cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Use is Pushing Teens Into Treatment
Marijuana Use is Pushing Teens Into Treatment
Posted by CN Staff on April 26, 2004 at 09:58:20 PT
By Benedict Carey, Times Staff Writer
Source: Los Angeles Times
The high-potency marijuana now widely available in cities and some small towns is causing an increasing number of teenagers — and some preteens — to land in drug treatment centers or emergency rooms, recent government statistics suggest.The numbers are not conclusive, experts say, but have renewed scientific interest in and debate about the risks of marijuana use.
"The stereotypes of marijuana smoking are way out of date," said Michael Dennis, a research psychologist in Bloomington, Ill. "The kids we see are not only smoking stronger stuff at a younger age but their pattern of use might be three to six blunts — the equivalent of three or four joints each — just for themselves, in a day. That's got nothing to do with what Mom or Dad did in high school. It might as well be a different drug."Though overall marijuana use in minors has declined slightly since the mid-1990s, recently released statistics from hospitals and treatment centers suggest that the drug is causing many young users serious problems. Late last year, federal health officials reported that the number of marijuana-related emergency room visits for children age 12 to 17 had more than tripled since 1994, to 7,535 in 2001, the latest year for which figures were available. The most common reason for the visit was an "unexpected reaction" to the drug. "Overdose" was cited in 10% of these cases, "chronic effects" in 6% and "accident or injury" in 4%. The latest U.S. Health and Human Services Department data show that marijuana or hashish use is, by far, the most common reason why children age 12 to 17 were placed in licensed public or private treatment centers, accounting for more than 60% of reported cases in 2001.In an analysis published last week, researchers at Columbia University's National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse calculated that the treatment rate for cannabis dependence or habitual use in youngsters had jumped 142% in the last decade.It is too early to tell whether these statistics truly represent a surge in habitual use, experts said. Admission figures could be skewed by changes in the way some states collect data and report it to the federal government. Forced drug treatment is also a way many teens avoid juvenile detention after a drug arrest. Snipped:Complete Article: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/treatment.htmSource: Los Angeles Times (CA)Author: Benedict Carey, Times Staff WriterPublished: April 26, 2004 Copyright: 2004 Los Angeles TimesContact: letters latimes.comWebsite: http://www.latimes.com/Related Articles:U.S. Blames Canada for Marijuana Emergencieshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18643.shtmlOutside View: Putting Pot in Perspective http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15388.shtml
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Comment #32 posted by afterburner on May 04, 2004 at 16:29:38 PT
jose melendez: "Excuse me, whats's MFA?"
Jose- MFA is just my shorthand for Medical Freedom Amendment, like WTF, LOL, or CP. No, it's not a new drug, nor is it another alphabet-soup federal "regulatory" agency. Benjamin Rush, George Washington's personal physician and himself a signer of the Declaration of Independence, urged the founding fathers to enshrine medical freedom in the Constitution lest "medicine will organize into an undercover dictatorship.""Unless we put medical freedom into the Constitution, the time will come when medicine will organize into an undercover dictatorship. To restrict the art of healing to one class of men and deny equal privileges to others will constitute the Bastille of medical science. All such laws are un-american and despotic and have no place in a republic. The Constitution of this republic should make special privilege for medical freedom as well as religious freedom." --- Benjamin Rush, George Washington's personal doctor and a signer of the Declaration of Independence
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Comment #31 posted by FoM on May 03, 2004 at 20:50:31 PT
Letters To The Editor - Los Angeles Times
Data on Marijuana Treatment Present a Distorted Picture
May 3, 2004Re "Marijuana Use Is Pushing Teens Into Treatment," April 26: Allegations that marijuana smokers compose 60% of drug treatment admissions require further explanation and context. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, fewer than one in five people admitted to drug treatment for marijuana in 2001 did so voluntarily, and more than half — 57% — were referred by the criminal justice system. In many cases, these were first-time offenders arrested for marijuana possession and given the option by a judge or drug court of entering drug treatment as an alternative to jail.As such, the dramatic rise in marijuana "treatment" admissions over the past decade is primarily because of a proportional increase in individuals arrested on marijuana charges and referred to drug treatment in lieu of incarceration. At a time when tens of thousands of hard-drug addicts are being denied access to drug treatment due to a lack of bed space and federal funding, it is disconcerting that America's drug treatment centers are bursting at the seams by needlessly housing marijuana smokers.Paul ArmentanoSenior Policy AnalystNational Organization for the Repeal of Marijuana Laws FoundationWashington, D.C.