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Showing posts with label THC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label THC. Show all posts

20140618

You Failed, DEA! (satire)




Recent news that the War on Drugs is a dismal failure brought a smile to my face.

To the DEA and the RCMP in Canada: "I told you so." Your anti-cannabis agenda was never about eradicating a dangerous drug, and you know it. It was about spreading propaganda and disinformation to make it look like you were saving society from the "devil weed." In the process, you demonized pot smokers and treated some of them as though they were major drug fiends who would become like Justin Bourque.

The truth is, Bourque — and the celebrity Amanda Bynes — are rare cases of THC psychosis caused by the intricate interaction between THC and stress on the human mind, and would clear up had the person just moderated their THC intake.

In short, "less is more" as in "less pot results in more control over stress in one's life." High consumption of marijuana never results in less stress since it is a fallacy to assume THC cures stress. What it does is chill you the fuck out, but beyond a certain level of consumption that calmness leads to anxiety, and later insomnia, mania and even psychosis.

IMO this is why the hard core pot advocates will disagree with me on this. They smoke so much the mania that THC causes in high doses prevents them from understanding that high THC consumption will lead to more anxiety and might spiral out of control.

Yet one symptom of psychosis is a state of constant denial, because it is easier to deny the truth than to give up one's current grasp on reality. If we let go of our preconceived notions of reality, then we might learn something deep and meaningful about reality itself.

However, you DEA and you RCMP have failed in stopping the War on Drugs. Your only reason for continuing the war is to look like a hero and hoodwink Americans and Canadians.

In fact, by establishing yourself in Canada, you are contributing to the problem rather than solving it.

I'm sure the only reason the DEA moved to Vancouver and Toronto was to pressure PM Harper to introduce minimum sentences on marijuana possession and related nonsense.

I also suspect that certain gangs in BC formed because the strategy of placing key members of teen gangs in the same prison and youth remand centres without keeping adequate checks and balances due to the fact that youth corrections personnel have little training in self defense against violent teenaged gang members.

In short, the shortcomings of BC youth corrections combined with more violence teenagers who have been groomed to become narcissistic led to even more violent youth gangs.

As well, it is a well known fact that families were broken up over marijuana charges, due to the propaganda against cannabis.

20110112

A Reflection on the Endocannaboid System

In this post, I will be briefly discussing cannabidiol (CBD) and THC, first describing CBD and contrasting its effects with that of THC. Then I will mention the new pain reliever Sativex as an example of what medical marijuana can provide without having the risks associated with smoking it.

After that, I will explain that marijuana with both CBD and THC in it are more beneficial than marijuana with high amounts of THC.

Finally I will conclude with a short discussion of wild salmon oil, its benefit for depression and explain why by discussing Omega-3 oil, the two essential fatty acids in them, and the endocannabinoid system.


CBD in cannabis may prevent the potential of psychosis which THC may cause in susceptible people who smoke it. Initial side effects of THC include fear, anxiety, and introvertive anhedonia.

CBD is what gives the cannabis smoker the headache when smoking the hemp variant of marijuana, which has a higher proportion of CBD and very little THC.

It also has other useful properties as antidepressant and pain reliever.

For example: the new pain reliever Sativex, which is applied as a mouth spray, has both CBD and THC in it.1

Sativex is only available by prescription to cancer patients for pain, and to MS patients with nerve pain, spasticity, overactive bladder and other symptoms.

In other research, it turns out that marijuana with both CBD and THC in it are of the most benefit to a cannabis user.

According to the British Journal of Psychiatry, a study was done comparing three groups: non-users, cannabis users with THC detected and cannabis users with both THC and CBD detected.

The THC users demonstrated a much higher rate of unusual experiences with marijuana than the other two groups.

In contrast, the THC-CBD users had "much lower introvertive anhedonia (a feeling of emptiness that makes one want to hide away) scores than the Δ9-THC only group and non-cannabis user group."2

As well, I have found that moderate doses of wild salmon oil in capsule form relieve mood swings in depression. The probable reason for this is related to the fact that salmon oil contains a lot of omega-3 oil3 of which two essential fatty acid have useful healthy benefits to the human body, especially the brain: DHA and EPA. They are metabolized into endocannabinoids for use in the body's endocannabinoid system, a group of neuromodulatory lipids and their receptors involved in many physiological processes including appetite, pain-sensation, mood, and memory.4

Since THC causes transient psychosis i.e. a temporary break from reality which is reversed by using less marijuana, the trend towards cannabis containing high-THC has risks to a user's mental health due to chronic use.

In contrast, strains of marijuana with a balanced blend of CBD and THC are safer for moderate use.

Thus my research so far proves my "less is more" philosophy towards all forms of neuropsychopharmaceuticals, including alcohol and marijuana.

With moderate consumption of fish and regular supplementation of wild salmon oil and a healthy diet, it is possible to keep the endocannaboid system working properly. Finally, I would like to state that a well nourished brain really only needs a dose of cannabis on rare occasions.


References:
  1. Sativex: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sativex
  2. THC-CBD users have lower introvertive anhedonia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabidiol
  3. Salmon oil contains a lot of omega-3 oil: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-3_fatty_acid
  4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endocannabinoid_system

20110101

How I Overcame the Fear of Medication

I used to be afraid of medication until I tried them.

