Letters to the Editor
-
Was this an ad for Oxycontin?
Just from a medical point of view let me add that if this mom switches to pills for her back pain she faces a long list of side effects. From liver damage (from the Tylenol in most painkillers), gastrointestinal bleed from most anti-inflammatories, or painkillers compounded with aspirin.In addition its very likely that she may develp such severe constipation from narcotics that she may develop an intestinal blockage requiring surgery (if she's lucky enough to get to the hospital on time) I see these daily.Her appetite will may be affected by ongoing nausea (a freq. side effect) with resulting weight loss (decreased appetite in cancer patients is not only caused by the chemo or radiation) resulting in listlessness , malnutrition and muscle wasting
Most certainly she will require higher and higher doses as tolerance quickly develops.But hey ,then she can go to patches or Oxycontin.She'll definitely need a few other scripts to counter side effects. And maybe she should give up driving because most of these will cause far more cognitive impairment and reflex slowing than smoking herb.They also will cause even more numbing out ,so she won't really care when her son moves out just because he's irritated and needs to blame his mother for ruining his life.
My kids were so intimidated by the school campaigns that when I was finishing a soda after picking them up at school one day they started crying &,begging me not to drink and drive!
-
MacK.
The commune I was referring to would be like those that I know personally. They are not fields of rampant sexuality. Adults don't have sex with children, not even 15 year olds (children when they have sex, adults when they commit murder). Nor do they promote ab/use of substances like alcohol or marijuana among their younger members. Many in these communities do not themselves smoke, or drink, or eat meat, or do other things that they consider unhealthy. But they are open to, accepting of, those who choose to drink alcohol, use nicotine, smoke cheeba or use mushrooms and other substances.
There was nothing NAMBLAn or drug promoting in my advice. These are all things that you have read into my suggestion that were not intended by me. They indicate your knowledge of "alternative" lifestyles, individuals and communities is probably derived from the entertainment industry, not personal experience, library research or a scientific approach.
On the subject of teenage sexuality: I don't think that 15 year-olds making out and maybe even having intercourse with other teenagers is something to be worried about - throughout most of the history of our species menarche for girls and primo-ejaculation for boys has been the natural age of adult initiation followed by mating. The fact that most contemporary societies, though not all by any means, have socialised sexual couplings and family units in such a way that reproductive capability and reproductive activity are now separated by a period of 5-15 years speaks only about the ECONOMIC/SURVIVAL conditions of our societies, not the evolutionary biology of the species. This, I'm sure, your scientific training persuades you of with no need for further argument.
Now listen to what I am saying: I am talking about environments in which greater freedom of lifestyle choices is allowed than in suburban Midland. I am talking about normalising alternative lifestyles rather than demonising them. I'm saying, just because the state and many of your neighbours think in a certain way, you can judge the facts for yourself. I am advising those who use cannabis to not contribute to the power of the prohibition discourse and leave their children open to state propaganda.
Every cannabis user I know is well aware of, and frequently discusses, the health science behind smoking (as a scientist, you might want to check the literature on cannabis vs tobacco smoking, or their combination in the continental fashion; you might also investigate the other ways that many cannabis users consume their herb - it isn't all by bong or splif by any means).
Recent publications of research that link the increased incidence of schizophrenia (from rare to less rare) to cannabis is cited by fear-mongers and the info-tainment telesector not because of its clinical significance, but for reasons of profit. According to studies published in the British Medical Journal and elsewhere (studies which you either intentionally or sloppily misrepresent), the main risk factors for schizophrenia, in order of significance, are the following:
- Family history (strongest predictor with relatively high concordance amongst monozygotic twins; individual genes, however, cannot currently be implicated)
- Intrauterine and peri-natal complications;
- Intrauterine infection, particularly viral;
- Abnormal early cognitive/neuromuscular development; and
- Heavy cannabis use in adolescence combined with susceptibility (probably genetic)
As you, the scientist, note, cannabis can be a contributing factor to mental illness - with heavy use in adolescence. Not a puff once a fortnight, or for a week straight during the summer, but habitual, heavy use. My advice to my children is, if you find cannabis something that is healthful or desireable for you, don't indulge with any regularity until you're in your thirties at the earliest. I recommend it to my friends only from their mid-forties onwards, especially to those workaholic i-am-my-career types who are on anti-depressives and anti-anxiety medications.
The civility of your notes remains below the minimum standards of productive exchange. My point about the LW's predicament was that people who chose a lifestyle that includes cannabis should be open about it with their children, should be knowledgeable about the pharmaceutical side of its use, and should prepare their children to anticipate and resist state indoctrination. All I have heard from you is that I'm a "gobshite" (check the OED for a comprehensive definition and history of the word) and probably a paedophiliac.
I assume that you are American(USA), and that you have been socialised to make everything into a contest that must produce one winner and many losers. I am happy to admit that you are probably much more knowledgable about "science" than I am. Feel free to celebrate this victory in any way you see fit. But from my perspective, you have not shown any scientific acumen or habits your bilious, ad hominem and misleading letters on this topic today.