• Cannabis is not "50 times" stronger than in the 1970s. These estimates are based on faulty statistics derived from samples of cannabis that police confiscated and stored in hot evidence lockers before the THC content was assessed. Heat destroys the THC, leading laboratories in the 1970s to estimate that THC concentrations were around 1%. Cannabis that is 1% THC actually has no effect, so obviously, no one would have smoked it. Cannabis today is probably two or three times stronger than 25 years ago, but this increased potency does not mean people actually get any higher or develop more dependence. In fact, some research shows that stronger cannabis leads people to smoke less, decreasing the risk of lung problems.Mitchell S. EarleywineAssociate ProfessorDepartment of PsychologyUniversity of SouthernCalifornia• The story pointed out correctly that there has been a recent increase in teens seeking treatment for marijuana use, but its agreement with the folklore of the drug treatment community is betrayed by the data.The Health and Human Services data that the article refers to state in no uncertain terms that the number of court-ordered treatment [program] admissions increased every single year (but one) between 1992 and 2001, and that noncriminal referrals were stable or declined from 1995 on.By perpetrating the myth of increased addictive liability of high-potency marijuana, health professionals are assisting the government in putting the health and safety of the millions of responsible American marijuana smokers in jeopardy.Adam ScavoneNew York• Marijuana's increasing potency is no surprise. Under alcohol prohibition, the strength of liquors rose rapidly and deaths due to alcohol poisoning went up 400%. If government officials and researchers are truly concerned about the rising harm caused by more potent marijuana, they should support legalization and sell safer, more regulated versions of the drug. Evan WoodsStudentOccidental College Copyright: 2004 Los Angeles Times
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Comment #30 posted by jose melendez on April 27, 2004 at 20:33:59 PT
afterburner
Excuse me, whats's MFA?
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Comment #29 posted by FoM on April 27, 2004 at 13:16:38 PT
afterburner
I think this is a great web site. I've had it on my one page for a long time. It sure is worth a look if anyone hasn't seen it before.http://www.conquestdesign.com/uncler/index.html
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Comment #28 posted by afterburner on April 27, 2004 at 12:52:41 PT
''Marijuana [sic] Is Not a Medicine''
Flashback to before the dawn of Cannabis Prohibition:Medical Cannabis Picture Gallery:
Miscellaneous with Pot-TV http://www.pot-tv.net/archive/shows/pottvshowse-2639.html
Running Time: 0 min
Date Entered: 22 Apr 2004
"Andrew Garret, Curator, of the online Medical Cannabis Picture Gallery, put together this incredible collection of bottles and other apothecary realting to cannabis medicines prior to their prohibition. The Medical Cannabis picture Gallery would like to thank the many generous photographers and collectors who have given us permission to display the images that make this Museum such an important educational resource" BTW, notice the other herbs. The Patent Medicines of yesteryear are now known as Over-the-Counter, OTC, medicines.MFA for 2004, any takers?
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Comment #27 posted by jose melendez on April 27, 2004 at 07:21:09 PT
Attention media, law enforcement:
The jig is up:from: http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread18736.shtml Comment #8 posted by Petard on April 26, 2004 at 21:57:35 PT And What About the Fast Track Status For...Synthetic CBD to be injected straight into the brains of Stroke and other cerebrovascular incident victims? Remember the Pharmos product from last Summer/Fall news stories? (Dexanibinol or something like that) Definitely sounds like propaganda in light of this seemingly forgotten factoid, especially considering that Pharmos stock was being rated a "buy". Somehow the one synthetic cannabinoid is highly rated, but gee, must be all those, what 300 billion gazillion quadrillion, other chemicals besides CBD in pot that's the problem. Yeah that's it, that's the ticket, tar did it. But no wait. How do we know they were smoking and not vaporizing as the 3 out of approx. 3 billion hits served daily were poorly documented?also, from: http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread18736.shtml#9Keep Your Brain From Going To Pot: http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread17814.shtmlMarijuana-Based Drug Could Curb Brain Damage: http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16741.shtmlMarijuana Ingredient Helps Head Injuries: http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11046.shtmlPharmos Close To Stroke Compound: http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9163.shtml see also: http://65.18.211.65/terror/potusHint.html" . . . the U.S. Constitution defines treason as waging war on Americans, or providing aid and comfort to our enemies. Also, the antitrust law known as the Sherman Act clearly deems illegal any price fixing, bid rigging or collusion between persons or corporations that inflate prices of inferior products, cheat the customer, restrain trade or commerce, or any attempt "to monopolize any part of the trade or commerce among the several States, or with foreign nations."
