cannabisnews.com: Marijuana Use May Thwart Pregnancy





Marijuana Use May Thwart Pregnancy
Posted by CN Staff on August 01, 2006 at 15:53:27 PT
By Miranda Hitti, WebMD Medical News 
Source: WebMD
USA -- Marijuana's active ingredient may thwart pregnancy, a new study shows. Marijuana's key ingredient -- called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) -- may make it hard for a fertilized egg to implant in the womb, says the study in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.Vanderbilt University's Haibin Wang, PhD, and colleagues studied mice, not people. But they write that their findings have "high clinical importance" for women.
The bottom line from Wang's study: If you're trying to get pregnant, abstaining from marijuana may be important for pregnancy success.Of course, marijuana isn't legally available in the U.S. But it's "still one of the most widely used illicit drugs in the world, and often by pregnant women," write Wang and colleagues. Tests on MiceFirst, Wang's team let female mice mate with male mice. Next, the researchers pumped THC into some of the female mice for four or five days.For comparison, the researchers pumped other marijuana chemicals or a marijuana-free substance (placebo) into other female mice. The mice started receiving those chemicals when their eggs had just been fertilized, but before those eggs had lodged in the womb.The THC group was least likely to have their eggs implant in the womb, the study shows. The scientists traced the problem down to the nitty-gritty chemical level.  Chemical CompetitionIn the mice, THC docked on chemical receptors usually occupied by another compound called anandamide. That left anandamide at a loss.Picture it this way. THC and anandamide are two types of cars prowling the mall parking lot. They both want the same type of parking spot; no other type will do. The chemical receptor is the type of parking spot they want. Without THC, anandamide automatically wins. But when THC is present, it swoops down and nabs the prized parking spots, leaving anandamide circling aimlessly.The result: too much anandamide with nowhere to go. High anandamide levels disrupt the fine chemical balance needed for a fertilized egg to move safely to the womb, note Wang and colleagues.  Pregnancy ProblemsAs a result, the mice in the THC group were more likely to not have their fertilized egg implant in the womb, compared with the other mice, the study shows.Some fertilized eggs just didn't reach their destination. Others attached outside the womb in the ovaries or fallopian tubes, which lead from the ovaries to the uterus. That's called an ectopic pregnancyectopic pregnancy.In women, an ectopic pregnancy is a life-threatening condition requiring emergency treatment. However, ectopic pregnancy has several risk factors that are totally unrelated to marijuana. Wang's study doesn't claim to explain all pregnancy problems in women who use marijuana.SOURCES: Wang, H. The Journal of Clinical Investigation, August 2006; vol 116: pp 2122-2131. WebMD Medical Reference provided in collaboration with The Cleveland Clinic: "Ectopic Pregnancy." News release, The Journal of Clinical Investigation.Note: Marijuana Chemical May Hamper Fertilized Egg From Implanting in Womb.Reviewed By Louise Chang, MDSource: WebMD (US)Author: Miranda Hitti, WebMD Medical NewsPublished: Tuesday, August 01, 2006 Copyright: 2006 WebMD Inc.Contact: Sswint webmd.net Website: http://www.webmd.com/CannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml
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Comment #60 posted by paulpeterson on August 04, 2006 at 13:47:33 PT
greenmed & whig
Good points-Yes, I certainly agree that Christ at least studied with the Essenes (and probably belonged to that group), knew about the healing properties of cannabis, and it certainly is concievable that cannabis was involved in the Pentacost phenom.The ergot theory is at least as plausable, particularly since it was also probably involved in the "mysteries".The confluence of events-with the grain harvest-certainly supports this hypothesis.Of course, we will never know with particularity which of these (three) reagents were involved.You never have tried my beef products, so you have no way of understanding the effects that I have observed, and since I am so broke at this time, I will have a hard time getting anybody hooked up to an imaging machine to ascertain just what internal functional attributes this or the others are associated with.But the discussion of these things is indeed, salient. I for one do believe that the "BCE" center in the brain-which controls autonomic breathing and heart rate-and which does not shut down from even heavy cannabis usage-would certainly account for a miraculous pseudo-death state that might also protect a person from the gangrene that otherwise would have caused certain death from those "golgotha" spikes driven through the hands and feet.Unless, of course, some EMT personnel were able, within 6 hours or so, be able to administer a world class green poultice to the wounds which would function as a "leeching" agent and also antibacterial agent, if you get my drift.I believe that Matthew was the one that administered about 50 cc. of quality oil on the road up to Calvary. Joseph of A. got there just as the body was being taken down. He claimed there was a "5 man rock" at the tomb-but it was more like a "2 man rock" but since the soldiers all wanted to go to the Passover feast with their Jewish girlfriends-nobody wanted that deal to fall though (which would have required about a dozen folks to guard the tomb).I'm thinking about two days for the recuscitation to occur. Oh well, maybe I was off a 1/2 day or so. Any way you look at it, of course, our entire culture has been lied to about what reagents those early guys had available at certain key points in history.Also, any way you look at it, get those trans fatty acids out of the house, eh? Paul Peterson 
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Comment #59 posted by greenmed on August 04, 2006 at 12:25:57 PT
Pentecostal enlightenment
Cannabis residue has been found in pottery vessels of the Essenes, with whom Jesus / Y'shua is thought to have studied. He would certainly have been aware of its uses and effects, as would the disciples who were taught the occult (hidden) aspects of His teachings.It is interesting that Pentecost occured at the end of fifty days of grain harvest, coinciding with the feast of Shavuot:"This feast provides closure for the festival activities during and following the holiday of Passover. In ancient times, the grain harvest lasted seven weeks and was a season of gladness. It began with the offering of the barley during Passover and ended with the offering of the wheat at Shavuot. Thus Shavuot was also the concluding festival of the grain harvest."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PentecostThe signs of Pentecost: the rushing wind, the tongues of fire, and the speaking and comprehension of other languages, points to an experience generally more powerful than cannabis, whose effects were presumably well-known by many of the 3000.Rye is known to harbor ergot, a source of lysergic acid amides, and although not isolated as a separate crop until much later, might be another hypothesis for the illuminating experience of Pentecost, if ergot was indeed growing on wild Secale mixed in with the grain and bread products consumed as an integral part of the Shavuot festival."Cultivated rye (Secale cereale) is believed to have originated from either S. montanum, a wild species found in southern Europe and nearby parts of Asia, or from S. anatolicum, a wild rye found in Syria, Armenia, Iran, Turkestan, and the Kirghis Steppe. Rye was found as a weed widely distributed in wheat and barley fields in southern Asia. It apparently had coevolved with wheat and barley for over 2,000 years until its value as a crop was recognized."http://www.mda.state.mn.us/mgo/crops/rye.htm
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Comment #58 posted by whig on August 04, 2006 at 10:45:10 PT
Paul Peterson
I can't subscribe to the beef theory of Pentecost, really. It just doesn't seem at all practical to me. What you say about cannabis being something that would "debunk" the event is completely contrary to everything I know about what was going on at that time, and what is going on today is much the same. Yes there were and are those who disparage cannabis, but Y'shua was not one of them. Nor were his disciples, nor was the early church. Cannabis was and is sacred.
