Cannabis sativa, WEED: LANCET study higher potency cannabis, relative to lower potency cannabis, was associated with an increased risk of psychosis and CUD. Evidence varied for depression and anxiety.
Cannabis sativa, WEED: LANCET study higher potency cannabis, relative to lower potency cannabis, was associated with an increased risk of psychosis and CUD. Evidence varied for depression and anxiety.
Petrilli et al.: The association of cannabis potency with CUD and psychosis highlights its relevance in health-care settings, and for public health guidelines and policies on cannabis sales.
Doc stick with the really important stuff. Weed is not a problem. Death shots are. A dystopian society is a big problem. If everyone used it society would be pretty calm right now.
do you read what I write? I write balanced to even make you happy but you are trigger happy...please read it first and cut behind my nuances...I am saying keep the weed but not carte blanche...I have seen the harms it does, I come from places where we invented weed, grow it all over and it harms when abused. and if bad money making people mock with it and then hurt the user.
Listen doc, I have been deep in that world. If you want to interview me I will be happy to explain what the weed world is and was like. I am 65, I have a depth of knowledge on this subject for decades. I can tell you emphatically, you only know superficial information, most is of legend stuff of let's call it refer madness nonsense. I have done everything there is possibly to be done regarding this substance since the 1970s.
As you know as a doctor, each individuals chemical and DNA makeup are different. Each person responds to substances differently. That is what you and many are confusing with weed, some cannot tolerated it just as alcohol to some, or peanuts.
I don't believe there is a safer substance of the recreational drug category. And, that is not taking into consideration the vast medical uses, that BTW, are accumulating yearly as weed can now finally be studied. As a side note, many other psychedelics that have been demonized are now too being examined for the medical qualities that humans have had to live without, all because of a prejudice produced by ignorant people, governments, religious organizations, etc.
Let me give you an example of what I mean by superficial. Do you realize that high potency weed, high THC grown for that purpose, have been going on for decades. This is not a new thing. It has just become more known now. The low grade garbage called Mexican Ditch weed permeated the US for a long time, but people in California, Colorado, and other states have grown and sold a higher quality weed since the 1970s.
What irks me the most is the hypocrisy of all the ignorant on weed as they sip their hi-balls. They can demonize a very safe substance that gives relief to millions of people for all kinds of reasons yet worship the bottle of elixirs that destroys a large swath of society. As a doctor you must agree with this statement.. You have seen first hand the ravages of human and family lives because of booze. This is what you should be writing on is booze and the extreme damage done to society. It is a far more harmful substance, by many factors, than any damage weed can do.
This alcohol argument is so tired. Thc is not alcohol. Alcohol, as we all know occurs naturally due to anaerobic fermentation of sugars found in fruits. These fruits have evolved, to the benefit of the plants, for animal consumption.
High potency weed is causing psychosis in young people (one of my nephews now claims to talk to the dead). It is not a safe recreational drug and comes with hazards which should be acknowledged; just like the jabs.
What a lame excuse for an argument. It's also lazy. Why don't you try telling the families of the dead where excessive alcohol use was responsible for more than 140,000 deaths in the United States each year during 2015–2019, or more than 380 deaths per day.
How do you know that deaths have not happened due to marijuana use? You are making arguments that marijuana versus alcohol make marijuana therefore the preferable and legitimate replacement. You are stooping to ad hominem as well - always a sign of not having data in arguments.
Go ahead and find the data for weed deaths. Try it. There is no such thing as weed overdose. It does not happen. The death numbers above do NOT include auto and other accidents which are in the hundreds of thousands. That data is easily searchable. Ad Hominem? Where am I calling names?
Additionally, I have NOT stated that weed should replace alcohol, I am merely pointing out the vast hypocrisy in demonizing a god given natural plant where the flower is used. When in fact Alcohol is causing massive deaths, injuries, and broken families. That is indisputable.