We retort, you decide:Drug war IS crime!
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Comment #26 posted by BigDawg on April 27, 2004 at 04:40:49 PT
The survivor...
"The teen who survived suffered his stroke symptoms after heavy marijuana use."Or... this teen survived BECAUSE of the heavy cannabis use?Seems to me..., this could be interpreted with the research showing better recovery (plasticity?) from neurological damage.
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Comment #25 posted by Virgil on April 26, 2004 at 22:42:53 PT
The Volcano
EJ started the comments mentioning vaporizers. CannabisHealth.com has been mentioned by Dr. Russo in citing his contributions to the Canadian magazine that comes out every two months with a circulation of about 100,000. I see they have added The Volcano to the products for sale on their website. It sells for $800 Canadian and this ad presents its features- http://www.cannabishealth.com/store/volcano.html
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Comment #24 posted by FoM on April 26, 2004 at 22:13:04 PT
Just a Note
After reading and thinking about the article concerning stroke and cannabis I thought I should post it and here's the link. I really wasn't sure if I should post it or not but decided I should.Pot Use Tied To Stroke in Three Teenagers: http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18736.shtml
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Comment #23 posted by afterburner on April 26, 2004 at 20:29:27 PT
The Heavy User Survived
"All of the boys admitted to having recently smoked marijuana, and appeared to use the drug occasionally rather than regularly. The teen who survived suffered his stroke symptoms after heavy marijuana use."Doesn't that logically point to the preventative qualities of cannabis use, similar to the amelioration of tumors counter-acting the carcinogenic effects of tar in the lungs.MFA for 2004, we need integrative medicine, we need the right to choose our own remedies using health-care professionals as guides.
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Comment #22 posted by potpal on April 26, 2004 at 19:07:34 PT
Finally...
...it has been stressed many times that no one has ever died from smoking pot, so they go and manufacture a couple. How convenient. How come there hasn't been thousands of 'strokes' over the past 40 years?
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Comment #21 posted by mayan on April 26, 2004 at 17:14:26 PT
The Title...
It should read, "Judges Pushing Teens into Treatment". Weed is stronger today? Debatable. One thing is for certain... jails and prisons sure are more crowded today!The way out is the way in...Lawyers try to gag FBI worker over 9/11:
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=515270Former Bush I Official Rallies Support for 9/11 FBI Whistleblower:
http://www.911citizenswatch.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=247&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0Bush, Cheney joint-testimony move questioned:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationalpolitics/2001912115_bushcheney25.htmlGross Negligence or Treason?
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/archive/scoop/stories/66/3b/200404231411.36a325e7.htmlCommission Seen Ready to Fault 9/11 Air Defense:
http://www.911citizenswatch.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=246&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
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Comment #20 posted by Riptide on April 26, 2004 at 16:35:50 PT
Teens Trembling Over Spruced Up Drug
(Sometime in the possible future)There has recently been an outbreak of a powerful drug into the lives of today’s teens. Until about a century ago this drug was considered the most popular drug on the market. It enjoyed a number of uses until it was outlawed and declared a Schedule I drug by our government due to the adverse mental effects it caused. But now federal health officials have declared the drug even more potent because of advanced breeding and growing procedures. The Colombian Druglords have evidently been doing their homework on this subject. You can probably guess the name of this drug. Yes, it is none other than caffeine. You might remember hearing your parents or grandparents talk about those crazy times when this drug ran amok through our entire culture. Everyone from auto mechanics to computer software engineers to corporate CEO’s enjoyed the stimulating effects of caffeine, usually taken in the form of a drink called coffee. Some of the past Presidents of our nation were known coffee users. There were even shops on almost every corner devoted to selling this drink and its variants almost exclusively. That all came to an end when DEA research began showing that the drug was causing severe mental problems in adults and developmental problems in children. There is even research that shows the drug, when used in conjunction with another dangerous drug known as refined sugar, can destroy brain tissue, literally leaving holes in the brain.
