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PBS Nova did a great documentary on Medical Cannabis recently. The researcher they interviewed said that "people seem to think it's either the greatest thing in

PBS Nova did a great documentary on Medical Cannabis recently. The researcher they interviewed said that "people seem to think it's either the greatest thing in the universe that cures all ailments or it's the devil's grass. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle". It can do great things like alleviate seizures in children, but they showed it has issues as well. One example was that those who smoke small amounts to help with PTSD will eventually become desensitized and have to increase their dosage and at higher doses, it could make the patient worse off.

bryans 5y ago
It was extremely disappointing that NOVA completely failed to mention Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome, and they also falsely claimed that there have been 0 marijuana-related deaths. They really didn't do their research for that episode.
- monetus 5y ago
  Who died?
  - bryans 5y ago
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29768651/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29768651/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/09/20/indiana-boy-17-died-smoking-weed-chs-blame-what-chs/2387571001/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/09/20/indian...
    - monetus 5y ago
      I'm not going to download and read the pdf until later, but with three cases only reviewed by the researchers and not actively monitored by them (it seems), I'm curious how they could be at all certain CHS was caused by cannabis. A lot of receptors in the stomach, so it could make sense. Three cases studied after the fact though, I was hoping for something more thorough. The USA today article is reprehensible.
      - bryans 5y ago
        As a chronic sufferer of CHS, I'd be happy to tell you all about it if you're genuinely curious. But there really hasn't been a question of the connection between cannabis and cyclical vomiting since the 2004 study[1] led to a fury of other research[2]. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1774264/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1774264/ [2] https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=cannabinoid+hyperemesis+syndrome https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=cannabinoid+hyperemesis...
- Bud 5y ago
  The fact that you really have to hunt for these deaths, and that even seemingly-rigorous medical studies on the question can only dig up a total of three cases, combined with the fact that hundreds of millions of people (at least) use cannabis very regularly, really tells you all you need to know. Cannabis use simply is not fatal, or even highly dangerous, under all normal conditions. Sure, yes, you can find a few 1 in 10,000,000 or 1 in 100,000,000 exceptions. You can probably find some of those for chocolate ice cream, too.
  - asdfasgasdgasdg 5y ago
    https://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-ice-cream-deaths-20150314-story.html https://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-ice-cream-dea... Three ice-cream deaths in a single state in a single incident! Nothing is free of risk, but despite the fearmongering, I still think cannabis is not very risky compared to many other things.
  - bryans 5y ago
    I didn't have to "hunt" for anything -- I am a chronic sufferer of CHS and have almost died from it on a number of occasions. And the deaths I linked to are only a handful among many suspected ones, for an illness which is just starting to be properly investigated. ERs have been flooded with severe cases of CHS over the past two decades. It's not just three people dying in rare cases, it's potentially 2.75 million[1] Americans experiencing CHS episodes every year which, given the 35 million[2] "regular" cannabis users, means that approximately 7% of users are susceptible. For you to dismiss this horrific illness as "not fatal" and even "not dangerous" is outrageously arrogant and ignorant of a very real condition. You're essentially saying that those people did not matter, or did not exist, and that the pain and suffering I have experienced is irrelevant just because it's not the same experience as your own. It is beyond disturbing that you feel so comfortable making medical claims about something you clearly have no understanding of. Shame on you. [1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29327809/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29327809/ "Among 2127 patients approached for participation, 155 met inclusion criteria as smoking 20 or more days per month. Among those surveyed, 32.9% (95% CI, 25.5-40.3%) met our criteria for having experienced CHS. If this is extractable to the general population, approximately 2.75 million (2.13-3.38 million) Americans may suffer annually from a phenomenon similar to CHS." [2] https://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/national/article145681414.html https://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/national/article145... "Close to 35 million are what the survey calls "regular users," or people who use marijuana at least once or twice a month."
vmception 5y ago
wow, side effects, stop the presses…. I wish all the scheduled drugs had lists of side effects from actual studies and clinical trials to the FDA standard, just like every other crazy deadly poisonous substance they approve over there. The states aren't cutting it, its just embarrassing at this point that even as recreationally available that this substance cant be at the same standard as other drugs and relies on conjecture.
TedShiller 5y ago
> it's either the greatest thing in the universe that cures all ailments or it's the devil's grass. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle Correct. And of those two extremes, it's probably closer to the negative side than to the greatest thing ever. Unfortunately, the greatest thing ever has not been found yet.
- FollowingTheDao 5y ago
  Middle is the wrong way to put it. There is a middle to every bell curve, but being on the wings of the bell curve is usually a sucky place to be. I would say it’s both and it will depend on the users genetics and the quality of the cannabis. The pesticides used on illegal cannabis productions is not something to be ignored. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666027X21000128 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666027X2...
  - TedShiller 5y ago
    It’s probably not the worst thing ever but it’s definitely not the greatest thing ever.
- klyrs 5y ago
  > Unfortunately, the greatest thing ever has not been found yet. You have never experienced the joy of a cardboard box.
  - ModernMech 5y ago
    My cats concur
escapedmoose 5y ago
Sample size of one: I enjoy the pleasant effects of smoking, but it seems to trigger and/or worsen my migraines. The answer is certainly somewhere in the middle.
klipt 5y ago
> eventually become desensitized and have to increase their dosage What's interesting is this applies to many FDA approved drugs too. The body has amazing homeostasis ability, which unfortunately leads to "rebound" effects from many drugs, e.g. when the PPI (heartburn drug) wears off, you might have even more heartburn because your body saw an unusually low acid level in your stomach and declared an emergency increase in acid production.

