Heavy smokers

[Pedata]

I don't know where the news is getting thier info but.....

They said, on one of those news channels, that a heavy smoker is someone who smokes about 350 joints a week.

350? That's 50 a day. Right? Am I doing the math right?

A moderate smoker was around 12 joints a day.

Had such a good laugh over that :D

Did anyone else see that report?

Peace,
Cassandra

[tooter_mcgee]

50 joints does sound a tad bit excessive, i wonder exactly how large they think people roll their joints ;)

ah well, i use a bong anyway... :D

[Evil Hippie]

Thats hilarious! :D What idiots. :p

[toman]

The hell? 350 a week? *Does math*

That works out to somewhere in the neighborhood of $2500 a week worth of grass. Somehow I don't think your average stoner makes that in a month.




Note that my math might be off, because I'm a dumbass sometimes.

[LIBRA]

that is ridiculas what person has time to smoke that many joints in one day, they cant possibly have to time to work they'd be busy smoking joints all day long!!! another case of misinformation by the wonderfull media!!! I used to smoke on a regular basis and If I smoked 5 joints a day with friends that was alot, but I usually smoked bowls or bongs though which 5 or so was do-able. but not no more!!! anyway crazy 350 joints a week I figure $5 a joint for a nice size joint or gram of good smoke so that would be $7000.00 a month you'd have to a columbian drug lord to fork that cash over!!!!lol!!! :)

[theREALsun]

he he, gotta love it :)

[mountain_mama]

Ha! Thats so funny! Another reason not to trust mainstream media! :rolleyes:

[luvingmama]

I would love to see that news report! I couldn't imagine smoking 50 joints a day. Although, I wouldn't mind to have the amount of money that equals out to. Whoever made that story up musta been on some funky shit! Gimme a hit of that!! :cool:

[luvingmama]

I would love to see that news report! I couldn't imagine smoking 50 joints a day. Although, I wouldn't mind to have the amount of money that equals out to. Whoever made that story up musta been on some funky shit! Gimme a hit of that!! :cool: Peacefully Yours!!

[delta9]

Wow, that's a new one to me! I don't think I've smoked 50 joints a day even at my heaviest, and I've smoked pretty damn heavily...
http://www.rumandcoke.net/merlin/emote/eekk.gif

[peach_blossom]

http://www.rumandcoke.net/merlin/emote/eekk.gif


what he said. :eek:

[delta9]

this could be thier source (http://www.reuters.ca/locales/c_newsArticle.jsp?type=topNews&localeKey=en_CA&storyID=7560435)
Marijuana Affects Brain Long-Term, Study Finds
Mon February 7, 2005 4:04 PM GMT-05:00

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Marijuana users have faster blood flow in their brains, even after a month of not smoking, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

The findings suggest they have narrowed arteries, similar to patients with high blood pressure and dementia, and could help explain reports that heavy marijuana users have trouble on memory tests, said the researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse in Baltimore.

Ronald Herning and Jean Lud Cadet tested 54 marijuana users, who smoked anywhere between two and 350 joints a week, and 18 non-smokers.

They used Doppler sonograms to measure blood flow in volunteers' brains at the beginning of the study and a month later, after everyone agreed to abstain from marijuana for the four weeks.

The smokers had faster blood flow, both at the start and after a month of abstinence, Herning and Cadet reported in the journal Neurology.

The smokers also had a higher pulsatility index score, or PI, which measures the amount of resistance to blood flow. The researchers believe the higher PI is caused by narrower blood vessels.

"The marijuana users had PI values that were somewhat higher than those of people with chronic high blood pressure and diabetes," Herning said in a statement.

"However, their values were lower than those of people with dementia. This suggests that marijuana use leads to abnormalities in the small blood vessels in the brain."

They found that blood flow improved in people who smoked up to 70 marijuana cigarettes a week -- people they defined as moderate users -- after a month of avoiding cannabis.

Heavy users, who smoked up to 350 joints a week, saw no change in blood flow even after a month, the researchers said.

Researchers at Toronto's McGill University have reported that chronic consumers of cannabis lose molecules called CB1 receptors in the brain's arteries.

This reduces blood flow to the brain, causing attention deficits, memory loss, and impaired learning ability.

[delta9]

Quoting another elsewhere that I agree with:
They ran this story on CNN last night. It smells like propaganda to me!
They tested 54 marijuana users, who smoked anywhere between two and 350 joints a week, and 18 non-smokers.
#1) Study group was 72 people. This is a small group!

#2) 350 joints a week is the same as a 2 and 1/2 pack a day cigarette smoker.

#3) I find it funny that the first place this story ran was the "Cape Times" in Capetown South Africa. (delta9 notes that it wasn't first ran there, it happened to be sourced there at this other site)

#4) I find it interesting that there is no press release about this at the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Which is where the story clams to be from.

