The generation of peace, love and marijuana may have a strong new argument to keep its beloved weed. Marijuana has long been medically determined to relieve glaucoma and side effects of cancer treatment; it may also lead to preventing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Scripps Research Institute in California.
Alzheimer’s disease is the No. 1 cause of dementia among the elderly, and is characterized by memory loss, impaired decision-making and diminished language movement skills. Ironically, the same symptoms of the disease appear to be the side effects of the treatment.
Meanwhile, a new goverment study released this week found that the prescription drugs most commonly used to soothe agitation and aggression in Alzheimer’s patients are no more effective than placebos and can have serious side effects, the New York Times reported.
Posted by Angie Holladay
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Interesting find, thought it of course will need to be replicated.
But, c’mon now, folks, be serious! Even if this turned out to be true, isn’t it more important to stop some aging hippie from getting stoned in his living room on a Saturday afternoon?
Ahhhhh, any thing for a toke eh?
Actually, if they are truly concerned about progression of Alzheimers, then these hippie wannabe’s will start taking their cholerstrol medicine and watch their diet to prevent high cholestrol.
Yeah, it’s probably that simple.
So, lay off the greasy kid stuff okay?
My mind is feeling cloudy, I can not seem to think straight! And damn if I did not give up the “Cure” over twenty years ago!Quick someone….Help me out….roll one for me will ya?
Bellbottoms were not the only good memory of the seventies for me. LoL What little I remember of the seventies! I know I went to see Fantasia, but damn if I remember anything about it! Except for how clear and beautiful the colors on the screen was. I have not seen the back of my hand as detailed either! I could set and look at it for hours…or was it minutes? I am pretty sure it was not days! Why the back of my hand was as interesting as the color of green that was in a traffic light! I could set for ever just admiring the green, until the line of cars behind me started to honk!
I loved stairs! I seem to just float down them, oh yeah that is called falling isn’t it? But man the experience, even the landing! And such a pretty red…as pretty as the stoplight! I love stoplight! The traffic light would turn to red and I would stop and just stare at it because it was so pretty. That is until the line of car behind me would honk and I would roll the next thirty feet to the intersection.
You know Doritos have not tasted as good since giving up the “Cure”, but they did become more filling!But hey the good news is that I can complete full sentences with out hanging on a word or suddenly discovering how beautiful a glass on the table is! When putting a puzzle together I only turn the piece till it fit, instead of around and around and a round!Right now I know there is someone reading this and they are back many years! Back to when there seem to be nothing but time to think. Or not think, when dreams were the best reality because reality only seem to bring you down.
“Stop…You hear that?….that was a second going by!” Yeah I long for the days when I heard the second passing. Now it seems that the only time I hear is a day passing. thanks for going on the trip with me….
I read the headline and thought we had another Bush discussion thread!
No steve - that comes when they look at the effects of cocaine ACCELLERATING the onset of Alzheimers.
Legalize it, apply the same penalties as alcohol (e.g driving under the influence), and be done with it. Do you realize the amount of money this government would save if it would stop trying to control it, which they can NEVER do. I’d say its about 20-50 billion.
And no, before anyone insinuates it.. I dont smoke it.
Erik - agree 100%. And, like you, I don’t either.
The really crazy thing about marijuana laws is the while my DR can prescribe cocaine or heroin he cannot prescribe weed.
I can’t remember anything. Did I smoke weed or not?
Yeah, these druggies are exactly the type the Democrats want in office. People who do drugs are worthless to society, they do nothing but multiply our problems; with their support of the drug trade enriching criminal drug lords and street gang middle-men getting good policemen shot because these fucking druggies can’t curb their fucking craving. That’s why we taxpaying citizens are spending millions of tax dollars on drug rehabilitation for irresponsible druggies. Anyone who ever smoked a joint is responsible for providing financial support to organized crime that has killed thousands of good cops. Of course this is America, and we don’t believe in personal accountability anymore, it’s infinitely easier to blame somebody else for our problems!
