sweep

some cannabinoids do induce paranoia. I was discussing this with my friend the other day. One of my ideas is that the individual forgets what is being said or has been said only minutes ago (Look at available research posted by ps418, and you'll see that cannabinoids do effect short term memory). If a person under the influence of cannabis cannot string together the context of discussion, everything that is said seems to relate to the self, and is interpreted as such. I get this often, but I know it is only me vs me, and I'm not concentrating, nor am I able to concentrate, on the bigger picture. This might explain why one is able to focus so well on small elements but not view from afar, if you know what I mean.

legality isn't really an issue, at least with me. I've been done a few times and I've gone so far that it just seems pathetic that the law have any interest at all in cannabis use. In my experience it isn't a problem, and cannabis can be used easily and comfortably without any thoughts about the legality of the act.

You can't ever notice the effects of which I write since your brain adapts, so feeling 'down' is normal, and feeling normal is 'high'. It is simple but complex, and a matter of perception. If you don't notice, there isn't a direct comparison. It takes a long time to change back to a non-drug habit. If you're used to taking drugs, how can you perceive?

Gar

I never mixed tobacco in with the weed, but I always smoke cigarettes right after I smoke because it increases the high significantly. Maybe nicotine speeds up bloodflow or something.

sweep

that's true. perhaps close to the startle response. Fear, can also be induced, during the confusion; easier to believe anything, adrenaline courses thro the jugular veins in the neck, nerves feel on fire, mouth dry, release of corticosteroids> particularly after a meal> high blood sugar.

Lots going on

Mr. Sammi

Sweep, can you honestly claim legality is not an issue with pot smoking WHEN you have never experienced the reality of legally smoking pot?

Think of someting naturally high, like the pratice of religion when it is legal in opposition to when religion is not legal. Are the highs different. I can quote the former USSR and Italy THEN I can quote pre-Christian Rome VS. Catholic Rome. Were they the same being fed to lions AND being fed lions?

I think you are snuffing my point because your ideas were not adaquately thought through.

Sammi Na Boodie ()

sweep

please tell me a bit about the reality of legally smoking pot. And, as far as I am aware, I can't see how legality has much bearing on pot smoking, although I'm willing to read what you have.

I think that the high that you are referring to is the same physiological response to danger. That is, the pituitary releases corticotropic hormones, stimulating the adrenal medulla to release cortico steroids and the like. We get a rush out of danger, so the cannabis high is mostly due to adrenaline ephedrine. The effects on the brain include heightened sensory experience, followed by numbness, munchies and sleep.

Kuu

Maybe, as some of you seem to more knowledgable on the effects of cannabis you could comment on my eldest son.

I think he must have started smoking it when he was about 16. He is 25 now.

He went to the Mainland for a couple of years and came back about 2 years ago. I was shocked by the change in him.

He tells me things like 'People who listen to Metallica are out to get him' and that he cannot het on a bus because people are thinking bad things about him.

He lost one apartment he was renting because he wouldn't get rid of a dog. He and the dog then walked to Launceston (about 250 Km). He said he did this because he thought his land-lady would tell all the other landlords not to rent to him.

I realise he is becoming very paranoid but I cannot work out if mental problems would be as a result of taking cannabis or if he might be using cannabis heavily because he has trouble coping with mental problems.

ps418

He is having paranoid delusions. I am not aware of any evidence that smoking cannabis, even long term at high doses, can actually cause paranoid delusions. However, he should probably not be smoking cannabis.

It sounds like he is mentally ill, and may benefit greatly from medication. Does your son have access to a doctor? If so, he should go soon. Symptoms like this are alot more treatable than they were in the past.

sweep

The cannabis won't be helping him at all. It is very easy to get lost, as the altered perception, and the problem of short term memory, make it easier to jump to conclusions. The fact is that heavy cannabis use does lead to schizophrenia. I think it will be a combination of both, but cannabis use is a no-no, if paranoid delusions are the order of the day.

Cannabis does cause problems without moderation and control; I've had my fair share of them but now I've achieved a balance, and am ready to give up when the time comes.

Bear in mind that different kinds of cannabis have different effect. Some of the newer hybrids have a 'heavy' indica component, which means the result is a very trippy 'skunk' weed. This stuff can take you on a spin, and there is a lot of indica dominance in the market. It is rare, in this country to find a clean sativa, which gives the high but doesn't plaster the user.

Sorry to hear of this problem, Kuu, and I hope that your son finds a way out, and cuts down on the dope, or at least has an awareness of his problem.