recently quit pot-marijuana surprized about withdrawl.

ERNurse752, RN · Aug 23, 2008

I have heard from one MD that 5-htp has been associated with rebound depression in some patients, so I just wanted to put that out there, fyi. :nurse:

Thunderwolf, MSN, RN · Aug 23, 2008

Excellent to hear of your progress...atta girl, you can do it. Big hugs.

Excellent feedback, everyone.

valiegirl · Sep 12, 2008

I so totally agree with everything you described about withdrawal from marijuana! Every symptom! I also suffer from a number of mental issues, but I am functional. I however, have just started using again 3 years after drug rehabilitation. I want to quit, I need to quit. But, I am not looking forward to going through the withdrawals!

csason · Sep 12, 2008

I have heard that melatonin actually can cause nightmares, so be careful. I am here if you need me. What are you taking for depression? I used paxil for my anxiety and such. It worked wonders for me. I am sorry you are feeling this way. I hope things become a little better for you. Just know as you detox that your body is becoming well and clean, it just has an odd way of showing you that at first.

A few years ago, I wasn't working in the field ( I can't remember squat if I am smoking pot) and I had started smoking pot in the morning with a co-worker..the work we were wasn't very demanding, so I thought it was

ok, it was very hot..and the weed seemed to make it more tolerable.

Amazingly, I had vivid nightmares..it was enough to make me want to stay a away from it.

For sleep, I had someone recommend L-tryptophane, a natural protein found in turkey fat, and elsewhere..and it worked really well, with no side effect or addictive properties..no euphoria, etc..

Congratulations.. !!

FireStarterRN, BSN, RN · Sep 15, 2008

I was a pot addict in highschool, at the end of my addiction I was smoking 3 joints a day. It was terrible! I think I still have effects from pot 30 years later. Pot makes me paranoid and judgmental.

I went back to it briefly a few times as an adult, and pretty quickly slipped back into daily use when I did it. It made me totally antisocial and I couldn't have a stash without craving it. I hid it from my family, which made me relive the whole scenario of hiding it from my parents, which made it more 'fun' for me. :rolleyes:

Congratulations on quitting!

Mitchell09 · Jul 15, 2009

Not to discount anyone's experience with this but I just don't get it...I've smoked MJ on and off for 14 years, at times heavily for up to a year at a time and I have never had an issue with just sitting it down and walking away when I needed to. I was in the Army Reserves, have worked at several nursing homes and hospitals, and once had a girlfriend who just didn't like it...at no time did I ever have any of the symptoms that some are listing here. Sure, you get the urge to smoke from time to time but some on this board are making it sound like they quit heroin, not pot. Pot has never been proven to be addictive and from personal experience I firmly believe this. I'm not currently a smoker because of my job and school drug policies but I can say that when the time came to put it down and take care of business it just wasn't an issue...I still keep stash because I have some friends who also enjoy it but it's like having a liquor cabinent in your house...just because you keep a bottle of scotch doesn't mean you have to booze everyday and alcohol is something with a proven ability to hook people and ruin lives.

Magsulfate, BSN, RN · Jul 16, 2009

I'm sure you probably weren't masking symptoms of other psychiatric illnesses. That is the difference here.

jackstem · Jul 17, 2009

Not to discount anyone's experience with this but I just don't get it...I've smoked MJ on and off for 14 years, at times heavily for up to a year at a time and I have never had an issue with just sitting it down and walking away when I needed to. I was in the Army Reserves, have worked at several nursing homes and hospitals, and once had a girlfriend who just didn't like it...at no time did I ever have any of the symptoms that some are listing here. Sure, you get the urge to smoke from time to time but some on this board are making it sound like they quit heroin, not pot. Pot has never been proven to be addictive and from personal experience I firmly believe this. I'm not currently a smoker because of my job and school drug policies but I can say that when the time came to put it down and take care of business it just wasn't an issue...I still keep stash because I have some friends who also enjoy it but it's like having a liquor cabinent in your house...just because you keep a bottle of scotch doesn't mean you have to booze everyday and alcohol is something with a proven ability to hook people and ruin lives.