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Comment #57 posted by paulpeterson on August 04, 2006 at 10:36:18 PT
whig
Good question-to respond, first assume that humans of that era were quite adroit and knowledgable of what "drugs" were then known. I will assume, for argument's sake, that the feast at "Canna" where the Christ turned water into the finest of fine wine, involved a tincture of cannabis, which Canna was famous for in that era.Further assume that there were many observers to that Pentacost event that had not partaken (or perhaps had their own trans fatty acid corruption by the intaking of high levels of either gluten or complex carbohydrates or fried foods or were just plain "fat" which mucks up the blood-brain barrier just like downtown-like today).The written record, in fact (if you are to ascribe any truth to the sooth-sayers' accounts of the day, which may be a stretch, in fact, of course), notes that people at first thought it was due to the drinking of "new wine" but that was disregarded, since it was only the "3rd hour of the day" or something like that, and I would assume that not many people wanted to ever drink before noon-since there were very rigid religious codes of "ethics" and early drunkards would probably have been drunk from the get-go-and everybody "lit up" with the "spirit" at about the same time-obesrvers would have ruthlessly grasped at any opportunity to be nay-sayers and to debunk any known 
entheogen as being responsible for the stunning brain effects-hence it had to bean occult brain attribute to escape the staunch "sadducee" rulistic debunking of true spirit implications. Come on, any time you or anyone in your own tribe has tried to speak openly about any "prayer channel" or other spiritual event that happened to a modern spirit in human body you know the current hegonomy just rips you apart, eh? Just like that happens now, it happened that day as well. Bottom line-couldn't have been a bowl or a bowl (pipe or glass of drink)-it never would have been written about if anybody had been able to debunk it with the best negativity of the day.And by the way, growing a plant gives too direct of a cognitive "nexus" for the cause and effects (and would have debunked the event, recall). Grow the grapes, squish them like you would squish an advocate of truth and knowledge-let it ferment-you got wine. Grow the plant, harvest the leaves, make a pipe or tincture, direct 1-2 punch to the punch bowl.Grow the flax seed, plan the diet, feed the cattle, then butcher it and eat it-nobody had ever reported this publicly as a possible source of entheogen chemicals-remember, until a few centuries ago, "patent law" was non-existent-if a serf observed this effect-(and realized what he had done)-and went and told his rich boss-the boss would ask him one question-did you tell anyone else about this "invention?"-If the answer was "no boss"-right on the spot the boss would murder the serf to protect the booty by his own form of "patent law" (trade secret, really).Then the rich old boss would die a miser without ever telling another soul about the invention that had allowed him to convince everybody that his "wine" was the best in town-the guy would always make sure he served up the wine first-before the grub-so nobody would ever be the wiser about his invention.How about Isaiah-where Elijah had a "bar-be-cue bake off" with the Baal priests-do you think the Baalists wanted to tell folks the buzz was in the beef? When they could not call down "fire from the gods" to start the pit-Elijah told his people "let's eat ours "steak tartar" (raw) and the record recounts how he wowed them with his "words" since he had the spirit of the lord with him (it was ascribed to the strong truth of his message, if you get my message.Obviously, organized religion would always make sure any knowledge of this form of buzz would be lost to the ages and never given any credit.Now, when those Romans got ahold of the reins of the church-bam-they made it a boozehound religion, didn't they?And in 1478 that not so innocent Pope Innocente VII decreed that cannabis was the "antisacrament" didn't they?Each time they found some drug or other that did similar brain changes (an enibriant, that is) they would wonder if they could just wipe it out-and they always got their way, didn't they?I'm telling you Wally, the Beav had no chance of ever making any waves about this here thing I am atelling you'se about. End of story, and I hope you enjoyed it. Paul
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Comment #56 posted by whig on August 04, 2006 at 09:27:26 PT
Paul Peterson
I don't understand why it has to be as complicated as you say, to raise animals with proper diet and care is important and good, but it takes a long time and would seem to me logistically impossible to explain the Pentacost. Rather than talking about the similarity in eating healthy beef to consuming cannabis, why not just consider whether the event involved the direct consumption of cannabis?
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Comment #55 posted by paulpeterson on August 04, 2006 at 09:25:03 PT
FoM
Oh, and FoM, sorry, but there is no such thing as being careful for me, ever again, once I have studied both of these aspects, and become an advocate of change, and of knowledge, and of truth, and of mercy. The only charge left for me that has any validity at all is to be aggressive, and true, and run like the wind. Paul
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Comment #54 posted by paulpeterson on August 04, 2006 at 09:22:10 PT
greenmed
Thanks for the post. You are right-the cross-reference between diseases that are treatable or treated with cannabis and Omega 3 is quite striking. In fact, the only area where the two "drugs" seem to diverge is that Omega 3 ENCOURAGES production of leptin whereby cannabis DISCOURAGES leptin formation or absorption, meaning that where Omega 3 decreases appetite, cannabis, ahem, causes the munchies.Omega 3 therefore is the "anti-munchies" chemical of choice-whereby that "Accompli" which decreases appetite by blocking the CB1 receptor site actually increases depression and anxiety-Omega 3 cures both of those in addition to allowing people to decrease fat stores.And, of course, when you ratchet up the levels in a trans-fatty acid free diet, the meat of livestock has this "buzz" factor that is still too wierd for me to believe a full year after I first observed it's effects.It is so wierd, in fact, that I believe that most people get total cognitive dissonance right away because there is some "past life regression" total distrust-that might be accounted for because the last time this was observed on this planet was probably in the old testement times when some "bull worshippers" used this meat product in ceremonies (without wanting to tell their people what was responsible for the brain attributes).I actually am coming to believe that this might have been the stunning attribute which accounted for the "pentacost effect" which I have been studying for some 5 years.I believe, without any real evidence to prove it, of course, that Cornelius, the Roman Centurian that was purportedly baptized by Peter (Read the book of Acts with this in mind) had this beef secret and one of his slaves, "Flavius Claudius" was so pissed off at him for going and getting religion that he wanted to discredit the early Christians-he took one of his boss' favorite cows to the market and made sure it was purchased for use at the festival.The most critical element in this whole deal was that most of the people that ate the beef didn't speak the same language at all-that way, when they became telepathic for the first time in all of their lives, they noticed that they were "hearing" in tongues (speaking their own languages, but hearing thoughts of others in a brain-operation-translation program!The "tongues of fire" dancing about their heads? Visualization of visible auras for the first time any of them had ever become aware of that phenom as well.Of course, since Cornelius had become a strong believer in peace-keeping as a Christian convert, when he found his cow was gone, he didn't kill the slave, just swore him to silence-whether the early churchies ever got wind of the secret or not is irrelevant-they would just disregard brain science and ascribe the event to a stunning presence of the spirit of the lord.The early Christian Church went from a rag-tag bunch of fringies to a strong word of mouth growth factor by a multiplication 10 fold from that one day's event.Within 100 years it was the dominant religious force on the planet. Too bad when it hit Rome those guys co-opted the whole spirit and made it die-by force feeding the religious bunk that Catholicism became-ruthlessly killing all "mystery" religions throughout the Med. basin and blocking any future generation's hope to understand either the "Isis" secrets or the "Elyssian Mysteries". At the same time they destroyed the last working "stel" which could have allowed us to translate the ancient Egyptian hyroglyphics (sorry about my spelling, folks).And it is no secret that anybody that knew about my "buzz" factor in the meats was ruthlessly tortured and killed to destroy all record of the fact of it's knowledge.Meaning that anybody that I impart this knowledge to today is reminded in some inchoate way that they were probably tortured in some past life for knowing this previously-hence the self-protective brain slamming shut to avoid an easy replay of their past exit from this planet this time.Hosta-la-bye-bye, and go to sleep. Forget you read these words here right now. Paul Peterson does not exist. destroy all record. Forget all thoughts. Turn away from the computer and never come back.Does this remind anybody of any other substance that society totally denies any medical utility for and with?Is this too eerie for words? 9 million women burned at the stake for the sake of innocence and religious conformity. Another 30 million women sentenced to death with breast cancer since the US government knew, in 1974, that cannabis could stop that one cancer process alone.History repeats itself, again and again. Of course, I probably have just issued my death warrant by imparting this story to you'se people today. Over and out. But thanks for listening, really, and I hope you liked the show. PAUL PETERSON
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Comment #53 posted by greenmed on August 03, 2006 at 19:47:09 PT
Paul
I think you've made excellent observations from your research into Omega-3 supplementation. There's a sitehttp://www.umm.edu/altmed/ConsSupplements/Omega3FattyAcidscs.htmlthat details conditions helped or prevented by more dietary Omega-3:high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, weight loss, arthritis, osteoporosis, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADHD, eating disorders, burns, skin disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, macular degeneration, menstrual pain, colon cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, ulcers, migraine headaches, preterm labor, emphysema, psoriasis, glaucoma, Lyme disease, lupus, and panic attacks.There seems to be a large overlap between this group of disorders and those treatable with cannabis. It really is quite striking. Perhaps CECD is much more widespread than imagined.The meat diet option is off the table for me, but a tablespoon of hemp seed oil now seems more "appetizing." And I've always enjoyed walnuts!Keep up the good work.
