cannabisnews.com: UI Seeks Pot Smokers for Study UI Seeks Pot Smokers for Study Posted by CN Staff on April 11, 2008 at 11:34:27 PT By Brian Morelli, Iowa City Press-Citizen Source: Iowa City Press-Citizen Iowa -- Normally, people aren’t paid to get high, but University of Iowa scientists are coughing up some coin to stoners willing to help them gain insight into the affects of marijuana.Users won’t get enough dough to live on — maybe a month's rent — but they’ll cash in enough to cure a mean case of the munchies. “The hypothesis is that people that use it at an early age have a greater effect, and the longer a person uses it the greater the effect,” said Robert Block, an associate professor in the UI Department of Anesthesia and the lead investigator on the project.The study examines how marijuana affects brain function and cognition, with particular attention to the duration of use and the age of first use. The measure is brain imaging studies and achievement tests, such as for math and verbal skills.Block is looking for marijuana users for the study, along with control subjects who consume alcohol and tobacco but not marijuana. The target for the study is 100 people.“The basic idea is, they are people who’ve been using it pretty regularly for some time, pretty heavy, pretty frequent,” Block said. “The control subject has very little experience with marijuana.”He is looking for men and women that are right-handed — only right-handed because of differences in lateralization between the left and right hemispheres of the brain — and between the ages of 18 and 44-years-old. Snipped Complete Article: http://tinyurl.com/4o2qljSource: Iowa City Press-Citizen (IA)Author: Brian Morelli, Iowa City Press-Citizen Published: Friday, April 11, 2008Copyright: 2008 Iowa City Press-CitizenContact: opinion press-citizen.comWebsite: http://www.press-citizen.comCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #10 posted by paulpeterson on April 15, 2008 at 08:59:44 PT Block at U of Iowa-doing research since 911 I talked with Block in 2002-he had been working on NIDA grants for some 3 years by then.I asked him what they already knew from their "PET SCANS" so far:1) no permanent brain changes from even chronic use.2) specifically no "rewiring" of the stimulus reward center (like with those dopamine surging drugs, like Coke, Meth, Alcohol, Opiates, Nicotine) ie: it is not addictive3) marijuana usage causes a surge in blood flow to the ventral lobes-the area most ravaged by ALZHEIMER'S-this area causes "emotional thought"-that is why girls have long known if their boyfriend is emotionally "dead", sticking a joint in his mouth will get him thinking about and talking about love (guys, watch out for this ploy-it is fatal to independence).I asked him if he had "published" his research-NO, said he, he was trying to get reapproved for grant money and ANYBODY THAT PUBLISHES ANYTHING POSITIVE ABOUT MARIJUANA GETS BLACKBALLED.A year later, he published an article about how marijuana changes the "time clock", (ie: a negative slant-which obviously has helped him "prime the pump").The interesting thing is, his quip about how if there are negative findings, that will help embolden the "antis", but if there are positive findings, that will help decriminalization advocates (roundly stated).That sounds pretty bold for him-in other words, he is anticipating positive results from this study-and is "couching" his words, in neutral terms to deaden the blackball thingy, in my opinion.Its good to see statewide publicity about their advertizing for study participants, of course.Any questions? PAUL PETERSON Storm lake 712-732-2620 [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by ChristenMitchell on April 12, 2008 at 07:24:06 PT: Super High Me 420 Opening If your group has a 420 event next Sunday there is still time to get together a showing of "Super High Me". Low cost Showing Kits can still get to you in time. www.superhighme.comCU Boulder NORML will have an evening campus showing. Hemptopia will have a showing starting at HighNoon at the 5420 in Central Park. 5420 - about as high as you can get Hemptopia - Our Greener Future [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by Sinsemilla Jones on April 11, 2008 at 23:23:11 PT D.C. Gets a (Perfectly Legal) Hemp Store "We're the last major metropolitan area in the U.S. that doesn't have a hemp store."Determined to see Washington join places like New York, Boston and even Burlington, Vt., Adam Eidinger decided to open his own store, Capitol Hemp.http://tinyurl.com/47qxm5 (washingtonpost.com)I think NORML, MPP, VoteHemp, George Soros, or someone should buy gift certificates to this place to give to every member of Congress, the POTUS and VP. Lobby them with some hemp bling! [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by Sinsemilla Jones on April 11, 2008 at 22:51:10 PT Marijuana Activists Push for 'De-Prioritization' NPR - All Things Considered, April 11, 2008Marijuana legalization activists are pushing for new city ordinances to make enforcement of pot possession the lowest priority for police and prosecutors. Seattle passed such a measure in 2003. Has anything changed on the streets there over the past four years?http://tinyurl.com/5ajmtb (npr.org) [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by RevRayGreen on April 11, 2008 at 18:24:12 PT More Iowa Pot-'Time for Hemp' potcast James Gettman One of the founders of Iowa NORML, James Gettman, spoke of getting involved on a local level when he sat down and took time 4 Hemp. Download the InterviewMusic artists featured in this segment: Johnny Reeferseed and the High Rollers with special guest Afroman, Howlin' Dogman, HannaA's Field, Joe Cocker, and others. 'Time for Hemp' Iowa edition [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by FoM on April 11, 2008 at 17:06:57 PT Ekim I looked and can't do a screening but will the DVD be available for sale soon? [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by FoM on April 11, 2008 at 16:29:34 PT RevRayGreen I've always been handicapped for being left handed so this isn't anything new. Just kidding. Don't tell anyone but Obama is left handed too. That makes me feel good.Good luck to you. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by RevRayGreen on April 11, 2008 at 16:19:01 PT Not only am I an outlaw medi-chronic patient who lives in Iowa, I'm also right-handed :) [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by ekim on April 11, 2008 at 16:15:47 PT Richard Cowan has story on new DVD Super High Me being offered to Norml chapters for April 20 screening. http://www.marijuananews.com [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on April 11, 2008 at 11:48:23 PT Southpaw I'm too old and left handed.Bummer LOL! [ Post Comment ] Post Comment