Pot Not as Bad as Tobacco … Duh.

Nice to finally see in the news what pretty much every stoner has known at least as long as I’ve smoked pot. ABC News published an article today entitled “Marijuana Smoke Not As Damaging As Tobacco, Says Study.” Here are some excerpts from the article that I found interesting:

Occasionally puffing the magic dragon does not appear to have long-term adverse effects on lung function, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Measuring participants’ lung function for air flow and lung volume five times throughout the study period, the researchers found that cigarette smokers saw lung function worsen throughout the 20-year period, but marijuana smokers did not. Only the heaviest pot smokers (more than 20 joints per month) showed decreased lung function throughout the study.

…researchers actually saw a slight increase in lung function among marijuana users…

While an adult male blows out about 4 liters of air in one second, those who occasionally smoked weed could blow out those 4 liters, plus another 50 milliliters…

“I think what is most striking about the results is that we are so accustomed to studies emphasizing, and sometimes exaggerating, how dangerous marijuana is for users’ health,” said MacCoun. “So this study is a cautionary note that we still have a lot to learn about this complex psychoactive plant.”

Yes, please continue to learn about it! The more the medical industry and the government learn about marijuana…THE TRUTH, NOT THE USUAL SKEWED STATISTICS…the closer we come to legalization.

Cannabutter

If you have ever tried edibles, you may be familiar with the use of weed butter. If not, check this out. Edibles give you a wonderful, all-body high. However, adding straight weed to, say, brownies can give the edible a grainy, fibrous texture. Creating edibles with weed butter solves this problem. Plus, you can just keep a supply around and spread it on toast if you want 🙂

http://weedbutter.com/

See, it’s so good, there’s a domain name and blog devoted to it!

How to Make Pot Butter
Ooh, hadn’t thought of putting it on popcorn! Gotta try it!

This one discusses using both weed butter and cannabis oil in foods

Another: How to Make Cannabutter

And a video: How to make Weed Butter!
(Use this Butter for everything)

Sativa vs Indica

The Differences between Indica and Sativa Cannabis plants:

Fat Leaves and Short Bush = INDICA
Thin Leaves and Tall Bush = SATIVA

Indica….higher CBD than THC equals heavier, sleepy type of high. Yield is usually higher than Sativa, and shorter growing season. Better for indoor growing, because they don’t get as tall.

Sativa….higher THC than CBD equals cerebral, soaring type of high, more energetic Yield is usually lower than Indica, but is very potent. eg: Thai Sativa grow taller and have a longer flowering period, so they are better suited for outdoors.

Sativa’s typically take longer to germinate and flower, and they grow more gangly then indica breeds.

Here is a quote from Hilary Black of the British Columbia Compassion Society:

“Indica and Sativa are the two main varieties of the cannabis plant used as medicine. There are many strains that are crosses of those two varieties. Within each of those varieties and crosses there are a huge number of individual strains, each with a different cannabinoid profile and effect. According to anecdotal evidence, the Indica strains are a relaxant, effective for anxiety, pain, nausea, appetite stimulation, sleep, muscle spasms and tremors, among other symptoms. The Sativa strains are more of a stimulant, effective in appetite stimulation, relieving depression, migraines, pain and nausea. We are now aware of specific strains that are effective for specific conditions and symptoms.”

Source and more info: http://www.weedfarmer.com/growing_guide/cannabis_indica_sativa.php

Too High for the Supermarket by The Uninvited

I love this song!! This live version is a little different from the version I know, but I like it!

Unusual Facts About Marijuana: Let’s Google It!

OK “Unusual Facts About Marijuana” was my original query. Let’s see where it leads me 🙂

Fun Facts About Marijuana

This passage on this page:

The reason marijuana is illegal is because in the 30’s cotton growers lobbied against hemp farmers. They thought that the hemp growing would just be competition for them. However, the argument has become the fact that marijuana is not as addictive as caffeine, alcohol and nicotine.

led me to look up some hemp history, which led me to this page:

Hemp History

This is a very interesting and in-depth article on the growth and use of hemp in the past, errors in grammar and spelling notwithstanding. It does not, however, address the cotton vs hemp controversy. I may have to look into that more deeply one day.

Anyway, back to the original search…

31 Random Facts About Marijuana

Also contains some very interesting facts, with references. One of my favorites:

The psychoactive side effects of THC in small doses include loss of inhibition, elation, and a distorted sense of time. The drug can also cause increased visual sensitivity and heightened imagination.

10 Marijuana Facts

This one is very informative and the facts address many of the common misunderstandings about marijuana. The order and presentation of the facts leads to a valid argument for the legalization of marijuana. One fact I found interesting was this:

The only crime most marijuana users commit is using marijuana. The U. S. Shafer Commission report was the most comprehensive study ever undertaken on the subject. It found that marijuana smokers “tend to be under represented” in violence and in crime, especially when compared to users of alcohol, amphetamines and barbiturates.