Addiction is a bio-genetic-psycho-social disease with the brain as the target organ. This is the reason one person can use and even abuse a mood altering substance in large amounts for long periods of time and then just "walk away". Many will experience varying degrees of withdrawal based on the substance. In some instance, like ETOH and barbiturates, going cold turkey can lead to hallucinations, agitation, seizures, and death.

THC connects to specific sites called cannabinoid receptors in the brain. Many cannabinoid receptors are found in areas of the brain that influence pleasure, memory, thought, concentration, sensory and time perception, and coordinated movement.

The short-term effects of marijuana can include:

problems with memory and learning;
distorted perception;
difficulty in thinking and problem solving;
loss of coordination;
increased heart rate.

Research findings for long-term marijuana abuse indicate some changes in the brain similar to those seen after long-term abuse of other major drugs. Cannabinoid (THC or synthetic forms of THC) withdrawal in chronically exposed animals leads to an increase in the activation of the stress-response system and changes in the activity of nerve cells containing dopamine. Dopamine neurons are involved in the regulation of motivation and reward, and are directly or indirectly affected by all drugs of abuse.

Marijuana users who have taken high doses of the drug may experience acute toxic psychosis, which includes hallucinations, delusions, and depersonalization - a loss of the sense of personal identity, or self-recognition. Although the specific causes of these symptoms remain unknown, they appear to occur more frequently when a high dose of cannabis is consumed in food or drink rather than smoked.

A study of 450 individuals found that people who smoke marijuana frequently but do not smoke tobacco have more health problems and miss more days of work than non-smokers do as a result of mostly respiratory illnesses.

Cancer of the respiratory tract and lungs may also be promoted by marijuana smoke. A study comparing 173 cancer patients and 176 healthy individuals produced strong evidence that smoking marijuana increases the likelihood of developing cancer of the head or neck, and that the more marijuana smoked, the greater the increase. A statistical analysis of the data suggested that marijuana smoking doubled or tripled the risk of these cancers!

Marijuana smoke contains 50 percent to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke. It also produces high levels of an enzyme that converts certain hydrocarbons into their carcinogenic form, levels that may accelerate the changes that ultimately produce malignant cells. Marijuana users usually inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than tobacco smokers do, which increases the lungs' exposure to carcinogenic smoke. These facts suggest that, puff for puff, smoking marijuana may increase the risk of cancer more than smoking tobacco does!

Some adverse health effects caused by marijuana may occur because THC impairs the immune system's ability to fight off infectious diseases and cancer. In laboratory experiments that exposed animal and human cells to THC or other marijuana ingredients, the normal disease-preventing reactions of many of the key types of immune cells were inhibited. In other studies, mice exposed to THC or related substances were more likely than unexposed mice to develop bacterial infections and tumors.

One study has indicated that a person's risk of heart attack during the first hour after smoking marijuana is four times his or her usual risk. The researchers suggest that a heart attack might occur, in part, because marijuana raises blood pressure and heart rate and reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood.

As a final note, I'm concerned that you're trying to manage your emotional issues and your substance misuse without medical supervision. You even stated your were using the marijuana to self medicate depression. This is a common way substance abuse gets started and in genetically susceptible individuals, addiction can be triggered.

Addiction is a real disease with real symptoms. It's chronic and progressive. Without treatment it will lead to one of three things (and sometimes all three)...jail, hospitalization, and death. Saying some people can use drugs and not become addicted is no different than saying some people can smoke and not get lung cancer, overeat and not exercise and not develop diabetes, or any number of other chronic diseases. We lose our ability to think logically and scientifically when it comes to this disease. Why? Because training programs for MDs, nurses, and RPh's brush over this topic, especially when looking at the health care provider. Our knowledge and training does not provide us with any immunity. In fact, being a health care professional means we are more difficult to treat. We have to change the current paradigm regarding this deadly disease.

