TRUTH - help out!

[Shrooms]

So recently I've had people asking me about the health hazards of smoking marijuana, and I've had people arguing with me saying that it is dangerous and causes deaths, etc. I would love it if we could all contribute to put together a thread with all the TRUE facts about weed, that are common misconceptions about smoking it. I would like to show people that they shouldn't listen to lies about how pot is terrible for you, and instead learn the facts about how much safer it is than alcohol and tobacco. Use the internet, your own knowledge (as long as it is TRUE), daily factoids, or whatever to help. So I'd love if if you would contribute, and I'll post the final list when we are done. Thanks :) :thumbsup:

I'll start:

In america alone, 75,000 people are killed due to alcohol related incidents per YEAR. The death toll for smoking marijuana has yet to start.

Delta 9-THC, the active cannaboid in marijuana smoke, is not physically or chemically addicting. A marijuana smoker can stop at any time they wish, with their own control, with no harmfull side effects, unlike tobacco smokers.

please continue...

[usedchemicals]

unlike tobacco, marijuana is 100% natural, no big companies put additives in to hook you

[couch-potato]

Marijuana has been proven to be effective in reducing the nausea induced by cancer chemotherapy, stimulating appetite in AIDS patients, and reducing intraocular pressure in people with glaucoma.

None of the medical tests currently used to detect brain damge in humans have found harm from marijuana, even from long term high-dose use. The claim that marijuana kills brain cells is based on a speculative report dating back a quarter of a century that has never been supported by any scientific study.

[Shrooms]

thats what im looking for couch potato! thanks man! you too used chemicals thanks :)

[Inferius]

Marijuana does not `cause' psychosis. Psychotic people can smoke marijuana and have an episode, but there is nothing in marijuana that actually initiates or increases these episodes. Of course, if any mentally ill person is given marijuana for the first time or without their knowledge, they might get scared and `freak.' Persons who suffer from severe psychological disorders often use marijuana as a way of coping. Because of this, some researchers have assumed that marijuana is the cause of these problems, when it is actually a symptom. If you have heard that marijuana makes people go crazy, this is probably why.
Is it true that marijuana makes you lazy and unmotivated? Not if you are a responsible adult, it doesn't. Ask the U.S. Army. They did a study and showed no effect. If this were true, why would many Eastern cultures, and Jamaicans, use marijuana to help them work harder? `Amotivational syndrome' started as a media myth based on the racial stereotype of a lazy Mexican borracho. The prohibitionists claimed that marijuana made people worthless and sluggish. Since then, however, it has been scientifically researched, and a symptom resembling amotivational syndrome has actually been found. However, it only occurs in adolescent teenagers -- adults are not affected.

When a person reaches adolescence, their willingness to work usually increases, but this does not happen for teenagers using marijuana regularly -- even just on the weekends. The actual studies involved monkeys, not humans, and the results are not verified, but older studies which tried to show `amotivational syndrome' usually only suceeded when they studied adolescents. Adults are not effected.
Doesn't marijuana cause a lot of automobile accidents? Not really. The marijuana using public has the same or lower rate of automobile accidents as the general public. Studies of marijuana smoking while driving showed that it does affect reaction time, but not nearly as much as alcohol. Also, those who drive `stoned' have been shown to be less foolish on the road (they demonstrate `increased risk aversion'.) Recent studies have emphasized that alcohol is the major problem on our highways, and that illicit drugs do not even come close to being as dangerous.
But ... isn't today's marijuana much more potent than it was in the Sixties?
(Or, more often ... Marijuana is 10 times more powerful than it was in the Sixties!) GOOD! Actually, this is not true, but if it were, it would mean that marijuana is safer to smoke today than it was in the Sixties. (More potent cannabis means less smoking means less lung damage.) People who use this statistic just plain do not know what they are talking about. Sometimes they will even claim that marijuana is now twenty to thirty times stronger, which is physically impossible because it would have to be *over* 100% Delta-9-THC. The truth is, marijuana has not really changed potency all that much, if at all, in the last several hundred years. Growing potent cannabis is an ancient art which has not improved in centuries, despite all our modern technology. Before marijuana was even made illegal, drug stores sold tinctures of cannabis which were over 40% THC.

