B.C.'s twisted liberalism
Tom Blackwell @ the National Post wrote an article about pregnancy and marijuana use.
It's FRIGHTENING Liberalism in B.C. and the Liberals would allow a study about smoking marijuana to curb the nausea of pregnancy.
They even mentioned that small amounts of marijuana would likely not do much harm to pregnant mothers.
So are these reseachers saying alittle harm to the unborn child is okay? The DANGER of Liberalism is cleary evident in this country with this criminal attitude about doing harm to anybody for the joy of smoking illicit drugs. That is what Canada needs, another generation of crack-like babies addicted to marijuana.
What's next for researchers? Smoking marijuana reduces stress at work? A crack or toke pipe at everybody's desk?
Paul Martin and his Liberalism is the most DANGEROUS vision for Canada. I swear most of his supporters are either criminals(I'm not making this up. Convicted criminals. In Canada. Voting. For a quick get out of jail card. To kill again. Our Canada. The Liberals screwing it up) and voters enveloped in a velvet fog.
UPDATE:
Additional info for those weed addicted people that say I should have info to support my conclusions. Of course anything that affects the mother will affect the unborn baby.
University of Havard
--------------------
Effects on your unborn baby
If you use marijuana while you're pregnant, your baby may have a lower birth weight and be shorter in length than he or she would have been if you hadn't smoked. Your child also may have:
* Problems during infancy. Newborns may be lethargic and floppy. They might also tremble and startle easily, which may be due to neurological problems.
* Problems during childhood. Your child may have trouble with memory, attention and language skills.
Health services at Columbia University
--------------------------------------
First of all, smoking anything during pregnancy deprives the fetus of oxygen. Just as smoking tobacco is discouraged in pregnant women, so is smoking marijuana. Smoking any type of substance interferes with the fetus's blood supply. This can mean the fetus doesn't get enough oxygen, and s/he may be born smaller in both weight and length. Smaller babies have a higher risk of other problems after birth, such as infections, severe jaundice, difficulty feeding, breathing problems, low blood sugar, difficulty regulating temperature, bleeding into the brain, and problems with vision.
It's FRIGHTENING Liberalism in B.C. and the Liberals would allow a study about smoking marijuana to curb the nausea of pregnancy.
They even mentioned that small amounts of marijuana would likely not do much harm to pregnant mothers.
So are these reseachers saying alittle harm to the unborn child is okay? The DANGER of Liberalism is cleary evident in this country with this criminal attitude about doing harm to anybody for the joy of smoking illicit drugs. That is what Canada needs, another generation of crack-like babies addicted to marijuana.
What's next for researchers? Smoking marijuana reduces stress at work? A crack or toke pipe at everybody's desk?
Paul Martin and his Liberalism is the most DANGEROUS vision for Canada. I swear most of his supporters are either criminals(I'm not making this up. Convicted criminals. In Canada. Voting. For a quick get out of jail card. To kill again. Our Canada. The Liberals screwing it up) and voters enveloped in a velvet fog.
UPDATE:
Additional info for those weed addicted people that say I should have info to support my conclusions. Of course anything that affects the mother will affect the unborn baby.
EFFECTS OF HABITUAL MARIJUANA USE ON THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
The most potent argument against the use of marijuana to treat medical disorders is that marijuana may cause the acceleration or aggravation of the very disorders it is being used to treat.
Smoking marijuana regularly (a joint a day) can damage the cells in the bronchial passages which protect the body against inhaled microorganisms and decrease the ability of the immune cells in the lungs to fight off fungi, bacteria, and tumor cells. For patients with already weakened immune systems, this means an increase in the possibility of dangerous pulmonary infections, including pneumonia, which often proves fatal in AIDS patients.
Studies further suggest that marijuana is a general "immunosuppressant" whose degenerative influence extends beyond the respiratory system. Regular smoking has been shown to materially affect the overall ability of the smoker’s body to defend itself against infection by weakening various natural immune mechanisms, including macrophages (a.k.a. "killer cells") and the all-important T-cells. Obviously, this suggests the conclusion, which is well-supported by scientific studies, that the use of marijuana as a medical therapy can and does have a very serious negative effect on patients with pre-existing immune deficits resulting from AIDS, organ transplantation, or cancer chemotherapy, the very conditions for which marijuana has most often been touted and suggested as a treatment. It has also been shown that marijuana use can accelerate the progression of HIV to full-blown AIDS and increase the occurrence of infections and Kaposi’s sarcoma. In addition, patients with weak immune systems will be even less able to defend themselves against the various respiratory cancers and conditions to which consistent marijuana use has been linked, and which are discussed briefly under "Respiratory Illnesses."
