Marijuana might cause new cell growth in the brain

[Hardrock69]

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8155&feedId=online-news_rss20

A synthetic chemical similar to the active ingredient in marijuana makes new cells grow in rat brains. What is more, in rats this cell growth appears to be linked with reducing anxiety and depression. The results suggest that marijuana, or its derivatives, could actually be good for the brain.

In mammals, new nerve cells are constantly being produced in a part of the brain called the hippocampus, which is associated with learning, memory, anxiety and depression. Other recreational drugs, such as alcohol, nicotine and cocaine, have been shown to suppress this new growth. Xia Zhang of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada, and colleagues decided to see what effects a synthetic cannabinoid called HU210 had on rats' brains.

They found that giving rats high doses of HU210 twice a day for 10 days increased the rate of nerve cell formation, or neurogenesis, in the hippocampus by about 40%.
Just like Prozac?

A previous study showed that the antidepressant fluoxetine (Prozac) also increases new cell growth, and the results indicated that it was this cell growth that caused Prozac$B!G(Bs anti-anxiety effect. Zhang wondered whether this was also the case for the cannabinoid, and so he tested the rats for behavioural changes.

When the rats who had received the cannabinoid were placed under stress, they showed fewer signs of anxiety and depression than rats who had not had the treatment. When neurogenesis was halted in these rats using X-rays, this effect disappeared, indicating that the new cell growth might be responsible for the behavioural changes.

In another study, Barry Jacobs, a neuroscientist at Princeton University, gave mice the natural cannabinoid found in marijuana, THC (D9-tetrahydrocannabinol)). But he says he detected no neurogenesis, no matter what dose he gave or the length of time he gave it for. He will present his results at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in Washington DC in November.

Jacobs says it could be that HU210 and THC do not have the same effect on cell growth. It could also be the case that cannabinoids behave differently in different rodent species - which leaves open the question of how they behave in humans.

Zhang says more research is needed before it is clear whether cannabinoids could some day be used to treat depression in humans.

Journal reference: Journal of Clinical Investigation (DOI:10.1172/JCI25509)

[thome]

What are we going to do today Brain ?

Same thing we did yesterday Pinkie get stoned and try.... and ....What? Did i just drive thru that red light?

Sorry 69 jus a lil fun.

The stuff allways made me wanna nap.

I do think its good for the nerves and should be legally prescribed.
by a doctor.There may be something to this article.

[bastardog]

If Coffe, beers and cigars that are more dangerous and also as addictive (if not more like Coffe)
why marijuana aren't legal as any cigarret??

[fret_buzz_blues]

Because the government doesn't want to make it legal! They say that the dangers outweigh the benefits.

http://www.upi.com/HealthBusiness/view.php?StoryID=20051017-053500-7215r

[Dirty Duck]

Shit....then i must be a genius after all the years of partying! : )

[Hardrock69]

There has not been a single death directly attributed to marijuana smoking in the entire history of man.

[The Scatologist]

I have never met anyone, who became smarter by starting to smoke weed.

I've met a lot of idiots and lazy bastards though! :D

[jhale667]

What were we talking about? I kid!! :)

[thome]

Originally posted by Hardrock69
There has not been a single death directly attributed to marijuana smoking in the entire history of man.

The Meat of that statement is so concrete!!! You are,The man on
the Silver Mountain.

But wrong.Pot will not cause you to OD like too much Heroin
but " I know "people have died directly in relation to being so
stupidly stoned and un-attentive they accidentally Suicided
themselves to death.:eek:

As for Being Legal I agree just by script from a Doctor.
If it could be bought like cigs, could you Imagine some
Monday morning everyone everywhere was Stoned all at the
same time, in Rush Hour traffic.Mass accidental suicide for the
Masses.-Marijuannamagedon-.:cool:

[Eyes of the Night]

Love theses chronic related threads ... casts shadows to all the haterz of the board ...

smokem' if ya gottem ...

[m_dixon1984]

Originally posted by The Scatologist
I have never met anyone, who became smarter by starting to smoke weed.

I've met a lot of idiots and lazy bastards though! :D

Are you sure they weren't stupid, lazy and idiots before they started smokin'? Since when is any government in the business of protecting their citizens from becoming stupid, idiotic and lazy (wouldn't they have to ban most TV and boy bands as well)? No political party or candidate has ever run under this platform in my country. Not to mention I take exception to the stereotype of pot smokers all being stupid, lazy idiots. I'm a daily smoker who makes great money in the IT industry, works 10 hour days, plays numerous team sports during all seasons, and who has a very active social life. Pot just happens to be my vice of choice (tried drinking but it didn't agree my overall good nature and you just can't be laid back on coke). Not to mention the fact that pot can be used in many other ways apart from smoking. Agreed, smoking pot may have a health impact (although no studies have ever been done on this) simply because of the base constituents released by burning it. What no government has ever considered is that eating and drinking pot can provide the same medicinal and non-medicinal effects and very likely with less impact than foods we already eat (granted there could be a negative impact but, again, there have never been any studies made). I could go on but I've got to get back to work.
I know you were kinda joking around but I had to throw in my 2 cents since it's a topic close to my heart. I actually grow medicinal pot for AIDS patients in Canada - they get a license/permit to grow but due to the health problems experienced in the latter stages of the disease they can't grow for themselves - an infectious disease doctor I know passes the permits on to people like me who want to help. I grow legally under a single permit, while some friends I know are growing for 5-10 permit holders (100's of plants - it's a beautiful sight to behold). There are some benefits to doing this, obviously, but I still see 90% of my yield going to the permit holder (sometimes more, depends on the overall yield).
M

