. Tashkins studys are a great start.
It was recently when the USA government gave the Complutense University in Madrid Spain 3 million usa dollars to do studies that proved once and for all that cannabis is dangerous with no medical benefits and caused cancer.
The results of that study was brought to us by the Boston Globe News Paper.
Mice that had brain tumors were injected with 1000'x the amount of THC it takes to get a human high(no overdose death to any of the mice). The THC injections were injected directly into the tumor.Some of the mice that had the THC injections had their tumors dramatically reduced in size. Others had their tumors completely disappear. The mice that had the injections and had tumors reduced in size lived significanly longer than the mice who had no injections. Studies were also done to show permanent harm to the lungs. It showed just the opposite. The USA government took back what was left of the 3m$ grant and shut the program down.
I am going on 50.
I have known many many people who never smoked anything but cannabis and they are alive, well, no disease.
I have also had the agony of watching a parent and several friends die as a direct result of tobacco use.
My personal opinion is in stride with the research that is presented to us by people who are in it for the truth, and not political or economic gain.(tobacco, alcohol, timber, pharmacutical, etc etc).
My hopes are that you figure out what works best for you.

dai*ma :smokin:

Too much cannabis at one time can be fatal if a bale of it drops on you.
And...... smoking cannabis does lead to acts of violence.
I saw this hippie smoking a joint and these two cops caught him and started to beat him up. :mad:

[robert42]

i beleive daima ive heard many many reports i smoke my spliffs pure, my bro dont he uses tobbaco and his lungs are fucked, mine aint

[beachguy in thongs]

The U.S. and Europe have been doing studies on it, since the turn of the millenium, and can't find anything that it adversely affects. They found that it cured three types of cancer in mice, as of 1999.

[daima]

Thanks for your vote of confidence, but all credit and truthful reasearch goes to Dr. Tashkins of U.C.L.A., and Dr. Melanie Dryier, Dean at the School of Nursing in Iowa. These people have done hands on independent research with no politcal/corporate people to please. I, like you, have only used cannabis in my life and my lungs are just fine. My MD's at Stanford University tell me that i am as healthy as any 20 year old they have seen, with a very healthy set of lungs. I will be 50 in Oct. Fuck. lol.
I will always tell people to do what they think is right for them when it comes to making personal decisions. If i felt that cannabis was making my life unmanagable, whether it be my health, my mental health or posed any threat to my grandchildren, i would be the first to revisit that which i find so much pleasure in doing. The truth, education, and keeping myself approachable is how i choose to deal with the issue with my kids and grand kids. It works for us. Teaching fear and spreading mis-information will eventually destroy any family/society. My 14 year old grand-daughter knows more about cannabis and it's uses than most adults. I am proud of that. To this day she remains cannabis free/drug free/ no sex/no booze/no tobacco. Which will always be her choice, one way or the other. I see no point and no justice in lying to her about drugs or any other topic. Education is the answer to any problem or postive adventure.

peace and happy new year to you and yours,
dai*ma :cool:

[Jimmicrackedcorn]

Tobacco wouldn't be that bad also if the government didn't pump there land full of chemical fertilizers containing a high percentage of phosphates, which due to the way they are processed from organic material (apatite rock), also contains radioactive elements (radium, polonium-210, lead-210), this aint jus with tobacco mind, but all commercially grown products (its cheap!). Tests have shown only 1% of all cancers caused by tobacco smoking can be attributed to the most potent non-radioactive carcinogen intrinsic to baccy (benzopyrene). Its also in the drinking water as fluorosilicic acid to keep ure teeth nice and white.

[siSTARindigo]

From what I understand 1 joint is like 10 cigarettes, and MJ smoke is hotter than tobacco, making it harder on your throat, and lungs. Plus most MJ smookers hold it in, which tobacco smokers don't do.

Just what I heard. I would love to believe that it isn't bad for you though. But I would think that all "smoke" wouldn't be "good" for you. I am sure that eating it, or vaporizing it would eliminate any bad effects though.

Eva

[beachguy in thongs]

Look at my signature. That's the difference between cigarettes and Herb.

Vaporizing loses 40% of THC that joints and bowls keep.
Eating it is a very slow way to obtain Marijuana's properties.

