cannabisnews.com: Doped Rats Lose Track of Time Doped Rats Lose Track of Time Posted by CN Staff on June 09, 2003 at 18:47:20 PT By Michael Hopkin Source: Nature.com Cannabis makes rats lose track of time, a new study shows. It robs rodents of the ability to discriminate between short and long periods. The discovery lends support to the suggestion that human cannabis users may be less adept at tasks that require sustained concentration. Most countries penalize possession of the drug, but there have been calls for tougher measures against driving while under its influence. "Any task that requires prolonged attention could be affected," says Jonathon Crystal of the University of Georgia, Athens, who led the study. Somebody driving after smoking marijuana, for example, could be perfectly capable of executing the required manoeuvres, but could be prone to disastrous lapses in concentration, he warns.Cannabis is known to affect time perception in humans. Users report that things seem to slow down when they smoke the drug. "Felt time is longer than clock time," says Roger Pertwee, who studies the drug's effects at the University of Aberdeen, UK. "A minute can seem like an hour."Crystal's team trained rats to distinguish between two-second and eight-second bursts of sound. The animals had two levers, one corresponding to 'short' and one to 'long', and received a food reward for pressing the correct one.The researchers then played sound bursts of intermediate length, to find the 'midpoint' duration which rats were equally likely to interpret a sound burst as short or long.Rats given a synthetic cannabinoid - one of the active components of marijuana - flunked the test. They made more mistakes - for example, interpreting a pulse as short even if it was longer than the midpoint.The team attributes the drugged rats' inaccuracy to a general lack of concentration rather than an inability to judge time at all, because the average midpoint did not change. "You have to focus your attention or you lose track of time," Crystal explains. References Crystal, J. D., Maxwell, K. W.. & Hohmann, A. G. Cannabinoid modulation of sensitivity to time. Behavioural Brain Research, published online, doi:10.1016/S0166-4329(03)00062-7, (2003).Note: Rodent study raises concerns about effect of cannabis on concentration. Source: Nature.com (UK)Author: Michael HopkinPublished: June 10, 2003Copyright: Nature News Service - Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2003Website: http://www.nature.com/nsu/Contact: http://www.nature.com/nsu/feedback/index.html Related Articles:Study: Marijuana Eases Traumatic Memories http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13601.shtmlPot Blocks Painful Memories, Study Says http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13600.shtmlPot-Like Chemical Helps Beat Fear http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13596.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #21 posted by Hope on June 11, 2003 at 18:29:27 PT Rat's trained to keep track of time? Unbelievable. Teach them to read and get them little watches, then they can keep better track. [ Post Comment ] Comment #20 posted by paulpeterson on June 11, 2003 at 11:30:16 PT TIME IS NOT LINEAR The prevailing "western" theory of reality, ie: linearity, works so well for PRODUCTIVITY issues (ie: money making drudgery) that these people so rooted in control and conformity just cannot fathom another conception.Oregon (and perchance other jurisdictions) allow, in fact, marijuana to be used for certain "obsessive" thought "disorders" like OCD, and some research indicates that it allows for a more fluid "stream of consciousness" and for "lose associations" to overtake obsessive patterns of thought. Intense preoccupation with time, productivity and depression can all be uniquely improved with this modality.Spirituality, in fact, requires the loss of rigid time-oriented bias and set-point.It certainly comes as no surprise that time orientation is adjusted with this drug, and THAT IS JUST WHAT OUR SOCIETY SORELY NEEDS, and quick! We don't have all day to get started so let's get started!And about those driving rats. Just train them to recognize the potential for these inversions and the worst thing those rats will do is pause just a little bit more before entering the intersection. Why they might also get those weird, obsessive type A corporate rats so pissed that the goons will start honking obsessively out of lack of patience. The question is, WHICH GROUP OF RATS SHOULD BE IN JAIL? I rest my case-THIS IS MY STORY AND I'M STICKING TOO IT! [ Post Comment ] Comment #19 posted by Richard Paul Zuckerm on June 11, 2003 at 07:41:26 PT: THE REASONS WHY CANNABIS LAWS SHOULD BE REPEALED The Marijuana laws should be repealed:I.THE HYPOCRISYThe United States Central Intelligence Agency launders over $200 billion per year of TAX FREE drug money thru Wall Street, www.fromthewilderness.com; www.expertwitnessradio.org, www.sumeria.net/politics/shadv3.html, while otherwise law abiding Americans are villified for responsible Marijuana use. The DEA will never stop the drug war because the CIA, Vice President Dick Cheney, Richard Armitage, are [allegedly] involved in this massive drug money laundering. People may not believe it because the public school curriculum is rigged, www.johntaylorgatto.com, major media is manipulated, and people are generally conditioned to be good sheep, to love their masters, the federal government.II.THE FAILURES OF THE COURTSThe courts of law should step in and strike down the marijuana laws. Unfortunately, the great majority of the courts have upheld the constitutionality of the Marijuana laws. There were a few freedom-loving opinions from a few State courts, though. In State v. Mallan, 950 P.2d 178, 208-209, 