Even so, the point is moot because marijuana smokers engage in something called `auto-titration.' This basically means smoking until they are satisfied and then stopping, so it does not really matter if the marijuana is more potent because they will smoke less of it. Marijuana is not like pre-moistened towelettes or snow-cones. There is nothing forcing marijuana smokers to smoke an entire joint.

Experienced marijuana users are accustomed to smoking marijuana from many different suppliers, and they know that if they smoke a whole joint of very potent bud they will get `TOO STONED'. Since being `too stoned' is a rather unpleasant experience, smokers quickly learn to take their time and `test the waters' when they do not know how strong their marijuana is.
I tried to get a thread about this started a while ago, but it never got going... Erowid.com has all the answers.

[Captin]

1 in 3 users of marijuana will smoke crack within 1 year of their first joint.

[Th3 Chr0nic]

year?

[Storm Crow]

Granny Storm Crow here to delight you kiddies with some scientific studies!

MODERATE use of cannabis will raise the IQ in young users! :stoned: http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/abstract/166/7/887

Marijuana kills cancer cells! (there are a LOT of these studies!)
(colorectal) http://www.hempworld.com/HempPharm/articles/coloncancer.html
(glioma) http://www.hempworld.com/HempPharm/articles/milanstudy.html
(breast) http://www.freedomactivist.net/cannabisresearch.html#cannabidiol
(leukemia) http://mcr.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/4/8/549

Marijuana will not mess up your hormones.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&dbl=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=1935564&query_h1=1


Marijuana may protect your brain from Alzheimers.
http://erowid.org/references/refs_view.php?A=showDoc1&ID=6544
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n307/a10.html

Guys, if you are interested in the medical aspect of marijuana, just do this--Pick a disease, type it out in a search engine and add cannabis abstract, like this--cancer cannabis abstract. It will make you sick to read what I have already found. Cannabis heals! Diabetes, ALS, MS, strokes, IBS, asthma, high blood pressure, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis- all of them are helped by cannabis! It is criminal that cannabis is illegal! :mad: I have over 200 pages of these abstracts and studies! You want facts? Well, they are out there for those who look! Our govenment lies to us constantly about marijuana! If the public knew about these studies, pot would be legal. :dance:
Make yourself a notebook like mine and share the info with friends, doctors and anyone else who might listen. What I've given you here is just a taste of what is out there. Knowledge is power! :thumbsup:

[ShadowGate420]

Marijuana: 60% of the time, it works everytime. End of thread.

[phytokind]

Scientific Evidence for the Safety and Classification of Marijuana

The United States Drug Scheduling list states that Marijuana (Cannabis sativa) is a Schedule I drug, and therefore implies that it is potentially more harmful than Cocaine (including Crack), Opium, Oxycodone, Morphine, Lysergenic Acid, Dronobinol (Marinol, synthetic THC), and a multitude of other substances (1). THC is the main psychoactive ingredient of cannabis. The other components of cannabis, such as CBN and CBD are present in smaller quantities and are not believed to make a significant contribution to the total effect of marijuana on behavior or perception (2). Cannabis smoke has not been causally linked with cancers such as lung, colon or rectal cancers. Compounds found in cannabis have been shown to kill numerous cancer types including: lung cancer, breast and prostate, leukemia and lymphoma, glioma, skin cancer, and pheochromocytoma. Low doses of THC may stimulate the growth of lung cancer cells in vitro (3). Synthetic THC is a Schedule III substance (1). Acute toxicity studies show that it is virtually impossible to die from acute administration of marijuana or THC. For example, one study found no deaths in monkeys with oral administration of up to 9 grams per kilogram of body weight. Extrapolated to humans, a 150 pound person could consume 21 ounces or 1.35 pounds of pure THC before reaching a lethal dose (4). This contrasts with the lethal oral dose of Tylenol, which is stated to be 15 grams, or just one half ounce. This evidence indicates that Cannabis sativa (Marijuana) is improperly classified as a Schedule I substance.

