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Adelaide
02-08-2013, 02:44 PM
The stroke study, which incorporated preliminary data, is the first trial of its kind to study a possible connection between marijuana use and stroke. It included 160 patients aged 18 to 55 who had suffered a stroke connected to a blood clot in the brain, and who agreed to have their urine tested for marijuana within 72 hours of the stroke. These results were compared to those from 160 controls who had not had a stroke but came to the hospital for other reasons. They were matched on age, gender and ethnic background, all of which can also affect the risk for this type of stroke. About 16% of the stroke patients showed traces of marijuana in their urine, compared to 8% of those in the control group, suggesting a doubling of the risk of stroke.

“This is the first case-controlled study to show a possible link to the increased risk of stroke from cannabis,” lead author Dr. Alan Barber of the University of Auckland in New Zealand said in a statement.
The study, however, could not separate tobacco smokers from marijuana smokers, because all but one of those testing positive for marijuana in the urine also showed signs of nicotine. Still, Barber said to Everyday Health “We know cannabis can cause changes in blood pressure and heart rate that are associated with increased stroke risk. Importantly, it can also cause heart palpitations, [a sign of atrial fibrillation]. And atrial fibrillation is very strongly associated with stroke.”


Marijuana linker to increased stroke risk - TIME (http://healthland.time.com/2013/02/08/marijuana-linked-to-increased-stroke-risk/)

So, admittedly there are flaws in this research such as that most the marijuana smokers were also cigarette smokers (which is a well-known cause of CVAs). But it's kind of interesting anyways. It seems like for every study that presents serious side-effects for use of marijuana there is a study that presents evidence to counter that.

I remember when a friend of mine, who smokes a lot of pot, got pregnant and was using pot as a way of managing symptoms of her traumatic brain injury, (which was considered catastrophic). Because of the area of my study in university she asked me to research what side-effects could occur if she continued to use pot therapeutically during her pregnancy. The only side-effects that I could find in many research studies, (and I looked at dozens upon dozens because it was also very interesting) were a very insignificant risk a smaller head circumfrence at birth (that is basically indistinguishable from newborns whose mothers did not use pot), plus a relatively minor risk of ADHD in the child later in life, plus the obvious risk of depriving oxygen to the fetus. She continued to smoke pot only when she needed to for relief of her TBI symptoms after consulting a doctor who confirmed my information, (she didn't want to ask a doctor initially because of the stigma of using drugs while pregnant) and advised only using it when absolutely necessary.

So, I guess I'm curious who all thinks that are legitimate health concerns linked to marijuana use, and whether studies such as the one in the article are possibly true or largely arguable.

Cigar
02-08-2013, 02:47 PM
I guess I was too square back in the day, i never bothered to try.

As far as side affects ... all the guys I knew who smoke pot were screw ups.

Guerilla
02-08-2013, 06:01 PM
it says all but one of the marijuana users also had nicotine. Obviously it's not a very controlled study. I mean we know how bad cigarettes are so I feel like that's what caused the doubling in strokes, not marijuana. I don't think marijuana is bad except the fact that your inhaling smoke. Getting plant matter in your lungs doesn't sound good. But studies have shown the cannabidiol in the marijuana seems to inhibit cancer cell growth. It's supposed to work it's way into your own internal endocannabinoid system. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-endocannabinoid-system.htm this is an article that sums up what the endocannabinoid system does and how it works with cannabis

Red Green
02-08-2013, 06:06 PM
I guess I was too square back in the day, i never bothered to try.

As far as side affects ... all the guys I knew who smoke pot were screw ups.

Marijuana turns normal people into baby slaughtering liberals who end up on disability because the dope fried their tiny brains.

bladimz
02-08-2013, 06:39 PM
it says all but one of the marijuana users also had nicotine. Obviously it's not a very controlled study. I mean we know how bad cigarettes are so I feel like that's what caused the doubling in strokes, not marijuana. I don't think marijuana is bad except the fact that your inhaling smoke. Getting plant matter in your lungs doesn't sound good. But studies have shown the cannabidiol in the marijuana seems to inhibit cancer cell growth. It's supposed to work it's way into your own internal endocannabinoid system. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-endocannabinoid-system.htm this is an article that sums up what the endocannabinoid system does and how it works with cannabisWell, the smoke taken in by cigarettes is way different than the smoke from pot. When you consider all of the many toxins and poisons that are used in processing tobacco and making cigs, the smoke you'll hauling in is more than just smoke.

On the other hand, smoke from pot is just smoke from burning a dried plant. If i had to choose, (and i always do) i choose pot. 4 out of 5 doctors recommend Pot.