Nowadays the drug coffee, known as Java among its users, is gaining popularity with pleasure seeking teen junkies. Teens who use the drug are referred to as “Brownfangs” or “Yuckmouths” by their more morally responsible peers, and one who is currently high on the drug is said to be “Jittered”. But bad breath and stained teeth are not the only things that can happen to a coffee drinker. Doped up teens are often rushed to the hospital complaining of mild symptoms such as trembling, stomach cramps, nausea, muscle spasms, and headaches as well as excitability, nervousness, paranoia. Caffeine is also causing mental disorders as well. The rise of conditions like schizophrenia, ADHD, obsessive-compulsive disorder and many anxiety disorders has been linked with coffee drinking. There is even one case where a teen went on such a bad Java trip that he now believes that he is a cup of coffee and will not lay down for fear that he will spill. A DEA official had this to say, “It has always been the case that people cannot take care of themselves or govern their own affairs. The rise in drug use has made this clear. We are not going to rest until we rid the world of the coffee plant and any other plant that can be used to make caffeine. This dangerous drug use has got to end.”More to come in follow up reports.
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Comment #19 posted by FoM on April 26, 2004 at 16:07:41 PT
This Part Bothers Me
I didn't post the article because this sentence says a contaminant could have been responsible. There is a difference between a contaminant and organically grown cannabis. Why do they keep pushing information that probably isn't true? Does anyone believe this?***Geller said his team's hypothesis is that irregular but high-volume use of marijuana--or a contaminant they were unable to find--might prevent the cerebellum from getting enough blood to meet its needs.
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Comment #18 posted by global_warming on April 26, 2004 at 15:58:28 PT
Altered States Of Conciousness
These kids may have gotten a glimpse of this mucked up world that we live in and thus the shock of such a wicked reality demanded such a response.The altered states of awareness that the herb can induce, has for some, crippled them, both mentally and spiritually. One might conclude that the herb is a bad thing, but others might conclude, that these innocents might not have been ready to see, to understand, or to accept this Khafkaish world.
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on April 26, 2004 at 15:30:39 PT
News Article from Reuters UK
Pot Use Tied to Stroke in Three TeenagersApril 26, 2004
By Amy NortonNEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Large doses of marijuana might in rare instances lead to stroke in teenagers, according to a new report.Although it is unusual for teens to suffer a stroke, and there have been few reports of stroke linked to marijuana use, the cases of three teenage boys suggest the association is real, researchers report.The boys all had a similar type of stroke in a brain region called the cerebellum shortly after smoking marijuana. Their strokes could not be explained by blood clots that traveled from the heart, blood vessel inflammation or other potential causes.There may be some unique features of bingeing or sporadic use of large amounts of marijuana that might put the adolescent brain at risk, Dr. Thomas Geller of St. Louis University School of Medicine in Missouri told Reuters Health."This is obviously very rare," he added.Geller and his colleagues report on the cases in the April issue of the journal Pediatrics.Past research has shown that marijuana use can lead to excessively low blood pressure, slowed heart rate, dizziness and balance problems. According to Geller and his colleagues, there have been a few reports of marijuana-associated stroke, which have all been in males between the ages of 15 and 34.In these latest cases, all of the boys showed similar symptoms shortly after smoking pot, including severe and worsening headache and problems seeing and walking. One boy had slurred speech and appeared drunk.Two of the teens died less than 24 hours after being admitted to the hospital. Autopsies confirmed that the boys had strokes caused by disrupted blood flow to the cerebellum, as did biopsy from the third teen, who survived.All of the boys admitted to having recently smoked marijuana, and appeared to use the drug occasionally rather than regularly. The teen who survived suffered his stroke symptoms after heavy marijuana use.There is research evidence that inexperienced marijuana users have a short-term drop in blood flow to the brain after smoking the drug, the authors note in the report.Geller said his team's hypothesis is that irregular but high-volume use of marijuana--or a contaminant they were unable to find--might prevent the cerebellum from getting enough blood to meet its needs."We think that adolescents--maybe only male ones--who binge on marijuana may put themselves at a risk that they are not aware of," Geller said.SOURCE: Pediatrics, April 2004http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=4945582§ion=news
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Comment #16 posted by FoM on April 26, 2004 at 14:51:37 PT
How Things Were in 1902
Here's a paragraph from the article that I found interesting and thought you might too!***Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at corner drugstores. According to one pharmacist, "Heroin clears the complexion, give buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and the bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."Complete Article: http://www.baltimorechronicle.com/0426041902.shtml
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Comment #15 posted by global_warming on April 26, 2004 at 14:48:15 PT
Organic MJ
Maybe if we knew that the herb was grown organically, with care and science, we might know that these cases that are reffered to, are not just weed, but weed that gangsters are selling in the streets.As long as this insane prohibition continues, the controls needed to insure that the herb is of quality sources and not some pretense or sprayed plant, will always be in doubt.Get the herb out of the hands of the gangsters, and into the hands of good farmers.One can never be sure what they are buying in the streets.-gw
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Comment #14 posted by afterburner on April 26, 2004 at 14:37:40 PT
Richard Cowan's Take on Forced Treatment & Lies
Battle For Canada [Part 24]: Marijuana or Meth Take Your Choice http://www.pot-tv.net/archive/shows/pottvshowse-2641.html "Marijuana or Meth Take Your Choice. Canadian Narks Lied About Cannabis But Now Expect The Kids to Believe Them About Meth."Watch out LEO's, politicians, doctors, and pseudo-scientists.
