does marijuana have a harmful physical effect on the body?

[Fast Twitch Fiber]

Chronic use lowers test levels and has been linked to gyno. This came from my endocrinologist.

 

[Scaggs]

Chronic use lowers test levels and has been linked to gyno. This came from my endocrinologist.

I've heard that before many times.

Scaggs

 

[boss]

WTF!!!!!!!! this is an anabolic board isnt it??? i dont care if you smoke or not but this is why this board is going downhill.........do a search and i have seen this type of thread 1000 times.

 

[wartime100]

WTF is with all these people smoking pot before training. How are you supposed to be agressive and intense while being stoned. If you spend your time getting high all the time you are not serious about your training. Anything that deprives your body of oxygen can't benifit your training.

 

[robby]

you smoke weed on it's own, it cleans the lungs

I'm sorry but only a MORON would believe this. Harsh smoke into the lungs is bad no two ways about it. Heavy pot smoking will lead to lung disease and a good probability cancer. If you guys wish to be pot heads, fine, but don't kid yourselves into believeing that pot effects on the body are harmless. I would like to hear the opinions of some of the boards medical personal.

yes it's hard to believe, but there were some medical studies about that, but don't remember where. they tested it also
to figth asthma (sp?)

hang loose

 

[wartime100]

yes it's hard to believe, but there were some medical studies about that, but don't remember where. they tested it also
to figth asthma (sp?)

hang loose

Are you sure you aren't stoned right now?

 

[Beezers]

Are you sure you aren't stoned right now?

Perhaps he is, but you surely are misinformed right now. Some chemical(unknown) in the smoke of canabis is known to be a bronchio-dialator. It opens up airways in the lungs to allow the unimpeded passage of oxygen into the blood stream. It has been used as a treatment for asthmatics although prohibited in the medically closed minded U.S. It is also a vaso-dialator which serves to lower blood presure, often times quite significantly.

 

[liftsiron]

The studies that is being talked about showed that thc is a broncial dilator, like many of the asthma meds on the market by RX. Other studies also show that pot smoke is so harsh to the lung mucosa and contains so many carcinogens, that any positive effects that pot exhibits, are far outweighed by its negative effects. As for reducing the presure in the eye caused by glucoma, there are better, safer, more effective drugs.

 

[ripper2]

the study being talked about included long term smokers of cigarettes, marijuanna, cigs+marijuanna, and non smokers.

cigarette only smokers typically died the youngest, followed by those who smoked cigs+marijuanna. there wasn't a statistical difference between marijuanna only smokers and nonsmokers.

the study also stated that people living in areas with high levels of air pollution who DID smoke marijuanna tended to last longer than those who were nonsmokers... this was all attributed to the vaso-dialator effect of marijuanna and how it allows the lungs to expell the foreign particles from smoke and smog etc. tobacco on the other hand is a vaso-constrictor and tends to make it much much harder for the lungs to dispell any airborne contaminents.


as for Chronic use lowers test levels and has been linked to gyno. This came from my endocrinologist.

this was initially from a very old study and has since been disproved in more recent experiments.

 

[Silent Method]

The estrogen related side effects of pot are probably overated. Regardless of that, and of more interest to me any way, is pot's well documented demasculizing effect. Anyway, here are some exerpts of articles disucussing negative effects of pot.

The nonpsychoactive cannabinoids may be even more toxic than THC. According to Dr. Roy Hart, "Cannabidiol (CBD) exerts an important effect on the hippocampus which is part of the limbic system of the brain, a collection of interfunctioning units concerned with emotion. CBD produces a depression of hippocampal function...Thus far experimental evidence indicates that CBD is even more toxic to tissues than THC." 16. [Emphasis added] Dr. Gabriel Nahas, Research Professor, New York University, states that cannabionids other than THC (CBN and CBD) also impair dividing cells, and "are even more potent than THC when it comes to inhibiting DNA production." 17.
Dr. Hart further states that "Both the psychoactive and nonpsychoactive cannabinoids occurring in nature interfere with protein synthesis, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis, and ribonucleic acid (RNA) synthesis.

Longtime cannabis researcher, Dr. Gabriel Nahas says that research has shown that the most serious adverse consequences of consumption of THC and other cannabinoids have been observed at the earliest state of reproductive function, on the "gametes" or germ cells of man. These drugs cause damage to the genetic information contained in DNA, causing apoptosis (programmed cell death and deletion). This threatens future generations before they are conceived. 19.

"The effects of pot on athletic performance are increased reaction time, decreased fine motor coordination, and increased heart rate. These effects, along with vasodilating effect , cause an athlete to reach maximum heart rate at a lower than normal intensity of excersise, which decreases maximum work capacity."

Marijuana -

Studies consistently show that marijuana interferes with growth and reproductive hormones. This is of particular significance to developing adolescents who are going through a very vulnerable period of rapid and complex biochemical changes.

The chemicals in marijuana affect the parts of the brain which control and regulate the sex and growth hormones. In males, marijuana can decrease the testosterone level. Testosterone is a major growth hormone and is essential to the completion of the growth process in young males. This process, including the broadening of shoulders, enlargement of muscles in the chest, biceps, and buttocks, deepening of the voice, beard growth and genital development, is dependent on adequate hormone levels. For a long time parents and physicians have described the typical male "pot head" as having narrow shoulders, lack of muscle development (particularly in upper arms, chest, buttocks and upper leg), pale looking face and heavy-lidded eyes. Pediatricians and endocrinologists report increasing cases of pubertal arrest which seem to be marijuana- related. The occasional cases of enlarged breasts in male marijuana users seem to be triggered by the chemical impact on the hormone system.

Regular marijuana use is also associated with a decrease in sperm count and sperm motility, as well as significant increases in abnormal and immature sperm. In many of the sperm, the transmission of DNA is altered and chromosomes are rearranged. Recent animal studies have raised serious concerns that chromosomal aberrations and genetic mutations may be transmitted from the father to the next generation of male offspring. Marijuana is a contributing factor in the rising problem of infertility in males. Young males should know the effects and potential effects of marijuana use on sex and growth processes.
Reference: Preedy VR, Patel VB, Reilly ME, Richardson PJ, Falkous G, Mantle D. (August 1999)

To cast further doubt about safety, the Journal of Immunology (July 2000) recently reported that THC, the major psychoactive component of marijuana (hemp), "can promote tumor growth by impairing the body's anti-tumor immunity system."