Clearing the Smoke: The Science of Cannabis
8.36
Ratings: 8.36/10 from 69 users.
Montana PBS's new documentary, Clearing the Smoke, reveals how cannabis acts on the brain and in the body to treat nausea, pain, epilepsy and potentially even cancer.
Extensive interviews with patients, doctors, researchers and skeptics detail the promises and the limitations of medicinal cannabis. Even though the video has an American perspective, marijuana use is illegal throughout many countries of the world for reasons that are not clear.
This video is important because it mainly investigates the scientific basis underlying the medical benefits of marijuana use instead of focusing on the social, political and legal hysteria that have been attached to it.
If you can get a legal script for actual meth (Desoxyn) then THC is 100% a legit medication
first we need to find a way to destroy the government system. Its all where it is wrong .
If for no other reason to use it, is the fact cancer patients lose so much weight because they have no desire to eat.....The cannabis increases their appetite...
I'm really tired of these monotone like documentaries. Why can't someone bring a documentary that is both educational and interesting?
5. A neurotransmission system in the brain that affects pleasure, memory, perception, and coordination is 20 percent less active in regular marijuana smokers than in non-marijuana smokers.
So that’s why you suck at Ping-Pong. The National Institute of Mental Health– and National Institute on Drug Abuse–affiliated researchers who conducted the study that yielded this stat used positron emission tomography to compare the brains of otherwise healthy daily marijuana smokers with the brains of otherwise healthy nonsmokers. They found that the cessation of marijuana use corrected the problem.Dope!
According to the study that yielded this stat, “The confirmation of the presence, in both mainstream and sidestream”—that is, directly inhaled and secondhand—“smoke of marijuana cigarettes of known carcinogens and other chemicals implicated in respiratory diseases is important.” This Canadian government-affiliated study also found three times as much ammonia in secondhand marijuana smoke as in secondhand tobacco smoke.
David Moir, et al. “A Comparison of
Lung Cancer, heart disease from Smoking, dumb stoned A__ H____S living wasted lives, ending up in S____, some of us have survived many of our friends have died from Smoking grass, from Lung cancer. Sure if you have cancer it sounds fine, go ahead, but dont smoke it, eat it. Live long.
About the confusion over 'skunk'! It is just a specific strain, like Kush, Cheese, Diesel, Blueberry, White Widow et al. The media have jumped on this word and apply it to all strong cannabis, but that is because they don't know what they are talking about.
It doesn't matter if it is grown indoors hydroponically, indoors in compost, or outdoors, if the seed came from a 'skunk' plant, then the plant will be 'skunk', likewise, if the seed was from a 'Smellyberry', then the plant will be a 'Smellyberry' regardless of how it was grown.
Cannabis is not genetically modified, it is selectively bred, exactly the same way apples, roses, corn, wheat, dogs, horses, cattle etc. have been for millenia.
Education people! It will set you free!
@ Jennifer Grinberg
Educate yourself!
The benefits of medical cannabis far outweigh the risks, even when smoked. As a pain-killer it is as effective and less toxic than most pharmaceutical pain-killers. It has anti-emetic properties (stops people being sick while on chemotherapy), and has been proven to kill certain types of cancer cells.
It is also less carcinogenic than tobacco when smoked pure and can actually help promote lung function.
If you like, I can point you to loads of scientific studies that show how beneficial cannabis can be, but I guess you are one of the 'sheeple' that believes the lies and propaganda.
@ Jennifer Grinberg.
Hi
I am a final year med student in the UK could you post your reference list please.
I think your confused, 'mycotoxin' means a toxin (endo or exo) produced by any member of the kingdom fungi that basically has a negative effect on other species cells.
What you are suggesting is that ingestion of cannabis (a plant) causes fungal septicaemia. I can assure you this is unheard of. We most commonly see this presentation in IV drug users due to 'dirty needles' and poor injection site hygiene.
If you have evidence to the contrary i would be happy to see it.