Now they have made it harder for nicotine to addict me, and even harder for THC to make me anxious and paranoid.

I'm even wise to the meth BS. Why would anyone take crappy street amphetamines when there are ADHD meds which are safer and less toxic when used as directed?

As well, if you seriously used nicotine, then you'd have an over-the-counter antidepressant in inhalant format called cigarettes. In low doses nicotine is a stimulant; in high doses, it is as effective as a first-generation anti-histamine in sedation and "calming the nerves".

The good news is, THC still is a sedative in low doses. The terrific news is, mirtazapine blocks the munchies because as an antihistamine, it's an effective sedative with munchies as side effect. :p

Of course, I'd never mix alcohol or hard drugs with my medication, because that's a waste of my effort to manage my disease, which is depression.

Since humor is a mature way of dealing with uncomfortable feelings of anxiety, fear and dread, I plan on dealing with depression with humor to counteract any negativity arising from those feelings.

In this way I have overcome my initial fear of medication by choosing which of them I wish to take. I chose mirtazapine because of its safety profile for sedative action, and chose gabapentin of its safety in relieving pain and helping me to express myself.

However, this blog entry does not represent the full picture of depression. It only represents the protective effect of mirtazapine and gabapentin on my brain. They are more useful than cigarettes and marijuana, because of their safety profile. Yet I would be foolish to solely rely on them, for they are not magic bullets.


References:

Nicotine's psychological effects: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotine#Psychoactive_effects
Gabapentin and alcohol withdrawal syndrome: Am J Health-Syst Pharm—Vol 65 Jun 1, 2008
p. 1039

Comparison of Gabapentin and Phenobarbital for treatment of alcohol withdrawal: DOI: 10.1080/10550490500419110

Comparison of Gabapentin and bupropion SR for stopping smoking: Nicotine & Tobacco Research Volume 7, Number 5 (October 2005) 809–813

Gabapentin for stopping smoking: Nicotine & Tobacco Research Volume 9, Number 2 (February 2007) 291–298

20090917

High-THC Cannabis The Real Problem

I am a firm believer that, while stoned, I - like Fitz Hugh Ludlow - understands more fully “the soul’s capacity for a broader being, deeper insight, grander views of Beauty, Truth and Good" than I now gain through the chinks of my cell i.e. the six senses... of sight, hearing, touch, smelling, tasting and thought (mind).

Indeed, I believe that at the same time, I am rendered delusional by THC, and hallucinate that I am more creative while "high" on the cannaboids precisely because of the high THC levels in marijuana.

What I am then suggesting is, that is the CBD which is the creative muse, NOT THC!

Proof of this is that nobody who's rendered anxious and near-psychotic while under the influence THC is truly creative.

For it is the sedative powers of CBD which cures us of THC's ability to incapacitate us with hallucinations.

If we did not have the calming, Zen-like qualities of CBD to stabilize the pseudo-schizophrenic reaction to THC, our minds would be blown like a series of acid trips, evolving from benign to bad.

As well, we'd be too incapacitated by anxiety and flashbacks to actually create.

And all it takes is one (1) deep puff of the ganja to begin this rocky road to abuse.

Even so, I am not saying marijuana is bad for you; what I am saying is that I am calling THC a one-way ticket to Hell.

For it is CBD which will bring you back from your own self-created Hell.

Finally I will urge that we ban high-THC marijuana and grow only strains which have equal parts of CBD and THC, for the good of us all.

20070213

Margaret Trudeau says quitting marijuana helped mental health

Quitting cannabis has been an important part of her recovery from mental illness, Margaret Trudeau said Monday at a press conference in Vancouver for the Canadian Mental Health Association's upcoming Bottom Line Conference.

Trudeau, who suffers from bipolar disorder, spoke openly with reporters about her experience with depression and the effect of her long-term marijuana use.


Margaret Trudeau went on to claim that marijuna can trigger psychosis. However, this is inaccurate. What THC, the psychoactive drug in marijuana, may do is trigger anxiety. It is the user's reaction to that anxiety which leads to psychosis, not marijuana itself.

While paranoid thought may be a result of such anxiety, the fear of being caught intoxicated is more of the reason for paranoia than THC itself.

Therefore marijuana does not cause psychosis. Maladaptation to anxiety about one's substance abuse is more directly causal to possible psychosis than taking 200 micrograms of THC.

Compare this to a man being found out about his online time spent exclusively surfing for porn. If he knows it to be wrong to spend so much time online, and discovers he is being shamed by looking at porn, he may exhibit anxiety which may result in agitation, anger, and sometimes irrational behaviors associated with guilt. Thus he will act guilty and get upset, perhaps even exhibiting rage and possible brief psychosis.

So in Margaret Trudeay's case, she may have gotten high on pot, been caught by paparazzi and discovered her pictures in national tabloid with guilt-inducing headlines.

I would attribute her crises to public censure more than to occasional use of marijuana.

However, quitting pot did help Ms. Trudeau manage her bipolar disorder by reducing risk of anxiety. Thus, being drug free does improve mental health.