Need some suggestions for paper.

[lesa]

Oh, I need to mention that the paper was on the medicinal use of marijuana.

Meth, crack, heroin or anything like that...no.

[lesa]

Wouldn't that be more an issue with dosage than how it works?

It more that marijuana have more medicinal properties than just the THC used in Marinol.

[vashti]

Really? Like what? (Genuine question)

[IndiReloaded]

Vash the compounds in marajana (however you spell it) are quite complex & not all understood. THC is only one. That is one good argument for herbs vs. synthetic drugs--that there may be complex/beneficial effects b/c of multiple compounds acting synergistically. Trouble is, its hard to prove (how do you test for something you don't know about). There are entire depts of companies that bring back plants from jungles & try to analyze for the active ingredients. But you still need to then look at combining them, measuring effects, not even going into understanding how they might be interacting at the cellular level. Its terribly, terribly complex by that point & working out the potential toxicity issues (which affects ability to get FDA approval, etc) is a nightmare.

[lesa]

Its terribly, terribly complex by that point & working out the potential toxicity issues (which affects ability to get FDA approval, etc) is a nightmare.

It's one of the reasons that herbs are looked down upon. Medicinal chemist extracts what they KNOW is working to produce synthetic drugs but there are many of properties of the herb that could be of benefit too but is a difficlut process to analyze and will probably have too many contraindications with other drugs and food. It's not worth it to do so. So, I really understand why it is not solely used.

[lesa]

Really? Like what? (Genuine question)

I would have to look it up. I know there are many other medicinal properties of marijuana but I don't know the details on what they are. I have to get back to you. I know there are analgesic and anticonvulsant effects. Also used for glaucoma. Can't recall what was in my paper though because it was many years ago.

Here is an article. I did not read it fully so I apologize if it's a bs report. I'm not sure if it's reliable and it's old. I'll search for a better one later :
[url]http://www.csdp.org/kz/mmj2.htm#pt2[/url]

I just glanced over it and it does not seem to talk about the 5+ dozen medicinal properties of marijuana, but it's an interesting read.

Here's a quick report on the FDA views:
[url]http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/21/health/21marijuana.html?ei=5088&en=2e85da1959771be7&ex=13 03272000&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=print[/url]

This will have to do hehe. This stuff must be classified information online but Wikipedia saves the day and has listed a few:
***** [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabinoids[/url]

[IndiReloaded]

It's one of the reasons that herbs are looked down upon. Medicinal chemist extracts what they KNOW is working to produce synthetic drugs but there are many of properties of the herb that could be of benefit too but is a difficlut process to analyze and will probably have too many contraindications with other drugs and food. It's not worth it to do so. So, I really understand why it is not solely used.

Yep. But there's also a HUGE political involvement from the drug companies. No big $$$ in herbs. Not the same way, in any case.

Truth is, esp w/computers now, if they wanted to do even some of the drug interaction modelling, they could. I'm not convinced that flooding a physiologic system w/a single compound is even the best way to treat something. What if there are natural buffering compounds in the herbs that enhance or prolong effect but dramatically decrease toxicity? I can imagine several biochemical systems that would allow for this, which means that there are probably natural compounds that do exactly this. Generally in biology I'm finding more & more that if you can imagine it, it already exists someplace. Fertile future research ground for those who can get it, IMO.

[Lipp]

The last time I had to do an argumentative random topic I did one back in high school on the Pelamis System that collects electricity from wave power, and comparing it to other clean energy sources.

[DoesntMatter]

The last time I had to do an argumentative random topic I did one back in high school on the Pelamis System that collects electricity from wave power, and comparing it to other clean energy sources.

I still think slave labor is the cleanest source of energy

[IndiReloaded]

That would make an...interesting topic for a paper, DM. I can imagine the consternation of the poor grad student or prof that had that cross their desk, lol.

[DoesntMatter]

In my US History class we only did 1 project for the whole year, and it was a proslavery vs antislavery debate. I was proslavery

Although the discussion was far more dry than it sounds

[Cain]

This is a question to all that are for the legalization of drugs... have you ever been exposed to the drug world? I'm not talking about through readings, through limited contact with someone that was into drugs, or even through seeing them in a medical setting. I have, and after being in it, I would never, ever be for the legalization of drugs.

My dad was/is a crackhead. I'm sure he still is but I haven't seen him in nearly 5 years. To say that someone doing drugs only affects them is absolutely not true. As misombra pointed out, people that are majorly dependent on drugs are a danger to more than just themselves. In order to get their fix, they'll steal from anyone. My father stole from me. I worked a 30 hour job while I was in high school and I got exactly $20 from each one of my checks. But they don't just steal from people they know. They steal from anyone they can. They'd punch you in the face, Indi, and then steal your purse... and you'd get off lucky if all you got was a punch to the face.

But it doesn't stop at stealing. Murder... violent crime... that's all easily done by those that are into drugs. But then you have to wonder about the people that grew up in those environments. Me, for example. I'm not into drugs and am completely against them, and I was one of the few. Most people that grow up in that environment (I know this from knowing the kids in that same world) get involved in this. They were all high school dropout losers that were trying to learn how to make and sell the shit themselves. Those people will continue to spread. What if they go to school with one of your kids and they convince your kids it's cool to do it? The parents that didn't impact you have just done that... they've, through their own raising of their children, have just gotten your kid onto it. And you grounding them or telling them to stop won't mean shit once they get hooked to something like crack.

Moral: The legalization of all drugs is simply ****ing retarded. Sure, maybe I could understand the legalization of marijuana as long as there were laws in place. For example, I don't want to be eating in a restaurant and getting weed smoke in my face. If they do it in their home, fine. I don't even want cigarette smoke in my face while I'm eating. Luckily for me, smoking is illegal in all restaurants and bars in my area... and if I'm not mistaken, it's a state wide rule.

[vashti]

Although I completely relate to your disgust Cain, I saw those same behaviors (and much worse) from my alcoholic father, and yet alcohol is legal. An addict is an addict is an addict.

[DoesntMatter]

"I'm also addicted to boobies! hahahah...."


-from Family Guy

[Cain]

Although I completely relate to your disgust Cain, I saw those same behaviors (and much worse) from my alcoholic father, and yet alcohol is legal. An addict is an addict is an addict.

An addict is an addict, sure, but I've never seen the kind of behavior that crackheads have in another form of addiction.