We tried making alcohol illegal, remember that massive mistake? Now, with a much, much safer substance you want to also make it illegal again. Why? The only answer is your ignorant bias. And, when calling you ignorant I mean just that, you have no knowledge of what you are typing. THAT IS THE PROBLEM. being ignorant on a subject is easily fixable, but you guy's are not willing to even do that, you stay with your non factual bias because it fits with your feelings and so you dont want to change, no matter the evidence presented. You're just like the people that justify the death shots, it is the same thing, you simply cannot get over your bias.
Alex Berenson wrote a well-appointed book on just this subject. As a public defender and then as my county prosecutor I saw the fallout of marijuana and the carnage from people operating motor vehicles under the influence. In another job, I saw the industrial accidents caused because of the effects on spatial perception and awareness due to use. The effects persist for at least 3 days after use. Marijuana has a place medicinally but is not merely a benign drug. Yes, ETOH and all that, I am very aware. You are all in on how it is "safe" and has been in use and being potentiated for decades. That does not lessen the realities that marijuana has adverse effects.
I agree. Dr. Alexander is all over the place. On the one hand he thinks it’s bad that the government limited information about an access to ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, but then on the other hand he wants government to ban access to cannabis. Makes no sense. Makes him look very bad when he says things like this very contradictory inconsistent things
Ohmigosh - how is Dr Alexander "all over the place?" He is hardly contradictory, and he makes sense. He has the hard science background, the education and experience in healthcare. How do you know better?
There is no moral or legal justification to have legal restrictions on any drugs whatsoever.
If the government can ban cannabis or regulate cannabis, then they can ban or regulate access to and information about ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine.
Government cannot be trusted with this responsibility as their decisions will always and everywhere be politicized
What an immature outlook! The pot issue & HCQ/ICM matters are not related. Drugs come with side effects, and cannot be given with certain contraindications. Grow up.
Please tell us, scientifically, what harm to society? It has been used by a very large percentage of people for decades upon decades. You could not find a larger study than weed in the wild. Yet. no one has died from its use. Do you realize that?
Now let's take alcohol, the most destructive substance ever developed by man. It statistically done more damage than any substance for centuries upon centuries. Tens of thousands die from it every year. Did you know that?
Yet, alcohol is celebrated as weed is demonized. Please explain this vast hypocrisy.
Part of Justin Trudeau's platform for election in 2016 was national legalization of cannabis - and as soon as he took office, it commenced. Now we have Cdn Potte Shoppes on every corner. Some are high end glass and chrome; others are hole-in-the-wall. As it was legalized there was not an effective police instrument to measure how high a driver was.
Biz owners find young people out toking while on break. This, like the vaccine, was a substance not fully studied or tested, but it was released on the public - and "official" government recognition lends it acceptability.
More relaxed?? GMAB. Stores are begging to find entry-level employees here - and when they are able to hire, many do not last. Many have no work ethic or, as they used to say, gumption.
We all love our interconnected nation with its incredible infrastructure, whether we think about it or not. We love clicking a few keys, and a parcel arrives on our doorstep one or two days later. These products are not created by a magic wand; real people actually got up and with their efforts created some part of everything we see around us. Look up from the keyboard. Look around at the luxury and comfort we enjoy: Food, clothes, tech stuff, furniture, cars, subways, roads, rails, airplanes, buildings, building supplies, furnaces, large and small appliances, stores, telecommunication- and the list goes on. A stoned nation can potentially shatter this valuable infrastructure. And one day we might realize we cannot get "x" and "y" products because there are fewer miners, loggers, factory workers, farmers, store workers, mechanics, tech specialists, engineers, road workers, hydro workers, dock workers, tanker ship and car builders ...
As for alcohol ... sigh, a typical straw man argument. If alcohol was going to bring down economies, wouldn't it have done so years ago? In cannabis we are dealing with something much more unknowable.
I totally agree with Paul. I have been against the legalization of cannibas based on personal experience. I feel it is a gateway drug, which lowers individuals inhibitions prompting them to feel enticed to use illegal drugs that are far more dangerous to their health.