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Comment #52 posted by John Tyler on August 03, 2006 at 16:39:35 PT
Of Mice and Men
Is this another one of those stupid studies? The scientist shouldn’t waste cannabis on mice. They should try it themselves. For years the story line was that cannabis led to pregnancy, now these guys say it doesn’t. You can’t have it both ways. 
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Comment #51 posted by FoM on August 03, 2006 at 15:35:39 PT
museman
I compare some children to undisciplined young elephants that didn't have a parent on a show I saw on the Discovery Channel. It was about unruly elephants and they didn't have parents and they turned into killers. Parenting is important and for people to think someone else or the government can do it for them they might not like the results in the end.
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Comment #50 posted by FoM on August 03, 2006 at 15:28:55 PT
Paul
Thank you and you keep up the good work but please be careful.
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Comment #49 posted by paulpeterson on August 03, 2006 at 15:21:54 PT
FoM
Thanks for posting that new article-with the slant on the Accomplia pill for weight loss. I was just waiting for somebody to weigh in on the effects that cannabinoid blocker might have on the attachment of the egg in the womb. That will bring new publicity and new discussion of the mysteries of the cannabinoid system to the mainline press.This issue will probably explode into the mainstream media in the next few days. And you thought there was nothing happening these days in research circles, eh? You will be busy now picking up all the slants on this one. Any idea when Accomplia is scheduled to gain FDA approval?This should start to blow apart peoples' archaic notions about marijuana being a dead issue, eh? Keep up the good work, FoM. Paul
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Comment #48 posted by paulpeterson on August 03, 2006 at 15:15:43 PT
greenmed
You are absolutely right. That article is chock full of good detail on how the system works. I had forgotten about that article for some time myself. Until this new study came out.And we are just around the corner from having Accomplia approved by the FDA for US use. This cannabinoid receptor blocker will turn the entire nicotine addiction syndrome around over night-and weight reduction problems as well-and "marijuana addiction" treatment. And alcohol addiction treatment. And when we start getting articles in mainline press about the fact that this was developed from basic cannabis research, this will knock the lid off the anti-marijuana research mania.Medical Marijuana research mandates will flourish. And recall that the Presbyterian Church just joined the fray-the biggest Protestant group yet.Last week, in fact, I got ejected from a major "Synod" meeting in my home town here in Storm Lake, Iowa-for talking about medical marijuana topics no less-a pharma pill popper give away meeting was just getting over and I spoke up about the Presby's plan. Now I have the nationwide church group up in arms about one of their "people" being ejected because I spoke out to goons-the Presby. stance actually stated that drug companies have little inducement to support MM research.Now the local University doesn't know which side to side with-do they want to lose the drug company ocassional banquet for doctors, or lose having 600 Presby's come for a week every year.My freedom of speech, religion AND assembly was violated. And I have been courdially asking the school to embark on major research on my biotech idea (the endocannabinoid meat thing). This will be interesting in itself to see how this shakes out. Paul
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Comment #47 posted by paulpeterson on August 03, 2006 at 15:04:54 PT
whig
who knows, when I get some pesky litigation finished soon, I may just be looking for a change to warmer weather-fill the tank with gas, throw a freezer in the minivan with a few huned pounds of frozen you know what, and head West, young man. You are probably right, people out there must be more receptive to new ideas than here. When I talk about this new endocannabinoid system most people get cognitive dissonance within about ten seconds-they get a blank look and say "what did you just say". It is eerie to see how fast the left brain shuts down real time observation when people are so stuck in the rut. Keep in touch. Paul
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Comment #46 posted by museman on August 03, 2006 at 14:37:14 PT
FoM
"I think of a wide eyed child saying Daddy tell me this or that. That wide eyed child believes what Daddy says."Yes I've seen a few of those. I've seen a lot more evidence of 'Daddy' telling the wide-eyed child to 'stuff it.' Or "go play your video games", or "go watch TV" "Don't you have something better to do?" Or other disappointing reactions to an otherwise potentially loving and enlightening situation. Just because the parent is actually there sometimes doesn't necessarily guarantee 'quality time' when they are. America and american religions (including money and power worship) are teaching the world to abdicate their human, parental, and social responsibilities to the state. It's no wonder some peoples hate us and what they think we stand for (because the proof IS in the pudding!). We have some serious house cleaning to do, or somone or something is going to cause this house to burn - just to get rid of the mold and corruption that makes it uninhabitable to natural life.
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Comment #45 posted by FoM on August 03, 2006 at 14:19:25 PT
museman
I think of a wide eyed child saying Daddy tell me this or that. That wide eyed child believes what Daddy says. It's a very important part of life raising a child with honesty and integrity. It seems that the government has taken over the role of parenting. We have a local once a week newspaper and this week drug testing is coming to school took up the front page! I just shook my head and thought why?