For all you "scientists" making comments here, what do you really know about the effects of weed at the cellular level? Vaporize to rid yourself of the burning sensation? Like anything that alters the mind, it would indicate a disorganization of the "normal" cells into an abnormal condition. Upon looking at the red blood cells of an individual who routinely smokes or vaporizes weed, it is evident of the damage done to the life giving red cells which have changed their form into morbid mycotoxins, no longer able to optimally carry out their function of bringing nutrients & oxygen to all parts of the body. Simple! Change the environment of the inner terrain by the introduction of the weed which releases toxins, changes the red cell, just as pollutants in the air (environment) changes what lives & breathes in it.
It is my understanding that the only reason it is illegal now is because there is not a defined economic investment that the government can benefit from. Considering the statistics of the something two drugs in terms of fatalities let alone addictions compared to cannabis as well as the notation that alcohol (which is proven to be more harmful) is legal, it is such a mystery to me as to how we haven't overcome our pride to legalize it.
The original intent of controlling Marijuana AND Hemp came about because the newly formed oil industry early in the 19th century felt threatened by the multitude of products made from Hemp that competed with petroleum. It used to be illegal NOT TO GROW Hemp in the 17th and 18th century- the war on Marijuana is all about monetary control.
An excellent documentary. Very informative. If Professors talking about their experiences doesn't inform and enlighten then nothing other then personally experiencing it will.
More to the point, what right does anyone have to tell someone they can't have the medicine they need, merely because they don't believe or agree. Shame on the law-makers who continue to withhold medicine from suffering people.
Skunk, skunk and more skunk. Is that all the weed you people know. Man, there are so much more GOOD flavors, strong.. yes, but o so nice.... I'm from, you guess't it, the Netherlands. I tend to smoke a lot and recently i started using a Vaporizer to get rid of the burning process. It has opened my eyes. Even the strongest weeds are smooth and the flavor is so full. Beets burning weed hands down....
Deaths by blowing in the Netherlands: Nil, nada, nothing, none and zero...
Deaths by alcohol in the Netherlands: Don't even get me started... A lot..
ps.... don't that one doc look like Mr. Rogers!!!
So natural isn't good enough, it's the pill form, the control form, not full of naturally things but man made up things, in which justifies it's legal status?.... now i'm not a user of cannabis, Although I'm not ashamed to say I've tried it as many have... but some things just don't sit right with me about this whole situation... There are many proven sciences that say organic is the best and healthiest way to go. There is plenty of logic to that, now I'm curious to know why is it that Government still ignorantly proclaims otherwise?
And now....I will comment on Weed or SKUNKWEED, Bud, pot, Mary Jane, S***, Stuff ad nauseum. This simple plant, which contains at least, 105 chemicals, was used as a medicine for at least (again with the at least...give it up already) 5000 years. Was suddenly at completely made illegal by Harry Amslinger...what else did the Government give this guy the task to eradicate?
I rest my case. I need a joint.
anyone having trouble obtaining or growing legal ganja in the U.S. needs to relocate to California. i have had a 'scrip for the past 5 years, costs 40 dollars to obtain, the shops are cheap and plentiful with good product, and anyone with rec. can grow 6 plants a turn. my wife and i turn 12 plants in our closet 3 to 4 times a year and have not paid for weed, hash, or baked goods in over a year.
fantastic documentary on the subject. as a long-time suffer of an autoimmune disease, I sympathize with the testimonials.
I had no idea that there was so much science on the topic. I was stunned to hear that our bodies naturally produce cannabinoids and that they also kill cancer. (what??!! why don't we know more about this??? oh yeah...)
Damn politics! So much science is either not conducted or never published because it won't sell or there is no profit to be made. Scientific funders are so nervous about the social stigmas that real, life-changing studies never get approved. it sickens me. I was going to pursue a PhD in biology but decided against it because I thought the politics were too much -- I am inspired by the persistence and determination of these trail-blazing scientists who have lead the way - thank you!
More evidence the government does not represent the people that elect it but the special interests that buy it.
Stoned now. Great.
Smoke 'em if you got 'em.;)
but oxies can be legal? smoke an herb, or ingest synthetic medical grade heroine.....
that doctors a geeeeek "smoking dope for medication" government paid for sure
No the Pygmy seem quite adept at ambushing while stoned. That's their game plan. They have used weed to adapt to their environment.