Additionally, the cannibas of today is far more potent than anything I ever used. The THC content is much higher, and I am not aware of any studies done to determine what affect it may have on the mind and body of people.
I acknowledge that there seems to be medicinal benefits under some circumstances, but this use should be monitored by a medical professional...IMO
Mr. Alexander, you don't really believe in freedom, do you? Alcohol does far more damage than weed, but are you in favor of criminalizing liquor? We tried that in the US, it was called Prohibition, and it led to the proliferation of organized crime. Similarly, criminalization of other drugs leads to increased robberies, gang violence, and other problems. Freedom includes the freedom to make mistakes as long as you don't endanger the lives of other people, such as driving drunk or high. People will learn what works in life and what doesn't if left alone. If they still don't, then the problem lies in family breakdown, absence of religious influence, and other factors, and that is where people should focus their efforts. When you advocate criminalizing recreational drugs you are advocating for the very Nanny State model of government that has led to the draconian pandemic response that you have objected so strenuously to. Liberty works. Yes, it requires trust, it requires humility, it requires not playing God and thinking the world would be a better place if everyone just adopted MY solutions to the world's problems. But individuals are not God - we need to stop playing God.
I lived in an area of CO where there were several pot growers. They were good people with a conscience. After pot was legalized, he told me about the greatly increased THC content of current kinds of pot.
And then, the cartels came in, and bought out a lot of these small, ethical growers, to take over the market. And my friend who had invested so many years in this business, knew that if he didn't sell his farm to them, they would kill him.
Dr alexander try to be intellectually consistent. You are all over the place.
If you dont like the government health authorities limiting information about an access to drugs like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, then there should be no government interference in peoples ability to use cannabis if they want to use it.
The government has no legitimate authority to tell people what they can or cannot put into their bodies. This includes cannabis.
There’s no constitutional or moral justification for the existence of the CDC or the FDA or the NIH.
All laws concerning the use of cannabis and other so-called illegal drugs should be immediately repealed
The stench of weed makes me sick. The other day saw three guys outside a gym smoking the stuff, one being roughly 15 years old. It’s not being used for medical use lol as some are saying. I see and smell it on the highway as people are driving and I have family that smokes it to relax. I can’t hang around these people smoking as their personalities are warped. I taught in school for many years and could smell the stuff in the staff as they smoked before school and during lunch. It was great fun working with them, NOT. We all know it doesn’t make you smarter but makes many richer. Always follow the money.
I get mine from a friend, I don’t trust the dispensary. RSO has healed people but the dispensary’s formula is slightly different- no actual healing allowed. (Helps my fibromyalgia a lot )
I agree with the premise of the Lancet study. The stuff is waaaay stronger than it was in the past. I can see how that could cause mental problems and/or addiction with continuous use.
If you need a mind altering substance, no matter what type, you have a problem. The weed promoters here in theses comments don't realize their thinking is confused by years of drug use. if you need weed to keep you calm and tamp down anxiety you have a drug addiction. Alcohol is a problem too. If you need alcohol *to have a good time* when you go out - you gotta problem. I am sick of the smell in Colorado. And the dopers living in the woods with no ambition. Drugs are your god you worship daily.
I agree. Making psychoactive drugs legal was always a dumb idea.
As far as medicine is concerned, megadoses of CBD (similar mg/kg as those given to children for seizures) can be given to adults to allow them to take higher doses of THC for immune-mediated changes (for potential Lupus or autoimmune treatments) while limiting the psychoactive effects of THC (CBD’s only pharmacological effect is the allosteric negative regulation of CB1). I never hear doctors talking about this.
Here we go again more Refer Madness, ugh.
Doc stick with the really important stuff. Weed is not a problem. Death shots are. A dystopian society is a big problem. If everyone used it society would be pretty calm right now.
do you read what I write? I write balanced to even make you happy but you are trigger happy...please read it first and cut behind my nuances...I am saying keep the weed but not carte blanche...I have seen the harms it does, I come from places where we invented weed, grow it all over and it harms when abused. and if bad money making people mock with it and then hurt the user.