References:

1. http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/scheduling.html

2. McGilveray IJ. Pharmacokinetics of cannabinoids. Pain Res Manage 2005;10(Suppl A):15A-22A.

3. Melamede R. Cannabis and tobacco smoke are not equally carcinogenic. Harm Reduct J 2005;2:21.

4. Beaulieu P. Toxic effects of cannabis and cannabinoids: Animal data. Pain Res Manage 2005;10(Suppl A):23A-26A.

[Oneironaut]

Myth: Marijuana does not make you cooler.

Fact: A recent scientific study proved that marijuana makes your coolness level go up by 45-55% by releasing awesomabinol, a chemical that creates awesomeness compounds in the bloodstream, causing the user to be a way cooler person than before.

[Inferius]

Myth: Marijuana does not make you cooler.

Fact: A recent scientific study proved that marijuana makes your coolness level go up by 45-55% by releasing awesomabinol, a chemical that creates awesomeness compounds in the bloodstream, causing the user to be a way cooler person than before.

hahahaahahahahaahaha
For those with brains, respect, and maturity, hell yeah it does.
Teaches them to take it easy.

[Cas]

how about the ....
Daily Factoid: "Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known." --Judge Francis Young of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

[Th3 Chr0nic]

Law Enforcement Against prohibition
http://www.leap.cc/

[LIP]

Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, [THC] the phycoactive compound found within the trichomes of the flowering cannabis plant DOES NOT kill brain cells. It has been stated for as long as its been illegal that THC kills brain cells, although this is another MYTH made up by our power tripping government, hellbent of killing people and ruining lives.

The only cell within the brain THC kills is called the glioma cell, which is the only cell in the brain to turn cancerous and is also not used by the brain for anything.

People say smoking pot makes you stupid, but thats scientifically NOT possible, what so ever.

Infact, in terms of reducing brain cells, swimming is moe detremental to the brain than THC as while swimming you have to hold your breath.

Cannabis, maryjane, marijuana, dope, hash, pot, skunk, bud, buddah, shit, solid, green, herb, grass, tree... What ever you call it, its harmless, so remember when you smoke a joint your not harming anyone around you, or yourself for that matter!

[Shrooms]

wow ive got quite a list, lets get some more good ones, and i'll cite it up and post a thread with the full list. hopefully we can get a sticky in the lounge! :)

[Shrooms]

today i had some people say that prolonged use of marijuana is worse than prolonged use of alcohol, what are your thoughts about this, does anyone have any information/statistics to share? i mentioned to them about the glioma cells and that vodka and alcohol kill many many brain cells even with only one time.

[memoryburner]

myth:legalization doesnt work. WRONG:legalization does work. if the government legalizes it, then the greedy government will have more money to shove up its ass

[FAllout]

monkeys with oral administration of up to 9 grams per kilogram of body weight.
Lucky fucking monkeys!

[Cas]

http://www.jackherer.com/chapters.html

everyone should read this.

[birdgirl73]

The only cell within the brain THC kills is called the glioma cell, which is the only cell in the brain to turn cancerous and is also not used by the brain for anything.
LIP, man, you know I respect and like the heck outta you, but you keep making the statement above about glial cells being the only cells in the brain to turn cancerous, and that's completely untrue. Among the other types of cancers that are found in the brain, all named after the cells they originate from, are neurofibromatomas, ependymomas, meningiomas, adenomas, astrocytomas, oligodendroglial tumors, medulloblastomas, pineocytomas, parenchymal tumors, craniopharyngomas, germ cell cancers, and several others. Annoying as I may be, I can't help but jump in and set the record straight so you don't put the study of neuro-anatomy back 100 yearsâ??or provide falsely reassuring information to someone who may someday get a brain tumor.

The fact is that THC has been shown to inhibit glial cell growth (and hence, we can assume, gliomas, the tumors that originate from those cells) in rat studies. That's as far as the research has gone for now. The hope is that it would do the same thingâ??and even kill those tumor cellsâ??in humans. But that's not been studied or proven yet. I hope it will be studied someday soon. Gliomas are very deadly brain cancers. People who get them rarely live longer than three years; usually glioma patients die within 12 months or less.

