In the issue of USA Weekend of Sunday, September 16-18, 2005, on Page 13, is a short article–under the main heading of “Health Briefs for Everyone,” saying that cannabis users run a “risk for stroke.”
The writer, Susan T. Lennon, mentions an active ingredient called tetrahydrocannabinol or THC; so she says, The greater the concentration of THC in something consumed, the greater the risk.
Ms. Lennon says “One study demonstrates that impairment of the brain’s blood flow persists for at least a month after the last high.” This, she says, can lead to a stroke.
She closes the article with a mention of medical marijuana, on which the research is apparently still in progress.
So what’s the question?
Are you asking if this is true? I don’t think we can be sure. If smoking marijuana were legal and therefore could better be studied in a genuine scholarly fashion, we would have much better knowledge - that is for certain.
Maybe people with the munchies are more inclined to eat unhealthy foods, which raises their risk of stroke?
Honestly, I don’t see how this could have been a controlled, scientific study.
I’m always thrilled when I see a piece of science reporting that includes the words “one study demonstrates…” Sooner or later, I’ll have a stroke from that.
Shrug
Well, take it up with Ms. Lennon at USA Weekend. The e-mail address is usaw@usaweekend.com .
Thanks for the link, Squink. From the BBC, no less…
People who smoke tobacco run a considerably higher risk of stroke. Marijuana has been extremely well studied, but it is not out of the question that heavy users have an increased risk of stroke as described.
There is a difference between having a stroke and having faster blood flow. Flow also includes other factors such as viscosity, vessel caliber, blood pressure, etc. This study does not look at stroke and marijuana use, per se.
Wait - what?
:eek:
Does that sound obscene to anyone else? 70 joints, all by yourself? That’s 10 joints a day, every day. 350? Unfathomable! That would last …uh…my freind…literally 10 years - considering…she…doesn’t even smoke every weekend. Do lots of people really smoke this much pot?
These numbers are insane.
It’s clear that whoever was in charge of that research has absolutely no real understanding of marijuana and the people who use it. We haven’t really come very far since that scene you saw in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas with the idiotic District Attorneys watching the “educational film” on “dope fiends,” if a study on cannabis use is describing it in these terms.
That would make for a great month.
^ For your entire family.
Yeah, it wouldn’t leave much time for the raping and the homicide and the raping.
Reefer Madness with a touch of Blazing Saddles.
Jesus! If I tried to do that, I’d be seeing colors that don’t exist in nature. Constantly. Their “moderate user” couldn’t possibly hold a job if they spend their life continuously that high.
Joints vary widely in size. The weight of the “average” joint has been estimated as 0.4 grams. 70 * 0.4 = 28 grams, so the “moderate” user in that study smokes an ounce (28.35 grams) a week.
However, many of the comparisons between marijuana and tobacco assume that a joint is the same size as a standard cigarette. I think a cigarette weighs 0.9 grams (please correct me if I’m wrong), so 70 * 0.9 = 63 grams. Almost 2 and 1/4 ounces a week.
Yes, I think it’s reasonable to expect a little brain damage at those numbers. I’m more interested to know the effects of smoking, let’s say, a little less than what an entire fraternity plus 2 Rastas can put away over the average weekend.
That’s still a ridiculously high number for a so-called “moderate” user.
Oh, yeah. That’s my point. If an oz/week (or more) is a moderate user, what is their idea of a moderate drinker? Someone chasing their daily gallon of vodka with a six-pack?
Oh, and the term joint tells us nothing about quanitity. A marijuana cigarette is not a unit of measure.
I know some people that came close. They were not moderate users. Let’s just say it’s not going make you a very productive member of society 
That’s completely ridiculous. 50 joints a day would basically mean you’d be smoking constantly.
And then they got these same people to stop smoking entirely for a whole month?
Did they subject them to urinalysis, or some other test?
That “study” is about as convincing as Reefer Madness.:rolleyes:
Wow. No time to rape? I’ll say. I bet they don’t even have time to masturbate when they cannot find a rape victim.