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Comment #44 posted by museman on August 03, 2006 at 13:16:41 PT
FoM
"How do families explain our governments value system to their children? I really don't know."That's just it. The government, and the powers that are the creators, and supporters of the government ensure their perpetuation through dissemination of false values, false ideals, false information, and deliberate lies - in the schools, and most definitely NOW in the churches. Parents are so pre-occupied with their nine-to-five survival and/or comfort zones, they have (or take) no time to live up to their true parental responsibilities. They rely on the various institutions to teach their children, and the results are in; stupidity, ignorance, false prewspectives on almost everything, and entropic atrophy of all the best aspects of being.The desire and need for the dollar is the #1 priority taught in school. The deference of 'authority' to the self-styled elitist 'professionals' and 'social betters' is beaten in, and should you still refuse to bow to their perverse and errant false authority, well every year they build a new prison - that 'industry' is going strong.The 'relief' systems in place; token distribution of pennies for the poor are carefully constructed to make it more difficult for poor families to stay together, and the other systems make it easy (but they sure get their cut don't they?) for divorce, separation, and the general dissolution of the family. Thus darkness and ignorance is perpetuated at much profit for the elite.
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Comment #43 posted by FoM on August 03, 2006 at 12:52:35 PT
You All Are Nice People
Nice people shouldn't be bothered by the government. There are people who commit serious crimes against another human being. People like that need to be jailed. Corporate crimes don't really get punished. How do families explain our governments value system to their children? I really don't know.
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Comment #42 posted by museman on August 03, 2006 at 12:37:24 PT
Hope
"They are the quintessential example of the guy with the "Timber" in his eye, while he's worried incessantly about the "Speck" in someone else's eye."They are the 'speck' in my eye, and I for one am damned tired of it.
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Comment #41 posted by Hope on August 03, 2006 at 11:50:20 PT
Museman...you are so right!
"C'mon, these guys are the REAL DRUG DEALERS."The prohibitionists, the pharmaceutical industry that supports them, the big business of it all. They really are the "Pusher Man"...and they "push" it on us constantly and zealously, and they "push" it and "push" it, even on the children.They are truly depraved and deluded. Punishing the marijuana users while they constantly "push" horrible drugs on the community. They are the quintessential example of the guy with the "Timber" in his eye, while he's worried incessantly about the "Speck" in someone else's eye. They are also the perfectly stunning example of "Straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel."Andrea. Andrea. Joyce. Joyce. Calvina. Calvina. Let the scales fall from your eyes. 
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Comment #40 posted by runderwo on August 03, 2006 at 11:44:21 PT
I went to court for my possession charge
$800 later, I'm a convicted litterbug.And I even offered to pick up the trash...
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Comment #39 posted by museman on August 03, 2006 at 11:37:17 PT
whig#37
My wife does not like to smoke either. We do tinctures for her; she can mix it in tea, or anything for that matter, and after a couple of tries, you figure out a good dosage.
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Comment #38 posted by museman on August 03, 2006 at 11:19:47 PT
science shmience
Here's some statistical logic based on 'scientific research';"Life is the leading cause of death."My wife and I of 30 years laugh real hard at these 'findings', and so do our seven children.I got out of the Navy in 1971. It took me 30 YEARS to find a single doctor who was not so full of themselves that they would listen to me. Their elitist assumptions about MY BODY, and their damn legal drugs were in the long run more harmful than if I'd never ever seen a doctor.John Lennon said "You can indicate anything you want, you can syndicate any boat you row..." Which I always took to meant that you can find enough 'facts' and 'statistics' to establish circumstantial proof about anything. When you dose a mouse with significant amounts of anything, you will get a reaction -that's why mice are their favorite tools. They say that it is because of the similarities to human systems. But the continued 'discoveries' of various drugs and their effects on mice, has a pretty poor track record in actual practice. How many drugs out there now for everything from erectile dysfunction to hair loss? How many side effects? C'mon, these guys are the REAL DRUG DEALERS. Everytime I see my current doctor, he spends more time with his calculator figuring how to get his cut, than discussing any problems I might have...I never tell him anything anymore, the drugs he tries to give me just make me feel like suicide.Everyone here knows the facts; Marijuana is not only the one most healing medicine known to men with actual intelligence throughout history, but it is also the most useful plant period. You can heal yourself with it. You can commune with the Spirit with it. You can heighten the creative (which I don't hear any complaints about the results) with it, and the solution to every eco-distaster of the past century is contained within it.If New York and L.A. grew herb on the rooftops, smog would be practicly non-existent (but I wouldn't smoke it!). One acre of herb produces more oxygen than 10 acres of trees.Plastics, fuel, building materials, paper, textiles, food for us and for animals, and it has a wonderful scent and flavor. I like the beauty of it as well. It's truly a wonderful plant.All these gnarly dudes with attitudes could use a good dose of truth - marijuana could help with that. Apathy is certainly not a side effect of marijuana smoking, it's a direct result of the preoccupation with 'material success.'
No one (or very few anyway) is going to sacrifice one bit of their 'status' and 'possession' for truth, freedom, sanity, or a decent world for all to live in - they 'earned it' didn't they? Yes they 'earned' their little niche of comfort and denial by being good servants, slaves, and overseers."Don't need no more lies!" Neil                
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Comment #37 posted by whig on August 03, 2006 at 10:00:28 PT
Paul Peterson #32
Thanks again for your insightful thoughts on this. I come from a much more conservative society and unlike many of you I did not partake of cannabis until I was much older, and I was in a tremendous lot of pain when I first tried it so my neural pathways probably needed some time to adjust. My wife who has multiple sclerosis doesn't like to inhale smoke and brownies are fattening so she hasn't tried cannabis very often and so far it has never given her any kind of high when she has, though it does reduce her pain and symptoms somewhat. I'm hoping a vaporizer might help, or else I'll try to find some hash oil for her to try especially now that we're somewhere relatively safe.On that note if you ever feel like you don't want to spend all your time behind enemy lines and want to go somewhere friendly for a change, California is a nice change and you might find more people receptive to a lot of what you are saying about organic beef and pork too.
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Comment #36 posted by greenmed on August 03, 2006 at 09:26:01 PT
paulpeterson
You're welcome. I get something from each reading of that article; it is so information-packed. 