Listen doc, I have been deep in that world. If you want to interview me I will be happy to explain what the weed world is and was like. I am 65, I have a depth of knowledge on this subject for decades. I can tell you emphatically, you only know superficial information, most is of legend stuff of let's call it refer madness nonsense. I have done everything there is possibly to be done regarding this substance since the 1970s.
As you know as a doctor, each individuals chemical and DNA makeup are different. Each person responds to substances differently. That is what you and many are confusing with weed, some cannot tolerated it just as alcohol to some, or peanuts.
I don't believe there is a safer substance of the recreational drug category. And, that is not taking into consideration the vast medical uses, that BTW, are accumulating yearly as weed can now finally be studied. As a side note, many other psychedelics that have been demonized are now too being examined for the medical qualities that humans have had to live without, all because of a prejudice produced by ignorant people, governments, religious organizations, etc.
Let me give you an example of what I mean by superficial. Do you realize that high potency weed, high THC grown for that purpose, have been going on for decades. This is not a new thing. It has just become more known now. The low grade garbage called Mexican Ditch weed permeated the US for a long time, but people in California, Colorado, and other states have grown and sold a higher quality weed since the 1970s.
What irks me the most is the hypocrisy of all the ignorant on weed as they sip their hi-balls. They can demonize a very safe substance that gives relief to millions of people for all kinds of reasons yet worship the bottle of elixirs that destroys a large swath of society. As a doctor you must agree with this statement.. You have seen first hand the ravages of human and family lives because of booze. This is what you should be writing on is booze and the extreme damage done to society. It is a far more harmful substance, by many factors, than any damage weed can do.
This alcohol argument is so tired. Thc is not alcohol. Alcohol, as we all know occurs naturally due to anaerobic fermentation of sugars found in fruits. These fruits have evolved, to the benefit of the plants, for animal consumption.
High potency weed is causing psychosis in young people (one of my nephews now claims to talk to the dead). It is not a safe recreational drug and comes with hazards which should be acknowledged; just like the jabs.
What a lame excuse for an argument. It's also lazy. Why don't you try telling the families of the dead where excessive alcohol use was responsible for more than 140,000 deaths in the United States each year during 2015–2019, or more than 380 deaths per day.
How many deaths by weed? ZERO!
How do you know that deaths have not happened due to marijuana use? You are making arguments that marijuana versus alcohol make marijuana therefore the preferable and legitimate replacement. You are stooping to ad hominem as well - always a sign of not having data in arguments.
Go ahead and find the data for weed deaths. Try it. There is no such thing as weed overdose. It does not happen. The death numbers above do NOT include auto and other accidents which are in the hundreds of thousands. That data is easily searchable. Ad Hominem? Where am I calling names?
Additionally, I have NOT stated that weed should replace alcohol, I am merely pointing out the vast hypocrisy in demonizing a god given natural plant where the flower is used. When in fact Alcohol is causing massive deaths, injuries, and broken families. That is indisputable.
We tried making alcohol illegal, remember that massive mistake? Now, with a much, much safer substance you want to also make it illegal again. Why? The only answer is your ignorant bias. And, when calling you ignorant I mean just that, you have no knowledge of what you are typing. THAT IS THE PROBLEM. being ignorant on a subject is easily fixable, but you guy's are not willing to even do that, you stay with your non factual bias because it fits with your feelings and so you dont want to change, no matter the evidence presented. You're just like the people that justify the death shots, it is the same thing, you simply cannot get over your bias.
Alex Berenson wrote a well-appointed book on just this subject. As a public defender and then as my county prosecutor I saw the fallout of marijuana and the carnage from people operating motor vehicles under the influence. In another job, I saw the industrial accidents caused because of the effects on spatial perception and awareness due to use. The effects persist for at least 3 days after use. Marijuana has a place medicinally but is not merely a benign drug. Yes, ETOH and all that, I am very aware. You are all in on how it is "safe" and has been in use and being potentiated for decades. That does not lessen the realities that marijuana has adverse effects.