Jack

Mitchell09 · Jul 17, 2009

I'm not a nurse, I'm just a student...That being said I do have a BS in biology so I have a fairly strong grasp of science and I have no idea what you are talking about Jack. Hallucinations? Immuno supression? Toxic psychosis? DEATH? Are we talking about marijuana or are we discussing drugs? Yes, marijuana smoke contains harmful hydrocarbons, anybody with half a brain can realize that inhaling smoke of any kind is probably not the best idea in the world. Of course, that's why they make vaporizers...then there is no smoke, only THC/CBD vapor. Addiction is deadly, of that there is no doubt. Addiction to marijuana as a deadly killer? Seriously? Are you actually comparing ETOH and barbituate physical withdrawl to that of pot? Statements like this are why people no longer take any warnings about marijuana seriously. It damages your ability to convince people that what you are saying about the hard drugs, the ones that will wreck your life and kill you, is true. Remeber Reefer Madness? It's sold as novelty comedy now. I mean really...."Without treatment it will lead to one of three things (and sometimes all three)...jail, hospitalization, and death." Can someone, ANYONE, show me a case where marijuana use caused these three things? Not pot along with anything else, just the pot. Drugs are a real problem in this country. Meth, cocaine, heroin...the list goes on. Alcohol is responsible for how many traffic fatalities every year? Find one, just one, death attributed marijuana. You can't. Unless it's some yahoo trying to light his joint with a blow torch and set his head on fire there has never been a death due to marijuana use in recorded human history. Physical addiction to marijuana has never been shown to occur. Major drug companies are now manufacturing Marinol and are seeking approval of Sativex. You wrote a small novel making marijuana sound worse than heroin...can you back that up? Where is the data that supports "Marijuana users who have taken high doses of the drug may experience acute toxic psychosis, which includes hallucinations, delusions, and depersonalization - a loss of the sense of personal identity, or self-recognition."

jackstem · Jul 18, 2009

i'm not a nurse, i'm just a student...that being said i do have a bs in biology so i have a fairly strong grasp of science and i have no idea what you are talking about jack. hallucinations? immuno supression? toxic psychosis? death? are we talking about marijuana or are we discussing drugs? yes, marijuana smoke contains harmful hydrocarbons, anybody with half a brain can realize that inhaling smoke of any kind is probably not the best idea in the world. of course, that's why they make vaporizers...then there is no smoke, only thc/cbd vapor. addiction is deadly, of that there is no doubt. addiction to marijuana as a deadly killer? seriously? are you actually comparing etoh and barbituate physical withdrawl to that of pot? statements like this are why people no longer take any warnings about marijuana seriously. it damages your ability to convince people that what you are saying about the hard drugs, the ones that will wreck your life and kill you, is true. remeber reefer madness? it's sold as novelty comedy now. i mean really...."without treatment it will lead to one of three things (and sometimes all three)...jail, hospitalization, and death." can someone, anyone, show me a case where marijuana use caused these three things? not pot along with anything else, just the pot. drugs are a real problem in this country. meth, cocaine, heroin...the list goes on. alcohol is responsible for how many traffic fatalities every year? find one, just one, death attributed marijuana. you can't. unless it's some yahoo trying to light his joint with a blow torch and set his head on fire there has never been a death due to marijuana use in recorded human history. physical addiction to marijuana has never been shown to occur. major drug companies are now manufacturing marinol and are seeking approval of sativex. you wrote a small novel making marijuana sound worse than heroin...can you back that up? where is the data that supports "marijuana users who have taken high doses of the drug may experience acute toxic psychosis, which includes hallucinations, delusions, and depersonalization - a loss of the sense of personal identity, or self-recognition."