I am serious when I say that weed should be researched for its practical uses.
@Rocky Racoon That's interesting to know. It's possible that my doctor may even offer that up as an alternative. Even if I did accept that, I think I would still like to use it for recreation, however. In that case I would be a weekend toker.
i used to take 2 needles a day,,type 2 diabetes ,,,now i smoke weed,,,every day,,,no more needles,,,no high sugar...
sleep tight guys x
Wasn't worried about disbelief. Was worried about my recall!
I looked it up just now. It is true. It comes from Carl Sagan's "Dragons of Eden". If I didn't smoke weed I could have remembered that.
Speaking of hunting, I read or saw something years ago concerning the Pygmies of Africa and their use of weed while hunting. Seems since they are small the Pygmies wait on the prey to come to them. As a means of keeping perfectly still they get stoned.
It was suggested perhaps weed could be man's oldest cultivated crop.
You know, that ancient part of the brain which controls the mechanics of the body - breathing, heart rate, heating and cooling - the everyday ordinary things a body does.
Now my mind, although stoned, is serenely and keenly aware of the world around me. It's out there on its own paying no attention to the goings-on in the reptile department of the brain.
The experience is so real as to feel surreal. But I've seen this mentioned nowhere. Seems medicine would have noticed this before.
Spent the afternoon at Ainsworh Hotsprings yesterday (104 degree natural water), possibly would have smoked one if i had one. But when i get off i normally stay off for months....self control is something i test on myself regularly with all kinds of things including popcorn.
az
I suffer from chronic pain and have for many many years. If marijuana was legal it would definitely be my drug of choice to manage pain. Nothing else works and they are just neurotoxins to the body.
Ok! True funny story time! As a kid I got a job "weeding" the neighbor's flower garden. I was like age 7 (maybe). I did such a good job, and went the extra mile for my paying customers, that when I noticed a whole flowerbed of yucky green weed seedlings on the side of the house, I "weeded" them too. After getting paid, I heard someone sream "OMG!" Yep, you guessed it--REAL weed! I never "weeded" for them again! ;-) Perhaps I've missed my calling in the DEA.
Keep it illegal!!! Keep it tax-freeeeeee!!!! :)
Off to bed, sweet dreams all x
Not to be cynical, here, but...I was listening to NPR the other day. They were talking about how drug cartels have taken over Mexico, with extreme levels of violence and their own armed militias. Why? because it's so lucrative to sell illegal drugs in the U.S.
So I started daydreaming...what if they legalized all illegal drugs being used for recreational purposes, and made them available for consumer consumption, the way alcohol is?
(My contention has always been that there are minorities at either end of the spectrum, those who either cannot tolerate drugs, or have severe tendencies towards addictive behavior--assuming a given substance isn't already physically addictive--with most in the middle range and able to enjoy the occasional social use without becoming dependent. Society's focus should really be on how to control addictive behaviors in general, not any one addiction in particular. But I digress.)
Then I started remembering the history of prohibitions and the forces behind them...Now my cynical side did kick in and I began thinking of all the lucrative businesses that would be affected by legal, taxed pleasure substances. You know: the prison industries; the alcohol industries; the political industries; the religion industries; the government agency industries...They all profit from the "sin".
I don't suppose any amount of luxury tax would make up their losses. Forget about the effect the criminalization of an innocuous drug has already had on minorities and the poor, who, after all, are the fodder all those industries feed on.
*Sigh*. I came back to earth. And for the curious, yes I've smoked pot. No, I don't do it regularly. I don't drink alcohol very much, either. If offered both with an either/or caveat, I'd choose the pot, but I just don't use many drugs at all, legal or otherwise.
I do worry about what has happened in my country over the last 30 years. And it isn't the drugs I'm worried about. You know what the most common use of the so-called Patriot Act is? That's right...the 'war on drugs'. Forget terrorism.
Legalize, end the hypocrisy!