In conclusion, it seems that the potential dangers presented by the medical use of marijuana may actually contribute to the dangers of the diseases which it would be used to combat. Therefore, I suggest that marijuana should not be permitted as a therapy, at least until a good deal more conclusive research has been completed concerning its debilitating effect on the immune system.
For more on this topic, please see Donald P. Tashkin, M.D., "Effects of Marijuana on the Lung and Its Immune Defenses," Secretary's Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Intiative: Resource Papers, March 1997, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. Pages 33-51 of this address can be found at the website of the Indiana Prevention Resource Center at Indiana University, located at http://www.drugs.indiana.edu/druginfo/tashkin- marijuana.html.
RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES
The main respiratory consequences of smoking marijuana regularly (one joint a day) are pulmonary infections and respiratory cancer, whose connection to marijuana use has been strongly suggested but not conclusively proven. The effects also include chronic bronchitis, impairment in the function of the smaller air passages, inflammation of the lung, the development of potentially pre-cancerous abnormalities in the bronchial lining and lungs, and, as discussed, a reduction in the capabilities of many defensive mechanisms within the lungs.
Marijuana smoke and cigarette smoke contain many of the same toxins, including one which has been identified as a key factor in the promotion of lung cancer. This toxin is found in the tar phase of both, and it should be noted that one joint has four times more tar than a cigarette, which means that the lungs are exposed four-fold to this toxin and others in the tar. It has been concretely established that smoking cigarettes promotes lung cancer (which causes more than 125,000 deaths in the US every year), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (chronic bronchitis and emphysema) and increased incidence of respiratory tract infections. This implies, but does not establish, that smoking marijuana may lead to some of the same results as smoking cigarettes. It is notable that several reports indicate an unexpectedly large proportion ofmarijuana users among cases of lung cancer and cancers of the oral cavity,pharynx, and larynx. Thus, it appears that the use of marijuana as a medicine has the potential to further harm an already ill patient in the same way that taking up regular cigarette smoking would, particularly in light of the fact that those patients for whom marijuana is recommended are already poorly equipped to fight off these infections and diseases.
For more information, please see the Tashkin website mentioned at the end of the section on immune disorders. See also:
* www.sarnia.com/GROUPS/ANTIDRUG/mrr/ 21.96.10.html, for information on the link between chemicals contained in marijuana and lung cancer.
* http://www.marijuananews.com/latest_research_finds_that_heavy.htm, for an article concerning the link between marijuana and cancer, with commentary
MENTAL HEALTH, BRAIN FUNCTION, AND MEMORY
It has been suggested that marijuana is at the root of many mental disorders, including acute toxic psychosis, panic attacks (one of the very conditions it is being used experimentally to treat), flashbacks, delusions, depersonalization, hallucinations, paranoia, depression, and uncontrollable aggressiveness. Marijuana has long been known to trigger attacks of mental illness, such as bipolar (manic-depressive) psychosis and schizophrenia. This connection with mental illness should make health care providers for terminally ill patients and the patients themselves, who may already be suffering from some form of clinical depression, weigh very carefully the pros and cons of adopting a therapeutic course of marijuana.
In the short term, marijuana use impairs perception, judgment, thinking, memory, and learning; memory defects may persist six weeks after last use. Mental disorders connected with marijuana use merit their own category in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) IV, published by the American Psychiatric Association. These include Cannabis Intoxication (consisting of impaired motor coordination, anxiety, impaired judgment, sensation of slowed time, social withdrawal, and often includes perceptual disturbances; Cannabis Intoxication Delirium (memory deficit, disorientation); Cannabis Induced Psychotic Disorder, Delusions; Cannabis Induced Psychotic Disorder, Hallucinations; and Cannabis Induced Anxiety Disorder.
In addition, marijuana use has many indirect effects on health. Its effect on coordination, perception, and judgment means that it causes a number of accidents, vehicular and otherwise.