#5) The National Institute on Drug Abuse is a government agency which raises red flags in my book.

#6) It seems to be a well timed article, With the largest state in the lower 48 (Texas) considering a medical marijuana bill.

[Pedata]

Yep, that's it. I remember now. I had forgotten. I wasn't really paying complete attention. I only remember parts of it....hmmm...I must be a heavy smoker:D


Lol!
Cassandra

[treehugger]

I found a bit more detail...

"The PI values for light and moderate marijuana users improved over the month of abstinence. There was no improvement for heavy marijuana users. The light users smoked two to 15 joints per week. The moderate users smoked 17 to 70 joints per week, and the heavy users smoked 78 to 350 joints per week."

Um. Okay....you can't tell me that somebody smoking 78 to 350 joints per week isn't being affected by a simple lack of oxygen....

And I'd venture to guess that the majority of us in this forum fall under the "light users" category....or at most, "moderate".

And what sucks is that the general public who has no exposure to this, will believe that it's POSSIBLE to smoke 78 to 350 joints per week, and that it's common.

:rolleyes:

[mamasharones]

maybe the news report will be on pot-tv.com (http://www.pot-tv.com/)

[mountain_mama]

maybe the news report will be on pot-tv.com (http://www.pot-tv.com/)


great link!!

[nappydread]

yes, more and more propaganda and misinformation...
Researchers at Toronto's McGill University have reported that chronic consumers of cannabis lose molecules called CB1 receptors in the brain's arteries...
In fact, McGill University is located in Montreal 6hrs drive from Toronto...well ok...7 if your stoned :)


peace

[Sunnydaydreams]

funny how scandalous these studies are ;) Like that tulane study showing brain damage in monkeys but then they released they pumped constant pot smoke into a mask (not allowing oxygen to flow) for 5 minutes. Wow, that study has just proved that restricting O2 to the brain for 5 minutes will kill brain cells! Holy shit I did not know that :eek: So THAT'S why carbon monoxide will kill you. I'm sure glad the gov't takes its time to produce studies that remind me to breath oxygen :rolleyes:

Peace & love

[Pedata]

In school, back in the 70's, we had to watch anti drug films. They were like very badly made movies- no one could act. Pot use always led to heroin addiction. They showed how hippies had to tie up thier friends, who were going through heroin withdrawal, and gag them to stop the nieghbors from hearing the screams, because if they did, they'd call the police and everyone would end up in juvenile detention.

Also, pot smoking led to pregnancies by teenage girls, who would go to back alley abortinists, get very sick, then feel horrible about what they'd done, and always end up jumping out of a high story window. Usually right through the glass. The boy, who impregnated the girl, would feel so guilty that he would commit suicide, usually with a razor blade.

They showed how first time pot smokers broke out in big ugly zits from smoking, and would usually throw up during thier high- in front of thier date and all their friends of course, a terrible social faux pas :eek:

Then there were the acid heads. They would lose all of thier manners because of acid use. They would scream "I hate you all, I've always hated you all!" at thier sad :( and concerned hippy friends.

Oh, yes, and smoking pot would make you have sex with so many different people that you'd catch a venereal disease and have to sneak to the clinic and get huge nasty shots to cure it. Then your parents :mad: would find out and it was the end of the world for you. Oh, the shame ;) !

Where they got thier info is beyond me...but the clothes were really cool!

Peace,
Cassandra

[Sunnydaydreams]

Kinda like that film on Fear & Loathing? I thought that was bad, but I can't comprehend the stuff youre talking about. :eek: Wow. Thats the only word I can say. Wow. Oh yeah, the masses of people will more easily fall victim to a big lie than to a small one~ Adolph Hitler.

any other propaganda horror stories?

Peace & Love

[treehugger]

Pedata....you brought back memories! I'm a bit younger than you but not so young that I don't remember some of that....

also...we can't forget about the egg/this is your brain/fryingpan/this is your brain on drugs......

Ugh.

[Pedata]

Pedata....you brought back memories! I'm a bit younger than you but not so young that I don't remember some of that....

also...we can't forget about the egg/this is your brain/fryingpan/this is your brain on drugs......

Ugh.
Lol at the egg! I'd forgetten about that. Do you remember the venereal disease (propaganda) scare? I was a virgin and became terrified that I'd somehow caught it :eek: Back then people could catch it from toilet seats ;)

Lol!
Cassandra

[delta9]

I remember some cartoon video we had to watch in Health class about the "dangers" of marijauna use. It showed this guy who was a good student, a good soccer player, and a good son. He didn't say no. He got addicted. Soon he was stealing things from his parents to pay for marijauna. His grades suffered. His sports suffered. And then he was driving around, he crashed his parent's car and all the people he was with just laughed and left him there, leaving you with the final message, "People who use drugs aren't your friends".

I've stolen from my parents to get drugs, I must admit - but only for tobacco!