not everyone exposed to a drug or drugs will become addicted. there is a strong genetic component combined with type of chemical, potency, duration of action, dose administered, combined with other factors which may include presence or absence of stress, environmental variables which have a strong effect on the brain determining the salience of the experience as a whole (a strong determinant in overall learning, but specifically in subliminal learning. there is an interesting theory regarding addiction as a type of "overlearning" or aberrant learning leading to the pathology of craving and loss of control when it comes to specific substances often referred to as "drug of choice").

addiction is a chronic, progressive, potentially fatal disease with the brain as it's target organ. the disease is expressed in abnormal emotional and behavioral activities, characterized by the previously mentioned cravings and loss of control of chemical use. without abstinence from mood altering substances and treatment aimed at recognizing the changes in their emotional and behavioral health in order to institute the methods and techniques provided durng treatment in order to stop the obsessions and compulsions of the disease, people with active addictive disease will die as a result of the disease process. while a majority of people do not become addicted, even with long term use of mood altering drugs (opioids for the treatment of chronic pain...malignant or non-malignant in nature) is one example. but those with the genetic predisposition to addiction can, and many will become addicted after "casual" or even medical exposure. this is similar to those who smoke cigarettes but never develop cancer. so because some don't, we should abandon all research and efforts to prevent addiction in the 12 - 20% (again, depending on which studies you read) of the population who are at risk? that's not very "scientific". it's not evidence based. i know of 6 nurse anesthetists and 3 anesthesiologists who have died since january. none of them wanted to become addicted. none of them wanted to die as a result of their addiction.

as a result of the ignorance throughout our culture, including in health care providers, the age at first use (as in recreational, not medical) is dropping below the age of 12, we believe the myths that treatment doesn't work (it does when it's evidence based), that the addict has to "hit bottom" (which is too often death...drug treatment definitely doesn't work after that bottom), that long term recovery is only possible in a small minority of individuals. we have to start approaching this disease from a scientific approach, not the emotional , stigma based "belief" based way we do now.

i don't recall saying everyone who smokes marijuana hallucinates or suffers the psychosis, but it does happen and those who choose to use the drug should be informed before doing so. there is also the chance that the marijuana could be "cut" with other substances such as pcp or ketamine, both of which can cause serious psychological effects. i worked er for several years and we'd get folks in 4 - 5 times every year with this very problem. their friends kept swearing the person only smoked weed. while mixing with other drugs happens frequently, we had enough people "freaking out" who only tested for thc on their tox screens. however, sources discussing the acute toxic psychosis (which includes hallucinations, delusions, and depersonalization - a loss of the sense of personal identity, or self-recognition) associated with high dose marijuana include:

gilman, a.g.; rall, t.w.; nies, a.s.; and taylor, p. (eds.). goodman and gilman's the pharmacological basis of therapeutics, 8th edition. new york: pergamon press, 1998.
graham, a.w.; schultz, t.k.; and wilford, b.b. (eds.). principles of addiction medicine, 2nd edition. chevy chase, md: american society of addiction medicine, inc., 1998.
orificeneault l, cannon m, poulton r, et al. cannabis use in adolescence and risk for adult psychosis: longitudinal prospective study. bmj 2002;325(7374):1212-3.
van os j, bak m, hanssen m, et al. cannabis use and psychosis: a longitudinal population-based study. am j
epidemiol 2002;156(4):319-27.
fergusson dm, horwood lj, swain-campbell nr. cannabis dependence and psychotic symptoms in young people. psychol med 2003;33(1):15-21.
smit f, bolier l, cuijpers p. cannabis use and the risk of later schizophrenia: a review. addiction 2004;99(4):425-30.
weiser m, knobler hy, noy s, kaplan z. clinical characteristics of adolescents later hospitalized for schizophrenia. am j med genet 2002;114:949-55.
verdoux h, gindre c, sorbara f, et al. effects of cannabis and psychosis vulnerability in daily life: an experience sampling test study. psychol med 2003;33(1):23-32.
arendt m, rosenberg r, foldager l, et al. cannabis-induced psychosis and subsequent schizophrenia-spectrum disorders: follow-up study of 535 incident cases. br j psychiatry 2005;187:510-5.