University of Havard
--------------------
Effects on your unborn baby
If you use marijuana while you're pregnant, your baby may have a lower birth weight and be shorter in length than he or she would have been if you hadn't smoked. Your child also may have:
* Problems during infancy. Newborns may be lethargic and floppy. They might also tremble and startle easily, which may be due to neurological problems.
* Problems during childhood. Your child may have trouble with memory, attention and language skills.
Health services at Columbia University
--------------------------------------
First of all, smoking anything during pregnancy deprives the fetus of oxygen. Just as smoking tobacco is discouraged in pregnant women, so is smoking marijuana. Smoking any type of substance interferes with the fetus's blood supply. This can mean the fetus doesn't get enough oxygen, and s/he may be born smaller in both weight and length. Smaller babies have a higher risk of other problems after birth, such as infections, severe jaundice, difficulty feeding, breathing problems, low blood sugar, difficulty regulating temperature, bleeding into the brain, and problems with vision.
posted by Fighting for Democracy at 8:01 AM
8 Comments:
"Crack-like babies" huh? Is that the best you can do ?
We already have fetal alcohol syndrome, we have babies born addicted to crack. Is this to hard to follow. It is totally reasonable to assume we could have a generation of babies addicted to weed.
Yes, my comments are reasonable. I don't see you defending your anonymous comment.
I agree sarcasm is not the best way to make an argument, but I ws simply following the tone of your post. The point I was making is that pot is not "addictive" in the same sense as crack is, so the whole idea of being born addicted to pot is silly. As to the point about those nutty liberal (or do you mean Liberal?). I've never been asked my political affiliation on a reserach grant application. Research is research. If the researchers found that marijuana is not harmful to the fetus, what would you have them do? Not report it or pretend it didn't happen in the interest of soothing your moral outrage?
I'm not sure how a three line description of your home town and occupation makes you accountable.
You're like so many others trying to find ways to legitimise an illegal substance.
Pot is a dangerous drug. The smoke from pot is just as dangerous as regular smoking. We already have Health Canada putting WARNING LABELS on cigarettes to say pregnant mothers shouldn't smoke.
Is this to hard for you to figure out?
It is not difficult to figure out what you are arguing, but it is difficut to figure out why you think your argument is sound. You seem to be making two separate arguments equally poorly. I think I discountd the first by pointing out the obvious, pot is not addictive in the same sense that crack is. There is no evidence for physiological addition to pot, so you can't be born addicted to pot. You don't seem willing to respond to that, so you pull another analogy out of your hat which also does not support your point. This appears to be your second argument: Smoking tobacco is bad for adults. Smoking pot is bad for adults. Tobbacco is bad for the fetus. Therefore pot is bad for the fetus. You have not provided any evidence that the harmfulness of tobacco comes from the characteristic it shares with pot, namely that it is smoked. Perhaps it is. I don't know, but it appears that neither do you or you could have made a much more sensible argument, by stating it to be. There are many differences between tobacco and pot, the most obvious being the active ingredient is different (THC versus nicotine), which may lead to differential effects on the fetus. The researchers apparently have empirical data suggesting that pot is not harmful to the fetus. Perhaps there are flaws in their experiment, but you have not identified any. Again doing so, would support your conclusion, but simply implying they are somehow immoral or misguided with no evidence for such a claim does not support your conclusion. Inflamatory language and self righteousness are poor substitutes for clear thinking.
The information below is from the Health Canada website. Perhaps if you were not smoking weed, this information could have been found easily.
----------------------------------
http://www.drugwise-droguesoisfute.hc-sc.gc.ca/facts-faits/marijuana_e.asp
So, is marijuana dangerous?
There are risks to marijuana use, both over the long and short term.
In the short term, the effects that marijuana will have on any one person may be different each time they try it, depending on the amount they take, the potency of the drug, the person's mood at the time and the place in which it is used. The truth is that you can never be 100 percent sure of the effects, or how long they will last.
Sometimes people become withdrawn, fearful, anxious or depressed and this tends to happen if the person takes more than they usually do, if the strength of the marijuana is more than what they are used to, or if they are an inexperienced user. And look out if you're using marijuana with other substances.