[thome]

Good post Dixon. Ya see, I was Born Dumb pot makes me Stupid .

So you intellectuals need a lil Dumbing down, you twist and burn one.

I blissfully live in the world you seek!

Its the Reality of Pots Medicinal Value.....

Pot physically sedates the muscles also...

[jhale667]

Another great comedic quote "What's the WORST thing that's gonna happen if you OD on pot? You're gonna eat a box of twinkies and take a nap!" ;)

[Dirty Duck]

I've been smoking for about 12 years......and....I forgot what I was going to say.

[jhale667]

Originally posted by Dirty Duck
I've been smoking for about 12 years......and....I forgot what I was going to say.


I've been smoking on and off since I WAS 12..and .....what were we talking about again? :D

[thome]

I used to smoke when the stuff was Black Bud, Bo ,Wohaken,(sp)
Green was wrong.Oil! 500ml Red Lebanese.You ever pour 500 ml
into 500 tiny lil 1ml viles. I DON'T THINK SO- as Dave would say.

Jus kidding im not the coolest, just used to hang w/ em.

Im not a hater jus a- Been There Done that Smoked the Shirt,
This is a Different Shirt .What Was The Question ?

[fret_buzz_blues]

The government still refuses...

[Phil theStalker]

Originally posted by Hardrock69
When the rats who had received the cannabinoid were placed under stress, they showed fewer signs of anxiety and depression than rats who had not had the treatment.
Dat's BEEcause da rat's were stoned out-aff-their-MINDS!


:spank:


STONED RAT
ALSO KNOWN AS HIGH FREQUENCY RURAL RAT CONTROL

[Phil theStalker]

O1ne mmmonth afta dis Hallowween is mmy birthdday and I'll have been smoking pot f4or 30 yeers.........and.........I f4orgot wot I was typing aboot........and........wot wuz da question agin or did i git da answer rite?


:spank:


hitchWORLD1969 POT
SMOKING AWARD

[Big Fat Sammy]

Originally posted by thome

Imagine some Monday morning everyone everywhere was Stoned all at the same time, in Rush Hour traffic.


That is the one reason it should stay illegal IMO. I don't trust the average American motorist with a hard pack of pot "Kings" or "Lights" :D

...and that combined with their cell phone chatter while driving would be a disaster everywhere.


BUT if it were legal, a special drivers licence for pot smokers would be cool...like they would have you get really high and take a driving test to see if you are elligable. That could be done with booze too...see how much you can drink before you start fucking up, and have a special licence wth your personal B/A limit.

[Horseskin]

Originally posted by Big Fat Sammy
BUT if it were legal, a special drivers licence for pot smokers would be cool...like they would have you get really high and take a driving test to see if you are elligable. That could be done with booze too...see how much you can drink before you start fucking up, and have a special licence wth your personal B/A limit. A drinking and smoking test. That kinda grabs me. You're cool, dude. Mind control powers of Chi Kung blessings upon you.

[Big Fat Sammy]

Originally posted by Horseskin
A drinking and smoking test. That kinda grabs me. You're cool, dude. Mind control powers of Chi Kung blessings upon you.

Well thank ya!

Now is that Horse's Kin or Horse Skin? :D

[m_dixon1984]

Originally posted by Big Fat Sammy
That is the one reason it should stay illegal IMO. I don't trust the average American motorist with a hard pack of pot "Kings" or "Lights" :D

...and that combined with their cell phone chatter while driving would be a disaster everywhere.


BUT if it were legal, a special drivers licence for pot smokers would be cool...like they would have you get really high and take a driving test to see if you are elligable. That could be done with booze too...see how much you can drink before you start fucking up, and have a special licence wth your personal B/A limit.