This being said, i did suffer a slight stroke. But my doctors have determined that several head injuries over the years have been the main contributory factors. Falling branches, lightening strikes, etc.

bladimz
02-08-2013, 06:41 PM
Marijuana turns normal people into baby slaughtering liberals who end up on disability because the dope fried their tiny brains.Gosh. You should be a judge.

Adelaide
02-08-2013, 08:53 PM
This being said, i did suffer a slight stroke. But my doctors have determined that several head injuries over the years have been the main contributory factors. Falling branches, lightening strikes, etc.

Do we need to get you a helmut? :p

Just joking. I'm glad you're okay; was it a TIA?

Disco Stu
02-09-2013, 06:05 AM
Marijuana turns normal people into baby slaughtering liberals who end up on disability because the dope fried their tiny brains.

And what far right neocon site told you that

Mainecoons
02-09-2013, 02:25 PM
marijuana turns normal people into baby slaughtering liberals who end up on disability because the dope fried their tiny brains.

lol!

waltky
12-06-2016, 09:48 PM
Not much data on pot use by golden agers...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/confused.gif
Researchers worry as info lags on pot use by older adults
December 6, 2016 — Researchers fret as info lags on pot effects on older adults


Surveys show a small but growing number of older adults are using marijuana — a trend that worries researchers who say not enough information exists about how pot affects older users. Abundant research has been done on how the drug impacts developing brains, but little is known about the potential consequences on older users — even as recreation pot has been legalized in a number of states. Researchers at New York University say pot could pose health challenges to older users ranging from memory loss to risk of falling. The researchers reviewed data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and found a big increase in adults over 50 reporting they had used pot in the past year.


https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/U1dSsKwa941dzh0H0PgeMg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9MTI4MDtoPTk2MDtpbD 1wbGFuZQ--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/78361fbc49d14d51beef5a6ae8b2402d.jpg
Multiple sclerosis patient and author of the memoir "One day at a Time," David Sloan, who is a medical marijuana patient, exhales smoke from medical cannabis concentrate given to him with help from his caregiver, at Sloan's home in Highlands Ranch, south of Denver. Marijuana researchers have predominantly looked at how the drug affects young, developing brains. But increased pot use by older adults has scientists calling for more study of how aging influences drug use, and whether elderly pot users face potential health benefits or risks.

About 2.8 percent of those surveyed said they had used pot a decade ago. Six years later in 2013, the rate was about 4.8 percent — a 71 percent jump. "Historically older people haven't had high rates of substance use, but this is changing," said Dr. Benjamin Han, a geriatrician at NYU who led the study published this week in the journal Addiction. "As baby boomers age, we're going to see more and more of this." Older adults are still much less likely than younger people to use pot. In the 2013 survey, about 19 percent of people 18 to 25 reported using marijuana in the previous month.


https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/yvWi0XBKHcaGND5otdID6A--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9Nzg0O2g9ODE2/http://media.zenfs.com/en/homerun/feed_manager_auto_publish_494/781e40ee461ddd462449782a12151d46
Californians seek pot of gold in marijuana legalization

Doctors have little to go on when treating older people who use pot, Han said. "When it comes to, for instance, alcohol, there have been a lot of studies about effects on older populations, guidelines on how much older people should be consuming," Han said. "But when it comes to marijuana, we have nothing." The study drew no conclusions about whether older pot users are using the drug as medicine or for fun. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said last year that marijuana can be helpful for treating certain ailments, but he added that medical marijuana research is preliminary and he called for more research. Federal drug law considers marijuana a drug with no medical use.


https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/daAMZUzmrqn9DBVlqR.3ag--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjtzbT0xO3c9MTI4MDtoPTk2MDtpbD 1wbGFuZQ--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/ap_webfeeds/6267792a7e8b418192680667e20a6b08.jpg
Multiple sclerosis patient and author of the memoir "One day at a Time," David Sloan, who is a medical marijuana patient, exhales smoke from medical cannabis concentrate given to him with help from his caregiver, at Sloan's home in Highlands Ranch, south of Denver. Marijuana researchers have predominantly looked at how the drug affects young, developing brains. But increased pot use by older adults has scientists calling for more study of how aging influences drug use, and whether elderly pot users face potential health benefits or risks.

Marijuana legalization debates center on the drug's consequences for kids, perhaps leaving adults to think there's no downside to using it. "Before the liberalization of marijuana policy, lots of young people used marijuana and then as they got jobs and kids and mortgages, they stopped," said Jonathan Caulkins, a professor of public policy at Carnegie-Mellon University who was not involved in the NYU study. "It seems that as the social stigmatization has decreased, more users are continuing into adulthood."

https://www.yahoo.com/news/researchers-worry-lags-pot-older-adults-221115900.html?ref=gs