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BIKINI

Tomasino — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:54:53 +0000

BarCamp (Ganja) 2009

Xanim — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:28:34 +0000

before the un-conference- preparation

Preparing my presentation "New Media"

Marijuana Myth - Addiction

ngust — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:16:07 +0000

Myth: Marijuana is an addictive drug.

The Truth: Not everyone has the same definition of addiction. To some any use of an illicit drug is considered addiction, to others signs of dependency are the determining factor. Depending on your definition marijuana could fill some of the criteria.

The generally accepted definition emphasizes preoccupation with the substance, compulsive use and frequent relapses. Those who spend excessive time and money to get a drug may be considered pre-occupied. As well as groups of friends who talk about nothing but the drug, or blog writers for that matter. Users who smoke at the same time each day or can’t watch a movie without pot could be considered compulsive users. What about relapses? Those who continue use despite repeated attempts to quit are typical of addiction but this is a rare product of marijuana use.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is the authoritative tool used by psychiatric professionals to diagnose mental disorders. The DSM does not use the word addiction because it is too subjective. It uses the terms dependence and abuse instead. In the DSM a person is considered dependant if 3 of the 7 criteria are satisfied. The criteria are

Tolerance
Withdrawal
Use in excess of initial intention
Failed attempts to decrease use
Loss of time related to use
Continued use despite problems
Reduced activities due to use

Tolerance certainly applies to marijuana. Some effects of pot diminish with continued use; things like dry mouth, munchies, coughing and inebriation are much less pronounced in an experienced user compared to a new user. Once a tolerance is developed it takes more drug to get high. The vast majority of marijuana users though will reach an equilibrium where they know the high they want and stop there. Withdrawal means discomfort associated with absence of the drug. Some heavy marijuana users report symptoms such as sleep disturbances, anxiety and irritability when they discontinue use abruptly. These symptoms vary significantly from person to person and many users experience no withdrawal symptoms from marijuana.

The third symptom shows loss of control of the amount consumed. Binge drinkers and cocaine users frequently display this symptom. It is uncommon for a marijuana user to buy a big bag and not have any left in the house the next morning. While some heavy users smoke huge quantities it is their intention to do so and not a loss of control. For example Bob Marley was quoted in an interview to smoke over a pound of ganja (weed) per week. That was no accident, he was a Ratafari and ganja is sacrament in his religion.

The fourth symptom is also not typical of marijuana use. While many users have a craving for the drug they also have no intention of quitting. Few people have any trouble at all quitting marijuana use. Number five, loss of time, is another very subjective symptom. Marijuana is illegal worldwide and as such it takes time to track down and buy. In contrast users of caffeine or nicotine can purchase their drug of choice at a variety of stores. Impairment for the duration of the drug is not considered a loss of time to most users; that is often the goal.

Number six on the list is also subjective but somewhat easier to diagnose. Any time lost from work as a result of use would qualify as well as unwanted lifestyle changes. For example someone who previously enjoyed skiing and rock climbing but now spends most of the time laying on the couch would qualify. The pop culture image of a marijuana user is the burned-out couch potato but that is not the case in the vast majority of users (see Amotivational Syndrome Myth). Arrest and or incarceration from a possession charge would not qualify because it is not the result of marijuana use but the result of prohibition. The final symptom is continued use despite problems related to the drug. This is another subjective symptom. Cannabis users could experience confrontations with family members who have a strong opinion about the drug, legal problems, or increased symptoms from a pre-existing disease such as emphysema or asthma.

The criteria for determining drug dependence in the DSM are vague. Out of the seven symptoms, some don’t apply to marijuana and others are open to interpretation. Tolerance is the only one that is common in all marijuana users. The case for marijuana dependence is weak and that is reflected in real-world marijuana use.

Abuse symptoms are even less objective than dependence symptoms. The DSM requires only one of the four symptoms to diagnose abuse. These are:

Interference with major obligations
Intoxication in an unsafe setting
Legal problems
Continued use in the face of troubles

Number one can include impairment at work/school or neglect of children due to use of the drug. Number two often includes driving under the influence but studies show that marijuana users drive slower and are more cautious then non-stoned drivers (Study). Legal problems have nothing to do with the substance itself and because of its inclusion in the list all use of an illicit drug is considered abuse. If yogurt was made illegal today your breakfast would be considered abuse. The final symptom is the same as it is for dependence.