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Comment #35 posted by paulpeterson on August 03, 2006 at 08:24:22 PT
paul armentano
Thank you for illuminating so many people in so many ways with your work with NORML. Thank you also for your fine post which is especially relevant to this very intriguing issue brought up by this new report with mice moms.Let me know if you people are at all interested in helping me start and fund research on my alternative discovery regarding what I believe is a meat based endocannabinoid source from cattle and pig dietary research.A year ago I first tried the meats produced from a new and unique livestock diet program. My premise was that from my detailed internet research (much of which came from the fine work over the years from FoM and the others at this very website), and from my own tabulation of the various neurological and biological markers which cannabis products tended to produce, I opined that Omega 3 Fatty Acids might be and become a "crossover" chemical which might cause the same neurological effects, at least.I therefore made some 8 major changes to a typical livestock diet, with copious intake of brown flax seed. After 3 months in pigs and 9 months in cattle, I had a direct hit both times.When I ate the first pork, I felt it right away. The first T-bone steak was so phenomenol that I could not even stand up without holding onto the chair with both hands! I felt "weak-kneed" as though I had drank way too much alcohol. It was the most pleasant feeling I had ever experienced. The other guy felt it too.I did high end toxicity research on myself, of course, and found that two pounds of hamburger and a t-bone steak was too much for a day-strong hang-over effect the next day.For a month or so I ate nothing other than my red meats and lost some 20 pounds, lost my high blood pressure condition, cholesterol seemed to normalize and my PSA level went down from 1.9 to 1.2. I felt great.I then noticed that when I ate "fast food" I would get another "buzz" as I would leave what I described as the "Omega 3 zone" and returned to a typical "Omega 6" predominance-with increased anxiety and not feeling as comfortable with myself. I would then run right back to my own meats to regain the sense of bliss that I had come to enjoy repetitively for some months.Yes, I noticed that when I smoked cannabis I would NOT FEEL A THING. Now, in fact, since the meat assay tests did not confirm a really high Omega 3 level, I was blown away to find online that some of the things that Omega 3 turns into are "endocannabinoids". Bullseye.Either the CB1 receptor sites will trigger with other associated chemicals, or I have produced an elevated endocannabinoid level in the meats which accounts for the continued and repetitive buzz factor (which is shut down completely by even moderate trans fatty acid intake at a typical restaurant, etc.).The thing is, now I am broke, without a job, without any credit, without any tools to do anything about this stunning invention-recall I was suspended as an Illinois lawyer in 2001 based upon perjuries of two insurance fraud attorneys that the ARDC goons made a deal with the devil with to cook me in hot oil (trans fatty acids, I like to think) so they could keep me from getting any research or treatment under the Illinois "research on cannabis" section-720 ILCS 550, section 11, which I had done the full research on.Then Governor George Ryan (now up the river on fraud charges, etc.) talked with his "drug company king pin friends" at Abbott labs and they told him to "get me outa town"-Abbott Labs used the Illinois law as a research platform for the "Marinol" pill. Cooked like a goose by pharma bucks. I need help and I am asking you for help so that I can find out why the lord has given me this stunning invention-but without any assets to use as tools to help humanity with it!Call me at 712-732-2620 or email me at omegabeef gmail.com or just respond to this post here if you or anyone else is interested in this stunning biotech invention. PAUL PETERSON 
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Comment #34 posted by FoM on August 03, 2006 at 08:22:05 PT
Hi Tall Paul
I don't have anyway to make an article since all I post is current news when there is some which these days is few and far between. I keep hoping we can hang on just a couple more years til Democrats are in power or at least I hope they will be. They are way more reasonable. I have no vision but that right now. We need something really powerful to happen to help us. It's up to the organizations who have the money to do something. Meanwhile I'll keep my fingers crossed.
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Comment #33 posted by paulpeterson on August 03, 2006 at 07:57:41 PT
greenmed
Thank you for posting Dr. Russo's fine article on endocannabinoid deficiency syndrome-we should get FoM to make that a new article posted on cannabis news, eh?
PAUL PETERSON
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Comment #32 posted by paulpeterson on August 03, 2006 at 07:55:07 PT
whig- Check out Les Grinspoon's history
In 1999 Les Grinspoon, Harvard Medical School retired professor of psychiatry, did a fine article wherein he noted that after some 20 years of fine writing about cannabis, he actually tried the stuff and noted at first that he had what he called an "anxiety high", with heightened paranoia, etc. He noted that he opined from that observation that this must be triggering the anxiety center in the brain in some way, and might have been caused by an insufficient response, until after his brain had developed enough brain cells that had been "recruited" to the effects of cannabis (I am using my own words to describe what I recall was salient and relevant from reading his study in 2001 when I first started comprehensive research on the subject).Based upon his article from 1999, in fact, he was ruthlessly retaliated against by the local licensing authorities, and when I spoke with him in 2001 to elicit his assistance as an expert witness in my own ethical travails, he noted that he could not become involved in another's fight since he was fighting for retention of his own credentials. Obviously, this is par for the course-anyone that openly states that he or she has even tried this stuff, so as to be more credible in observing personal effects of same is ruthlessly taken out and burned at the professional stake-I am still smoldering from the loss of my law license in 2001-the Illinois ethical police actually used perjured testimony from two insurance fraud doing attorneys to cook me in hot oil!It may be, in retrospect, notable that "neurogenesis", whereby adult humans get new brain cells every day if in good health, etc., may be applicable herein-as when cannabis is present, the new brain cells which are encouraged by cannabis usage (HU210 studies in Saskatoon, last October prove this in mice) would be likely to pack on additional CB1 receptor sites, which allow for my postulated "recruitment" effects, which accounts for the fact that many people don't feel a thing the first times they smoke the herb.Then, after a few times, the anxiety or paranoia sets in, then the person finally becomes fully "croisoned" and initiated to the brotherhood (or sisterhood) of cannabinists.Les Grinspoon also opined that when people utilize Marinol, the synthetic THC pill, they either get too high (if they are older and not earlier initiated to the cult) or, if they are used to cannabis intake, they don't get high enough-which probably is because of the feeling of losing control or losing conformity of thought processes to what they are used to-akin to the paranoia that many have described.Of course, other writers have opined that when heavy cannabis use is observed, the body decreases production of Anandamide, which may cause some other imbalances, such as the implantation observations in this new report.Les Grinspoon, further noted that when a person has some internal brain chemical "imbalance" to start with, the cannabinoid intake from cannabis probably helps to find a balance-likewise, if a person is in perfect balance to begin with, it would follow that cannabis usage may, in fact, create more imbalance.I am thinking, in retrospect, that the heavy onslaught of trans fatty acid poisoning in this nation, from livestock being heavily pumped with that TFA poison, and heavy usage of fried foods at the fast food "pump", and heavy "high fructose corn syrup" down at the pop can "pump" (which inhibits leptin formation, etc., corrupts the Anandamide production or crossing at the blood brain barrier, making more and more people prone to become afficiondos of cannabis creed.At any rate, thanks for sharing your observations, whig. Over and out. PAUL PETERSON, from deep inside enemy territory in NW Iowa.
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Comment #31 posted by greenmed on August 02, 2006 at 16:59:38 PT
CECD article by Dr. Russo
Here's an article on "Clinical Endocannabinoid Deficiency" that Dr. Russo posted a while back in a previous thread:http://cannabiscoalition.ca/info/Russo_Clinical_Endocannabin.pdfhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/18/thread18831.shtml
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Comment #30 posted by laduncon on August 02, 2006 at 14:33:30 PT
Cannabis is more than just THC
While it may be possible that THC administered alone could cause the effect of lowering the possibility of fertilization, it is important to note that the ingestion of whole cannabis with all of the cannabinoids, including THC, was not studied. After all, cannabis is not just THC, but rather a combination of many cannabinoids. Thus, one cannot extrapolate the THC-only findings to correspond to ingestion of whole cannabis.If the study were amended to include ingestion of THC with other cannabinoids at the same time, rather than THC-only ingestion and THC-absent cannabinoid ingestion, the findings could very well be different.The devil is in the details.
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Comment #29 posted by Hope on August 02, 2006 at 14:07:45 PT
Salute to Paul Armentano!
I'm certainly grateful for all your good work.Thanks so much.