immuno-suppression by marijuana:auerbach, o.; stout, a.p.; hammond, e.d.; and garfinkel, a. (1961). changes in bronchial epithelium in relation to cigarette smoking and in relation to lung cancer. new england journal of medicine 265:253-267.

baldwin, g.c.; buckley, d.m.; roth, m.d.; dubinett, s.m.; and tashkin d.p. (1996). alveolar macrophages derived from the lungs of tobacco, marijuana and cocaine users are functionally compromised. in: harris, l.s., ed. problems of drug dependence. proceedings of the 57th annual scientific meeting of the college on problems of drug dependence. nida research monograph series 162. rockville, md: u.s. department of health and human services, p. 192.
barbers, r.g.; gong, h., jr.; tashkin, d.p.; oishi, j.; and wallace, j.m. (1987). differential examination of bronchoalveolar lavage cells in tobacco cigarette and marijuana smokers. american review of respiratory diseases 135:1271-1275.
beals, t.f.; fligiel, s.e.g.; stuth, s.; and tashkin, d.p. (1989). morphological alterations of alveolar macrophages from marijuana smokers. american review of respiratory diseases 139 (part 2):a336.
bouaboula, m.; rinaldi m.; carayon, p.; carillon, c.; delpech, b.; shire, d.; lefur, g.; and casellas, p. (1993). cannabinoid-receptor expression in human leukocytes. european journal biochemistry 214:173-180.
burnette-curley, d., and cabral, g.a. (1995). differential inhibition of raw264.7 macrophage tumoricidal activity by delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. proceedings of the society for expirmental biology and medicine 210:64-76.
donald, p.j. (1991). advanced malignancy in the young marijuana smoker. advances in experimental medicine and biology 288:33-56.
endicott, j.n.; skipper, p.; and hernandez, l. (1993). marijuana and head and neck cancer. advances in experimental medicine and biology 335:107-113.
fleisclunan, rw.; baker, j.r.; and rosenkrantz, h. (1979). pulmonary pathologic changes in rats exposed to marijuana smoke for one year. toxicology and applied pharmacology 47:557-566.
fligiel, s.e.g.; beals, t.f.; tashkin, d.p.; paule, m.g.; scallet, a.c.; ali, s.f.; bailey, j.r.; and slikker, w. jr. (1991). marijuana exposure and pulmonary alterations in primates. pharmacology, biochemistry and behavior 40:637-642.
fligiel, s.e.g; roth, m.d.; kleerup, e.c.; barsky, s.h.; simmons, m.s.; and tashkin, d.p. (in press). tracheobronchial histopathology in habitual smokers of cocaine, marijuana and/or tobacco. chest.
gong, h., jr.; fligiel, s.; tashkin, d.p.; and barbers, r.g. (1987). tracheobronchial changes in habitual, heavy smokers of marijuana with and without tobacco. american review of respiratory diseases 136:142-149.
huber, g.l.; simmons, g.a.; mccarthy, c.r.; cuffing, m.b.; laguarda, r.; and pereira, w. (1975). depressant effect of marihuana smoke on antibactericidal activity of pulmonary alveolar macrophages. chest 68:769-773.
huber, g.l., and mahajan, v.k. (1988). the comparative response of the lung to marihuana or tobacco smoke inhalation. in: chesher, g.; consroe, p.; and musty, r. eds. marijuana: an international research report. proceedings of melbourne symposium on cannabis 2 - september, 1987. national campaign against drug abuse. monograph series no. 7. canberra: australian government publishing service, pp. 19-24.
klein, t.s.; kawakami, y.; newton, c.; and friedman, h. (1991). marijuana components suppress induction and cytolytic function of murine cytotoxic t cells in vitro and in vivo. journal of toxicicology and environmental health 32:465-477.