If eaten, the "psychoactive" effects of marijuana become much more difficult to control. Because the effects of marijuana take longer to sink in when eaten, people often become impatient and think that nothing is happening - so they eat more - but a couple of hours later, when it finally hits them, they could be in trouble.
The use of marijuana with alcohol is far more dangerous than the two used separately. The intoxicating effects of both drugs used at the same time increase impairment. In this case 1 + 1 does not equal 2, but more like 3 or 4.
On the other hand, you should consider the long term effects. Smoking marijuana, whether in a joint or in a bong, releases tar into the lungs in the same way that smoking tobacco does. There are more than 400 chemicals in marijuana smoke, some of which can affect the lungs, throat and esophagus. Daily or regular use of marijuana may cause respiratory problems such as chronic cough, and chronic or recurring bronchitis.
Marijuana can lower inhibitions and impair judgment. Lowered inhibitions have been known to result in unprotected sex, increased possibilities of sexually transmitted diseases, and potential unwanted pregnancies. Marijuana may interfere with human reproduction. Some research shows a decline in sex hormones in young boys and possible disturbances of the menstrual cycle in girls. In the critical early stages of pregnancy, smoking may be harmful to the baby.
-----------------------------------
Marijuana affects your self-control. Marijuana can seriously affect your sense of time and your coordination, impacting things like driving. In 2002, nearly 120,000 people were admitted to emergency rooms suffering from marijuana-related problems, an increase of more than 139 percent since 1995.(see footnote #1)
Marijuana affects your lungs. There are more than 400 known chemicals in marijuana. A single joint contains four times as much cancer-causing tar as a filtered cigarette.(see footnote #2)
Marijuana can be addictive. Not everyone who uses marijuana becomes addicted, but some users do develop signs of dependence. In 1999, more than 220,000 people entered drug treatment programs to kick their marijuana habit. (www.health.org)
Know the risks. Using marijuana or other drugs increases your risk of injury from car crashes, falls, burns, drowning, and other accidents.
Keep your edge. Marijuana affects your judgment, drains your motivation, and can make you feel anxious.
Footnotes
1 The DAWN Report. Major Drugs of Abuse in ED Visits, 2002 Update. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), May 2004.
2 Effects of Marijuana on the Lungs and Its Immune Defenses. University of California-Los Angeles School of Medicine Study, 1997.
------------------------------------
http://www.acde.org/common/Marijana.htm
The Impact on the Body
Chronic marijuana smokers are prey to chest colds, bronchitis, emphysema, and bronchial asthma. Persistent use will damage lungs and airways and raise the risk of cancer. There is just as much exposure to cancer-causing chemicals from smoking one marijuana joint as smoking five tobacco cigarettes. And there is evidence that marijuana may limit the ability of the immune system to fight infection and disease.
Marijuana also affects hormones. Regular use can delay the onset of puberty in young men and reduce sperm production. For women, regular use may disrupt normal monthly menstrual cycles and inhibit ovulation. When pregnant women use marijuana, they run the risk of having smaller babies with lower birth weights, who are more likely than other babies to develop health problems. Some studies have also found indications of developmental delays in children exposed to marijuana before birth.
-------------------------------------
Health services at Columbia University
First of all, smoking anything during pregnancy deprives the fetus of oxygen. Just as smoking tobacco is discouraged in pregnant women, so is smoking marijuana. Smoking any type of substance interferes with the fetus's blood supply. This can mean the fetus doesn't get enough oxygen, and s/he may be born smaller in both weight and length. Smaller babies have a higher risk of other problems after birth, such as infections, severe jaundice, difficulty feeding, breathing problems, low blood sugar, difficulty regulating temperature, bleeding into the brain, and problems with vision.
Secondly, marijuana is frequently and unpredictably "cut" with other substances. So the fetus may in fact be accidentally exposed to other potentially harmful substances in the process of being exposed to marijuana.
Babies whose mothers have used marijuana during pregnancy or while breastfeeding sometimes seem jittery and difficult to comfort. They may have some delay in the development of their motor skills, although this delay does not seem to be permanent.
----------------------------------
More teens are in treatment for marijuana use than for any other drug or for alcohol. Adolescent admissions to substance abuse facilities for marijuana grew from 43 percent of all adolescent admissions in 1994 to 60 percent in 1999.