Glial cells, by the way, have enormously important function in the brain and are heavily relied upon. Without the support and nutrition of glial cells, the brain couldn't send signals among neurons and synapses. We'd all quickly become vegetables and then die without our glial cells.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glia

[Storm Crow]

"Myth: Marijuana does not make you cooler." Why yes indeed it does! It lowers body temperature! (lol) http://66.218.69.11/search/cache?p=cannabis+%22lower+body+temperature%22&fr=yfp-t-500&toggle=1&ei=UTF-8&u=www.bettendorf.k12.ia.us/bhs/pe/Knudson/pdffiles/drug%2520handout.pdf&w=cannabis+%22lower+body+temperature%22&d=PAaFNCQ8NSce&icp=1&.intl=us
And Shrooms, here's one for you--"Marijuana use and Mortality" http://www.ajph.org/cgi/content/abstract/87/4/585

For every prohibitionist lie, there is a truth to counter it! It's up to us to find the truth and let people know! This thread could be the start of something important!

[Reefer Rogue]

It's impossible to OD, you don't get hangovers, you don't lose brain cells, you don't get violent... I love you Mary Jane for you wonderful bounty of brilliance.

[Shrooms]

LIP and birdgirl can you both clear that up? so i was told that glioma cells were the main type of cell that was killed, or stunted in growth, and that these glioma cells are the cells most prone to cancer in the brian. is that correct? i want to make sure this fact is especially correct, as it is an important one.

[BongZoola]

Smoking weed is GREAT!

[Shrooms]

daily factoid: The U.S. government's own statistics show that over 75 percent of all Americans who use marijuana never use harder drugs.

[sensi skier]

"The largest study of smoking ever conducted with the financial backing of the federal National Intstitute on Drug Abuse has confirmed that tobacco use causes cancer and, to the researchers' surprise, marijuana smoking did not. 'We hypothesised that there would be a positive assosiation between marijuana use and lung cancer, and that the association would be more positive with heavier use,' Priciple investigator Dr. Donald Tashkin said in a may presentation at the American Thoracic Society. He suggested that, in addition to perported carcinogens, cannabis smoke contains THC that may kill aging cells and keep them from becoming cancerous. 'What we found instead was no association at all, and even a suggestion of some protective effect.'"
-Heads Magazine

Doesn't cause lung cancer? Can it get any better?

[psychocat]

On the downside : Cannabis when smoked releases more tar than tobacco Fact.

On the upside : Cannabis has been shown to help MS sufferers

It's about benefits v downside.

[birdgirl73]

LIP and birdgirl can you both clear that up? so i was told that glioma cells were the main type of cell that was killed, or stunted in growth, and that these glioma cells are the cells most prone to cancer in the brian. is that correct? i want to make sure this fact is especially correct, as it is an important one.
Hey, Shrooms. I looked this up and then confirmed it with my neuroanatomy professor by email. Glial-cell originating cancers account for only about half of all brain cancers. Of that 50% figure, about 85% of those are glio-astrocytomas, which form in the astrocytes, which are star-shaped glial cells. One particular type of glio-astrocytoma is the most deadly, and that's called a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). The GBM is the deadliest and fastest growing brain cancer.

What we know about cannabinoids (there are about 60 of these types of chemicals contained in weed; THC is one of these) is fairly limited right now. Lots of people here on these boards who can't really translate what the research is telling them--or who have just heard something that sounds positive and distorted it--have gone off the deep end and concluded that marijuana cures brain cancer. That is categorically untrue. We simply don't know that yet.

We do know that cannabinoids seem to have some beneficial anti-inflammatory effects on glial cells in vitro (meaning in lab studies in a test tube). And we also know that, in immuno-suppressed rats, THC and other cannabinoids led to a significant regression of malignant gliomas. No one yet knows why this is. But again, this was in rats, not humans. It now needs to be studied in humans, and somewhere we can hope that's being done. The problem is that most humans with malignant gliomas aren't alive long enough to be studied conclusively.

I'll post a good link below about the cannabinoid-glial connection, but I'm afraid it's written in very heavy medical language. I'm happy to help you translate if you need me to. I'm only a first-year med student, but I've got a husband who's a full-fledged doctor and a whole bunch of professors and books at my disposal. There are lots of other hopeful indicators about cannabis having beneficial neurological effects, but right now they're just indicators and not absolute conclusions. I don't mean to burst anyone's bubble, but accuracy in this sort of information if vital if we're ever to get this substance or its users taken seriously.
http://cannabismd.org/reports/carter3.php

[Th3 Chr0nic]

thanks birdgirl u are right being correct in this matter is what is important. who will take any of us seriously if we arent even giving then the correct info

[Inferius]

On the downside : Cannabis when smoked releases more tar than tobacco Fact.

