A HAEMLESS PLANT?

Despite scientific evidence to the contrary, a psychologist believes that pot is harmless

In response to my post, “True Facts On Number Of Imprisoned Drug Offenders,” ‘darkcycle’, who identified himself as a psychologist, submitted several comments on PACOVILLA in support of the phony claims put forth by prison reformers that our prisons are bulging with drug offenders. The Justice Department reports that only 16 percent of all inmates incarcerated in state prisons are drug offenders.

In one of his comments, darkcycle mentions something about “growing a harmless plant, which can land you life.” Marijuana, a harmless plant? Me thinks the psychologist has been smoking too much funny tobacco if he really believes that to be true.

Here are some studies showing that contrary to being a harmless substance, marijuana is a very dangerous and addictive drug:

A study by Dr. Penny Whiting and her team at England’s University of Bristol found that cannabis does not ease pain, nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy patients, MS muscle contractions, sleep disorders or Tourette’s symptoms.

The federal government ruled that marijuana has no accepted medical use and should remain classified as a highly dangerous drug like heroin. In a June 2011 letter to organizations petitioning for a reclassification of marijuana, Michele Leonhart declared that marijuana "has a high potential for abuse," "has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States" and "lacks accepted safety for use under medical supervision." The letter and 37 pages of supporting documents were published in the Federal Register.

A 20 year study by a team led by Professor Wayne Hall, a drug adviser to the World Health Organization, found cannabis is highly addictive, causes mental health problems, doubles the risk of developing psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia and opens the door to hard drugs.

There have been a number of studies showing that cannabis had caused heart problems in the young and middle-aged. Doctors in Wales noted that there is evidence pot can trigger heart attacks, with the risk increasing 4.8 times in the first hour after smoking the weed. They also noted that studies have shown marijuana affects blood flow, increases the heart rate, causes high blood pressure when sitting down and low pressure when standing up.

The American Glaucoma Society has written: "There is no scientific basis for marijuana's use in treatment," and there is evidence that it could actually do damage.

According to the journal of the American Epilepsy Society, "Marijuana itself has major shortcomings as an epilepsy treatment ... evidence for efficacy in treating seizures does not meet the necessary standard to recommend it to patients." Worse, researchers state that "marijuana use or withdrawal could potentially trigger seizures in susceptible patients."

The Journal of Neuroscience reports that researchers from Harvard Medical School and Chicago’s Northwestern University have discovered that smoking pot even casually once or twice a week can damage the nucleus accumbens and the amygdala, both core structures of the brain which are linked to emotion, motivation and addiction.

Gil Kerlikowske, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy says, “Smoking marijuana has a very negative effect on your ability to operate a motor vehicle. It’s quite dangerous to you, your passengers and others on the road.” (Apparently he hasn’t heard his boss declare that pot is less harmful than alcohol.)

The Drug Abuse Recognition Journal reports There is mounting evidence that cannabis may increase the risk for schizophrenia in the developing mind.

The Archives of General Psychiatry reports that people who smoke pot are more likely to develop a psychotic illness such as schizophrenia earlier than those who do not use marijuana.

The British Medical Journal reports that a review of nine studies found that drivers were more likely to be involved in a collision with another car after smoking marijuana. Smoking cannabis within three hours of getting behind the wheel could almost double the risk of a serious crash.

A study headed by Marie-Odile Krebs, professor of psychiatry at the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) laboratory in France, found that among 190 patients with schizophrenia, 121 of whom had used marijuana, cannabis appeared to affect the age of psychosis onset in a subgroup of 44 patients. The affected patients either had their first symptoms within a month of smoking pot for the first time, or experienced a severe worsening of psychotic symptoms each time they smoked.

The proponents of pot and even our President would have us believe that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol. Yeah, right. And as for medical marijuana, that's a hoax too!