[WalkaWalka]

Well anything were you inhale hot smoke is bad for the cilia lining you airways
the cilia are little hair like projections that move back n forth to push mucus and particles out of your lungs and trachea

[harmonicminor]

then use a bong. It cools the smoke and filters it too

[beachguy in thongs]

The water depletes many of the active cannabinoids.

[Charlie Horse]

lies, lies, lies. the government will come up with false claims about pot with absolutely nothing to back it up. they focus all their attention on drugs, things people do consensually. when they should be worried about the abusers/molestors running around. (seeing how you get more years in jail for something drug related than "other" reasons.)

[harmonicminor]

yeah maybe while it filters out carcinogens
but it does seem to burn it faster

[bobby]

a friend of mine has found out he has pleurisy, he think its from smoking through a water bong to much. i dought it but it makes you wonder. i always use my water bong but not so much now

[arcticspyder]

Ok I will add MY OPINION to the topic. Any burning substance that you inhale into your lungs IS BAD FOR YOU! I don't care if you smoke cigars, cigarettes, pipe tobacco, stand near camp fires everyday, fight forest fires, or yes even smoke pot, any time you inhale a burning substance you WILL HARM your body. While the long term effects of marijuana isn't anywhere near the same as any of the rest, be assured it does harm your lungs. You must also remember if you smoke joints certain papers are extremely high in carcinogens and chemicals. As for the whole rat study, simply remember one very important thing, you are not injecting THC (I REALLY wish I could), the fact is you are smoking it and the effects on the body between the two are vastly different. Consuming marijuana will get you high with ABSOLUTELY ZERO waste, you just have to know what you are doing.
Now I want to address the vaporizor issue, I have been smoking pot for thirty five years. I have smoked a lot of really killer buds in that time and I have smoked out of wood pipes, metal pipes, bone pipes, ivory pipes, glass pipes, bazookas, bongs, one hitters, blunts, joints and various other smoking devices. I smoke A LOT OF POT! When I bought my vaporizor last year I had heard "you loose 40% of the THC" and the one I really like, " You will smoke more weed and you won't get as high" and my personal favorite "You are just going to waste more money on weed because you will smoke it faster." I will tell you straight out, they are ALL WRONG. The facts are: we smoke less pot because we get high faster, my smoking circle consist of very hardcore smokers, my wife and I smoked an ounce a week by ourselves, since we started using the vaporizor that same ounce last us about 11-12 days and that is sharing with our friends. We get higher (maybe a better description would be its a clearer high), we don't smell like pot when we leave, we save money, there is no second hand smoke (if one of my friends kids come walking into the room he isn't hit with the "CLOUD"), the pot taste better, and I don't cough shit up anymore. I'm not breathing in a burning substance, I'm not inhaling ANY carcinogens, I don't have to "clean my lungs" coughing up phlegm, it's not there. Don't get me wrong if you take to big of a hit on the vaporizor YOU WILL COUGH, just no garbage comes out.
Just so you know this is simply the opinion of everyone in my smoking circle and of myself. One last point there are A LOT of bad vaporizors on the market, and most of them do not work.

[vincevaper]

Absolutely. arcticspyder is correct.

I wasn't going to say anything, but I did wince in disbelief at that 40% loss comment. I've never tried one of the low-end electric vaporizers (avoided them after reading reviews) but can claim from experience that the even cheaper candle and glass bowl method is significantly more efficient than any method of smoking. All of the benefits arcticspyder mentioned are true. The different taste and high might not be preferred by some. However, the weed conservation, relative absence of smell and lung benefits can't be denied.

[Blowen1977Z28]

live it up.Chances are you will die from something other then smoking pot.
Life it self is bad for you.
You will die no matter what you do or don't do.
You have a better chance of dieing in a freak or some kind of accident then from smoking pot.
:stoned:

[FireRazor]

Yeah, no cases been proven about weed alone causing cancer. But it has problems like most any other recreational activity (even medical if you think along those lines). Sperm count...brain cells...teeth...there re a number of things your harming. It's all about the care for yourself though. Eat healthy, read, and work out every now and then and your great. For every distructive you do, create a productive.

[MullManiac]

The combustion of any organic matirial releases tars and carsonagenics, so yes cannabis smoking is bad for you and can give you lung cancer. It also fucks with your short term memory, just speak to someone who has smoked every day for 40 years then the next day ask them what you talked about.

Now none of this has been proved yet as no credable tests have been done on it yet and i guess it is possible that some chemical in it may reverse the effect of the carsonagenics but this seems pretty unlikely.