Weed people are so defensive or do I mean addicted?
That is because we are dealing with people that are ignorant on the suject
Completely agree Dr Paul. It’s about the big picture. You are putting it into context and raising the bigger questions.
I agree. Dr. Alexander is all over the place. On the one hand he thinks it’s bad that the government limited information about an access to ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, but then on the other hand he wants government to ban access to cannabis. Makes no sense. Makes him look very bad when he says things like this very contradictory inconsistent things
Ohmigosh - how is Dr Alexander "all over the place?" He is hardly contradictory, and he makes sense. He has the hard science background, the education and experience in healthcare. How do you know better?
I totally agree. It has done more harm to our society than good. Should be for medicinal purpose only. And regulated.
There is no moral or legal justification to have legal restrictions on any drugs whatsoever.
If the government can ban cannabis or regulate cannabis, then they can ban or regulate access to and information about ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine.
Government cannot be trusted with this responsibility as their decisions will always and everywhere be politicized
What an immature outlook! The pot issue & HCQ/ICM matters are not related. Drugs come with side effects, and cannot be given with certain contraindications. Grow up.
Please tell us, scientifically, what harm to society? It has been used by a very large percentage of people for decades upon decades. You could not find a larger study than weed in the wild. Yet. no one has died from its use. Do you realize that?
Now let's take alcohol, the most destructive substance ever developed by man. It statistically done more damage than any substance for centuries upon centuries. Tens of thousands die from it every year. Did you know that?
Yet, alcohol is celebrated as weed is demonized. Please explain this vast hypocrisy.
🎯
Part of Justin Trudeau's platform for election in 2016 was national legalization of cannabis - and as soon as he took office, it commenced. Now we have Cdn Potte Shoppes on every corner. Some are high end glass and chrome; others are hole-in-the-wall. As it was legalized there was not an effective police instrument to measure how high a driver was.
Biz owners find young people out toking while on break. This, like the vaccine, was a substance not fully studied or tested, but it was released on the public - and "official" government recognition lends it acceptability.
More relaxed?? GMAB. Stores are begging to find entry-level employees here - and when they are able to hire, many do not last. Many have no work ethic or, as they used to say, gumption.
We all love our interconnected nation with its incredible infrastructure, whether we think about it or not. We love clicking a few keys, and a parcel arrives on our doorstep one or two days later. These products are not created by a magic wand; real people actually got up and with their efforts created some part of everything we see around us. Look up from the keyboard. Look around at the luxury and comfort we enjoy: Food, clothes, tech stuff, furniture, cars, subways, roads, rails, airplanes, buildings, building supplies, furnaces, large and small appliances, stores, telecommunication- and the list goes on. A stoned nation can potentially shatter this valuable infrastructure. And one day we might realize we cannot get "x" and "y" products because there are fewer miners, loggers, factory workers, farmers, store workers, mechanics, tech specialists, engineers, road workers, hydro workers, dock workers, tanker ship and car builders ...
As for alcohol ... sigh, a typical straw man argument. If alcohol was going to bring down economies, wouldn't it have done so years ago? In cannabis we are dealing with something much more unknowable.
I totally agree with Paul. I have been against the legalization of cannibas based on personal experience. I feel it is a gateway drug, which lowers individuals inhibitions prompting them to feel enticed to use illegal drugs that are far more dangerous to their health.
Additionally, the cannibas of today is far more potent than anything I ever used. The THC content is much higher, and I am not aware of any studies done to determine what affect it may have on the mind and body of people.
I acknowledge that there seems to be medicinal benefits under some circumstances, but this use should be monitored by a medical professional...IMO
25% of pot smokers will develop schizophrenia.
ugh. Please dude. That is like saying 25% of people with a handle on Substack starting with a P will develop cancer.