I watched my grandmother then my father fall to heart wretching disease of ahlzheimers. Even though I have never smoked weed if it would have done them any good or will slow the disease down for me. Then I am all for it legal or not.
“People who do drugs are worthless to society”
Does that include Rush and Bush? Does that include people who “do” coffee with its caffeine? Does that include anyone who has a cocktail or a beer? Does that include anyone who shokes cigarettes?
DESCENDENT - I am watching that right now with a close friend. It is horrible.
Illicit drugs Ben… Unless you’re slow, you would have understood that I was talking about illicit drugs. Nitpicky today are we?
Does that include Rush and Bush?
My thoughts exactly!!!
So, if marijuana, heroin, cocaine, etc were legalized their use would be fine with you?
“Anyone who ever smoked a joint is responsible for providing financial support to organized crime that has killed thousands of good cops.”
A perfect reason to legalize it, if it’s true.
What a person does in his own home does not matter to me. If he’s a raging drunk or drug user, so be it, just don’t come into my home to steal my things. Just don’t start driving your car. Just don’t ask the tax payer for hand outs. The war on drugs is like the war on poverty. Not working.
Well said todd and hotlick.
Anyone who ever voted Republican is responsible for providing electoral support to organized crime that has killed hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians.
The ONLY way to keep terrorists from getting rich off the drug trade, and to keep illicit drugs out of the hands of our children, is to LEGALIZE and REGULATE all of them, just like tobacco and alcohol.
No, it is stupid politicians who are responsible for providing money to organized crime, because it is stupid politicians who wrote the laws in the first place. Don’t you remember prohibition?
That being said, the proper approach to dealing with illicit drugs is “quarantine.” Set up parallel, legal, traceable supplies of drugs that lead directly to “cocaine casinos” ™, in which all drugs are legal but from which exit is forbidden except to the sober.
This approach would make society _much_ safer, because, by and large, we would know where the drug users are.
We could consider “licensing” home use of less dangerous drugs like pot, booze, etc. But, since we already know that alcohol use can get _way_ out of control, we need to get past that selfish “what you do in your own home doesn’t bother me in the slightest” attitude. We have to have a way to revoke _some_ people’s “right” to drink at home. think of the children, man!
De-criminalize the stuff. Alchohol and cigs are and the tax revenue is used to help keep property taxes down. With alchohol, there are so many laws on selling and drinking and people accept it along with the govt. Why not make it legal to grow a plant. Keep it off the streets. The money saved from busting pot users could be used on the real drugs like meth, crack, cocaine, herion, and of course, prescription drug abuse.
Marijuana, unlike coke or heroin, can be readily grown by its user. All it takes is a few basic supplies (potting soil, lights, fertilizer) and a person can even grow it in a spare closet.
If more people would simply grow their own, then they would not have to rely on the black market to supply their needs.
BTW- I eventually plan to move to a sensible state with medical marijuana laws, so that I can become a caretaker (someone that LEGALLY grows cannabis for AIDS/cancer patients).
“Will” is speaking without any clue, experience, or education as most people who make hilariously dramatic claims about drug use and how they can stereotype users.
I smoke. Daily. I also hold two successful jobs, volunteer several times a year for various causes, take care of my pets, love my family, pay my bills, and support no overseas drug lords. “Will,” this may come as a shock, but marijuana can be grown in other locales besides Colombia and Jamaica.
Another thing that may surprise you is that many members of a few boards I’ve worked with are heavy cocaine users. That’s very common among the top-tiers; there seems to be little sleep to be had when running multi-million dollar corporations.
Alden, everything can get out of control. It’s not just limited to drugs and booze. Just take a look at the number of overweight people in this country. Gambling addictions…sexual addictions. And how about rabid NASCAR fans? *grin*
Marijuana is also useful for migraines.
It’s absolutely insane that people who need a substance like pot for medical reasons are not allowed to have it without breaking the law. I call that “out of control” as far as our laws are concerned.
Legalize it!!
For the record, I don’t smoke it, either. Tried it once, didn’t like it, and never tried it again. But it’s totally insane to stay the course where weed is concerned.