-----------------------------------
usdoj website
Q. Does marijuana harm anyone besides the individual who smokes it?
* Consider the public safety of others when confronted with intoxicated drug users:
* Marijuana affects many skills required for safe driving: alertness, the ability to concentrate, coordination, and reaction time. These effects can last up to 24 hours after smoking marijuana. Marijuana use can make it difficult to judge distances and react to signals and signs on the road.
* In a 1990 report, the National Transportation Safety Board studied 182 fatal truck accidents. It found that just as many of the accidents were caused by drivers using marijuana as were caused by alcohol -- 12.5 percent in each case.
* Consider also that drug use, including marijuana, contributes to crime. A large percentage of those arrested for crimes test positive for marijuana. Nationwide, 40 percent of adult males tested positive for marijuana at the time of their arrest.
Is marijuana a gateway drug?
* Yes. Among marijuana's most harmful consequences is its role in leading to the use of other illegal drugs like heroin and cocaine. Long-term studies of students who use drugs show that very few young people use other illegal drugs without first trying marijuana. While not all people who use marijuana go on to use other drugs, using marijuana sometimes lowers inhibitions about drug use and exposes users to a culture that encourages use of other drugs.
* The risk of using cocaine has been estimated to be more than 104 times greater for those who have tried marijuana than for those who have never tried it.
-----------------------------
http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/GA/00015.html
Hard on your heart
Smoking marijuana can quickly cause your heart to beat 50 percent faster than normal, which can put people who already have poor blood flow at increased risk of chest pain (angina) or even a heart attack. It can also affect your:
* Blood pressure. Your blood pressure may increase immediately after using marijuana, which could increase your risk of a stroke if you have cardiovascular disease. Conversely, the drug can also decrease your blood pressure to a point that's too low, making you dizzy and lightheaded.
* Blood flow. Using the drug can decrease blood flow to your heart. This is particularly dangerous if you already have poor blood flow due to coronary artery disease, in that it could set the stage for a heart attack.
------------------------------------
Breathing less easy
Unlike cigarettes, marijuana joints don't have filters, and you typically inhale the smoke deeply, holding it in before exhaling — which means you could expose yourself to dangerous components in the smoke for longer periods of time. Possible respiratory problems include:
* Cancer. Burning marijuana smoke contains higher amounts of some cancer-causing chemicals than does tobacco smoke. Smoking marijuana increases your risk of cancer of the mouth, larynx and lungs.
* Breathing trouble. Long-term marijuana use increases your risk of emphysema (which damages the lungs so they can't inflate with fresh air) and bronchitis (an inflammation of the airways in the lungs). You're also more likely to experience frequent coughing and excessive phlegm.
# Lung cancer
# Bronchitis
# Emphysema
Effects on your unborn baby
If you use marijuana while you're pregnant, your baby may have a lower birth weight and be shorter in length than he or she would have been if you hadn't smoked. Your child also may have:
* Problems during infancy. Newborns may be lethargic and floppy. They might also tremble and startle easily, which may be due to neurological problems.
* Problems during childhood. Your child may have trouble with memory, attention and language skills.
Where in my posts have you found any evidence that I am smoking weed? I have been trying to comment on the reasoning you imply by attacking that reasoning, not making personal attacks on you. I have smoked "weed" exactly once, about 25 years ago. In the intervening years I have obtained PhD, So it doesn't seem my thinking is not clouded. Can you point out anything in what I said to suggest to you that I am a user of pot? I might, from the level guess from the level of hostility in your posts, assume you are on crack or crystal meth, but I'm not;). If you read my posts, I was not disputing your conclusion, just pointing out that you didn't make a good case to support it. I think the above information improves your case substantially, but it still does not justify your name calling and disparaging comments about the researchers. As I said above, they appeared to be reporting their results and the implications of those results. That's how science works.
Hey, I missed you too!
Should have said smoked weed (past tense). :)
We already know that smoking is bad for mothers. It's on the packages of cigarettes, it's on Health Canada website. This is a study that should not have been done because we already know the results of smoking.
What were the researchers thinking? Smoking is smoking. All smoking is dangerous. There is no denying this fact. There is good research and bad research, this was bad research.
Post a Comment
<< Home