The Institute of Psychiatry study gave THC, CBD or placebo capsules to adult male volunteers who had not abused cannabis.
They then carried out brain scans, and a battery of tests, and found that those who took THC showed reduced activity in an area of the brain called the inferior frontal cortex, which keeps inappropriate thoughts and behaviour, such as swearing and paranoia in check.
The effects were short-lived, but some people appeared more vulnerable than others.
In a second study, a team from Yale University administered THC intravenously.
Even at relatively low doses, they found 50% of healthy volunteers began to show symptoms of psychosis.
Volunteers who already had a history of psychotic symptoms appeared to be particularly vulnerable.
Like most of my science posts I don’t have any political agenda to push here. If pot contains chemicals that have promise in medicine then I think it deserves research just like any other potential cure. In the spirit of full disclosure I’m wearing a pair of hemp pants right now, and it seems like a pure shame that the cotton biz has succeeded so well in keeping this great material down. Looking back at a fairly normal youth in America, all of my scary pot stories involve either the fact that it is illegal or people doing crazy things under the influence of either some additional drug or their own underlying craziness. So call me lukewarm when it comes to the dangers of wacky tabacky, and hopeful about the potential good from destigmatized research and industrial use.
I certainly wouldn’t classify pot in the same category as serious habit formers like heroin and cocaine or mind benders like LSD or psilocybin. But given our almost total knowledge vacuum about what cannibinoid molecules do inside the brain, treating them as harmless makes little sense either.
Scruffy McSnufflepuss
Still probably isn’t as dangerous as alcohol, though. Man, alcohol is nuts.
Krista
That’s some pretty interesting fucking shit, Tim. Pass the Doritos. Wait, you just spit in them, didn’t you? Don’t lie to me!
Dreggas
They also released a study recently showing that the big evil green bud can be used in treating lung cancer (ironic that) since THC tends to stop the growth and spread of cancer in the lungs.
Go figure.
Dreggas
LOL no joke, the other things you could count on from being stoned aside from munchies were cussing like a sailor and the belief that yes, everyone was out to get you but of course you felt too damn lazy to do much about it.
On the other hand my concentration was great, got a 98 of 100 on the state security guard licensing exam after smoking a joint of canadian hydro…good times man…good times.
Leader Desslok
Dude! I totally agree with, like… what you were saying about, uh… what did you say?
Tsulagi
Oh fuck I’m screwed.
Lee
“The Institute of Psychiatry” a.k.a. “The Institute of the Blindingly Obvious”
LarryB
Sounds reasonable to me. You don’t have to hang around stoners very long to know that paranoia is a common THC side-effect.
On the other hand, “psychosis” covers a lot of ground: You don’t see too many pot-heads in the tank for beating the hell out of their smoking buddies.
Dave
Legalize it all. Everything. Put the money into research of the effects of drugs, addiction and recovery.
Third Eye Open
I’m sorry…what were we just talking about?
Vladi G
Dude, that’s just what they want you to think.
Myrtle Parker
Doesn’t surprise me one bit. I always got paranoid when stoned. In fact, I remember thinking it was a big conspiracy that no one else would admit to being paranoid when stoned. HAHAH!!
cleek
(happily, Comfortably Numb popped up on the iPod the second this form appeared)
like, say, 90 minutes or so? then tapering rapidly over the next couple of hours?
yeah, i think i’ve seen that effect.
it’s called being high.
Rome Again
I gotta tell ya, maybe I’m weird, but I don’t get munchies from such activity. I don’t eat at all during my sojourns.
raff
Erm, yeah. Here in Canada we just call it ‘hydro’, or ‘BC (British Columbia) hydro’ & it’s considered to be some of the best weed in the world. We also tend to capitalize the name of our country.
BC Hydro has won many international awards while I can’t remember the last time anyone mentioned smoking Panama Red or Acapulco Gold (or anything from California). I guess it’s official, both our weed and our beer is far superiour to anything brewed/grown in the US.
In keeping with my Canadian heritage, I feel compelled to apologize for my previous statement: I’m sorry your weed & beer suck.
Cheers, eh?
Krista
There is NOTHING better than Swiss Chalet 1/4-chicken dinner when you’re stoned.