Hey Ben,
Just admit one thing… If they legalized it, u would probably have one or two…
I know I would…
There was some anti-drug commercial which tried to argue that buying some pot caused the death of a judge in Columbia or something. How is someone who grows their own contributing to the death of foreigners? I never figured that out. Wichita has plenty of marijuana farms, a few of which are abandoned so the stuff is free for the taking, so there isn’t much need to import from overseas.
On another note, the drug companies would love to keep the positive aspects of marijuana use a secret. Reducing brain tumor size, helping glaucoma and helping prevent alzheimers. How is a company supposed to be making billions when someone can make their own medication in a flower pot? Republicans often demand a free market but when it comes to the drug companies they don’t want to promote competition.
I’m not sure Tony - I’d have to think about it. But, I would not object to others enjoying a few.
I think of it like gambling. Some will, some won’t. Go ahead, legalize. I’ve inhaled, but don’t plan to do it again. On the other hand, I have gone to a casino more than once. Hum…
Alcohol remains the most damaging drug in this society.
As for legalizing pot, legalize it, if you are going to. I want to grow it in my garden and smoke it on my front porch. Why can’t I when legal drugs do me more harm?
If not, simply keep things the way they are. Many thousands of people make their living from selling pot. Legalizing it would throw them out on the street or force them to deal harder drugs.
And I will state again. Coca Cola kills more people in a week than all the illegal drugs and terrorists do in a year, or most probably, a decade.
The number one cause of liver failure in this country is over-the-counter pain medication.
You all can sit here a debate and talk about the problems this causes society and social issues, but if I am correct pot is a natural grown substance, which I would much rather consume than all of this man made crap. Special if it helps all the ailments it does. Side effects alone in man made medications is enough to make ya sick.
You all can sit here a debate and talk about the problems this causes society and social issues, but if I am correct pot is a natural grown substance, which I would much rather consume than all of this man made crap. Special if it helps all the ailments it does. Side effects alone in man made medications is enough to make ya sick.
The thing about that study- I worked in nursing homes when Haldol and Thorazine was the drug of choice for aggression in Alzheimer’s patients. They were horrible drugs, but you couldn’t let the patients continue to be abusive or anxious.
When Risperdal came out, I was amazed at the difference. The side effects were far fewer, and controlled aggression without making the patients zombies. Now obviously it didn’t work for everyone, no drug at all works that way. But for the majority we used it on it helped tremendously.
So I think the study is wrong- because too many of us have SEEN up close and personal the good these drugs have done.There is always room for improvement, but until something better comes along, I’m not going to advocate stopping it’s usage.
And I also agree that alcohol is far more damaging to an individual, family, and society than marijuana. There is no legitimate reason that marijuana should be illegal.
Since they don’t use the stuff, we can rest assured that everyone at DEA will promptly forget this study.
To the lady that worked in the nursing home,
They too (the nursing home) put my dad on different drugs, he went from never taken medicine in his life to every medicine imaginable once he was put in the nursing home, he was put in a zombie state of mind, plus they let him escape and he suffered because of it (broken back) The medications made him sick to his stomach. It might help some people, but not everyone. He never became violent but he did like to wander. I would never, ever want to see a loved one in a nursing home again. They all need to be shutdown.
Dorking, you curr-acked me up with the memory line.Will, you went ballistic dude.WOW.I think you need MEDICATION.No drugs, just medication.
Well, good quality cannabis is worth more than gold per oz on the black market…that means there’s a LOT of money to be made! Someone can very easily make $30,000 per year or more with just a small spare closet and some know-how.
I am not a criminal, despite what the gov’t says. I’m just a gardener who enjoys flowers!
Hello troll without a real email address. Only a loser like you would post using someone else’s name and a fake address.
Dear Troll:Ben is not a nit, traitor or a loser. Get lost.
Thanks hotlick. I must have really struck a nerve with this nameless faceless emailless troll. He has done this and similar quite a bit lately. Must be trying to compensate for some underlying inferiority complex.
Or a tiny winky.
My apologies. That was below me.
And furthermore, our friend Ben was only quoting Will.