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Comment #28 posted by afterburner on August 02, 2006 at 11:41:22 PT
Paul Armentano
It's great to hear from you. Thank you for all the marvelous medical scientific research you do for NORML and the informative articles you post. I'm especially interested in this: {A dysfunctional endocannabinoid system, Fride speculates, may be responsible for certain abnormalities in infants, particularly "failure-to-thrive" syndrome, a condition in which newborns fail to properly grow and gain weight.}My adopted daughter was born three months premature due to the alcoholism of her birth mother. Later, my daughter was diagnosed as "failure-to-thrive." I know that this is only anecdotal, but I wonder if the alcohol had a damaging effect on her endocannabinoid system. That seems worthy of further research. Thanks again, and keep up the splendid work.
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Comment #27 posted by whig on August 02, 2006 at 11:33:36 PT
Paul Peterson #24
Just as an incidental note, the first several times I tried cannabis it didn't seem to affect me much at all. Then when it did affect me, I felt really uncomfortable and paranoid for the most part. It was only later on, when I made a concerted effort to develop a relationship with the good herb with the help of my then-girlfriend that I was converted, and became a cannabist.
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Comment #26 posted by paul armentano on August 02, 2006 at 11:05:12 PT
 Endocannabinoid system and prenatal development
Just a quick note regarding the Vanderbilt study making headlines today (and to follow up on Paul Peterson's post). As you'll see in my piece below, based on Ester Fride's work in Israel, the endocannabinoid system fulfills several important developmental functions, including: neural development, neuroprotection, the development of memory and oral-motor skills, and the initiation of suckling in newborns. As noted by Wang et al, the endogenous cannabinoid system also appears to be significantly involved in embryonal implantation. It's believed that this process requires a temporary and localized reduction (downregulation) in the production of the endocannabinoid anandamide, thus, Wang's results are not surprising. Smoking cannabis and ectopic pregnancy fears have been around for some time (and as such, Wang's study should be taken seriously by cannabis consumers) but it's hard to gauge how relevant this study is to humans as the quantity of THC administered to the rats in the study is arguably far greater than the amount of THC that would be consumed by a human mother at the time of conception. Bottom line is that real world epidemiological work by Dreher, Trivers, Fergussen, and even Peter Fried (canada) show that moderate cannabis use during pregnancy leads to little, if any, post-natal adverse effects. (Peter Fried has noted subtle cognitive impairment, specifically in 'cognitive functioning' in offspring at various ages, but his findings are, at best, questionable.) An excellent summary of this work by Westfall, Lucas et al. appears in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice (2006) 12, 27-33.Regards,
Paul Armentano
Senior Policy Analyst
NORML | NORML Foundation
Washington, DC
202 | 483-5500
http://www.norml.org------------------------------------------------------------------------http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/21504/Pot PediatricsBy Paul Armentano, AlterNet. Posted March 15, 2005.Newly published scientific research suggests there may be a role for cannabinoids in pediatric medicine.Could the human body's own "marijuana" hold the key to a healthy and happy childhood? Scientists in Israel have posed the question, and their answer may surprise you.Recently, researcher Ester Fride of the Behavioral Sciences Department of Israel's College of Judea and Samaria published a pair of scientific papers stating that the brain's cannabinoid receptors (receptors in the brain that respond pharmacologically to various compounds in cannabis as well as other endogenous compounds) and the naturally occurring messenger molecules that activate and bind to them (so-called endocannabinoids) "are present from the early stages of gestation" and may play "a number of vital roles" in human prenatal and postnatal development.Writing in Neuroendocrinology Letters and the European Journal of Pharmacology, Fride suggests, "A role for the endocannabinoid system for the human infant is likely."She notes that in animals, the endogenous cannabinoid system fulfills several important developmental functions, including: embryonal implantation (which requires a temporary and localized reduction in the production of the endocannabinoid anandamide), neural development, neuroprotection, the development of memory and oral-motor skills, and the initiation of suckling in newborns.A dysfunctional endocannabinoid system, Fride speculates, may be responsible for certain abnormalities in infants, particularly "failure-to-thrive" syndrome, a condition in which newborns fail to properly grow and gain weight. (In animal studies, mice fail to gain weight and die within the first week of life when their cannabinoid receptors are blocked.)Nevertheless, the author does not recommend that pregnant mothers consume cannabis, noting that a handful of studies have observed subtle cognitive deficiencies in offspring with prenatal exposure to pot. (At present, there exists little consensus within the scientific community as to whether infrequent cannabis use may impair postnatal development, as various studies have yielded conflicting results.)Fride does, however, strongly recommend the use of cannabinoids in pediatric medicine. She notes that "excellent clinical results" have been reported in pediatric oncology and in case studies of children with severe neurological diseases or brain trauma, and suggests that cannabis-derived medicines could also play a role in the treatment of other childhood syndromes, including the pain and gastrointestinal inflammation associated with cystic fibrosis.Because the development of the cannabinoid receptor system appears to occur gradually over the course of childhood, "children may be less prone to the psychoactive side effects of THC or endocannabinoids than adults," Fride writes. "Therefore, it is suggested that children may respond positively to the medicinal applications of cannabinoids without [psychoactive] effects." She concludes, "The medical implications of these novel developments are far reaching and suggest a promising future for cannabinoids in pediatric medicine" for conditions including cachexia (severe weight loss), cystic fibrosis, failure-to-thrive, anorexia, inflammation, and chronic pain."It's clear that the cannabinoid system is essential for complete human development, and that cannabis medicines have a great potential to help sick children," says University of Southern California professor Mitch Earlywine, author of the book, Understanding Marijuana: A New Look at the Scientific Evidence. "Given the well established safety of the medication, clinical trials for other disorders, particularly cystic fibrosis and 'failure-to-thrive,' seem a humane and essential next step."Paul Armentano is the senior policy analyst for the NORML Foundation in Washington, D.C.
http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/21504/
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Comment #25 posted by darwin on August 02, 2006 at 11:02:10 PT
More junk science.
Tell us the amounts that were "pumped in" and maybe this would have meaning.
My wife has smoked for years, except for during the actual pregnancies when she abstained completely. Both times we were pregnant on the first try. This was somewhat disappointing, as I had hoped for more "fun" while trying to conceive. But nope, 1st shot, done deal, wife abstains going forward, and we have had two healthy happy baby boys.
