alcohol vs marijuana

[Yurt]

curious as to how the distinguished members of USMB view the two drugs.....

 

[Dis]

curious as to how the distinguished members of USMB view the two drugs.....

Other than a waste of money?

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - it'll give ya the heebie-jeebies...

Synthetic marijuana substitutes are likely not safe
February 7, 2017 - Drugs known as K2 or Spice, often sold as “safe” or “legal” versions of marijuana, are none of those things, a research review concludes.

These synthetic cannabinoids (SCBs) are not detectable with standard drug screening for the active substance in marijuana because they are very different, and potentially dangerous, molecules, the study team writes in Trends in Pharmacological Sciences. “Synthetic cannabinoids produce a number of adverse effects such as neurological, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and renal toxicities as well as tolerance, dependence, and even withdrawal,” lead author Benjamin Ford from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock said.

Evidence of K2 and Spice use in the United States was first reported in 2009, Ford and his colleagues write, but it wasn’t until late 2010 that the National Forensic Laboratory Information System reported tremendous spikes in K2 and Spice product usage. “Alarmingly, there have been over 20 deaths reported between 2011 and 2014 due to some of these toxicities,” Ford told Reuters Health by email. A major issue regarding acute toxicities of SCBs concerns the poor and inconsistent quality control of synthetic cannabinoids in these products, Ford said. “It is common for a single K2 or Spice product to contain between three to five different synthetic cannabinoid compounds at arbitrary, and sometimes dangerous, doses,” he said.

Ford and his colleagues reviewed existing studies of the chemical structure of these compounds, how they work in the brain, how they affect animals in experiments, and the types of side effects seen among human users. Ford concludes that terms like “synthetic marijuana” or "synthetic pot" are very misleading descriptions. They suggest that K2 and Spice products contain marijuana-like compounds and produce effects similar to those of marijuana, he said. But, the SCBs are much more potent than regular marijuana and sometimes cause more intense reactions.

It’s important to note that there is very little crossover between the adverse effects observed with synthetic cannabinoids and marijuana, he added. “The problem is that people are abusing these new synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists because a lot of them don't show up on the urine tox screen,” Dr. Rana Biary, an emergency physician at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York, told Reuters Health. “So it's a way to bypass any form of drug screen monitoring, and so a lot of people who are regularly having their own drug screens sent on might be using this in lieu of marijuana,” said Biary, who wasn’t involved in the review.

MORE: http://bit.ly/2kumfAA Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, online February 2, 2017.

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - dey ain't tellin' the whole story...

Alcohol Industry Accused of Misleading Public Over Cancer Risk
September 07,`17 — Scientists have accused the alcohol industry of misleading the public over the link between alcohol and cancer.

Researchers looked at the websites of 28 global organizations representing the alcohol industry, and concluded that the vast majority distort or misrepresent the evidence of an alcohol-related cancer risk. "What you might see is that certain health problems related to alcohol consumption are mentioned on the website, but cancer is missing, or specific types of cancer are missing, particularly breast cancer or colorectal cancer," said Mark Petticrew, professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who led the research.

A doctor exams mammograms, a special type of X-ray of the breasts, which are used to detect tumors, in Nice, France​

The Washington-based International Alliance for Responsible Drinking, or IARD, is accused of misleading the public over the risk of contracting specific types of cancers, and trying to confuse the issue by highlighting a range of other risk factors. In a statement provided to VOA, the IARD disputed the conclusions, saying: "We believe in sharing the current state of the scientific evidence and stand by the information that we publish on drinking and health."

Petticrew compares the industry's actions with those of the tobacco giants, which for a long time disputed the link between cancer and smoking. "In the U.K., around 4 percent of cancers are attributable to alcohol consumption," Petticrew said. "I think what's important to remember is that the risk itself is quite low for people who consume at low levels. But the fact is that the information about the risk that is disseminated by these organizations is distorted and misrepresented." The report says further research is needed on whether the alcohol industry is distorting information on other risks, such as cardiovascular disease.

Alcohol Industry Accused of Misleading Public Over Cancer Risk

See also:

Alcohol Increases, Exercise Decreases Breast Cancer Risk
May 23, 2017 - One of the largest cancer prevention studies of its kind to date reached a sobering conclusion. Just one alcoholic drink per day can increase the risk of breast cancer in women. But researchers also concluded there are things women can do to decrease their risk of breast cancer.

The study by the American Institute for Cancer Research was a review of 119 prior studies involving 12 million women, 260,000 of who had developed breast cancer. Lead author Anne McTiernan is a cancer prevention expert at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington. In 10 of the studies involving 4,000 women of childbearing age who developed breast cancer, McTiernan said investigators uncovered a connection between alcohol consumption and increased risk of breast cancer. “We found that those women who drank an average of just 10 grams of alcohol a day had a five percent increased risk of breast cancer. So, five percent is a small amount but it was statistically significant so it gives us more confidence that it’s probably real,” said McTiernan. She noted, “Ten grams of alcohol is like a small glass of wine.”

In another subset of studies involving 35,000 post-menopausal women who developed breast cancer, McTiernan said alcohol was found to be a greater risk factor. According to McTiernan, “We found that there was a nine percent increased risk of drinking that same amount of alcohol, drinking 10 grams per day of alcohol. Again, small glass of wine, eight ounce of beer, one ounce of hard liquor.” McTiernan said the World Health Organization considers alcohol a carcinogen, or cancer-causing agent. It contains a metabolite called acetaldehyde that is damaging to DNA, according to McTiernan.

Lowering risk

On the positive side, investigators found that vigorous exercise, such running or bicycling fast, decreased the risk of breast cancer in young women by 17 percent and 10 percent in post-menopausal women. Moderate activity, such as walking and gardening frequently, was found to reduce the risk of breast cancer by 13 percent in the most active women compared to the least active. There was also evidence too that eating a non-starchy, plant-based diet is beneficial. “That does not mean becoming a vegetarian,” said McTiernan. “It just means eating a lot of fresh vegetables and fruit. Making sure most of the vegetables are non-starchy, not potatoes. Eating dairy products because they are high in calcium and they have some benefit on their own.” To the extent that being overweight has been found to increase an older woman's breast cancer risk, McTiernan said eating a diet full of fruits and vegetables can help women keep their weight down.

According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, an organization concerned with cancer prevention, one in three breast cancer cases in the United States could be prevented if women did not drink alcohol, stayed physically active and maintained a healthy weight. McTiernan said the evidence of "this comprehensive and up-to-date report ... is clear: Having a physically active lifestyle, maintaining a healthy weight throughout life and limiting alcohol, these are all steps women can take to lower their risk" of breast cancer. The American Institute for Cancer Research is part of the World Cancer Research Fund, which collects and analyzes data from around the world on cancer prevention, drawing conclusions on how attention to weight, diet and exercise can reduce the risk of developing cancer.

Alcohol Increases, Exercise Decreases Breast Cancer Risk

 

[BlackFlag]

YUUUUUUUUUUURT

 

[WinterBorn]

They are both fine in moderation. I think someone who is stoned is far less dangerous than a drunk. That said, I will have a beer or glass of wine without getting drunk.

 

[eflatminor]

Like anything else an adult may choose to put into his own body, it should be his choice and no one else's.