That is all.
HyperIon
a bit OT (but there is a connection to lung cancer)…
a lot of evidence now exists that strongly implies that the cause of lung cancer is NOT the tars but the polonium in the smoke. this wiki article is VERY informative. it’s got something for scientist and conspiracy theorists.
i came across this while searching for info on the relative cancer risks of smoking pot vs. tobacco. the conclusion: the latter is MUCH, MUCH worse than the former.
HyperIon
in seattle it’s called BC bud.
Tim F.
Question – why does hydroponic pot have to be made in British Columbia? Help me see how living in New York or Houston prevents one from setting up a few nutrient tanks.
HyperIon
i believe that most of the grow houses that have been busted in california recently have been hydro ops. i think this method is easier to automate. so it’s just a yield argument.
and the folks who get there first get naming rights.
Andrew
Tim,
There isn’t anything that requires hydroponic marijuana to be from BC. When I lived in Oklahoma I knew a guy who grew it south east of our college and we would pool our money to buy from him once a month or so.
I believe that BC (like Alaska and the American PNW) gained a reputation for growing the stuff because of their long daylight hours during the summer led to better product. They also have tons of uninhabited land that is fairly isolated to grow in. That led them to be at the forefront of producing better varieties. When hydroponics started they were able to be the first to begin doing it. The problem with hydroponics is that it takes a lot of power to do it. That’s how they catch the growers usually. I assume since enforcement is laxer in Canada it’s easier to grow there.
raff
Hyperlon & Tim F:
I was just poking some innocent fun — I’m sucker for that stupid line (or variations thereof): “During my trip to China I tried some Chinese food… or as they call it, ‘food’!”.
Tim: you’re quite right, I was using BC hydro as a sort of generic term, like you’d say ‘Band-Aid’ or ‘Kleenex’ to refer to a bandage or tissue. For whatever reason, BC seems to have become synonymous with ‘hydro weed’ (at least here in Canuckistan)… I have no idea why. Certainly nothing precludes someone living in NY or anywhere from setting up some tanks or even a “grow house”… unless the seeds you use come from BC, then I guess you’d have to call it ‘BC Hydro’, rather like grapes in winemaking.
raff
Exactly right. Lord knows what percentage of Panama Red I bought back in the day was actually from Panama.
I find it curious, tho’, that no-one has taken me task for my comment on American beer. We have a joke here in Caniran:
Q: Why is American beer like haveing sex in a canoe?
A: They’re both fucking close to water.
…it’s funny ‘cuz it’s true!
canuckistani
I feel like such a nerd. My only vice is legally regulated booze.
Krista
You’re not a nerd. To each their own, right?
I do wish they’d go and legalize it already, though. My friend’s dad was dying of cancer and his meds were doing nothing for the pain, and his wife, not having any idea who to ask about these things, wound up having to deal with some seriously sketchy characters in her quest to get her husband some marijuana. He might have been approved for the medicinal stuff via the government, but the red tape takes a long time, and it’s commonly known that their weed is utter shite.
Funny story, though, talking about weed and paranoia. During a recent conversation with my mom, I found out that she’d tried it at a party during the 1970’s, but kept thinking that she was hearing sirens, so she hid in the coat closet for the rest of the evening so that when the cops inevitably busted down the front door, they wouldn’t find her.
Jim
C’mon… the humble, friendly mushroom?
Psilocybin is a mind-bender if you eat too much of it, sure. But then I realize that reality warps my mind way, way worse.
Bob Smith
Wait a minute, wait a minute. Pot grown in BC is now called BC Hydro… well, I guess that explains my electric bill. http://www.bchydro.com/
Bill Arnold
Until softcopy is available (the conference is May 1/May 2) this study should simply be ignored.
Emile
Not so anymore on both accounts. A friend buys a supply of govt approved pot each month. Arrives in a plain brown wrapper and is as decent as the stuff he buys locally for about the same price.
Emile
Not so anymore on both accounts. A friend buys a supply of govt approved pot each month. Arrives in a plain brown wrapper and is as decent as the stuff he buys locally for about the same price.