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Comment #24 posted by paulpeterson on August 02, 2006 at 10:33:13 PT
FoM-I like the related article in #2 much better
Anandamide & FAAH (its blocker) are involved in a myriad of different bodily processes-It has been noted that 3/4 of all new drugs expected to be developed in the next century will be based upon the cannabinoid receptor system and anandamide.Since implantation of eggs is moderated by this system, it makes perfect sense that a flood of THC (which is much more potent than anandamide-and longer lived) at this critical time in conception, may cause an imbalance or other problems for implantation- it behooves a person to lay off the smoked stuff until the die is cast.I believe this jives with what scientists already know about alcohol-it is best to abstain from that as well as other drugs when trying to participate in this blessed event-sorry, ladies, but maybe I am just sounding like a typical priest in the temple that says what us guys can do with impunity you goils can't do during you know what.I think the stuff about low birth weight and excessive crying, etc. is just bunk. But I know implantation and early developement is critically affected by anandamide levels. This article just adds to a growing body of evidence that suggests that cannabis (and THC) is more potent and will take precedence over the body's internal system of regulation.From my own research (and including my ongoing research project with a meat-based alternative source of endogenous cannabinoids) it would appear that there is a whole subtle "architecture" of brain sensitive chemicals that are mostly lost and prejudiced by the usage and dosage of "trans fatty acids" such as margarine and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.This new research just tends to support my hypothesis-that the loss of sensitivity to anandamide and others (some of which may never have been seen by scientists before, since most chemical science has only been conducted post-WW2-when all agriculture started to use TFA's which killed the production of these things entirely) has caused the "endogenous cannabinoid deficiency syndrome" postulated recently by Ethan Russo, (neurologist) our good friend from Montana.In other words, if kids were, hypothetically, to rid their bodies of all trans fatty acids, and got a good dose of Omega 3's from dietary sources, when they first were "exposed" to marijuana at a party, they wouldn't feel the rather remarkable intake of THC as remarkably and wouldn't suddenly become converts to our movement in the first place.The horrible thing is, if a person has been corrupted by so much TFA and other poisons in the diet, she (or he) will find such an imbalance and lack of anandamide in the system, that strong pharmaceuticals are necessary to try to cobble up a replacement for one system (such as antidepressants which are only partially effective) which are much more potent and thus able to cross the blood-brain barrier, but that same person might never be able to get pregnant (because of the loss of anandamide, etc.) and then when the person finds cannabis works to help replace more of the missing functions, still the person cannot get pregnant because the anandamide is missing for the precise levels needed to work for implantation.The treatment, therefore, for many "ectopic pregancies" and inability to conceive, etc., would therefore entail total avoidance of all trans fatty acids for at least 2 months, and total abstinence from cannabis so as to encourage the body to start producing anandamide (yes, running, chocolate and omega 3's would help to jump-start the body's own production system-one of the metabolic products of omega 3 is "endogenous cannabinoids"-anandamide.Sorry if I got too wordy, but this is heady stuff, eh?
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Comment #23 posted by Max Flowers on August 02, 2006 at 10:21:02 PT
Torrance (#18)
I'm sure glad I don't live down there anymore. I can see it's still overly conservative and messed up. It's been 10 years since I got out of that area and came to the bay area, and I'm as glad as ever.As an ironic side note, when I was in high school in Torrance, it was just drowning in good cannabis... 20 different types along with multiple flavors of hash and hash oil.
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Comment #22 posted by rainbow on August 02, 2006 at 09:35:14 PT
Males 
It used to be that cannabis altered the sperm of males, now they are attempting to say it is really the female reprodcutive track that is affected.And the beat goes on.
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Comment #21 posted by Hope on August 02, 2006 at 09:31:16 PT
Infertility...over fertility...aarggh.
The liars just say what they want to.Remember the ONDCP commercials that hinted that it caused teen age pregnancy....but then, in other reports, they said it would inhibit fertility in married men who wanted to have children.Whatever's handy at the moment...that's what they say.Most people know that when they open their mouths the prohibitionists are lying or prevaricating, at the very least.
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Comment #20 posted by Hope on August 02, 2006 at 09:27:21 PT
Thanks GCW
Chris Bennet's letter is outstanding. I'm impressed the paper printed the whole thing. Looks like an Op-Ed.Way to go Chris Bennet! Excellent and a real education if Bonnie, or anyone else, will read it.
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Comment #19 posted by freewillks on August 02, 2006 at 06:18:20 PT
Cannabis; Evil weed
And people used to think that the world was flat too. 
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Comment #18 posted by mayan on August 02, 2006 at 06:08:56 PT
Misc.
Lawsuit pending for marijuana measure:
http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2006/08/02/news/local/news09.txtTorrance council rejects medical marijuana shops:
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/articles/3473376.htmlCorona Tries To Say No To Medical Marijuana:
http://cbs2.com/topstories/local_story_214082201.html'I'm on so many tablets that make me feel ill. But if I smoke a joint... (UK):
http://www.peterboroughnow.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=845&ArticleID=1667149
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Comment #17 posted by whig on August 01, 2006 at 22:43:00 PT
Canaries in a Coal Mine
So they claim cannabis causes infertility? I call B.S. But what about buttered popcorn?http://tinyurl.com/fvf4c
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Comment #16 posted by whig on August 01, 2006 at 21:46:51 PT
SystemGoneDown
I'm not onboard with you, sorry.Last I checked most new mouths to feed came with two hands attached. We aren't remotely overpopulated in fact, but a very small number of landholders -- including philanthropic entities, universities, families or real estate investment trusts -- own most of the good land. We have a plantation system, and the myth of overpopulation is used to keep people in competition for scarce labor offered as if it were a privilege to work.http://www.wealthandwant.com/themes/Land_Concentration.html
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Comment #15 posted by afterburner on August 01, 2006 at 21:08:55 PT
A Poem for Today - A Poem from Yesterday
Life is vigorous. It grows on mountaintops and deserts And at the bottom of the oceans. It grows in the cracks of sidewalks and pavements. It overflows in the spring rains and the summer heat. Cats mew and roll to pass on life's seed. How can the vastness of the universe not have life on many planets, Circling many stars?--afterburnerTao Teh Ching - Walker Translation
http://wayist.org/ttc%20compared/walker.htm{
57.1 Govern a nation by following nature. Fight a war with unexpected moves. Win the world by letting go. How do I know this? From seeing these: 57.2 The more prohibitions there are, the poorer people become. The more weapons there are, the darker things become. 57.3 The more laws there are, the greater the number of scoundrels. 57.4 Therefore the sage says: I take no action, and people transform themselves. I love tranquility, and people naturally do what is right. 57.5 I don't interfere, and people prosper on their own. I have no desires, and people return to simplicity. 
}
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Comment #14 posted by The GCW on August 01, 2006 at 19:37:41 PT
Mice?
If cannabis is so bad for mice,perhaps they should not use it.