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Comment #13 posted by WolfgangWylde on April 26, 2004 at 13:52:24 PT
BS - The spike in marijuana treatment...
...is driven by the crimnal justice system. Fewer than one in five people admitted to drug treatment for marijuana in 2001 did so voluntarily, and more than half were referred by the criminal justice system, according to statistics released recently by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
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Comment #12 posted by bongathon on April 26, 2004 at 13:36:07 PT
studies
no one ever tested the THC content in the 1970's so how could anyone know how much stronger it is now. supposedly, with the new breeding, cloning and hydroponic techniques, there is more THC(okay, i DO believe that)but i smoked some stuff in the 1970's that blew my mind. panama red, columbian gold and thai stick don't even exist anymore. what's up with that? i have friends who have visited all these countries recently. personally, i think mexi has gone down in THC content.also, my regards to vancouver and its damaging loss.
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Comment #11 posted by Sam Adams on April 26, 2004 at 13:33:50 PT
What about Hash?
The funniest thing about the whole "potency myth" is that it completely omits mention of hashish. From what I understand, hash was popular if not ubiquitous during the 60s and 70s. (Hash is near pure THC and other cannabinoids, btw). Hash is extremely rare in the U.S. nowadays.I would venture a guess that if hash was lumped in with actual cannabis consumption, potency of "dope" or "marijuana" is far less that it was in the 70's.
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Comment #10 posted by E_Johnson on April 26, 2004 at 12:55:36 PT
They're pushing fear of phytochemicals too
The "hundreds of chemicals" in marijuana are back again.This is a Soylent Green argument -- we shouldn't eat plants then, we should just eat vitamin pills and processed fiber.
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Comment #9 posted by Virgil on April 26, 2004 at 12:04:48 PT
The health consious become unconsious
Delta-9 THC breaks down to a more mind-altering Delta-11 THC. People eating brownies with this potent pot are sent to outer space when Delta-11 THC overwhelms their previous standard of being high. They go completely off the scale. This new weed is a real demon and new methods of consumption make it the devil's weed it was always called.
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Comment #8 posted by E_Johnson on April 26, 2004 at 11:28:29 PT
They need a real science writer
Marijuana today is 50 times as potent -- they let him get away with that!
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Comment #7 posted by Virgil on April 26, 2004 at 11:05:57 PT
Never lung cancer in a pot-only smoker
Dr. Russo has stated several times here that there has never been a case of lung cancer in a person that only smokes laughting grass. It seems hard to believe because of all the second-hand smoke around and those deaths. It kind of makes you think that cannabis is preventing cancer as lung cancer is not rare at all among people that do not smoke tobacco at all.
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Comment #6 posted by E_Johnson on April 26, 2004 at 10:51:04 PT
Call and tell them about tar and vaporizers
LA Times Reader's Rep (877) 554-4000They left major information out of this story. It doesn't say anything about what is in marijuana besides marijuana that makes it more poetnt or less potent.They've implicitly assumed in this article that the thing that makes marijuana less potent is something inert and harmless like the stuff they cut heroin with.It's wrong, scientifically, and leads to some errorneous conclusions about safety.The other stuff that's in pot besides the cannabinoids is tar, which is a known carcinogen.The readers rep beends to be told this, because the reader's rep is the one who deals with corrections and retractions.This article needs to be corrected or amended with the actual facts.