Emile
Not so anymore on both accounts. A friend buys a supply of govt approved pot each month. Arrives in a plain brown wrapper and is as decent as the stuff he buys locally for about the same price.
Kimmitt
Wait, we just proved that pot gets you high and makes you a little paranoid? WTF are we spending all this money for again?
Evilbeard
pshaw. Sure BC bud is hella good, perhaps even some of the best, but almost everyone knows the best weed available in the United States comes from Humboldt County, California.
Dealer Dan
Hey, keep the stuff illegal. De-criminalise it and my business is down the tubes. My buddies in blue are behind me all the way on this. So is the private prison industry. So are the cotton growers.
And consider restoring prohibition too. Then I could diversify. That’d be great. Capone is my hero.
spoosmith
I regularly partake – both to handle MS symptoms and recreationally. Pot has never made me paranoid, except that one time my Mom (who has become increasingly facinated with the stuff since she found out I take it) asked me for a supertoke (shiver).
My 2 cents: I would agree that Swiss Chalet is awesome, but might I recommend a peanut butter and fruit loop sandwich on toasted french bread? Tres yummy.
Gus
So, I guess I’ll have to quit injecting pure THC. Yeah those studies are really scary. Not. Pot makes you paranoid? Say it ain’t so! Reminds me of my all time favorite Onion headline “Study Links Marijuana To Sitting Around and Getting High”. Oh and raff, if by American beer you’re talking about Budweiser, Miller and Coors products I agree that the Canadian product is better, but who drinks that shit?
Lee
Just curious but what is the status of the pot laws in Canada?
Was possession ever reduced to a fine?
MikeF
If pot were made legal, then the paranoia factor would go away. I also think that literally thousands of years of smoking it be various native tribes should not be discounted as evidence of not quite harmlessness, but at least no serious harm.
mrmobi
While I quit using “wacky tabacky” decades ago, it does seem to me that our policy about weed in this country is totally stupid.
As far as it causing “psychosis,” that reminds me of the story about Groucho Marx, who was interviewing a woman on his show “You Bet Your Life.” He asked her if she had any children, and she replied, “Yes, I have 10 children.” Groucho did one of his famous double-takes and just looked at her. She sheepishly said, “I love my husband,” to which Groucho replied “I love a good cigar, but I take it out of my mouth once in a while.”
The Other Steve
Back in college I read a study that linked Marijuana and the psychosis side effects to mercury poisoning. Apparently the plant accumulates mercury from the soil. Mercury is absorbed faster when inhaled, than when injested.
Maybe the study was discredited later, but it sounded somewhat plausible and I’m surprised to not hear more about it since.
gus
Also, this reminds me of the “LSD damages your chromosomes” stories of the ’60s and ’70s. Also the “pot damages your brain ” studies done by a guy who strapped a mask to the faces of monkeys and force fed them ridiculous amounts of smoke. The thing that caused brain damage was the lack of oxygen caused by the masks. It’s really amazing, though, how once this crap finds its way into the media it becomes conventional wisdom. I had a friend who had no problem taking mushrooms, smoking pot, even doing coke, but when offered LSD, he would refuse saying he didn’t want to wind up with kids with webbed feet. The conventional wisdom, long since disproved regarding LSD effects on chromosomes had worked on this guy who would otherwise have been open to the experience. Early LSD tests were essentially useless because the researchers didn’t understand the nature of the drug. I’ll always be skeptical of results from tests like this.
Rome Again
I personally have declared war on conventional wisdom. It is a menace to society. We must rid conventional wisdom from all aspects of our society.
Krista
No, I don’t believe it was. (Someone correct me if I’m wrong.) For the most part, it tends to be up to the cop’s discretion. If you’re caught breaking other laws, and they find a joint on you, they’ll likely add that on to the list. And they’re also tough on large-scale trafficking and grow-ops. If you’re otherwise minding your own business and a cop sees you smoking a joint, they’ll usually just look the other way. Every Canada Day in Halifax, you’ll see a ton of people smoking up in the Commons park. There’s a funny article about it here.
spoosmith
The fact that alcohol is legal but pot isn’t is absurd. I’ve seen countless instances where alcohol-induced agression had fairly predictable results. The biggest pot-inducing crime I’ve ever seen is a propensity for outrageous snacking and the desire to commune with a tree.
