The Science of Marijuana Sheds Light on a "Dark" Drug
Published May 11, 2005
"Who is right?" asks Leslie L. Iversen, a professor in the Department of Clinical Pharmacology at Imperial College London School of Medicine and founder of Panos Therapeutics Ltd. "Is cannabis a relatively harmless 'soft drug?' Does it have genuine medical uses that cannot be fulfilled by other medicines? Or ... is cannabis in fact an addictive narcotic drug that governments are right to protect the public from?" These questions are posed to the reader in the first chapter of his book The Science of Marijuana.
Although it was first released by Oxford University Press in 2000, The Science of Marijuana is still a knowledgeable and relatively up-to-date work that delves into the history, pharmacology, chemical composition and related compounds, the effects of and the societal attitude to the drug. Dr. Iversen describes himself as "a scientist who works on understanding how drugs act on the brain" and served as a consultant to the House of Lords Committee on cannabis, which declared, in 1998, that marijuana has both good and bad points. (How uncontroversial of them!)
One major, fascinating fact to be exposed early in the book (Chapter 2, "The Pharmacology of THC") is that cannabinoid receptors exist in the brain and that they may be related to the opiate receptors. This would suggest that there might be naturally occurring cannabinoids in the human body. If this is true, then it is obvious that THC, the drug component of marijuana, works by stimulating the endorphins that regulate cannabinoid activity in the brain. However, as Iversen informs us, more research would be needed to establish this.
Iversen next discusses the effects of cannabis on the central nervous system. He describes both the mostly pleasurable, but sometimes frightening experiences that can occur, that marijuana can cause "double consciousness," in which people can actually train themselves to act normally while intoxicated, and the temporary failure of working memory - though the ability to remember previously learned material remains unaffected.
With regard to medical marijuana, Iversen explains that cannabis was long used as a remedy for constipation, gout, malaria, rheumatism and other various pains in Eastern culture, but wasn’t taken seriously for its medicinal capacities by the West until the 1800s. Unfortunately, as doctors soon discovered:
The potency of commercial preparations varied from pharmacist to pharmacist as there was no means of standardizing the preparations for their content of the active drug. What proved to be an effective dose when using material from one supplier would either have no noticeable effects or would produce unpleasant intoxication.
Due to the problems involved with effectively isolating THC and other cannabinoids, getting a standardized cannabis-based medicine that doctors and governments alike would approve remains difficult. Synthetic analogues of THC are not much better as there is just as narrow a window between pain-killing effects and intoxication as with natural THC. Dronabinol (registered as Marinol), which is delta-9-THC but with low abuse potential, and Nabilone (registered as Cesamet), an analogue of THC, are both discussed in terms of helping chemotherapy patients to deal with nausea and AIDS patients to fight wasting syndrome. But it would appear that, despite considerable anecdotal evidence that marijuana helps chemotherapy patients and those with AIDS, multiple sclerosis, and glaucoma, other drugs exist that do not justify the use of cannabis.
Mark Edward Manning grew up in Boston, MA and now lives in London, England. He wrote commentaries for The Boston Herald in the mid 1990s.
- The Science of Marijuana Sheds Light on a "Dark" Drug
- Published: May 11, 2005
- Type: Review
- Section: Books
- Filed Under: Books: Science, Books: Reference, Books: Politics and Affairs, Books: Nonfiction, Review
- Writer: Mark Edward Manning
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"...a grudging acceptance that cannabis has become part of our culture, but falling short of full legalization."
The funny thing is, here in England, we're almost at that point anyway.
Although, somewhat disappointingly, the government is now looking at upping the classification of cannabis once more. At the same time as seeming to be more than happy with our alcohol problem...
Jadester: "[T]he government is now looking at upping the classification of cannabis once more. At the same time as seeming to be more than happy with our alcohol problem..."
Too true, Jadester, too true. It's very frustrating.
Looks like a great book, will have to check it out.
I think it sucks that mj is so demonized, people need to re-lax already. While I'm not convinced the stuff necessarily does more good for your health than harm, I'm not very convinced that it will kill you or significantly mess up your life either. But I should point out, the amount that one consumes is key here. I've known casual tokers, every day but low-dose tokers, and chronic high-dose users. There is a world of difference between them.
The jury is still out on whether or not moderate drinking has an overall good or bad effect, new studies lean in one direction or the other all the time so it's hard to say. BUT, we seem to have enough confidence to say that moderate drinking probably won't kill you. If it does you some good along the way (even mental benefit) then hey, that's a bonus.
I think the same logic needs to be applied to mj.
What are the drug-war right-wingers actually saying about mj anyway? They seem to only talk about the high-dose chronics, as if this represents the vast majority of pot users. It does not.
We wouldn't think of banning reponsible and moderate users of alcohol from the stuff just because X% of people who try it become alcoholics. Taken to the extreme, anything can be potentially dangerous. I'm pretty sure someone who smokes too much pot is probably better off than someone who gets obese from fast food every single day.
Personal responsibility anyone? Why punish the moderates for the actions of those who take something to an extreme? I wouldn't want to live in a society where I couldn't have a drink or big mac if I wanted it, and let's not fool ourselves here, mj is really on that level of potential personal endangerment (even less than alcohol, in fact), we aren't talking about meth or crack here.