On the upside : Cannabis has been shown to help MS sufferers

It's about benefits v downside.

Just to go along with this: Cannabis smokers dont smoke a pack a day. One good weed joint will satisfy one novice-to-intermediate smoker for an entire day. And theres always vaporizers, which takes care of SO MUCH tar its a joke.
With vaporizers, and the fact that tobacco smokers smoke far more than a stoner would need to, the whole tar concern is basically gone.

[LIP]

LIP, man, you know I respect and like the heck outta you, but you keep making the statement above about glial cells being the only cells in the brain to turn cancerous, and that's completely untrue. Among the other types of cancers that are found in the brain, all named after the cells they originate from, are neurofibromatomas, ependymomas, meningiomas, adenomas, astrocytomas, oligodendroglial tumors, medulloblastomas, pineocytomas, parenchymal tumors, craniopharyngomas, germ cell cancers, and several others. Annoying as I may be, I can't help but jump in and set the record straight so you don't put the study of neuro-anatomy back 100 yearsâ??or provide falsely reassuring information to someone who may someday get a brain tumor.

The fact is that THC has been shown to inhibit glial cell growth (and hence, we can assume, gliomas, the tumors that originate from those cells) in rat studies. That's as far as the research has gone for now. The hope is that it would do the same thingâ??and even kill those tumor cellsâ??in humans. But that's not been studied or proven yet. I hope it will be studied someday soon. Gliomas are very deadly brain cancers. People who get them rarely live longer than three years; usually glioma patients die within 12 months or less.

Glial cells, by the way, have enormously important function in the brain and are heavily relied upon. Without the support and nutrition of glial cells, the brain couldn't send signals among neurons and synapses. We'd all quickly become vegetables and then die without our glial cells.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glia

Well, its what i've read, and take to be true. Also i think Beachguyinthongs has read the same thing as me, but thankyou for putting me and everyone else right.

The point of the post is still true though, THC doesnt kill brain cells.

[LIP]

Ok, this isnt the oringinal artical i read, but its all i can get.


"Cannabinoids do kill brain cells, but the brain cells they kill are called "Glioma" or Cancer of the brain(Tumor). All other brain cells are protected and healed by cannabinoids. (Glioma cells cannot tolerate the action of cannabinoids)"


"According to a brain function study of 150 depressed people Cannabis protects the brain against healthy cell death and it also protects Neurons."

http://www.thc-ministry.net/cannabisinfo.htm

[Shrooms]

thanks for the finds LIP and Birdgirl. I didn't bother reading all of the link, since I don't fully understand it all as of yet. I also want to become a doctor, but I am still in my second year of highschool, so I have a ways to go :) .

So basically, in conclusion, the active cannaboids in THC create beneficial anti-inflammitory effects on glioma cells in the brain. These glioma cells are the cells which are ___(are these used as much as other brain cells, how important are they? ive heard people say they are barely used if not useless at all)___________, are the originating cells of about 50% of brain cancers, of which 85% are glio-astrocytoma.

[Cas]

the more I read about pot the more I come to the conclusion that bud was given to man as a way to counteract our self-destructive nature.

[psychocat]

Just to go along with this: Cannabis smokers dont smoke a pack a day. One good weed joint will satisfy one novice-to-intermediate smoker for an entire day..

I smoke a lot more joints than I ever do cigs.
1 joint a day is laughable,

[Inferius]

I smoke a lot more joints than I ever do cigs.
1 joint a day is laughable,

Bah Humbug.

[birdgirl73]

Good for you, Shrooms. Always glad to know a fellow medical "aspirant."

