Members TampaYankee Posted February 12, 2014 Members Posted February 12, 2014 Marijuana May Stop The Spread Of HIV, Study Finds The Huffington Post | by Carly Schwartz Posted: 02/11/2014 12:11 pm EST Updated: 02/11/2014 5:00 pm EST Marijuana has long been used to effectively treat symptoms associated with HIV, such as chronic pain and weight loss. But a growing body of research suggests the plant may be able to stop the spread of the disease itself. Adding to these findings is a Louisiana State University study published last week in the journal AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses. For 17 months, scientists administered a daily dose of THC, an active ingredient in cannabis, to monkeys infected with an animal form of the virus. Over the course of that period, scientists found that damage to immune tissue in the primates' stomachs, one of the most common areas in the body for HIV infection to spread, decreased. "These findings reveal novel mechanisms that may potentially contribute to cannabinoid-mediated disease modulation," Dr. Patricia Molina, the study's lead author, wrote. The report goes on to explain that while HIV spreads by infecting and killing off immune cells, the monkeys that received the daily THC treatments maintained higher levels of healthy cells. Similar research spearheaded by Molina in 2011 found that infected monkeys treated with THC had a better chance of surviving. And a report published in 2012 pointed to evidence that marijuana-like compounds can fight HIV in late-stage AIDS patients. Last year, an oncologist from the United Kingdom found that marijuana compounds can kill cancer cells in leukemia patients, and scientists at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco have conducted research that suggests those compounds can also effectively combat other forms of aggressive cancer. See original article at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/11/marijuana-hiv_n_4767901.html lookin and TotallyOz 2 Quote
Members boiworship Posted February 12, 2014 Members Posted February 12, 2014 It really is a miracle weed! Quote
Guest Paragon Posted February 13, 2014 Posted February 13, 2014 Is not marijuana a gateway drug to other, more serious drugs? A Yale study says so....http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Yale-study-Marijuana-may-really-be-gateway-drug-3805532.php Quote
Members boiworship Posted February 13, 2014 Members Posted February 13, 2014 I doubt it. The majority of studies say no. It's habituating, not addicting; although those with a predilection for self-medication may well move onto more dangerous drugs. Quote
Guest Paragon Posted February 13, 2014 Posted February 13, 2014 Respectfully, I would ask what a "predilection for self-medication" is if not a desire to take drugs? So when you say marijuana is a gateway to more serious drugs only for those with a predilection to use drugs, does that not include a huge swath of folks, who would then go on to heroin or like drugs? Quote
Members MsGuy Posted February 13, 2014 Members Posted February 13, 2014 Is not marijuana a gateway drug to other, more serious drugs? Or it could be that kids whose personalities/social circumstances/ genetics/what-have-you incline them toward transgressive &/or risk taking behavior are more likely to both do marijuana and pop pills. It does seem to me that hyperbole in warnings about demon rum and weed may serve to reduce the perceived danger of pill popping once the former have been sampled. I would grant you though that use of a criminalized substance like weed would necessarily teach the skills and behaviors necessary to move on to other drugs (how to find and deal with a source; creating a secret stash; masking the symptoms of use). So, yeah, in that sense, it could well be a gateway drug. Well, no point scratching our heads over this question. We've just embarked on a social experiment on a massive scale that will generate the data necessary to resolve the question. Ten years from now, if we have millions of folks laying around with needles in their arms, there will be all the evidence you could ask for that marijuana. And if no humongous hard drug problem occurs, that should settle the matter too. In the mean time, I hope the FDA stops hindering the scientific investigation into the medical uses of marijuana. AdamSmith, boiworship and lookin 3 Quote
TotallyOz Posted February 13, 2014 Posted February 13, 2014 I have smoked weed for 20 years or more. I have never once tried X or Estacy, Crystal, Meth, Yabba, Heroin or any other illegal drug. Never. Not once. I have never smoked cigarettes or been drunk. Not once. Ever. But, I love my weed. I have never been tempted to try other things. I do not believe it is a gateway drug anymore than alcohol or xanex is. lookin, Theolover, boiworship and 1 other 4 Quote
Guest Paragon Posted February 13, 2014 Posted February 13, 2014 Oz, you must not have that predilection to self medicate. I agree with Ms Guy that we are indeed embarking on a huge social experiment with legal marijuana. Even in states where only "medical" marijuana is legal, only a complete idiot cannot get a permit. I know many casual users of marijuana, so I know that, for some, it is not a gateway drug. But it could be for many others and we won't know until this social experiment has some time under its belt. Quote
Members MsGuy Posted February 13, 2014 Members Posted February 13, 2014 But it could be for many others and we won't know until this social experiment has some time under its belt. Long way from could be to know. What we do know beyond any reasonable doubt is that locking up hundreds of thousands of people for weed use does some pretty significant damage both to the individuals and to society as a whole. So maybe we should hold off on all that until we know that it's worth it. Ours is a culture with a strong puritanical bias. We want/need sinful folks to be punished and be seen to be punished. And sometimes, like with those folks who smoke weed, we get tired of waiting for a just God to visit his wrath upon them and decide to hurry things along a bit. lookin 1 Quote