218-219 (Hawii 1998)(Dissenting opinion by Justice Levinson), Justice Levinson opined that the Marihuana laws are against the freedoms the American people were guaranteed and in violation of the Hawaii State Constitution Right to privacy. In State v. Holland, N.J.Super. (App. Div. 2001?), the Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey reversed the conviction because the police did not have the authority to force their way into the apartment without a search warrant after the smell of marijuana smoke emanated from same apartment. In Ravin v. State, P.2d (Alaska 197 ), the Supreme Court of Alaska declared the Marijuana laws unconstitutional as a violation of the Alaska State Constitutional guarantee Right to privacy. We need to litigate for the State courts to enforce the State Constitutions to give greater protection for the individual citizen than the federal constitution, including through the use of expert witnessness such as Dr. Lester Grinspoon, M.D., to inform the jury of the relative safety of Cannabis, for jury nullification purposes.III.LEGISLATIVE MALPRACTICEWe need to get on our elected officials, to let them know we do want decriminalization of Marijuana. Otherwise, they will act in the best interest of the corporations, assuming the votes are not manipulated, www.votescam.com. I must have communicated too much to New York State Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan because, today, Wednesday, June 11, 2003, at around 9:45, she told me she received my letters & e-mails, "I will not be harassed", and lied to me that her e-mail address, nolanc assembly.state.ny.us, is on the New York State Assembly Web site!! Prior to our telephone conversation, though, I e-mailed her the upcoming Cannabis Pain Management Lecture from the upcoming events section from www.cannabisculture.com, to show her that Cannabis does have medical uses. I do not plan on contacting Assemblywoman Nolan for a while now, based on her comment, lie, and rushing me off of the phone. There are too many people who are slothful, have the attitude that there is nothing an individual can do. I would rather try, even if it is only me. [ Post Comment ] Comment #18 posted by VitaminT on June 10, 2003 at 13:55:08 PT Rats should be precluded from driving but I'm sure John Walters has a Chauffer so he souldn't be inconvenienced.just for grins ;-) [ Post Comment ] Comment #17 posted by ekim on June 10, 2003 at 11:11:50 PT me too EJ Cannabis makes rats lose track of time, a new study shows. It robs rodents of the ability to discriminate between short and long periods. -------------so you want to eliminate Hemp from the face of the planet----who really is the small creature that mindlessly must pull the levers of Prohibition. Think for yourself do not allow a small jailed rat to do it for you==== they rebell to. Botanically, hemp is member of the most advanced plant family on Earth. It is a dioecious (having male, female and sometimes hermaphroditic - male and female on the same plant), woody, herbaceous annual that uses the sun more efficiently than virtually any other plant on our planet, reaching a robust 12 to 20 feet or more in one short growing season. It can be grown in virtually any climate or soil condition on Earth, even marginal ones. [ Post Comment ] Comment #16 posted by delariand on June 10, 2003 at 10:54:42 PT Of patriotism I consider myself a patriot. I strongly dislike our current president, his administration, and the state of so many things in this country, but none of that can tarnish the fact that this country was founded on one idea: that people should be free. It's truly sad that the majority of American citizens and so-called 'Patriots' don't see how far we have strayed from this core philosophy, but I'll never give up hope for my home. [ Post Comment ] Comment #15 posted by FoM on June 10, 2003 at 10:09:09 PT Off Topic I've really enjoyed all the comments. Thank you all so very much. The news is slow and I've had a chance to surf the Net. When I found this web site and all the music I was taken back. I haven't felt patriotic for so long and this reminded me that I do love my country. I'm not happy with the way things have gone since 9-11 but maybe this will help others like it helped me.http://www.tributetoheroesmusic.org/ [ Post Comment ] Comment #14 posted by SWAMPIE on June 10, 2003 at 08:47:30 PT Rats the size of cats Suck on cats the size..... Of rats..And 10,000 Peopleoids.......Gimme a break!This time-nonsense is construed to again spew the power-barfing agenda that has no scientific rationality or reality.It is propaganda plain and clear.When will they learn?When they try cannabis for themselves!Then I will believe them! [ Post Comment ] Comment #13 posted by goneposthole on June 10, 2003 at 07:27:32 PT those lucky dogs the rats, I mean. Funny study. I mean, think about it.funny. Rats are given cannabis, and then a study is conducted.funny. Rats think it's cool. Man deprives his fellow man of cannabis by law, but allows rats to ingest cannabis so the effects on rats are observed. funny.The penultimate of reefer madness.Here is my suggestion for the researchers: Take the cannabis yourself. Write down on a piece of paper observations that you have about yourself while you were stoned. that's all.The rats send a hearty 'thank you' to the research team.There are more important matters that need immediate attention. The need to evaluate priorities is all too obvious. [ Post Comment ] Comment #12 posted by The GCW on June 10, 2003 at 04:25:02 PT OUR Clock? The time they denouce is God's time.Does time run on the clock of cannabis? Does anyone think cannabis runs on OUr time? Our clock?I'm not going to look it up... but... isn't there mention of a minute being like a thousand years???Isn't