[siSTARindigo]

ARCTICSPYDER,

Where can I get such a vaporizor????

Eva

[Snowman450]

im planning on buy a vaporizer. What kind should i get?? How much does a good one cost? How can i tell if it's not some little crappy one thats gonna work for a week then brake?

[arcticspyder]

ARCTICSPYDER,

Where can I get such a vaporizor????

Eva
Eva you can go to either www.vaporstore.com or got to ebay, keyword search vaporizor. I bought the Vaporcannon cost about $135.00 shipping included, I highly reccommend it.

[smoke ranger]

mj smoke scars the lungs, making you more susceptible to lung infections and even cancer(marijuana smoke has been found to contain more
cancer-causing agents than is found in tobacco smoke), bronchitis, pleaurisy, pneumonia, and can even cause asthma...but compared to other things in the air that can cause the same things, I wouldnt worry about it(unless done excessivley over time, then I would worry :)....and please, save the smart ass comments about what Ive posted for something you know, my father is a doctor that specializes in pulmonary and respiratory problems, and I've been very open with him on my use of everything, and he has offered medical advice on everything Ive asked including this!!

[poopinkypoo]

I think it's as safe as anything else out there in the universe......makes me feel better and I'm not giving it up.

I didn't start smoking weed until I was about 17 I think and then quit when my son was born at 20 and didn't pick it up again until I was in my 40's. Now I will probably smoke it until the day I pass or I can't find it any more.

I will have to say that living in Florida I would never have a hard time finding it but living here in the Boston area and not knowing too many people leaves me limited to one person and when he is out...........well you all have been there I sure. :)

Hugs, Pinky

[aggietoker]

I made a homemade vaporizer out of a candle, a sobe bottle and a can of pringles and it works great. I took two good hits off of it and i was crazy high. I emptied out the weed the next day and it looks like it's got another 10 hits at least in it so that's always a good thing. It's a bit different if your used to smoking it because you don't get so mellowed out and tired, it's more of a celebral happy high, at least for me.
I just bought some lab equipment so that i can run some experiments and determine efficiency and other factors. this is just a thought but has anyone ever thought about condensing the vapor into a liquid?

[fastforyou84]

Eva you can go to either www.vaporstore.com or got to ebay, keyword search vaporizor. I bought the Vaporcannon cost about $135.00 shipping included, I highly reccommend it.


I dont see the vaporcannon but I like this one here... http://www.vaporstore.com/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=43

What is your opinion on it?

[fastforyou84]

anyone?

[Skidi]

They have their own superior version of vapor cannon type with hands free glass whip for $169. As far as the hand held manual model I doubt it works very well as there is no way to guage temp which will cause uneven results and combustion.

[Stoner Shadow Wolf]

even if it hasnt been proven, and even if there are other, non marijuana related facts that contradict this...


marijuana is in absolutely no way harmful to your health, unless you choke on it, or try to inhale the solid bud... in which case, you deserve to die from your stupidity anyways.

it is in no way harmful to your lungs more than the way a stiff sponge is harmful to your skin. less if anything.
it cures all symptoms of disease, rather than masking them like pharmacuticals, and with no adverse side effects. it does not cure the disease itself however, except in the case of tumors/mild cancer ;)
it contains all the essential amino acids found only in meat and soy beans/tofu, and given the munchies effect, you would be able to eat your fill of vegetables and never have to touch meat again.

EVERYTHING AGAINST POT IS A BOLD FACED LIE USED BY THE CORPERATIONS SO AS TO KEEP THEIR PRODUCTS IN USE, AND KEEP US IN THEIR CONTROLL, VIA CURRENCY.

[xPurple Hazex]

I don't think the person who originally postedin this thread got much help out of this O.o

[OzzyOz]

no
but propaganda really does harm you

[Captain Hanks]

I'm so lost.... i hear so many different things about weed and it's affects. :confused: I hear that it causes cancer in the lungs, then i hear that all the bad crap is expelled in the mucus, so all u do is just spit alot to keep the lungs clean. Which is true??
Out of the 3,000 years of medicinal recorded use there is not one documented case of lung cancer. Doctors and scientists in the 70's predicted there to be 1,000's of cases by the year 2,000 yet not one has occured! Dr. Tashkin of the UCLA is being funded by the government to study the affects of cannabis and the pulmonary area and he presented in 2006 that either it doesn't do anything at all, or has some sort of protective affect. People have developed problems from smoking as I hear (coughing, weezing, hocking up tar) yet none are permanent. Symptoms dissapear when smoking is disscontinued.:rasta:

[someuser]

Well, I may not be as well versed as some on the subject but I have to agree with those who say inhaling ANY kind of smoke isnt good for your lungs... Though from what I read it does seem cigarette smoke is much worse (atleast as far as cancer is concerned)... But (with mj) you're still putting a bunch of tar and other shit in a place it isnt suppose to be...

