A Question about Medical Marijuana

[Paulie]

The problem with that is if you are tested for drugs it will show marajuana for 30 days but CAN'T tell you if it is ACTIVELY in your system. Of course I agree you shouldn't work/drive after smoking it.

This is wrong on many levels.

30 days is not automatic. THC is fat soluble rather than water soluble as most other drugs are, therefore its half life depends on however long it takes to burn the fat cells that contain any THC.

A skinny person with a high metabolism could smoke daily and be free of THC in a week or less, whereas someone fat with low metabolism would require much more time to rid the fat cells that contain THC.

Believe me, I've seen a number of chronic smokers clear their THC levels in less than a week. Myself included back in the day.

 

[sparky]

There are several other studies backing up the schizophrenia claim. I'll look for them later, but the risk is small. There are other risks that are much greater, like brain development in people under 25.

.

To my knowledge, there is one study about MJ and schizophrenia.

funny, i was just talking to myself the other day about this.....seriously, theres a world of studies out there that link MJ to permanent psychosis in people that are predisposed to psychosis.

They blather on and on in vain trying to make a connection that doesn't really exist, save for the three toed war on drugs sloths who , for a biscuit, stand on their hinds legs and bark the two prevelant terms>

MJ and Psychosis

All in a day's work but....

From a purely objective stance , one would imagine that any governance that could F up as badly as ours has here in America might want to consider the benefits of a stoned public......~S~

 

[chanel]

They report; you decide. This is from schizophrenia.com I'm certain they know a little more than us.

Many of these research studies indicate that the risk is higher when the drugs are used by people under the age of 21, a time when the human brain is developing rapidly and is particularly vulnerable.

Researchers in New Zealand found that those who used cannabis by the age of 15 were more than three times (300%) more likely to develop illnesses such as schizophrenia. Other research has backed this up, showing that cannabis use increases the risk of psychosis by up to 700% for heavy users, and that the risk increases in proportion to the amount of cannabis used (smoked or consumed). Additionally, the younger a person smokes/uses cannabis, the higher the risk for schizophrenia, and the worse the schizophrenia is when the person does develop it. Research by psychiatrists in inner-city areas speak of cannabis being a factor in up to 80 percent of schizophrenia cases.

Professor Robin Murray (London Institute of Psychiatry) has recently (2005) completed a 15-year study of more than 750 adolescents in conjunction with colleagues at King's College London and the University of Otago in New Zealand.

Overall people were 4.5 times more likely to be schizophrenic at 26 if they were regular cannabis smokers at 15, compared to 1.65 times for those who did not report regular use until age 18.

Many researchers now believe that using the drug while the brain is still developing boosts levels of the chemical dopamine in the brain, which can directly lead to schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia.com - Marijuana Cannabis and Schizophrenia

That's my concern. Developing brains in adolescents. And the easier it is to get, the more prevalent it will become. I am a high school teacher. Impediments to learning and mental health are a cancer. Hopefully responsible doctors and lawmakers will be pro-active when it comes to protecting children. (dream on chanel).

 

[eots]

what was the topic again ?..cuz I had something really profound to say about it..damn !

 

[chanel]

Sorry about that eots. It was about cannabis use at work. That question was answered by the helpful posters here. Apparently you can be fired if you are stoned.

Now I am worried about the people at my job. Very young people.

 

[sparky]

Schizophrenia.com - Marijuana Cannabis and Schizophrenia

That's my concern. Developing brains in adolescents. And the easier it is to get, the more prevalent it will become. I am a high school teacher. Impediments to learning and mental health are a cancer. Hopefully responsible doctors and lawmakers will be pro-active when it comes to protecting children. (dream on chanel).

well you make my point chanel, the parameters forwarded by such studies might just as well portray an association of schizophrenia with PFOA>

and have people convinced there's a direct relationship enough to run with that ball

ironically, the kids in school are a target for 1/2 truths like this, via their friendly nieghborhhood dare officer who imparts the evils of drugs to an audience 1/2 of which have been approached BY the school system to take meds

hey, at least they sit quietly with that glazed-eye charm and fiegn interest, right?

 

[eots]

Sorry about that eots. It was about cannabis use at work. That question was answered by the helpful posters here. Apparently you can be fired if you are stoned.

Now I am worried about the people at my job. Very young people.

What is it your worried about ? that they will fail a piss test or go shizo.?.cuz if you are worried they will go schizo..I wouldn't lose any sleep over it

 

[Wry Catcher]

In medical marijuana states, are there specific laws that deal with WORKING under the influence? Can a person be fired for smoking dope before work even if it is prescribed?

No flames please. I am concerned about how this will be handled in NJ in the near future.