kusher, d.i.; dawson, l.o.; taylor, a.c.; and djeu, j.y. (1994). effect of the psychoactive metabolite of marijuana, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (thc), on the synthesis of tumor necrosis factor by human large granular lymphocytes. cellular immunology 154:99-108.
leuchtenberger, c., and leuchtenberger, r (1976). cytological and cytochemical studies of the effects of fresh marihuana cigarette smoke on growth and dna metabolism of animal and human lung cultures. in: braude, m.c., and szara, s., eds. the pharmacology of marihuana. new york: raven press, pp. 596-612.
roth, m.d.; kleerup, e.c.; arora, a.; barsky, s.; and tashkin, d.p. (1996). endobronchial injury in young tobacco and marijuana smokers as evaluated by visual, pathologic and molecular criteria. atnerican journal of respiratory and critical care medicine 153 (part 2):100.
roy, p.e.; magnan-lapointe, f.; huy, n.d.; and boutet, m. (1976). chronic inhalation of marijuana and tobacco in dogs: pulmonary pathology. research communications in chemical pathology and pharmacology 14:305-317.
sherman, m.p.; campbell, l.a.; gong, h. jr.; roth, m.d.; and tashkin, d.p. (1991). antimicrobicidal and respiratory burst characteristics of pulmonary alveolar macrophages recovered from smokers of marijuana alone, smokers of tobacco alone, smokers of marijuana and tobacco and nonsmokers. american review of respiratory disease 144:1351-1356.
sridhar, k.s.; raub, w.a.; weatherby, n.l.; metsch, l.r; surratt, h.l.; inciardi, j.a.; duncan, r.c.; anwyl, rs.; and mccoy, c.b. (1994). possible role of marijuana smoking as a carcinogen in the development of lung cancer at a young age. journal of psychoactive drugs 26:285-288.
tashkin, d.p.; coulson,a.h.; clark, v.a.; simmons, m.; bourque, l.b.; duann, s.; spivey, g.h.; and gong, h. (1987). respiratory symptoms and lung function in habitual, heavy smokers of marijuana alone, smokers of marijuana and tobacco, smokers of tobacco alone, and nonsmokers. american review of respiratory disease 135:209-216.
taylor, f.m., iii. (1988). marijuana as a potential respiratory tract carcinogen: a retrospective analysis of a community hospital population. southern medical journal 81:1213-1216.
tennant, f.s., jr. (1980). histopathologic and clinical abnormalities of the respiratory system in chronic hashish smokers. substance and alcohol actions/misuse 1:93-100.
wehner, f.c.; van rensburg, s.j.; and theil, p.f. (1980). mutagenicity of marijuana and transkei tobacco smoke condensates in the salmonella/microsome assay. mutation research 77:135-147.
[color=#006900]zhu, l.; sharma, s.; stolina, m.; chen, k.; park, a.; roth, m.; tashkin, d.p.; and dubinett, s.m. (1997). "thc-mediated inhibition of the antitumor immune response." paper presented at the 19th southern california pulmonary research conference, palm springs, ca, january.
srivastava, m.d.; srivastava, b.i.; and brouhard, b. delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol alter cytokine production by human immune cells. immunopharmacology 40(3):179-185, 1998.
zhu, l.x.; sharma, m.; stolina, s.; gardner, b.; roth, m.d.; tashkin, d.p.; and dubinett, s.m. delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol inhibits antitumor immunity by a cb-2 receptor-mediated, cytokine dependent-pathway. j immunology 165(1):373-380, 2000.

withdrawal associated with marijuana cessation was discussed as far back as the early to mid -60's.

http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/161/11/1967

(see the references in for this article for additional readings).