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Comment #13 posted by The GCW on August 01, 2006 at 19:36:10 PT
Kaneh bosm
US AZ: PUB LTE: Reader Believes Cannibis Used In Old TestamentPubdate: Mon, 31 Jul 2006Source: Eastern Arizona Courier (AZ)READER BELIEVES CANNIBAS USED IN OLD TESTAMENT This is in regards to Bonnie Dykes' letter "Local woman disgusted by actions of lawbreakers." From the tone of her letter, I am sure Bonnie considers herself a righteous Christian. In response to her rallying against a plant, I would ask her who she thinks created cannabis? And what of God's Covenant of Genesis 1:29? ["Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed;".] Does she think God was too naive here? Or does Bonnie feel she and others have the right to override God's gift to the rest of humanity who might choose to use certain plants prohibited by the laws of man? On the subject of cannabis, like the history of the Zoroastrian religion, the Bible may have been influenced by cannabis. . . . remember Moses and the burning bush that talked to him. According to a number of academic sources in the original Hebrew and Aramaic sources for the texts, that bush commanded Moses to make a holy anointing oil that contained cannabis, under the Hebrew name keneh bosem. Although it is little known to most modern readers, marijuana and other entheogens played a very important role in ancient Hebrew culture and originally appeared throughout the books that make up the Bible's Old Testament. The Bible openly discusses the use of mandrake, which is psychoactive, along with intoxication by wine and strong drink, so the Hebrews were more than familiar with altering their consciousness. What will be surprising to most modern readers is the frequent use of cannabis-sativa by both the Hebrew priests and kings, indicating, as anthropologist Vera Rubin noted, that cannabis "appears in the Old Testament because of the ritual and sacred aspect of it."( Rubin 1978 ) The Old Testament use of cannabis becomes less surprising when one considers that cannabis has been popular at some point with virtually every culture that has discovered its intoxicating properties. Hemp has "been smoked and ingested under various names ( hashish, charas, bhang, ganja, kif, marijuana ) in the Oriental countries, in Africa and in the Caribbean area for recreation, pleasure, healing and ritual purposes. It has been an important sacrament for such diverse groups as the Indian Brahmans, several orders of the Sufis, African natives, ancient Skythians and the Jamaican Rastafarians. Pointing out the wide-spread religious use of hemp throughout the ancient Near East, among the Babylonians, Assyrians, Scythians and Hebrews, as well as the early spread of its cultic use from northern Europe, to Siberian Asia, China, India, Asia Minor and Southeast Asia, the famed anthropologist Weston La Barre suggested that "cannabis was part of a religio-shamanic complex of at least Mesolithic age, in parallel with an equally old shamanic use of soma. . . "( La Barre 1980 ). For more than 150 years, various researchers have been trying to bring attention to the cannabis references within the Old Testament. Of the historical material indicating the Hebraic use of cannabis, the strongest and most profound piece of evidence was established in 1936 by Sula Benet ( aka Sara Benetowa ), a Polish etymologist from the Institute of Anthropological Sciences in Warsaw. Respectfully, Chris Bennett Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada 
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Comment #12 posted by mayan on August 01, 2006 at 18:25:38 PT
Where Aren't The Bodies?
Did the flower children have trouble reproducing? Do the Rastafarians or Greeks (most tokers per capita) have any trouble? Even if it is true, aren't we overpopulated anyway? Sam, apathy is tyranny's best friend. THE WAY OUT IS THE WAY IN...9/11 American Scholars Symposium Panel Discussion (video):
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14295.htmBombs In Oliver Stone World Trade Center Movie?
http://prisonplanet.com/articles/august2006/010806worldtradecenter.htmBipartisan:
http://georgewashington.blogspot.com/2006/07/bipartisan_31.htmlFalse Flag News - Saving the world one drill at a time:
http://falseflagnews.com/Muslim-Jewish-Christian Alliance For 9/11 Truth:
http://mujca.comScholars for 9/11 Truth:
http://www.scholarsfor911truth.org/index.htmlVeterans For 9/11 Truth:
http://www.v911t.org/
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Comment #11 posted by SystemGoneDown on August 01, 2006 at 17:30:43 PT
Pot and Pregnancy...
If pot can reduce the ability to impregnate, that's dandy. With the famous debate being 'pro-life' vs. pro-choice, how about pro-death? Seriously. Not as morbid as it sounds. I am pro-death. More and more babies should be put out before they are old enough to be considered murdered. It's no different than ants. You kill a sperm that enters the egg, no child, no life, no overpopulation. Good fundamental basis for a post-earth-exit society. When Bush and the right-wing elite boost for outer space and leave us with anarchy on earth, we should make a social policy of total anti-reproduction. Stop the cycle of family values and get back to human values. We need to go 50-100 years without having the spawning rate we're at now. Pot is a life-style choice. If botonists can somehow increase the plant's ability to spike pregnancy, it will do the world a favor. 
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Comment #10 posted by freewillks on August 01, 2006 at 17:17:14 PT
pumped THC into
The key word PUMPED! My gues is that they gave them a dose over five days that would have put marc emery in a haze for weeks. This study only means that if you smoke a pound a day you might have problems getting Pregnant. But then agian if you smoke a pound a day you got bigger problems than getting pregnant.
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Comment #9 posted by goneposthole on August 01, 2006 at 17:11:22 PT
oh really?
my wife has one working fallopian tube. We have four kids. We both have used cannabis for over thirty years.I don't know where they get their 'science,' but it doesn't apply to humans.maybe they should study something different, like what would happen if cannabis were legalized.
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Comment #8 posted by Marc Paquette on August 01, 2006 at 16:57:43 PT:
Rodents Are Not People!
In 37 years of marijuana smoking, it's a first for me.Never heard about or saw any pot smoking women having problems with conception - perfect babies!  These scientists comparing the reactions of mice and rats with humans make me laugh.And the dosages they give to these rodents are way up the scale!The genetic structure of rodents isn't the same as humans, so how can these studies be reliable?Marc
http://medpot.net
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Comment #7 posted by Sam Adams on August 01, 2006 at 16:45:06 PT
911 truth
I just watched most of the CSPAN 911 show. To me, it comes down to this. All of the scientific evidence and everything else isn't really necessary.  The biggest proof that 911 was faked is the fact that they got away with completely. They knew it would be easy to do with the American people.Just take a look at Mexico, a country where people still stand up for freedom and democracy, instead of taking a seat in front of the TV with a bag of snacks. They just had their version of our 2000 election, where the right-winger cheated to win. Instead of saying, damn, nothing we can do, they went into the streets. They haven't won yet, but it won't take much longer.Until we do stuff like that in this country, we can expect more 911s, more WOD atrocities, higher taxes, more corruption, right on down the line. The thing that will get people out on the streets is a huge economic collapse. I don't really think things will get better until that happens, unfortunately.
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Comment #6 posted by Sam adams on August 01, 2006 at 16:40:27 PT
one question
"However, ectopic pregnancy has several risk factors that are totally unrelated to marijuana. Wang's study doesn't claim to explain all pregnancy problems in women who use marijuana."Does Wang's study explain ANY pregnancy problems in women who use MJ? Why doesn't he just research ectopic pregnancy in HUMANS?It would easy to do a study just like the big Tashkin lung cancer one in California - you wouldn't even have to torture animals! All you need is a clipboard. Just do a huge study of women trying to get pregnant. Keep track of who's using cannabis and who isn't, in five years you'll have real data that's useful to all of us.
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Comment #5 posted by Christen-Mitchell on August 01, 2006 at 16:36:51 PT:
Another Pile of Prohibitionist Nonsense
What am I to tell my six children?
Hemptopia - Save The Planet - Reduce - Reuse - Recycle - Relegalize
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on August 01, 2006 at 16:33:38 PT
A Comment About The Finding
I don't know if it is true or not but I believe that when a woman decides it's time to have a baby that she should be thoughtful of what she consumes. 
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on August 01, 2006 at 16:29:52 PT
One More Article
Marijuana May Cause Pregnancies To Fail: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn9653-marijuana-may-cause-pregnancies-to-fail.html
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on August 01, 2006 at 16:27:40 PT
Related Article
Pregnancy and Pot Don't Mix:
http://www.healthcentral.com/newsdetail/408/534145.html
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Comment #1 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on August 01, 2006 at 16:24:48 PT
Of course!
This explains why there are so few hippies and Rastafarians!
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