I don't know about laws, but I do know that many government agencies have policies which require 'light' duty when under the influence of any medication which may cause impared judgement or coordination. If an employee is not 'fit' for duty, he or she maybe transferred to another agency or retired on disability.
How this is or will be handled by the private sector is a good question.

 

[chanel]

Yes it is. Brand new territory. That's why I'm interested to hear from people who are from states that already have it.

And eots - believe it or not - I care about my students and their education and their mental health. Somebody has to.

 

[sparky]

have you seen this chanel?

State-By-State Medical Marijuana Laws
How to Remove the Threat of Arrest
The link below will lead you to the Marijuana Policy Project's most recent edition of its state-by-state report on medical marijuana laws in the U.S. The report contains both a summary and an in-depth review of current medical marijuana laws; an overview of the history of medical marijuana policy; and MPP's model medical marijuana legislation, which is based on the most effective sections of current medical marijuana laws. It also features frequently asked questions about medical marijuana and the need to protect patients from arrest, as well as a list of dozens of medical, professional, and civic organizations that support medical marijuana

State-By-State Medical Marijuana Laws

 

[editec]

There are several other studies backing up the schizophrenia claim. I'll look for them later, but the risk is small. There are other risks that are much greater, like brain development in people under 25.

My point about anxiety and back pain is that anyone can CLAIM to have it even if it is not chronic. I don't pretend to know how easy or difficult it is to get a "card" but it's not like getting a 30 day prescription, is it? Isn't the card good forever?

That's why I am asking questions.

Chanel I have looked into them and looked into them and looked into them.

Basically, the problem is that these studies imply one thing, but the HEADLINES characterize the findings as something very different.

Yes, in people who are going to become schizophrenic anyway, dope, particularly very skunky dope, has a statistically significant (in other words, it can be measured) but very modest possibility of increasing psychotic episodes in that population likely to have psychotic episodes to begin with.

But note two things...

1. This propensity is mostly with very skunky dope. (in other words, only with some dope, not all of it)

2. This propensity is found in people who are likely to be schizophrenic to begin with, and their psychotic episodes are of a short duration.

Note also that the statistical significance is very very minor.

The headlines seldom mention those extremely important facts.

The headlines are designed to mislead people who won't bother to actually read the research themselves.

 

[geauxtohell]

They report; you decide. This is from schizophrenia.com I'm certain they know a little more than us.

I always have a hard time deciding anything in a scientific publication when I can't see the p value and confidence intervals.

Not to dismiss the articles, but the methodology and statistics are important here.

As I said earlier, it's hard to draw a direct line between schizophrenia and marijuana when we don't even know the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. It's the same argument I make about vaccines and autism.

This basically establishes a casual relationship that may be relevant or may not. For instance, the death rate in Florida is much higher than in other states because so many of the elderly retire there. You could look at the death rate and state "Florida is the most dangerous state in the country to live in." but that is not exactly true.

Not-so-coincidentally, the prevalence of schizophrenia has held steady at about 1% of the population for as long as it's been measured. You would think that if there was a strong link between MJ use and schizophrenia, that number would have trended up.

I found this interesting:

Expression of the cannabinoid 1 receptor (CB1R), the site of action of the main chemical ingredient of marijuana, is significantly reduced in the brains of individuals with schizophrenia. Activation of CB1R impairs signaling by gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an important neurotransmitter essential for core cognitive processes such as working memory.

The use of marijuana in individuals with schizophrenia appears to worsen this deficit in GABA synthesis.

Since reduced GABA is known to be present in schizophrenia, these findings suggest possible new drug targets that could help to improve function in people with the mental illness, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers report in the July issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

http://psychcentral.com/news/2008/07/08/marijuana-may-trigger-schizophrenia/2568.html

Perhaps this is why MJ makes people paranoid? Anyways, if that is true, perhaps we could prophylax children who have a family history of schizophrenia.

Ironically, that would require utilizing GABA receptor agonists such as benzodiazapines (i.e Xanax and valium), barbituates, or alcohol, which all come with their own problems.

 

[geauxtohell]

Sorry about that eots. It was about cannabis use at work. That question was answered by the helpful posters here. Apparently you can be fired if you are stoned.

Now I am worried about the people at my job. Very young people.

What is it your worried about ? that they will fail a piss test or go shizo.?.cuz if you are worried they will go schizo..I wouldn't lose any sleep over it

"Wait, will I go schizo?"

"There is a distinct possibility."

Sorry, couldn't resist. Anyways, Chanel is worried that it will cause developing minds to become schizophrenic, which, as you know, is a permanent and debilitating mental illness.