Posted on 12/21/2003 6:02:59 AM PST by qam1
A qualitative exploration of smoking, cannabis and young people
Aims: To examine the relationship between smoking tobacco and cannabis use among smokers in their mid-to-late teens.
Design and participants: Two qualitative studies in Scotland. One study used semistructured paired interviews involving 99 16-19-year-old smokers, the other comprised eight focus groups involving 46 15-16-year-old smokers.
Measurement: The interviews and focus groups explored the role and meaning of smoking in the participants' lives, smoking histories and future cessation intentions and how these related to other aspects of their lives, particularly cannabis use.
Findings: Cannabis use was regarded as an important and enjoyable aspect of many of the participants' lives. Importantly, cannabis use and cigarette smoking were linked inextricably. Several reported how smoking joints had been a 'gateway' to smoking cigarettes. While most wanted to quit smoking cigarettes, cannabis use reinforced their cigarette smoking and few wanted to stop using cannabis.
Conclusion: National studies need to be conducted to examine how widespread the problem identified is and tobacco control initiatives and smoking cessation treatment services need to consider urgently how to overcome the barrier that a desire on the part of young people to continue cannabis smoking poses to achieving a reduction in tobacco use.
Nice try, not biting. You asked what "psychoactive" had to do with "mind altering", and I told you.
OK, whatever floats your boat, you said it, you'd rather have Gilligan do your surgery rather than the Professor.
You really do have a flare for misstating others positions. The choice, as presented by you, was between two doctors, not a dope-smoking candy striper (Gilligan) and a chain-smoking brain surgeon (The Professor). I chose, for the reason stated, the dope-smoking brain surgeon over the chain-smoking brain surgeon.
Where did you get the idea that marijuana is "pure"? It may contain the fungi Aspergillus, leading to the disease Aspergillosis in those whose immune system is lowered. Or the bacteria Salmonella.
You can read all about it here, Moldy Marijuana, The Straight Dope
"A variety of bacteria grow on damp Marijuana. Many are deadly. Researchers have found Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter cloacae, and Streptococcus (group D) growing in government-supplied reefer. Salmonella muenchen was found in Marijuana growing across the Midwest. Under anaerobic conditions (i.e., damp Marijuana stored in airtight containers), Clostridium species will rot pot; these are the famous boutlism bacteria."
"Some fungi won't rot pot, but they will put you in the hospital. Many fungi causing disease in plants die off after their host is harvested. Exceptions include Botrytis cinerea (the cause of gray mold) and Alternaria alternata (brown blight). After harvest, your competition becomes Aspergillus, Penicillium, Rhizopus, and Mucor, the baddest actors on the planet."
Pure marijuana, indeed!
I'll ask again, do you consider tobacco and marijuana equivalent?
Look, smoking marijuana is not safer than not smoking marijuana. Same can be said for cigs, cigars, crack, or anything else one CHOOSES to smoke. By and large, after years of personal research, I've come to the conclusion that inhaling smoke in any form is worse for me than not. BUT, I do think that cigs are worse to smoke than joints. My point is that to me it is senseless to treat marijuana and cocoa plants as the scourge of society while embracing tobacco.
Because Dane made the assertion that tobacco is not a mind altering drug, which is false.
I'll ask again, do you consider tobacco and marijuana equivalent?
No, nor did I ever say they were.
Fortunately, we have a different way of classifying and scheduling them.
Are you aware that pharmaceutical companies are creating experimental drugs derived from marijuana that relieve pain and inflammation without altering mood, which is the natural occurrence of marijuana? Now surely all good drug warriors will want to classifying this new pain pill differently than a naturally grown marijuna plant.
If that's the case, what's the point in smoking even a single cigarette? Seems useless compared to pot.
That was exactly how I saw it.
Pardon me, but that's kind of a non-issue isn't it? I caught that when he posted it, but it's not worth arguing about. When you first start smoking, or haven't had a smoke in a while, you get a head rush. Chain smokers don't notice it as much. We also tend to drink lots of coffee to help us keep smoking.
I took it as obvious that he meant that pot has a much more noticable effect on certain functions in most people, and that you wouldn't want certain folks--doctors-- doing it on the job. That's such an easy question, anyone who gets it wrong has fallen into his little trap, and almost deserves what they get. Do you want your surgeon stoned or just back from a smoke break? C'mon. You're gonna argue over what "mind altering" means.
Put another way: Which would you rather do before watching Full Metal Jacket in your home theater. Smoke a cigarette or smoke a joint? And besides, the question is silly. I don't want a drunken surgeon either.
Cigarettes never make me paranoid ;-)
I don't think so. I have smoked almost my entire life and have smoked my fair share of dope when I was younger. I have never experienced any diminished mental capacity after smoking a cigarette where as I know for a fact I am not safe to drive a car while stoned. If I am stoned, figuring out the stereo remote control might be something of a chore.
I have to agree with Dane, I would not want a surgeon to be cutting on me after he had been smoking dope.
You know, I wouldn't keep smoking if I didn't enjoy it. I have only rarely felt 'worse' after smoking a cigarette. I like smoking. I like the way the smoke feels when I suck it down my throat. I like blowing smoke rings. I get lots of enjoyment out of smoking. The little ritual of rolling the cigarette is just as much part of smoking as is the nicotine itself.
I never had one 'normal' way of feeling after smoking dope. Sometimes I might just get the munchies or want to listen to music or just veg on the couch and watch cartoons and old movies. Other times I would develop a sense of paranoia that other people could tell I was stoned. In the end, this vague uneasiness that I felt was what made me quit smoking dope- this after years of marijuana use. Plus, as a grownup with bills to pay, I realized I had better things to do with my money and time than to spend it on dope and risk being put in jail (losing everything) when alcohol is legal and generally just as pleasurable.
I can understand you trying to make a point that for you personally, smoking dope is a good thing, but I think you take it to an absurd level if you would ever opt for a surgeon who was stoned over one that had just smoked a cigarette. Just like this Virgin Airlines pilot who is currently in the news. Dude's been drinking, he doesn't need to be flying a 747 around. I don't care if he smokes fags in the cockpit though. Change the scenario to someone else's child who needs surgery- not yourself. You have to decide who gets to operate on your neighbor's 6 yr old little girl. Do you choose the stoner surgeon who just toked up or the one who is addicted to fags and who just stubbed one out in the ashtray?
"Mind altering" is not limited to diminished mental capacity. In the case of nicotine the most significant alteration is establishing a physical addiction. Wheather the temporary alteration of mental ability of THC is more dangerous than the rapid physical addiction of nicotine is a subjective determination.
In this case, yes. I think the context of the article makes it relevant. See 77.
When I used to smoke dope- we called it 'getting F--ked Up' for a reason ;-)
But tacticlogic, when the question is the mental state of a surgeon about to perform surgery, it's not that subjective.
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