Guest Paragon Posted February 13, 2014 Posted February 13, 2014 Long way from could be to know. What we do know beyond any reasonable doubt is that locking up hundreds of thousands of people for weed use does some pretty significant damage both to the individuals and to society as a whole. So maybe we should hold off on all that until we know that it's worth it. Ours is a culture with a strong puritanical bias. We want/need sinful folks to be punished and be seen to be punished. And sometimes, like with those folks who smoke weed, we get tired of waiting for a just God to visit his wrath upon them and decide to hurry things along a bit. Goodness, girl! Who's talking about locking people up? Certainly not me. No punitive measures have been in my posts on this thread. It's the protection of one's health that is under discussion, not Siberian jails and locked psycho wings a la Mississippi. Get a grip! Quote
Members MsGuy Posted February 13, 2014 Members Posted February 13, 2014 Sorry. My bad. Maybe it's because I've actually seen people fucked sideways by those laws. Makes me a little touchy on the subject. Quote
TotallyOz Posted February 13, 2014 Posted February 13, 2014 I know many casual users of marijuana, so I know that, for some, it is not a gateway drug. But it could be for many others and we won't know until this social experiment has some time under its belt. Personally, I think this is bull shit. I don't think your words are wrong but I think the entire idea that it is a gateway drug is BS. I don't think it is more of a gateway drug than caffeine or redbull or booze. People who are addicts will take in what they want to get their need fulfilled. I don't think the chemicals in MJ will lead anyone to want to try other things. However, I have been known to be wrong in the past. MsGuy and Theolover 2 Quote
AdamSmith Posted February 13, 2014 Posted February 13, 2014 Is not marijuana a gateway drug to other, more serious drugs? A Yale study says so....http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Yale-study-Marijuana-may-really-be-gateway-drug-3805532.php The study's lead author acknowledges that the clustering observed may or may not be evidence of causation: "It sort of highlights that there's a potential association." MsGuy and boiworship 2 Quote
Guest Paragon Posted February 13, 2014 Posted February 13, 2014 Today's NY Times has an op-ed speaking of claims that marijuana helps epileptics, much as it is claimed that it helps people with HIV. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/13/opinion/we-need-proof-on-marijuana.html?hp&rref=opinion&_r=0 But using marijuana may not be a gateway drug for most people, Oz, but it can be for some, and as the Times article points out, safety has not been researched, particularly as it applies to young epileptics- children. So many who have grown up with marijuana want to see it legalized that I fear they may be advocating based upon their own experience without concern that others might not share their good fortune. But the trend is to legalize, and I know that it's hard to suggest safeguards in the face of such a strong movement.But I am not as fast as others to jump on the bandwagon. That's all there is to it. Quote
Guest Paragon Posted February 13, 2014 Posted February 13, 2014 Or it could be that kids whose personalities/social circumstances/ genetics/what-have-you incline them toward transgressive &/or risk taking behavior are more likely to both do marijuana and pop pills. It does seem to me that hyperbole in warnings about demon rum and weed may serve to reduce the perceived danger of pill popping once the former have been sampled. I would grant you though that use of a criminalized substance like weed would necessarily teach the skills and behaviors necessary to move on to other drugs (how to find and deal with a source; creating a secret stash; masking the symptoms of use). So, yeah, in that sense, it could well be a gateway drug. Well, no point scratching our heads over this question. We've just embarked on a social experiment on a massive scale that will generate the data necessary to resolve the question. Ten years from now, if we have millions of folks laying around with needles in their arms, there will be all the evidence you could ask for that marijuana. And if no humongous hard drug problem occurs, that should settle the matter too. In the mean time, I hope the FDA stops hindering the scientific investigation into the medical uses of marijuana. I liked this post of yours so much more than the one suggesting that anyone was advocating penalties. This one is reasoned and pertinent, the other one raised arguments that no one else had even suggested. Quote
TotallyOz Posted February 13, 2014 Posted February 13, 2014 Today's NY Times has an op-ed speaking of claims that marijuana helps epileptics, much as it is claimed that it helps people with HIV. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/13/opinion/we-need-proof-on-marijuana.html?hp&rref=opinion&_r=0 But using marijuana may not be a gateway drug for most people, Oz, but it can be for some, and as the Times article points out, safety has not been researched, particularly as it applies to young epileptics- children. I am not for kids getting to legally be able to use marijuana but if there are medical conditions which it helps (and there is), I am not opposed to it either. I have had friends that died of cancer and the only thing that kept up their appetite or helped with their pain was marijuana. I have no problem with anyone doing anything to their body or for their betterment as long as it does not interfere with others. It seems the controversy will not go away. At least for now, there is conversation where one side is not belittled because of their beliefs. Theolover 1 Quote