Been smoking pot for over 20 years regularly. I will never understand what the big deal is, people either smoke it or they don't. Alcohol should be the focus and cause for concern, not weed.
A lazy attitude towards life is a lazy attitude towards life, high or not!
Actually these comments are getting boring lol. How everybody is so in love with their Mary-Jane.
Researchers in Canada report that marijuana smoke contains significantly higher levels of several toxic compounds-including Ammonia, 20 times higher...and hydrogen cyanide, 3-5 times higher, than tobacco smoke, not to mention about 50 other cancerous compounds and may therefore pose similar health risks, and not withstanding Mary-jane is inhaled very deeply into the lungs, effectively killing the Alveoli in the lungs. Basically with or without a "Bong" ..."Science Daily"
Epicurus put me straight on a few things. I was coming at this from a different perspective, thinking in terms of recreational use and not as a herbal remedy. I mixed in some personal experience which took away my objectivity. Still I wonder if it might be that people need to be more accepting of the mental health issues that it apparently helps. If we did our bit would their bit be easier, if we de-stigmatised would the feeling of needing to change to fit in be less intense. I do know something about Epilepsy and yes, getting stoned can help up to a point (best eaten). The problem is being stoned all the time- even a gentle tickle can be tiring in it's own way. Maybe preferable to taking endless pills every day though.
Hey Vlad ...take a look at "cannabis cures cancer" ...you maynwant to add it
I thought it was pretty refreshing to see an American network doc with this attitude. I use it for both medicinal and recreational uses. I suffer from severe anxiety and depression and I have severe GI problems, which prevent me from drinking and cause chronic pain, and I use weed to HELP solve all problems. My doctor knows, and I am following a course of prescribed meds, so I'm not saying 'Weed cures everything' or 'it's the plant from revelations, dude', but I am saying that, even with prescription meds, life for me would be crap without weed. I know because I have lived that life before now.
Personally I think it should be legal. It's a natural plant, for a start, and it being illegal (I'm in Canada, by the way) makes me a criminal, which I don't really like. I've never had hassle from the police and I don't really want any at all, to be honest. I can't imagine what being stuck in jail even overnight would be like for me with the problems I have. Plus, I'd say that the evidence for marajuna being more of a helpful than harmful drug is overwhelming. On this site alone there are plenty of different documentaries that cross-confirm what the others all say - and not all the documentaries on here are 'for' marajuana - plus I have my own experience. Here's an example: I have an English degree and graduated with distinction (that means 4.0 GPA), and I was high the whole time. It helped me with my anxiety and social phobias as well as the pain and I don't feel it affected my work at all. I got top marks in all my classes. I'm not bragging, I believe it is a truly strong affirmation that you can use marajuana and have a normal life.
Not only that, but if you are creative, it can do wonders. Personally, I write, and it can really stimulate the imagination. I even understand why thanks partially to TDF and its awesome collection, but also partially to my own initiative and research which, to get to the point, weed has not impaired. That's my two cents, anyway.
Peace.
...and no Dr.Vothe the"rub"is you are a narrow minded tight ass...
I can't believe how Dr.Vothe keeps saying over and over "the problem is your smoking dope"and about addiction and with drawl symptoms.So taking opioid is not taking dope.They are very addicting and arguably have the worst with drawl symptoms of any drug.Are you kidding me...
whats the harm? I never hear that part!
I will never understand how society can accept the damage that can be done by alcohol, domestic violence of all kinds, and yet deny the usefulness of marijuana. It reminds me of prohibition where the attitudes of a few religious people were forced onto an entire nation, and we all know what that brought about. Marijuana, I believe, is kept illegal because it is a money maker for many branchs of government, namely the "war on drugs" enforcers as well as the judicial and corrections departments. If it were legal the prison populations would go down considerably. But to hear this Dr.Toth criticize marijuana as a drug and praise the benefits of chemicals with all of their side effects is just hipocritical . But thats our government for you, if they could find a way to use it as a weapon they would be producing it by the plane load.
All I know is the damn drug war has been going on all my life, it is old & tired now. People's lives are ruined, families torn apart... I don't think getting high on anything deserves such life changing punishments.