Marijuana definitely fills some of these criteria but the DSM abuse criteria are way to subjective. Many marijuana users smoke every day and in spite of legal problems, are they abusing it or simply using it? There are people who do abuse marijuana but they represent roughly 6% of all users. Marijuana abuse is a phenomenon not a problem.

Scientific studies have been conducted which compare the relative addictive effects of drugs including Heroin, Cannabis, Nicotine, Caffeine and others. In two prominent studies marijuana was ranked last. I graphed the data from one study (Hilts, 1994).

In a different study (Franklin, 1990) experts ranked 18 drugs on how easily they hook people. Marijuana ranked 14th behind all the previously mentioned drugs. The only ones that ranked lower were MDMA, mushrooms, LSD and mescaline. This data is echoed in real life as only a small proportion of people who have tried marijuana go on to use it regularly. Nearly 50% the US and Canada population over the age of 12 has tried pot at least once in their lives while 10% of the US and 14% of Canada’s population use cannabis on at least a monthly basis.

One of the arguments that proponents of this myth use is that large numbers of marijuana users are admitted to treatment every year. What they don’t tell you is that they are given an ultimatum in court to take treatment or prison time. The US Department of Health and Human Services admits that 37% of the estimated 288,000 thousand people who entered drug treatment for pot in 2007 had not reported using it in the 30 days previous to their admission. Not only does this practice create phony statistics (used for anti-drug propaganda) it also allows a completely meaningless industry to thrive. I’m doing a future post on the corrupt marijuana treatment industry.

Advocates of prohibition will often admit that pot is not addictive but instead they say it is “habit forming”. What the fuck is that? Habit forming is a reference to psychological instead of physical addiction. It is even more vague than the description of addiction. The habit forming argument is a total cop-out. Is it that hard to imagine that people can use a drug because they like it and for that reason alone?

So is marijuana addictive? The data show that it is not but the subjective nature of the word and diagnosis allow some wiggle room. Millions of people around the world enjoy cannabis in a responsible way with no problems related to addiction. Marijuana is easier to quit than coffee. If all use is abuse then we’re all drug abusers. Maybe our definitions of addiction, dependence and abuse say more about us a a society than about the drugs themselves.

http://www.marijuana-addiction.net/marijuana-information.htm
“Hooked: Why Isn’t Everyone an Addict?” by Deborah Franklin, In Health magazine, volume 4, number 6, pp. 38-52, November/December 1990
“The Chemistry of Mind-Altering Drugs” by Daniel M. Perrine, Ph.D, 1997
http://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/02/science/is-nicotine-addictive-it-depends-on-whose-criteria-you-use.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diagnostic_and_Statistical_Manual_of_Mental_Disorders
http://www.marijuana-addict.com/
http://marijuana-anonymous.org/
http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7831
http://oas.samhsa.gov/TEDS2k7highlights/TEDSHighl2k7Tbl3.htm
http://www.parl.gc.ca/common/Committee_SenRep.asp?Language=E&Parl=37&Ses=1&comm_id=85

SSSDH

highboldtage — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:48:15 +0000

Breeder : Connoisseur Genetics

Flowering Time : 9 – 11 Weeks

Environment : Indoor / Outdoor

Seeds Per Pack : 10

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taste is sweet lemony fuelly haze,more on the haze side but definate sour d influence aswell in taste

potency is of the hook and will leave lightweights sweating and confused in a wreck”

http://urlet.com/checks.medical

https://www.seedboutique.com/store/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=131&products_id=2161

Colorado's marijuana tax an example of states' rights progress

Chris Slavens — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:49:25 +0000

Colorado now joins California in collecting sales tax from medical marijuana purchases, following the Obama administration’s announcement last month that medical marijuana enforcement would be left to the states, despite existing federal laws. This is one of the few issues on which Obama takes the correct constitutional point of view; whether one supports legalization or not, the issue belongs to the citizens of the individual states to decide. All federal drug laws are a violation of the Constitution, but by allowing states to regulate medical marijuana, we take a step in the right direction, so far as states’ rights are concerned.