addiction: "drugs, brains, and behavior - the science of addiction"

principles of drug addiction treatment: a research based guide

here are some additional suggested readings. if you'd like more let me know.

jack

elsohly, m.a. quarterly report: potency monitoring project. february 2004, unpublished.
tashkin, d.p. pulmonary complications of smoked substance abuse. west j med 152:525-530, 1990.
sarafian, t.a.; magallanes, j.a.; shau, h.; tashkin, d.; and roth, m.d. oxidative stress produced by marijuana smoke. an adverse effect enhanced by cannabinoids. am j respir cell mol biol 20(6):1286-1293, 1999.
roth, m.d.; arora, a.; barsky, s.h.; kleerup, e.c.; simmons, m.; and tashkin, d.p. airway inflammation in young marijuana and tobacco smokers. am. j. respir crit care med 157(3):928-937, 1998.
heishman, s.j.; arasteh, k; and stitzer, m.l. comparative effects of alcohol and marijuana on mood, memory, and performance. pharmacol biochem behav 58(1):93-101, 1997.
fletcher, j.m.; page, j.b.; francis, d.j.; copeland, k.; naus, m.j.; davis, c.m.; morris, r.; krauskopf, d.; and satz, p. cognitive correlates of chronic cannabis use in costa rican men. archives of general psychiatry 53:1051-1057, 1996.
block, r.i., and ghoneim, m.m. effects of chronic marijuana use on human cognition. psychopharmacology 100(1-2): 219-228, 1993.
graham, a.w.; schultz, t.k.; and wilford, b.b. (eds.). principles of addiction medicine, 2nd edition. chevy chase, md: american society of addiction medicine, inc., 1998.
ameri, a. the effects of cannabinoids on the brain. prog neurobiol 58(4):315-348, 1999.
patrick, g., and struve, f.a. reduction of auditory p50 gating response in marijuana users: further supporting data. clin electroencephalogr 31(2):88-93, 2000.
srivastava, m.d.; srivastava, b.i.; and brouhard, b. delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol alter cytokine production by human immune cells. immunopharmacology 40(3):179-185, 1998.
zhu, l.x.; sharma, m.; stolina, s.; gardner, b.; roth, m.d.; tashkin, d.p.; and dubinett, s.m. delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol inhibits antitumor immunity by a cb-2 receptor-mediated, cytokine dependent-pathway. j immunology 165(1):373-380, 2000.
gilman, a.g.; rall, t.w.; nies, a.s.; and taylor, p. (eds.). goodman and gilman's the pharmacological basis of therapeutics, 8th edition. new york: pergamon press, 1998.
adams, i.b.; and martin, b.r. cannabis: pharmacology and toxicology in animals and humans. addiction 91:1585-1614, 1996.
zhang, z.-f.; morgenstern, h.; spitz, m.r.; tashkin, d.p.; yu, g.-p.; marshall, j.r.; hsu, t.c; and schantz, s.p. marijuana use and increased risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention 6:1071-1078, 1999.
brook, j.s.; rosen, z.; brook, d.w. the effect of early marijuana use on later anxiety and depressive symptoms. nys psychologist january:35-39, 2001.
wilson, w.; mathew, r.; turkington, t.; hawk, t.; coleman, r.e.; and provenzale, j. brain morphological changes and early marijuana use: a magnetic resonance and positron emission tomography study. j addict dis 19(1):1-22, 2000.
brook, j.s.; balka, e.b.; and whiteman, m. the risks for late adolescence of early adolescent marijuana use. am j public health 89(10):1549-1554, 1999.
community epidemiology work group. epidemiologic trends in drug abuse, vol. ii, proceedings of the community epidemiology work group. december 2003. nih pub. no. 04-5365. bethesda, md: nida, nih, dhhs, 2004.
elsohly, m.a.; ross, s.a.; mehmedic, z.; arafat, r.; yi, b.; and banahan, b. potency trends of delta-9-thc and other cannabinoids in confiscated marijuana from 1980-1997. journal of forensic sciences 45(1):24-30, 2000.
herkenham, m.; lynn, a.; little, m.d.; johnson, m.r.; melvin, l.s.; de costa, b.r.; and rice k.c. cannabinoid receptor localization in the brain. proc natl acad sci, usa. 87(5):1932-1936, 1990.
ohlsson, a.; lindgren, j.e.; wahlen, a.; agurell, s.; hollister, l.e.; and gillespie, h.k. plasma delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentrations and clinical effects after oral and intravenous administration and smoking. clin pharmacol ther 28(3):409-416, 1980.
foltin, r.w.; fischman, m.w; pedroso, j.j.; and pearlson, g.d. marijuana and cocaine interactions in humans: cardiovascular consequences. pharmacol biochem behav 28(4):459-464,1987.
chen, j.p.; paredes, w.; li, j.; smith, d.; lowinson, j.; and gardner, e.l. delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol produces naloxone-blockable enhancement of presynaptic basal dopamine efflux in nucleus accumbens of conscious, freely-moving rats as measured by intracerebral microdialysis. psychopharmacology 102:156-162, 1990.
french, e.d. delta-9 thc excites ret vta dopamine neurons through activation of cannabinoid cb1 but not opioid receptors. neurosci lett 226:159-162, 1997.
leshner, a.i., and koob, g.f. drugs of abuse and the brain. proc assoc amer physicians 111(2):99-108, 1999.
pope, h.g., and yurgelun-todd, d. the residual cognitive effects of heavy marijuana use in college students. jama 275(7):521-527, 1996.
national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) notes. marijuana and alcohol combined severely impede driving performance. annals of emergency medicine 35(4):398-399, 2000.
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Mitchell09 · Jul 18, 2009