The Easter Bunny
This is why certain highly productive portions of your country will be spared from my fearsome cleansing. After a long day of hunting Canuckistani terrorists, nothing takes the edge off like some of that killer fucking BC hydro.
mrmobi
Sorry to hear that, but glad you are able to get it, which begs the question, given the ability of THC to help people deal with discomfort and pain, why the fuck are we not allowing its’ legal use? I just don’t get it.
I’m so god-damned sick of this whole “war on” mentality. Whenever Republicans or Liebercrats get together to discuss a problem, it always ends up being a new “war.”
I’ve never been that crazy about Al Gore, although I love his work on global warming, but his wife is in that fussy camp which wants to “regulate” the culture. Fuck that.
mrmobi
Thank you, EB, now I have chicken soup on my $1,000 flat screen.
mrmobi
I’ve been meaning to ask you, Easter Bunny, are you related to Zombie Santa Claus?
spoosmith
mrmobi,
The pain I take pot for is not directly related to MS per se: the medication I’m on to control the MS is nothing short of inhumane (side effects are horrific, and it’s extremely painful). Before pot, I would have to take between 10-16 Advil in a weekend to cope. Now, I smoke some on shot night, maybe a little the next day and I’m down to maybe 3 Advil – the whole weekend. It also works wonders on migraines.
The Other Steve
Breast cancer. We’re worrid about breast cancer.
Larv
The linked article traffics (no pun intended) in so many of the classic myths and half-truths about pot that I’d be reluctant to take anything in it at face value. I’d be interested to see the actual studies referenced, but the BBC synopsis is useless. As others have remarked, the main finding seems to be “marijuana makes you high.” No evidence is given that there is any long-term effect on psychosis whatsoever. The article is rife with weasel words like “may”, “could”, and “appears”, as in the lede: “Scientists have shown how cannabis may trigger psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia.”
Also, they trot out this line: “Although figures are not kept, it is estimated that as many as 500,000 people in the UK may be dependent on cannabis.” Notice the pre-emptive admission that these numbers have been pulled out of sombody’s ass, but without telling us whose ass and thereby allowing us to judge the veracity of the claim or the potential bias of the claimant. There is also no mention of what is meant by dependency, a very tricky term in this context.
I don’t know the situation in the UK, but a similar statistic is often used to point to the growing dangers of pot in this country. What is left out is that many if not most of the people “seeking help” are doing so after being arrested, and are seeking to avoid jail time by doing so.
This is one of my favorites:
This is utter nonsense. It’s not as if marijuana is sold in pre-determined dosage units of 1 joint (which is consumed all at once), so pot that is twice as powerful delivers twice the THC. Smoked marijuana produces intoxication very quickly, and most users will modulate their intake to achieve a desired effect. Contrary to Prof. Murrays formulation, it’s much more like a former glass-of-wine drinker switching to a shot of vodka. Less volume, equivalent intoxication. Sure, it may be easier to get really drunk on the vodka, but that doesn’t make vodka inherently more dangerous.
In all, this reads like the BBC swallowed whole a press release from the British equivalent of the ONDCP. I’d expected better of them.
The Easter Bunny
Bitch, please. Do all holiday deities look the same to you?
Anyway, one of us is a patriot who is taking the fight to the Canuckistani terrorists who want to outlaw our holidays and destroy our way of life, while simultaneously securing vast tracts of bitchin’ hydro for America. And one of us is a useless fucking brain in an extra-large jar whose only contributions to the War on the War on Christmas were a) getting his fat ass blown to smithereens and b) being resurrected as a mindless, shambling, brain-hungry cadaver.
I’ll leave it to you to figure out who is who.
Rome Again
Deity? Ummm, I thought you were just some meaningless icon.
The Easter Bunny
Don’t tempt my wrath, mortal. Do you know what a brightly colored egg traveling at 400mph can do to a human skull?
Rome Again
Dear Mr. Not-Funny Bunny… my skull is already cracked, you can do no worse.
Rome Again
Just realized the irony of me making that statement on a thread called “Check Your Head”. LMFAO!