The state has about one thousand “caregivers”, which is a polite way of describing officially recognized pot dealers. California’s sales tax is much higher than Colorado’s, but the former collects about $16.5 million per year from medical marijuana sales. Currently, Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington also have laws that legalize medical marijuana, and given the federal government’s new policy of turning a blind eye, we might see more states pass similar legislation. In the states listed, several decided the issue with ballot questions, but legalizations as a result of legislation passed with significantly more support. Some of these states are traditionally conservative, while some are mostly liberal, but the deciding factor is that most of them grant their residents a greater degree of freedom in making personal decisions.

Colorado actually legalized medical marijuana in 2000, but illegitimate federal laws to the contrary prevented widespread use until the Obama administration announced the new policy. While it’s not the same as fully legalizing the herb, this action will nonetheless earn Obama votes from youth voters in 2012, regardless of class or education. It’s hard to say whether college students or high school dropouts smoke more weed, but any political effort to legalize will bring out hordes of voters in the 18-30 range. On the other hand, those that already toke up illegally might be indifferent; they don’t need a law to justify something that they already do.

While I’d like to further discuss issues like the medicinal value of marijuana, full legalization of marijuana, and the causes and effects of the drug war, the importance of this story lies in states’ rights. If we can persuade our Congressmen and elected officials to hand over control of such controversial issues to the states, to the citizens, we will be not only returning to the original intent behind the Constitution, but promoting personal liberty and recognizing the right of responsible human beings to use any substance we like, so long as we do not harm others in doing so. This is one of the basic concepts of libertarianism, and true liberty.

Reseña: Jah Fest 2009 en Alameda Santa Fe 15/11/09

Staff El Sonidero — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:42:47 +0000

El segundo y último día de conciertos en el Jah Fest estuvo lleno de buena música, buenas vibras y una gran fiesta que concluyó a ritmo de reggae británico.

Domingo 15 de noviembre, bajo el sol del mediodía y después de un pequeño retraso la Alameda Poniente por fin abrió sus puertas en medio de un fuerte dispositivo de seguridad, para dar inicio al segundo día de actividades de este Festival que se concibe a sí mismo como un movimiento de conciencia ambiental, la ‘Música por la Renovación’.

Timothy Brownie es la primer banda que sube al escenario, con su ritmo latinoamericano y ese saborcito agridulce mitad jazz, mitad blues, endulzó el oído de todos los presentes para darle paso a Proyecto Machona seguidos de No te Va a Gustar, Ganja, y Los de Abajo quienes han puesto a bailar a todos.

Mientras la música suena, arriba en las carpas blancas hay conferencias y exposiciones sobre desarrollo sutentable y conciencia ambiental. El área de comida no podía faltar, y los servicios hasta ahora han sido suficientes.

El sol se oculta bajo las notas del reggeae de Pablo Molina, quien es recordado por su participación en Todos tus Muertos junto a Fidel Nadal.

La noche ha comenzado a caer con la energía de Los Rastrillos, seguidos de Inspector quienes le han inyectado un toque de melancolía con sus letras.

Unos minutos antes de las ocho, cuando comienza a sentirse el frío de la noche, sube al escenario una de las bandas más esperadas, Los Pericos, estos argentinos que sin duda son muy queridos en nuestro país, los primeros acordes suenan y el frenesí de los asistentes no se puede ocultar.

Steel Pulse, son los encargados del cerrar este festival con su reggeae británico y en unos minutos aparecerá para cerrar este festival en medio de un ambiente de paz, conciencia ecológica y mucha energía.

Pese a las piedras en el camino con las cuales tuvo que enfrentarse la organización del evento, el Jah Fest hoy demuestra que las producciones independientes en nuestro país también son posibles y son un claro ejemplo de que este tipo de eventos no sólo pueden, sino deben ser concebidos para transmitir a través de un lenguaje universal como la música, un mensaje positivo a nuestra sociedad.

Mar Cureño- Colaboradora El Sonidero

Fotos cortesía Jah Fest

Cryptic Writings

Aditya Mehta — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:01:36 +0000

Blow me. It may frighten a man dependent on alcohol for his daily comfort to know he’s bored of drin

Facebook Jadi Ajang Jualan Ganja

kedung5704 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:14:00 +0000

Kepolisian Wilayah (Polwil) Kediri, Jawa Timur, menahan Muhammad Roni (35), warga Desa Ketawang, Kecamatan Wates, Kabupaten Kediri karena diduga melakukan transaksi ganja.