Wow. Just wow...man, you need some friends, lol. I'm not about to put in the time it's obviously going to take to debate you on this. Hands down, you win by default. Marijuana is the devil....oh well, within five years states are going to be legalizing anyway (check the Oregon Cannabis Reform Act of 2010) and 13 already allow some form of medical use...but seriously man, unless you already had that bit of info handy, you might be addicted to internet forums, that is an insane amount of effort to put into an internet discussion. Good grief...

jackstem · Jul 18, 2009

Gee, didn't you ask for literature to back up my "wild claims"? I did what you asked, and that somehow invalidates my position?

If you want to "debate", ya gotta back your position up with evidence, not with comments like "you win by default. marijuana is the devil", or "states are going to be legalizing it anyway", or my favorite ""man, you need some friends". This is a debating technique known as "ad hominem" (literal translation = against the man). Rather than offer evidence to support a position, the person simply uses disparaging remarks against the person, implying that since they are somehow personally defective ("man, you need some friends"), as if that will negate the supportive information or evidence requested and then supplied. For further reading on ad hominem arguments, go here. It took me about 20 minutes to put that together. It's not hard if it's part of your professional responsibilities to be able to find, understand and use science in order to determine best practices for dealing with a variety of health care issues. It's why they call it evidence based practice.

I wasn't (and still am not) trying to debate anything. It's clear you lack significant scientific knowledge to argue your position. If you're considering a career in health care, you won't get out of school using that kind of method for writing your papers or responding to instructors and other health care providers. If you can't provide scientific information and evidence based information for the procedures, therapies, or interventions you provide to your patients, you're going to be a dangerous practitioner. If you end up facing a malpractice suit, you're going to lose in court.

Look at the "professionals" involved in the Michael Jackson debacle. In addition to being celebrity sycophants, they were WAY over their heads in administering propofol to Mr. Jackson for insomnia. You don't administer potent medications that can cause apnea despite your best efforts to avoid it if you have no idea how to safely administer those medications and have the skills and knowledge to recognize and manage the complications you will run across in your practice.

Have a good weekend!

Jack