# Bad news about pot from USA Weekend
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-about-pot-from-usa-weekend/322332
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [September 19, 2005, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-about-pot-from-usa-weekend/322332 "2005-09-19T06:37:47Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2005, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-about-pot-from-usa-weekend/322332/1 "2005-09-19T06:37:47Z")
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.
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### Author:  [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2005, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-about-pot-from-usa-weekend/322332/2 "2005-09-19T06:41:36Z")
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.
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### Author:  [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2005, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-about-pot-from-usa-weekend/322332/3 "2005-09-19T06:53:06Z")
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.
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2005, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-about-pot-from-usa-weekend/322332/4 "2005-09-19T06:58:33Z")
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_.
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### Author:  [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2005, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-about-pot-from-usa-weekend/322332/5 "2005-09-19T07:05:38Z")
> [@CynicalGabe](#):
>
> 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.
_Shrug_
Well, take it up with Ms. Lennon at _USA Weekend._ The e-mail address is [usaw@usaweekend.com](mailto:usaw@usaweekend.com) .
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### Author:  [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2005, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-about-pot-from-usa-weekend/322332/6 "2005-09-19T07:25:19Z")
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4244489.stm](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4244489.stm)
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### Author:  [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2005, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-about-pot-from-usa-weekend/322332/7 "2005-09-19T07:31:40Z")
> [@Squink](#):
>
> [BBC NEWS | Health | Marijuana affects blood vessels](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4244489.stm)
Thanks for the link, Squink. From the BBC, no less…
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### Author:  [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2005, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-about-pot-from-usa-weekend/322332/8 "2005-09-19T07:52:33Z")
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.
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### Author:  [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2005, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-about-pot-from-usa-weekend/322332/9 "2005-09-19T07:57:38Z")
Wait - what?
> [@](#):
>
> The research also found that after a month of not smoking, people who had been moderate users - **smoking up to 70 marijuana cigarettes a week** - showed signs of improved blood flow.
>
> However, a month of abstinence had no positive impact on blood flow among heavy users, **who smoked up to 350 joints a week**.
: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?
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### Author:  [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2005, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-about-pot-from-usa-weekend/322332/10 "2005-09-19T09:36:03Z")
> [@WhyNot](#):
>
> 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.
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### Author:  [@rorty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rorty)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2005, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-about-pot-from-usa-weekend/322332/11 "2005-09-19T09:45:46Z")
That would make for a great month.
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### Author:  [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2005, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-about-pot-from-usa-weekend/322332/12 "2005-09-19T09:52:21Z")
^ For your entire family.
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### Author:  [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2005, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-about-pot-from-usa-weekend/322332/13 "2005-09-19T11:13:38Z")
> [@WhyNot](#):
>
> 70 joints, all by yourself? That’s 10 joints a day, every day.
Yeah, it wouldn’t leave much time for the raping and the homicide and the raping.
_Reefer Madness_ with a touch of _Blazing Saddles_.
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### Author:  [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2005, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-about-pot-from-usa-weekend/322332/14 "2005-09-19T11:46:04Z")
> [@WhyNot](#):
>
> 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?
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.
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### Author:  [@nc123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nc123)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2005, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-about-pot-from-usa-weekend/322332/15 "2005-09-19T14:26:12Z")
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.
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### Author:  [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2005, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-about-pot-from-usa-weekend/322332/16 "2005-09-19T14:35:56Z")
> [@nc123](#):
>
> 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.
That’s still a ridiculously high number for a so-called “moderate” user.
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### Author:  [@nc123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nc123)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2005, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-about-pot-from-usa-weekend/322332/17 "2005-09-19T14:42:14Z")
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.
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### Author:  [@Erinaceus\_europaeus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erinaceus_europaeus)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2005, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-about-pot-from-usa-weekend/322332/18 "2005-09-19T14:52:52Z")
> [@WhyNot](#):
>
> Does that sound obscene to anyone else? 70 joints, all by yourself? That’s 10 joints a day, every day.
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 🙂
> [@WhyNot](#):
>
> 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?
That’s completely ridiculous. 50 joints a day would basically mean you’d be smoking **constantly**.
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### Author:  [@wheelie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheelie)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2005, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-about-pot-from-usa-weekend/322332/19 "2005-09-19T15:15:27Z")
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?
> [@](#):
>
> Marijauna smokers had a faster blood flow, both at the start of the study, and **after they had refrained from their habit for four weeks**.
That “study” is about as convincing as [_Reefer Madness_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028346/?fr=c2l0ZT1kZnx0dD0xfGZiPXV8cG49MHxrdz0xfHE9cmVlZmVyIG1hZG5lc3N8ZnQ9MXxteD0yMHxsbT01MDB8Y289MXxodG1sPTF8bm09MQ__;fc=1;ft=20;fm=1).:rolleyes:
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### Author:  [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)
#### Post date: [September 19, 2005, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-news-about-pot-from-usa-weekend/322332/20 "2005-09-19T15:36:43Z")
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.
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