Mr. Alexander, you don't really believe in freedom, do you? Alcohol does far more damage than weed, but are you in favor of criminalizing liquor? We tried that in the US, it was called Prohibition, and it led to the proliferation of organized crime. Similarly, criminalization of other drugs leads to increased robberies, gang violence, and other problems. Freedom includes the freedom to make mistakes as long as you don't endanger the lives of other people, such as driving drunk or high. People will learn what works in life and what doesn't if left alone. If they still don't, then the problem lies in family breakdown, absence of religious influence, and other factors, and that is where people should focus their efforts. When you advocate criminalizing recreational drugs you are advocating for the very Nanny State model of government that has led to the draconian pandemic response that you have objected so strenuously to. Liberty works. Yes, it requires trust, it requires humility, it requires not playing God and thinking the world would be a better place if everyone just adopted MY solutions to the world's problems. But individuals are not God - we need to stop playing God.
I lived in an area of CO where there were several pot growers. They were good people with a conscience. After pot was legalized, he told me about the greatly increased THC content of current kinds of pot.
And then, the cartels came in, and bought out a lot of these small, ethical growers, to take over the market. And my friend who had invested so many years in this business, knew that if he didn't sell his farm to them, they would kill him.
Sad times.
Dr alexander try to be intellectually consistent. You are all over the place.
If you dont like the government health authorities limiting information about an access to drugs like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, then there should be no government interference in peoples ability to use cannabis if they want to use it.
The government has no legitimate authority to tell people what they can or cannot put into their bodies. This includes cannabis.
There’s no constitutional or moral justification for the existence of the CDC or the FDA or the NIH.
All laws concerning the use of cannabis and other so-called illegal drugs should be immediately repealed
The stench of weed makes me sick. The other day saw three guys outside a gym smoking the stuff, one being roughly 15 years old. It’s not being used for medical use lol as some are saying. I see and smell it on the highway as people are driving and I have family that smokes it to relax. I can’t hang around these people smoking as their personalities are warped. I taught in school for many years and could smell the stuff in the staff as they smoked before school and during lunch. It was great fun working with them, NOT. We all know it doesn’t make you smarter but makes many richer. Always follow the money.
I get mine from a friend, I don’t trust the dispensary. RSO has healed people but the dispensary’s formula is slightly different- no actual healing allowed. (Helps my fibromyalgia a lot )
* rso Rick Simpson Oil
I agree with the premise of the Lancet study. The stuff is waaaay stronger than it was in the past. I can see how that could cause mental problems and/or addiction with continuous use.
If you need a mind altering substance, no matter what type, you have a problem. The weed promoters here in theses comments don't realize their thinking is confused by years of drug use. if you need weed to keep you calm and tamp down anxiety you have a drug addiction. Alcohol is a problem too. If you need alcohol *to have a good time* when you go out - you gotta problem. I am sick of the smell in Colorado. And the dopers living in the woods with no ambition. Drugs are your god you worship daily.
Medical Cannabis for the Treatment of Dementia: A Review of Clinical Effectiveness and Guidelines - NCBI Bookshelf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546328/
I think in regards to health there are many more dangerous substances than high potency herb.
Psych medicines being one. Alcohol another. Cigarettes another.
💯
I think medicinal marijuana is an amazing benefit for those who need it. I also believe high doses are dangerous. It’s frightening.
I agree. Making psychoactive drugs legal was always a dumb idea.
As far as medicine is concerned, megadoses of CBD (similar mg/kg as those given to children for seizures) can be given to adults to allow them to take higher doses of THC for immune-mediated changes (for potential Lupus or autoimmune treatments) while limiting the psychoactive effects of THC (CBD’s only pharmacological effect is the allosteric negative regulation of CB1). I never hear doctors talking about this.
Reefer madness. Opiate of the masses. Especially bad for zebra fish. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353677213_THC-induced_behavioral_stereotypy_in_zebrafish_as_a_model_of_psychosis-like_behavior#fullTextFileContent