It's not not killing anyone, and most people are responsible with it and they lead full lives dispite their mj use, then leave them alone and let them be happy in the way of their choosing. Mj is part of human culture and like it or not it's here to stay. Time for everyone to get used to this hard FACT.
i lov drugs
I would have to say that im on the side of marijuana. I my self have toked it for over a year. I dont see any more harm in toking then in smoking a cigerate. I do think cocaine, heroine, ice, ect. strong drugs are bad and should be kept illegal.
BUT i think showing teens/kids that an "illegal" drug like marijuana (for those who tried it) is not harmfull. GIves them the idea that other illegal drugs must not be as bad, leading them to trying cocaine, heroine, ice, ect. By putting it in this same "catagory" is wrong (illegal drugs). AS we all know that marijuana has no addiciton like cocaine, heroine, ice, ect. but putting this false infromation about marijuana addictionn my have them (teens/kids) thinking that cocaine, heroine, ice, ect. doesnt either when in the end it does and that is what is killing our nation.
TEll me what you think about what i have said.
I think that's a good point with regard to teens and young people thinking that other illegal drugs must not be so bad, simply because they've experienced nothing harmful with marijuana. I agree that we must be careful. We must let young people know that what's true in marijuana's case is NOT the same for other drugs. Other drugs are far more addictive and have far greater potential to cause harm to themselves or others. Even cannabis itself can affect people badly, and they must be aware of this. With cannabis legalization or even decriminalization comes great responsibility, and I wouldn't support such a measure unless I was sure that protection for the vulnerable was effective.
I just wish the british government and particularly the Daily Mail would stop being so foolish with regard to marijuana. Do a websearch for 'gritweed' and youll find many articles discussing the fact that some of the supply of marijuana in the UK is dangerously contaminated with particles of a glass like substance. I am one of many people (your own kids could be next) who is suffering now with severe lung and throat problems. Because of this I feel really strongly that cannabis must be legitimised within our society. The quality control and licensing of growers that would be a part of that process would ensure the safety of the public who enjoy the intoxication of marijuana. If cannabis were legal, we wouldnt have a problem about the young people using it, or the problem about the strength becoming too high, or the problem about the 'gateway' factor, or the problem about the dangerous contaminations. Please Please see sense people!!!
Marijuana does 3 things to people. You get happy, hungry, sleepy. In me and my friends' experiences none of us have ever gotten in fights while baked, unlike when drunk. At no point have I ever felt like playing with guns, jumping out of a window, or running over a 6 year old girl in my car. We turn on South Park, heat up some hot pockets, and laugh for a little while then call it a night and go to sleep.
Add your comment, speak your mind
(Or ping: http://blogcritics.org/mt/tb/29347)
In my opinion, marijuana prohibitions demonstrably protect manufacturers of inferior products and harm consumers, violating long established antitrust common law prohibiting restraint of trade.
Cigarettes manufactured in America are legally allowed to contain Polonium 210, and the ingredients of cigarettes are not required to be listed. Of course, tobacco smoke also contains nicotine, a deadly poison.
Nicotine and Polonium 210 are known carcinogens. The Volcano vaporizer demonstrated an almost complete elimination of the only toxic properties in cannabis smoke, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, benzene, bezo(a)pyrene, toluene and carbon monoxide.
Also, note that those promoting hysteria surrounding cannabis and schizophrenia are careful not to suggest that the 80 PERCENT of schizophrenics that self-medicate with tobacco ought to be arrested in order to send a message to children.
http://www.kfshrc.edu.sa/annals/203_204/99-216R.htm
The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy is running paid advertisements claiming that cigarettes are safer for kids than a joint, copy and paste the link into your browser to read more:
www.mpp.org/releases/nr20050414.html and here
Perhaps not coincidentally, tobacco firms originally funded the Partnership for a Drug Free America, (www.sumeria.net/politics/pdfa1.html ) which currently publishes pharmaceutical companies as 15 of their top donors:
www.drugfree.org/Portal/About/Partners/list.aspx
see also: www.cannabisculture.com/articles/4258.html
Altria is by far one of the world's largest political contributors:
www.capitaleye.org/inside.asp?ID=132
The products that would compete with cannabis kill millions globally, every year:
from: worldbank.org/
"The annual global tobacco death toll is already about three million--about 1 million in developing countries-- and will rise to more than ten million by the 2020s according to current trends. Most of this increase will occur in developing countries. Of all the people aged under 20 alive today in China, 50 million will die prematurely from tobacco. For men, the epidemic of premature death from tobacco has already become substantial in all developed countries. The death rates in middle-aged men from all causes are especially high in eastern Europe"
Of course, Altria owns Kraft Foods, another manufacturer selling products that would otherwise be forced to compete in a legal market with cannabis. This industry makes extra profits thanks to defective, dangerous and deadly ingredients (partially hydrogenated oils, saturated fats, excessive refined sugar):
http://www.udoerasmus.com/articles/udo/fthftk2.htm
Drug war IS crime. Any questions? Perhaps they ought to be disclosed:
www.altria.com/Proxy2004/2004proxy_11_0400.asp