Glial cells basically provide support and nutrition to neurons, which are the cells that think our thoughts and send the signals we use for all aspects of life. We have about 10 times more glial cells than neurons, and they're critically, vitally important. Without glial cells, no aspect of our central or autonomous nervous systems and no aspects of our bodies would work. We couldn't live without glial cells. That's why people die from gliomal tumors faster than they do from neuromas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glia

[Shrooms]

so how would you word this birdgirl? this is what i had said

So basically, in conclusion, the active cannaboids in THC create beneficial anti-inflammitory effects on glioma cells in the brain. These glioma cells are the cells which are ___(are these used as much as other brain cells, how important are they? ive heard people say they are barely used if not useless at all)___________, are the originating cells of about 50% of brain cancers, of which 85% are glio-astrocytoma.

do you mind helping me out with filling that in? i know they are important now, but I'd much rather have you complete it since you know much more than I

[birdgirl73]

so how would you word this birdgirl? this is what i had said

So basically, in conclusion, the active cannaboids in THC create beneficial anti-inflammitory effects on glioma cells in the brain. These glioma cells are the cells which are . . . are the originating cells of about 50% of brain cancers, of which 85% are glio-astrocytoma.

do you mind helping me out with filling that in? i know they are important now, but I'd much rather have you complete it since you know much more than I
Shrooms, hon, it'd be more accurate to say that the active cannabinoids are in marijuana rather than in THC. THC is one of the active cannabinoids, and cannabinoids are contained in marijuana. Then in our bodies and brains, we have cannabinoid receptors that pick up those cannabinoids.

You also want to make sure you say that in humans, THC has been shown to have beneficial anti-inflammatory effects on the glial cells rather than on glioma cells. Glial cells are the healthy brain cells. Gliomas are the cancerous tumors that form from glial cells.

I'll play teacher for a moment, and you think about this. If THC has beneficial anti-imflammatory effects on glial cells in the brain, what might that mean from a health standpoint? That is, what sorts of brain diseases might benefit from THC?

Glial cells (not gliomas--again, gliomas are the cancers) are used for the support and nutrition of neurons, which are sometimes called nerve cells. Our brains have about 10 times as many glial cells as neurons, and they work together to keep us alive. Google neurons so you'll see what those are. Read your neuron information as well as my post above and that glial cell link I gave you so you yourself can explain why they're important. Hint: it's also in the first sentence of this paragraph.

Glial cells are where half of brain cancers originate. Glial cell brain cancers are called astrocytomas, which account for 85% of brain cancers, and are sometimes lumped into a general category called gliomas. As I said two posts ago, one particular type of astrocytoma is the most deadly, and that's called a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), but the GBM information doesn't matter much.

If you're writing on the benefits of cannabis, though, you'll want to mention something else I told you earlier. That's that in rat studies using immuno-suppressed rats, THC and other cannabinoids have been shown to have a remarkable ability to slow and/or reverse the growth of glioma cancers. So what might we be able to conclude from that if the same were found to be true in humans? That's going to be an important point to make in your paper.

You've gotta fill in the info you need by reading and understanding this information, sweetie, or you won't be learning anything. Just read and reread this post and the last one very slowly and you'll see what you need to say. Make a stab at completing that paragraph, and I'll check it again later after I've done some more studying of my own, OK?

[show7stopper]

Weed is the same fuckin thing as tobacco except most of the time its not tampered with, like theres no nicotine in it, and it gives you a better buzz

[MsStrawberrySwisher]

1 in 3 users of marijuana will smoke crack within 1 year of their first joint.

LMAO... glad i'm #2 ..

OMG this statement is cracking me up.. help me... LMAO.. I can't breathee

[2Naughty2bgood]

i think u should just be safe with what u do

[Shrooms]

-In a recent major clinical study, researchers determined that nuggets are fucking awesome.

-4 out of 5 doctors recommend smoking herb over diet and exercise.

-Not being "cool" is the leading cause of mediocrity in America.

-Everyone does it.

thought id throw those in ;)

birdgirl I am quite busy right now with homework, but I will soon start reading the links you supplied, thanks :)

[psychocat]

I get plenty excercise and eat healthily so I counter my healthy lifestyle by toking shedloads . :D

[LIP]

Weed is the same fuckin thing as tobacco except most of the time its not tampered with, like theres no nicotine in it, and it gives you a better buzz

Erm, woah. How about NO...?

Weed is most definatly NOTHING like tobacco. NOTHING.