Wait a second- I use a fake email address, as I don’t want a shitload of spam email…but I don’t attack or flame anyone, just try to discuss stuff (civilly, I might add).
Am I a troll too?
Probably not. At least you seem to (a) always be justme and (b) have an obvious fake email.
By the way, in regards to your comment that an entrepeneuer can make a decent living growing it here - that is a good thing IMO. Keeps the money in town and in local circulation.
I do not understand why the Marijuana smoking Baby Boomers who are now in the seats of power, has no power to legalize Marijuana?Let’s put it to vote, I will vote for it.What the hell, the world is screwy anyway; who knows it might work out ok and create new jobs and new industries.
“Marijuana smoking Baby Boomers who are now in the seats of power”
Who are they?
It’s my guess that if you are a baby boomer, the chances are that at least reefer has crossed your lips. But, it doesn’t matter. The discussion of legalizing drugs is silly. It will never happen. If you think Social Security is the third rail, drug legalization is that squared.
Hot,Actually, according to the statistics of the time, slightly less than 50% of boomers tried the stuff, and only about a quarter continued to smoke it- significant, but still much less than the needed majority.
Legalize ALL drugs, now!!!
V.L.R.B!!
As I recall, it was THC that was identified in the study in question. The ability to separate the THC from the “weed”, or to otherwise “manufacture” it would allow the THC to be administered without the need for the patients to smoke it.
Assuming THC could be so administered and would be effective in treatment of this odious disease, put the lamps up, etc., because marijuana will not be legalized; at least in its “native” form.
So true hotlick. And the big reason is the fatc that independent entrepeneuers (and users themselves) can provide sufficient supply. The recreational drug oligopoly likes the status quo; they will continue to set barriers to entry.
Jed, respectfully, if there is a time to lie to a pollster (and that is most of the time) it’s when you are being asked about past or present drug use.
Jed, I would say more like 70% smoked it,and the other 30% lied about it.HACome on man, when I was in school even the prom King and Queen were stoned at the coronation.The football captain and the head cheerleader brought it for them.The teachers used to announce openly that if you come in stoned, just don’t be disruptive.If you come in drunk however, you will be suspended.And who are they now?They are your teachers, lawyers, doctors and politicians.That’s right, even Sgt, Stedanko toots a root on his days off.
This article was pretty sketchy on how much benefit the users got from THC. How much pot would you have to use to get how much effect?
Would use help PREVENT Alzheimer’s or just slow it down once you got it?
Marijuana does have health risks of its own, especially when smoked. It seems to kill cells in the hypocampus which is an important brain structure for forming short term memory and laying down long term memory.
However, so does alcohol.
Whether pot kills so many that it affects behavior, I don’t know.
THC is fat-soluable so it builds up in tissue and is only slowly excreted. Hence, the well-known cumulative effect that the more you smoke, the less you need to get buzzed.
It’s hard to imagine that’s a good thing . . .
So, since everyone is for it, why isn’t anybody doing anything about it? OH YEAH, because we really don’t have control over law anymore. The electoral college has us believing we are not smart enough to make decisions for ourselves.By the way, if we all did something at once, we might get something done, but people are too busy watching “Grey’s Anatomy” or obsessing about their dinner parties where they discuss “Grey’s Anatomy.”Watch the documentary “Grass” It gives a HISTORY of the prohibition of cannibis, rather than a one sided view.by the way, I don’t even drink, much less smoke…
decendant of alzheimer’s. I’ve worked in many nursing homes, and I have seen some like you describe. There is no excuse for it except lack of funding and laziness on just trying to keep warm bodies employed rather than paying for quality and enough help- thus is why nursing homes received an F in Kansas a few years ago.
There are also really great nursing homes out there where overmedication is taken seriously, where staffing isn’t at a minimum, and where the people who work there really do care. The trick is knowing what to look for in a good nursing home, and let me tell you the prettiest on the outside isn’t how you tell. It’s how the residents look and are interacted with.
And even in the best homes, residents escape. It’s just impossible sometimes to keep them inside when they don’t wanna stay there.