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Comment #5 posted by Petard on April 26, 2004 at 10:44:54 PT
Figures don't lie, but...
Liars figure. The statistics are due to the new emphasis on HOW the Stats are gathered and what generates the stat in the 1st place. Not an increase in problems, an increase from Zero reports to 1 report is 100%, and with the emphasis on court ordered "drug rehab" (I guess "plant rehab" just won't float their boat), well, as Homer Simpson would say, "DOH", of course "treatment" in rehab facilities for pot are on the increase. How about some real life saving material, like how obesity is killing, crippling, disabling, addicting to drugs (for diseases, conditions, and appetite control caused by their obesity) and increasing in treatment #'s, more and more people all the time, especially the "chilrun".I sure wish Chicken Little would retire from the media, and take "the Govt. that cried Wolf" along to the old folks home too.
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Comment #4 posted by Ron Bennett on April 26, 2004 at 10:36:17 PT
More Potent Than When I Was Young Nonsense
Wonder how much longer the government is going to keep spouting the "marijuana is more potent now" nonsense ... soon the GAO is going to be taking to task the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, NIDA, and others who make such claims that marijuana is so much stronger...cannabis can't contain more than 100% THC, which is about what it would have to be for such claims of constantly ever-more potent marijuana to have any merit.Currently, many of the anti-drug ad campaigns use the 1970s "hippy" teen who is now a parent. That stereotype increasingly isn't going to work for many parents of teens today were teens themselves in the 1980s, and some even the early 1990s!Ron
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Comment #3 posted by E_Johnson on April 26, 2004 at 10:35:44 PT
Here's what I told them
Dear editors,Why don't you have a real science writer do your story on marijuana potency? Benedict Carey is missing a few very important facts in his story that concern biology and chemistry, which it appears he does not understand.Marijuana is a plant. People don't shoot marijuana -- they burn the plant and inhale the smoke.Anything in marijuana that is not THC is plant cellulose. Plant cellulose turns into tar when it is burned. Tar causes cancer. Remember?That's the biggest reason people prefer higher potency pot. You can get the same high from low potency pot -- you just have to smoke more.If given the choice, what would you prefer -- to inhale more tar, or less tar, to get the same high?It's really all a question of how much tar you want to consume before you feel the pot.There are devices called vaporizers now that vaporize the THC from pot without burning the leaf at all, rendering a product free from tar.In other words -- 100% THC vapor is achievable from machines now. Regardless of the potency of the original pot.Is the LA Times now claiming this tar-free vapor is more harmful to people than inhaling the vapor with the carcinogenic tar?Than you'd better go contact all the doctors at the local AIDS and cancer clinics who are advising their medical marijuana patients to inhale pure THC vapor using vaporizers.You people are so scientifically flawed -- and behind the times -- on this story, it's just not funny. It's pathetic and it's sad and it's also frightening.I know you want to please everyone. But there is a bitter and violent war going on over marijuana. So you can't please everyone. What you need to please are the facts, and you have not done the actual facts justice at all in this story.Not even close. You really need to mention the rising popularity of vaporizers, because they throw big fat monkey wrench into your arguments here.Why is there one set of doctors telling parents that pure THC is a hazard, and another set of doctors telling patients that impure THC is a hazard?Think that over. Ask some patients. Ask some doctors who are treating the patients what they prefer -- pure THC vapor, or smoke that is 20% THC and 80% tar?
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Comment #2 posted by E_Johnson on April 26, 2004 at 10:32:58 PT
The LA Times Readers Rep phone number
Call the LA Times and tell them to put a real science writer on this story.I mean, they compain about the tar and the potency at the same time. Their arguments against pot have just bumped into each other.Here is their Reader's Rep phone number. Call and demand they correct this story to include information about tar content and vaporizers.(877) 554-4000
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Comment #1 posted by Virgil on April 26, 2004 at 10:08:32 PT
More bullshit I see
How many children went to the hospital as a direct result of riding a bike. Arrest them and their parents for dealing in bicycles and conspiracy to ride bicycles. This is just repetition of the survey taken in emergency rooms and a rise of court-ordered treatment. It does not change the fact that cannabis needs to be free and that the 1779 definition of freedom needs to be restored to The People.There is no problem with laughing grass. The problem is with a government that wants to continue the failure and treason of prohibition and with a media that is complicit in the effort.
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