bryans 5y ago

It was extremely disappointing that NOVA completely failed to mention Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome, and they also falsely claimed that there have been 0 marijuana-related deaths. They really didn't do their research for that episode.

monetus 5y ago
Who died?
- bryans 5y ago
  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29768651/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29768651/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/09/20/indiana-boy-17-died-smoking-weed-chs-blame-what-chs/2387571001/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/09/20/indian...
  - monetus 5y ago
    I'm not going to download and read the pdf until later, but with three cases only reviewed by the researchers and not actively monitored by them (it seems), I'm curious how they could be at all certain CHS was caused by cannabis. A lot of receptors in the stomach, so it could make sense. Three cases studied after the fact though, I was hoping for something more thorough. The USA today article is reprehensible.
    - bryans 5y ago
      As a chronic sufferer of CHS, I'd be happy to tell you all about it if you're genuinely curious. But there really hasn't been a question of the connection between cannabis and cyclical vomiting since the 2004 study[1] led to a fury of other research[2]. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1774264/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1774264/ [2] https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=cannabinoid+hyperemesis+syndrome https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=cannabinoid+hyperemesis...
Bud 5y ago
The fact that you really have to hunt for these deaths, and that even seemingly-rigorous medical studies on the question can only dig up a total of three cases, combined with the fact that hundreds of millions of people (at least) use cannabis very regularly, really tells you all you need to know. Cannabis use simply is not fatal, or even highly dangerous, under all normal conditions. Sure, yes, you can find a few 1 in 10,000,000 or 1 in 100,000,000 exceptions. You can probably find some of those for chocolate ice cream, too.
- asdfasgasdgasdg 5y ago
  https://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-ice-cream-deaths-20150314-story.html https://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-ice-cream-dea... Three ice-cream deaths in a single state in a single incident! Nothing is free of risk, but despite the fearmongering, I still think cannabis is not very risky compared to many other things.
- bryans 5y ago
  I didn't have to "hunt" for anything -- I am a chronic sufferer of CHS and have almost died from it on a number of occasions. And the deaths I linked to are only a handful among many suspected ones, for an illness which is just starting to be properly investigated. ERs have been flooded with severe cases of CHS over the past two decades. It's not just three people dying in rare cases, it's potentially 2.75 million[1] Americans experiencing CHS episodes every year which, given the 35 million[2] "regular" cannabis users, means that approximately 7% of users are susceptible. For you to dismiss this horrific illness as "not fatal" and even "not dangerous" is outrageously arrogant and ignorant of a very real condition. You're essentially saying that those people did not matter, or did not exist, and that the pain and suffering I have experienced is irrelevant just because it's not the same experience as your own. It is beyond disturbing that you feel so comfortable making medical claims about something you clearly have no understanding of. Shame on you. [1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29327809/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29327809/ "Among 2127 patients approached for participation, 155 met inclusion criteria as smoking 20 or more days per month. Among those surveyed, 32.9% (95% CI, 25.5-40.3%) met our criteria for having experienced CHS. If this is extractable to the general population, approximately 2.75 million (2.13-3.38 million) Americans may suffer annually from a phenomenon similar to CHS." [2] https://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/national/article145681414.html https://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/national/article145... "Close to 35 million are what the survey calls "regular users," or people who use marijuana at least once or twice a month."

vmception 5y ago

wow, side effects, stop the presses…. I wish all the scheduled drugs had lists of side effects from actual studies and clinical trials to the FDA standard, just like every other crazy deadly poisonous substance they approve over there. The states aren't cutting it, its just embarrassing at this point that even as recreationally available that this substance cant be at the same standard as other drugs and relies on conjecture.

TedShiller 5y ago

> it's either the greatest thing in the universe that cures all ailments or it's the devil's grass. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle Correct. And of those two extremes, it's probably closer to the negative side than to the greatest thing ever. Unfortunately, the greatest thing ever has not been found yet.

FollowingTheDao 5y ago
Middle is the wrong way to put it. There is a middle to every bell curve, but being on the wings of the bell curve is usually a sucky place to be. I would say it’s both and it will depend on the users genetics and the quality of the cannabis. The pesticides used on illegal cannabis productions is not something to be ignored. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666027X21000128 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666027X2...
- TedShiller 5y ago
  It’s probably not the worst thing ever but it’s definitely not the greatest thing ever.
klyrs 5y ago
> Unfortunately, the greatest thing ever has not been found yet. You have never experienced the joy of a cardboard box.
- ModernMech 5y ago
  My cats concur

escapedmoose 5y ago

Sample size of one: I enjoy the pleasant effects of smoking, but it seems to trigger and/or worsen my migraines. The answer is certainly somewhere in the middle.

klipt 5y ago

> eventually become desensitized and have to increase their dosage What's interesting is this applies to many FDA approved drugs too. The body has amazing homeostasis ability, which unfortunately leads to "rebound" effects from many drugs, e.g. when the PPI (heartburn drug) wears off, you might have even more heartburn because your body saw an unusually low acid level in your stomach and declared an emergency increase in acid production.