“Hence, the well-known cumulative effect that the more you smoke, the less you need to get buzzed.”
Uh, can’t say I agree with or have ever even heard of that.
Cap’n, IIRC, it slows down the inevitable progression of the disease; it hasn’t been shown to be a preventive (boy, wouldn’t that be something).
The real problem is that marijuana is illegal for sociopolitical reasons, and objective science is routinely shouted down by the drug warriors.
I doubt that’s it as safe as milk, but not even milk is completely safe.
As I sit here, tokin’ on a taste o’ ma nature, I have to say to myself, “What the f***”.
For that question, I have no answer, other than, “Could you turn up that John Hiatt cd!”
Just a few whom had smoked marijuana -
Michael BloombergGeorge W. BushWinston ChurchilBill ClintonNewt GingrichAl GoreThomas JeffersonJohn F KennedyGeorge Washington
I’m almost 60 where can I get some?
Vaughn,THC is actually available at your neighborhood pharmacy under the trade name Marinol. Because of DEA pressure, it’s very difficult to convince doctors to prescribe it, and according to people I’ve known who did use it, it doesn’t compare with street marijuana in effectiveness in fighting pain and nausea.
Ken,Ask your grandkids. If they don’t have some, they’ll know who does.
You guys leave with the impression that the common meth-head or heroin addict are all successful productive citizens. Such ignorance of the effects of illicit drugs and the dependence that it fosters on the human body shows that most if not all of you “legalize all illicit drugs” folks have never met a drug addict! You baby-boomer hippies are embarassing.
Where the hell did you come up with that will? I don’t think I was ANYTHING above about meth or heroin being good or inocuous. In fact, I think the comments were quite the opposite!
As for “never met a drug addict” I do some lay counseling for addictions. I fine alcohol and cocaine to be the worst.
You Gen-X ignoramouses are embarassing.
Ben,it is common knowledge that marijuana is a “gateway drug” that fosters a dependence, and leads the drug abuser to try harder more dangerous drugs like cocaine or crystal meth or heroin or “acid” or “ecstasy pills.” Don’t worry though Ben, we GenX ignoramuses know that your generation thought it was cool to be high, and that doing drugs is your way at “getting back at the Man.” It’s ok, we’ll take care of you guys.:)
Will - the main indicator of future drug abuse is early use of tobacco. As for your “conventional wisdom” it has been proven to be false.
By the way, the majority of drug abusers I deal with are (a) cocaine and (b) GenX. It’s ok, we baby boomers are already taking care of you guys.
By the way, do you use alcohol or tobacco? They are drugs - both more addictive and harmful than matijuana. I use none of them - although I do drink far too much coffee.
What is it that you all are so afraid of?
First of all, WILL is an idiot. People don’t get killed over weed. Second, I don’t buy weed from mexico, so I am not supporting any sort of terrorism or “Drug Lord”.
It is these kind of ignorant perspectives that elect morons, keep good laws from being passed, and fill our jails with non-violent offenders. I wrote my congressman about legalizing Hemp. He responded to me saying that he doesn’t endorse the legalization of marijuana. He then began to compare Marijuana to Cocain. This is very common in our country. People just believe any propaganda that comes their way.
Terrorist’s such as OSAMA BIN LADEN don’t sell weed to fund terrorism. OSAMA made his money through OIL investments. So i guess you can say that if you drive a gasoline powered car, you fund terrorism.
WRITERDOG, what the hell were you smokin? Weed isn’t acid, so lets get that straight. You don’t smoke and stare at your hand. You don’t smoke an then stare at stop lights. It doesn’t enhance colors. If someone is lazy or “stupid” after they smoke, chances are that they are already that way. 30-40 million americans admit to smoking pot on a regular basis. This is not something that ended in the seventies. You all probally know at least one person that smokes weed, they just might not tell you.
Aparently in this country, everyone forgets what alcohol does to you, but says that weed is bad. Take your heads out of the sand and don’t speak about something if you have no experience with or just repeat 1950’s propaganda. Read the facts and except them.