the Truth about how cannabis is related to time, a God Awesome good thing?Has it been a couple minutes?Did it ever seem as though some one very significant said He will be back in a couple minutes?Those who denounce the time observations of cannabis, deny the Truth at the fork in the road where Truth matters.Truth has movement, is a vehicle, with no end, and I testify using cannabis does not preclude the walk Jesus Christ taught.It seems to augment it.And I CAN TELL TIME.The Green Collar Worker [ Post Comment ] Comment #11 posted by Ethan Russo MD on June 10, 2003 at 03:50:27 PT: EJ, Welcome Another classic LTE. It's great to see you back! [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by Sam Adams on June 09, 2003 at 22:06:35 PT Let me get this straight..... They're saying that cannabis can make a single minute seem to last for an hour? Seeing that we all have limited time on this Earth, this only confirms the miracle - cannabis gives you more life! No wonder we like it so much. [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by E_Johnson on June 09, 2003 at 20:51:33 PT 21st century science - prostitution without sex? Dear editors,Many scientific studies exist on marijuana and driving. Perhaps it would be more scientific to look up the actual studies done on marijuana and driving rather than imagine how a stoned rat might drive if we would allow it to apply for a license. In fact, your imaginary idea of how a stoned rat might drive does not compare with the analyisis of drivers on marijuana. Human drivers on marijuana seems to drive as well as, if not slightly better than, humans who are not on marijuana, mainly because they drive more conservatively and are more more realistic than other drivers about the true dangers of driving. However, this is not an experiment that can really be done on a rat. So why then did you make a comment that is not only not supported by actual data, but also unrealistic to boot? Perhaps marijuana is so powerful that even when people try to think rationally about it, they find their consciousness distorted, even if they have never tried the drug itself at all. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by firedog on June 09, 2003 at 20:26:09 PT Amazing "Felt time is longer than clock time," says Roger Pertwee.Well, now we know how Neo is able to stop bullets in the Matrix... [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by freedom fighter on June 09, 2003 at 20:03:40 PT Thump! thump! Right out of the reefer madness!Speaking of mice and men, I do know mice do love to eat cannabis. They will take the time to open a bag and dig right in the feast. By the time, I get to the bag, the mice is nowhere to be found!So, how do I know?Mice took a shit!:)I do'nt think I am that addicted enough to smoke that bag!:))paceff [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by FoM on June 09, 2003 at 19:32:08 PT A Blade of Grass When I first heard about Cannabis I asked what does it do when you smoke it. The answer was that you can lay down on the grass and wind up staring at a blade of grass or a flower and get lost in the moment. I thought that sounded nice. I always had a hard time slowing my mind down so I could organize my thoughts. Cannabis helps slow up over active minds I believe. When a persons mind is racing it's hard to get much done because your always changing your thoughts. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by The GCW on June 09, 2003 at 19:29:57 PT afterburner - gets a bulls-eye! "The drug is really quite a remarkably safe one for humans, although it is really quite a dangerous one for mice and they should not use it."J.W.D Henderson Director of the Bureau of Human Drugs, Health and Welfare, Canadahttp://www.cannabis.net/kush.htmlGotta love the funny truth. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by markjc on June 09, 2003 at 19:28:53 PT huh? "A minute can seem like an hour"i think this is the opposite of what they were trying to say. just shows they are spouting propaganda. if a minute seemed like an hour then driving would be that much more easy. you would have split second reaction time. you could make thousands of decisions in the time it takes a "sober" person to make one. cannabis is portrayed in a positive light by this bafoon. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by AlvinCool on June 09, 2003 at 19:06:17 PT I totally Agree "Felt time is longer than clock time," says Roger Pertwee, who studies the drug's effects at the University of Aberdeen, UK. "A minute can seem like an hour."I can't see how a minute can seem like an hour except for a total non-smoker who gets some of Walters 30% on their first shot. Then, I agree, to that person a minute could seem like an hour. And they never tasted anything so good, as whatever they are about to eat. Oh yeah, and since cannabis users jump from idea to idea they are more likely to figure out complex problems than a fixed, methodical person. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by lombar on June 09, 2003 at 18:58:36 PT Junk Science "Rats given a synthetic cannabinoid - one of the active components of marijuana - flunked the test." So how does cannabis affect them then? What is the point of this study? To see what effect a synthetic cannabinoid has on rats? A synthetic analog of one of the cannabinoids cannot lead to a conclusion about the effects of the naturally occuring blend of cannabinoids found in cannabis. What a crock... [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by afterburner on June 09, 2003 at 18:56:40 PT: Simple Solution: Don't let rats drive!"could be ... could be ... synthetic cannabinoid" more speculation and weasel words.ego transcendence follows ego destruction, do rats have an ego? [ Post Comment ] Post Comment