IMO, as long as you're not a heavy chronic smoker you should be good... If you do like to smoke a lot I think a vaporizer is a must... I heard the best is the Volcano. They are $500 - $600 bucks for the unit and you also need to replace the bags every now and then but everyone I heard who smoked out of them LOVED it. Needless to say I've seen the light and will be buying one in the near future.

[invision]

holy shit theres a whole hell of a lot of false information in this thread.....holy fuck.......please just read the FAQ here instead

http://www.norml.org/

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[Captain Hanks]

holy shit theres a whole hell of a lot of false information in this thread.....holy fuck.......please just read the FAQ here instead

http://www.norml.org/

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True, but norml isn't 100% correct either.

[birdgirl73]

And likewise, all-or-nothing statements like "there is not one documented case of lung cancer" or "none are permanent . . . . symptoms dissapear when smoking is disscontinued. " are most likely incorrect, too, to be honest.

The truth is, no one actually knows whether or not cannabis has contributed to some lung cancers. We know that, in the very limited testing that's been done, cannabis smoking and THC seem to have an anti-lung-cancer protective effect. But if you look at statistics for both lung cancer and cannabis smoking, chances are actually pretty good that in some cases, it could have contributed in some way to certain pulmonary cancers. My point is that just because it hasn't been academically studied or documented through the CDC or NIH or other institutions doesn't mean it isn't within the realm of possibility. I'll say this again: Every human body is different and responds differently. Similarly, only people with smoking-related symptoms (coughing, bronchitis, wheezing, irritation, inflammation) can actually tell researchers whether or not those symptoms subside when they stop smoking. Chances are probable that, for plenty of people, symptoms may continue even after smoking ceases. The important thing is to trust the actual experiences of real smokers rather than to tell them assuredly that symptoms cease when smoking does. Only individual smokers themselves can be the true guide, and the studies haven't looked at all smokers by a long shot.

My point--and I'll never tire of making it--is that the jury's still out until really widespread research as been done. And until that time, only terminal optimists (or terminal dolts who can only see in black and white instead of shades of gray) will keep perpetuating the "It's completely safe" side of the story. My belief is that it's quite safe, and most of the limited research seems to bear that out. But a clinical researcher would be the first to tell everyone that there are always exceptions and that we need to listen to those people who illustrate those exceptions.

[Captain Hanks]

Would you notice the affects physically before anything permanent? By that I mean coughing, wheezing, chest pains, hocking up tar, etc.?

[khoa]

my 2 cents,

Smoking tobacco def kills cilia, mj actually paralyzes it. Try quitting for a few days, you'll see. YES- smoking mj does give you more tar than cigarettes. Duh, look inside your pipe and tell me otherwise. Is this tar harmful? Yes, well, it can potentially can be. The tar of both cigs and mj DO contain carcinogens, and mj even contains MORE. So, my fellow potheads, your lungs are probably resinated by this crap, but why doesn't that tar eventually give you cancer like cigarettes do? Well there's a nifty enzyme by the name of CYP1A1 that goes around activating these carcinogens. It's not the only one, but it's the primary one. Anyways, nicotine is known to activate this, but THC however, simply doesn't. This is probably where the lung cancer prevention argument comes from. This definitely isn't the only way, but it's a pathway that i've studied for half a semester this fall for a class. Causes asthma? Haha yeah, when THC dilates your bronchioles and helps you breathe better, that'll definitely cause asthma. I use to carry an inhaler around all the time and had it really really bad when i was in grade school. What's weird is that I've never touched one of those since high school, around the time i started smoking mj.