Driving under the influence of marijuana has never been adequately tested, unlike alcohol. The laws surrounding driving under the influence of alcohol are steeped in extensive scientific testing where people's reaction times were tested while they consumed alcohol under constant supervision. There's a school of thought on the pro-pot, pro-legalization front that would like proof-positive of degraded reaction times due to marijuana use before any driving related laws are revised (if/when pot is made legal). The real trouble for marijuana users is that the only test for its use is through blood work. Marijuana can be detected in the blood for up to 2 weeks after it's used. Under current laws anyone caught driving with any marijuana in their system could be prosecuted as having been under the influence. This obviously has to be looked at because there's no way 2 weeks after toking up that a person still has a decreased ability to drive. The real zealots would have you believe that pot does not decrease ones ability to drive at all. I don't believe this but I think that proper testing and evaluation has to be done to determine a safe, legal, level. Just like drinking (.07 or .08 in most areas of North America and Europe), there has to be a point at which a pot user becomes a real danger. Is it after one joint, 10 joints, 1/2 a joint, one toke...no one knows this, not to mention that any test performed will be for the THC level in the blood not number of joints smoked. Because of the variety of pot available there will never be a good approximation like there is for drinking (I'm thinking of the 1 drink per hour rule - which isn't bad as a rough guideline). Any country seriously considering legalization (don't use the Netherlands as an example because pot is actually illegal there - it's just public policy not to enforce the law) will have to find a quantitative THC level in the blood at which point there's impairment and implement a safe, legal manner for testing of the blood (I've often thought that a portable blood level tool like diabetics use would be perfect). Until both of these requirements are met it's unlikely that any country will legalize pot. Canada's liberal government has attempted to table a variety of updated marijuana laws all of which have failed thanks to pressure from the nations police forces, stating both of the above mentioned reasons. Pressure from our southerly neighbour hasn't helped much either but our leaders would defy the US if internal interest groups weren't so influential.
The best we pot smokers can hope for, I feel, is a more accepting public policy like the Netherlands has implemented (and Canada has adopted them as well in the past few years, though quietly, while the Supreme Court was ruling on a number of pending cases - normal laws are currently in place).
It is my opinion that pot should be legalized so it's production, sale and use can be more tightly controlled and taken out of the hands of gangsters, mobsters and terrorists. Legalization would also force any government to finally perform the testing required to implement and enforce an impairment policy. There will always be a public stigma attached to pot users (lazy, stupid, idiots) but I'm one person who's out to change the public perception of pot use. Trust me, if you knew me or took one look at me, you'd never suspect that I smoke 2 ounces a month and have done so for the better part of 10 years (not to mention the fact that I grow it and supply it to AIDS patients).
Phew, glad I got that out of my system.
M

PS - This rant isn't meant as an attack on anyone who's posted in this thread. I'm just passionate on this subject and I needed to vent a little.

[jhale667]

Originally posted by m_dixon1984
Trust me, if you knew me or took one look at me, you'd never suspect that I smoke 2 ounces a month and have done so for the better part of 10 years


....Same here. Never had a problem carrying on a conversation, or driving, HOLDING A JOB, remembering my band's set lists....none of that. Hell, my friends who DON'T smoke out even tell me I play guitar better baked.:rolleyes: The whole "lazy apathetic stoner" thing is a MYTH.

But then, I really don't care what you think.....;)

[diamondsgirl]

Just wondering what signs of anxiety and depression to rats actually show? :confused:

[thome]

If you buy two ounces a month and smoke two ounces a month.
I used to call guys like you Bogarts.
Don't Bogart that Joint ,my Friend pass it on over to me!

[m_dixon1984]

I bogart nothing and I don't buy the weed, I grow my own. I give away about as much again every month because I'm just a nice guy with too much weed on his hands. My stoned friends and neighbours can provide testimonials if required.
M

[Phil theStalker]

Originally posted by diamondsgirl
Just wondering what signs of anxiety and depression to rats actually show? :confused: They pace a lot and chain smoke on the nicotine lab apparatus.


:spank:

[Hardrock69]

While sucking down coffee from their little glass water dispensers....


I think that pot should be regulated like alcohol. I mean, the government could make enough in taxes on it to offset any possible loss the individual states see in revenue they would normally gain when asking Congress for money to fight the fictitious "Drug War" (as well as any money gained by confiscating peroperty owned by big dealers).

Like alcohol, they could still make it illegal to sell it without a license, etc.

I agree it can impair driving abilities, however not to the extent alcholo can.

If you wanted to get as smashed on pot as you can after drinking a pint of whiskey, you would have to smoke a pound of pot, and it would take you at least a few days to do that, and you most likely would not be motivated to go driving anywhere.....

:D

It is such a scam....just like so much other shit the government is trying to convince us to believe, like "paying Federal Income Tax is legal and required under law", "there WERE WMDs in Iraq", "terrists are everywhere, they are everywhere, THE SKY IS FALLING, THE SKY IS FALLING!", etc.

Politicians lie about everything to get in office, why should they stop lying once they have been elected?

[jhale667]

Well, you guys know the MAIN reason it's illegal is because Randolph Hearst wanted to preserve his wood-pulp paper empire, and they had figured out hemp paper was CHEAPER (and easier) to make..."hey, let's say it's evil, that's it!!!" As the story goes, he started the effort to stigmatize pot via his publishing/newsprint holdings....and people bought into it.