[Delta9 UK]

my 2 cents,

why doesn't that tar eventually give you cancer like cigarettes do? Well there's a nifty enzyme by the name of CYP1A1 that goes around activating these carcinogens. It's not the only one, but it's the primary one. Anyways, nicotine is known to activate this, but THC however, simply doesn't. This is probably where the lung cancer prevention argument comes from. This definitely isn't the only way, but it's a pathway that i've studied for half a semester this fall for a class. Causes asthma? Haha yeah, when THC dilates your bronchioles and helps you breathe better, that'll definitely cause asthma. I use to carry an inhaler around all the time and had it really really bad when i was in grade school. What's weird is that I've never touched one of those since high school, around the time i started smoking mj.

A+ Post :) Cytochrome P450? Activated by PAH's? Coolio!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=gene&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=full_report&list_uids=1543

[Delta9 UK]

Found this -
Smoke from tobacco and cannabis contains many of the same carcinogens and tumor promoters [20,21]. However, cannabis and tobacco have additional pharmacological activities, both receptor-dependent and independent, that result in different biological endpoints. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons found in smoke are pro-carcinogens that are converted to carcinogens by the enzymatic activity of the cytochrome P4501A1 oxidase protein (CYP1A1 gene product). Benzo [a] pyrene is converted to its carcinogenic metabolite diol epoxide, which binds to specific hyper-mutable nucleotide sequences in the K-ras oncogene and p53 tumor suppressor [22]. Recent work by Roth et al. demonstrates that THC treatment of murine hepatoma cells caused a dose dependent increase in CYP1A1 gene transcription, while at the same time directly inhibiting the enzymatic activity of the gene product [23]. Thus, despite potentially higher levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons found in cannabis smoke compared to tobacco smoke (dependent on what part of the plant is smoked), the THC present in cannabis smoke should exert a protective effect against pro-carcinogens that require activation. In contrast, nicotine activates some CYP1A1 activities, thus potentially increasing the carcinogenic effects of tobacco smoke [24].

From here : http://www.harmreductionjournal.com/content/2/1/21

Thanks Khoa for pointing me that way :)

[caloman88]

Even if marijuana ever did or will cause any problems, there are other ways on consuming less but getting a major stone. Smoke keef, or hashish, a couple of small hits will do you well and you dont have to consume alot because its pretty much pure resin and filled with the Thc that takes the whole bud to smoke.:smokin:

[lazy smoker7]

Well in a way the same way as ciggerates would hurt you IMO. But i think cigs harm u more than weed becase. A cigs dont have any good effect and u fuck up your lungs, and weed has a good effect and probally is better for u cause i like to smoke weed when i have problems with nausea and shit so it helps alot more.. the only bad part is just the tar that the plant material that u inhale to ur lungs.. but there are ways aorund that eating etc.. so seriously i think weed is not bad for you at all.. just about anything is bad for us, like drving a car could kill us faster than the many many years it may take to get cancer or sum shit from smoking weed from all the tar, so i say we should all just light up lol. anyways i guess yes it is bad for u and no its not bad for u at the same time.

[Markass]

Well in a way the same way as ciggerates would hurt you IMO. But i think cigs harm u more than weed becase. A cigs dont have any good effect and u fuck up your lungs, and weed has a good effect and probally is better for u cause i like to smoke weed when i have problems with nausea and shit so it helps alot more.. the only bad part is just the tar that the plant material that u inhale to ur lungs.. but there are ways aorund that eating etc.. so seriously i think weed is not bad for you at all.. just about anything is bad for us, like drving a car could kill us faster than the many many years it may take to get cancer or sum shit from smoking weed from all the tar, so i say we should all just light up lol. anyways i guess yes it is bad for u and no its not bad for u at the same time.

You're not going to get cancer from smoking marijuana.
http://www.thoracic.org/sections/publications/press-releases/conference/articles/study-finds-no-link-between-marijuana-use-and-lung-cancer.html

[ocbornandrazd]

smoke ranger this is good info and ur dad being a doc.It has been found not to cause lung cancer though.This is a recent release of this finding.What I respect is being told the truth,good and bad about weed.Yeh,I get a little dingy when smoking.So if a body is going to drink a "cocktail" to "wind down".then what's the deal w/smokin a reefer to "wind down".Personally I would rather have my kids smokin weed then drinking booze,driving around and hiding what they r doing.About the smoke in the lungs,well pnenomia left my lungs scarred from age 3. Also you can overdo anything,all things in moderation.