http://david.deltaflow.com/?p=174

Interesting article posted on the BBC web pages on the link between bowl cancer and alcohol

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6921998.stm

And some research on cannabis smoking and it’s effects

Just another reason to lead a life which avoids intoxication.

see our Reefer Madness page and links

What are the real effects of Marijuana on your health? Hear the truth like you've never heard before! This video provides up-to-date information about drugs for teenagers they won't get anywhere else.

The more truthful information we can get to our kids regarding drug use the better chance they have of not becoming addicted. This video has been viewed by hundreds of thousands of students across the country and is seen as a valuable tool in preventing the use of the nation's most-used illicit drug.

Order your copy of the Marijuana: The Myth video today by calling Narconon Arrowhead at 1-800-468-6933. VHS $39.95 or DVD $47.00.

Browse our website for other educational books on how to overcome addiction at http://www.narconon-books.com    ©2005 Narconon of Oklahoma, Inc. All Rights Reserved. NARCONON and the Narconon logo are registered trademarks and service marks owned by Association for Better Living and Education International and are used with its permission.

Marijuana: The Myth ©2001 Friends of Narconon, Intl.

Psychosis - What Is Psychosis?
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/simplepsych/psychosis.html

THE EFFECTS OF MARIJUANA ON CONSCIOUSNESS
http://www.narconon.org/druginfo/marijuana_addiction.html
 
marijuana addiction
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/hemp/general/mjeff1.htm

Thousands are thought to be dependent on cannabis
Scientists have shown how cannabis may trigger psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia.

A King's College London team gave healthy volunteers the active ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

They then recorded reduced activity in an area of the brain which keeps inappropriate thoughts at bay.

THC levels are thought to have doubled in street cannabis in recent years - at the expense of other ingredients which may have a beneficial effect.

 
 If something has an active effect in inducing the symptoms of psychosis after one dose, then it would not be at all surprising if repeated use induced the chronic condition

Professor Robin Murray
Institute of Psychiatry

A separate study has shown that one of these ingredients - cannabidiol (CBD) - has the potential to dampen down psychotic symptoms, and could form the basis of new treatments.

The research will be discussed at a conference on the impact of cannabis use to be held at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College this week.

Dependency

Although figures are not kept, it is estimated that as many as 500,000 people in the UK may be dependent on cannabis.

Increasing numbers of people are seeking help for cannabis problems at specialist clinics. In 2005, only heroin users accounted for a greater proportion of patients.

Experts are concerned that street cannabis is becoming increasingly potent. It is thought that average THC content has risen from 6% to 12% in recent years.

The Institute of Psychiatry study gave THC, CBD or placebo capsules to adult male volunteers who had not abused cannabis.

They then carried out brain scans, and a battery of tests, and found that those who took THC showed reduced activity in an area of the brain called the inferior frontal cortex, which keeps inappropriate thoughts and behaviour, such as swearing and paranoia in check.

The effects were short-lived, but some people appeared more vulnerable than others.

In a second study, a team from Yale University administered THC intravenously.

Even at relatively low doses, they found 50% of healthy volunteers began to show symptoms of psychosis.

Volunteers who already had a history of psychotic symptoms appeared to be particularly vulnerable.

Side effects

A third study, by the University of Cologne, compared the effect of CBD and a commonly used anti-psychotic medicine, Amisulpride, on 42 patients with a history of schizophrenia.

After four weeks both groups showed a reduction in psychotic symptoms, but the CBD group were less prone to side effects, such as muscle stiffness and weight gain.

 
 We strongly urge the government to heed the growing evidence and take urgent action to warn young people that some of them are risking lifelong mental illness

Marjorie Wallace
Sane

The researchers warned that THC and CBD compete with each other biochemically, so a rise in THC levels would blunt any positive impact of CBD.

Professor Robin Murray, a consultant psychiatrist at the Institute of Psychiatry, said the research provided the strongest evidence that cannabis had a significant impact on the brain.

He said proving a long-term effect was extremely difficult, as it was not ethical or feasible to stimulate long-term psychosis in volunteers.

However, he said: "If something has an active effect in inducing the symptoms of psychosis after one dose, then it would not be at all surprising if repeated use induced the chronic condition."

Professor Murray also warned that the high potency cannabis now widely available was likely to pose a much bigger risk to health than the significantly weaker formulations of previous years.

"It is similar to comparing the effect of drinking a glass of wine at the weekend with drinking a bottle of vodka every day."

Marjorie Wallace, of the mental health charity Sane, called the research a "significant contribution" to the understanding of the dangers of cannabis.

"Sane has been saying for years that there is a link between psychosis and the drug, particularly in its more potent forms.

"We strongly urge the government to heed the growing evidence and take urgent action to warn young people that some of them are risking lifelong mental illness - that they are playing Russian roulette with their minds."

Dire Predictions On Tobacco-Related Illness: One Billion Deaths in the 21st Century

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/10/health/main1788932.shtml

WASHINGTON, U.S., July 10, 2006: Curbing tobacco use and taking other steps to eliminate some of the most common risk factors for cancer could save millions of lives over the next few decades, health officials said Monday. Tobacco alone is predicted to kill a billion people this century, 10 times the toll it took in the 20th century, if current trends hold. "In all of world history, this is the largest train wreck not waiting to happen," aid John Seffrin, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society. Reducing tobacco use would have the single largest effect on global cancer rates, Seffrin and other health officials said Monday in unveiling two reference guides that chart global tobacco use and cancer. Changing diets to contain fewer saturated fats and more fruits and vegetables, as well as reducing infection by cancer-causing viruses and bacteria, could also cut rates dramatically, they said. "We know with cancer, if we take action now, we can save 2 million lives a year by 2020 and 6.5 million by 2040," said Dr. Judith Mackay, a World Health Organization senior policy adviser.

Today, tobacco accounts for one in five cancer deaths, or 1.4 million deaths worldwide each year, according to the new Cancer Atlas. When deaths from tobacco-related cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases are included, the yearly death toll rises to nearly 5 million and it's expected to keep going up. Public health officials also said Monday that the number of teenagers smoking is again on the rise, reports CBS News correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi. For the first time in a decade the number of teen smokers grew--from about 21.9 percent in 2003 to 23 percent in 2005. Seffrin says lawmakers are blowing it by cutting funding for prevention efforts and refusing to regularly raise taxes on cigarettes--a proven way to discourage teen smokers. An estimates 1.25 billion men and women currently smoke cigarettes, and more than half of them will die from the habit, according to the newly issued second edition of the Tobacco Atlas. The two atlases were released Monday at an International Union Against Cancer conference. The two statistics-packed guides are meant as reference guides for doctors, politicians, academics, students and attorneys who work on cancer and tobacco control.

hinduism today

By David Frawley

We live in a culture today in which the use of drugs is widespread at both medical and recreational levels. It has been estimated that nearly twenty five percent of children in the United States are under regular medication, extending to over ninety percent of seniors, who may be taking several drugs daily. Many new drugs have been invented to treat such physical conditions as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, asthma and allergies, as well as a broad range of anti-biotics for infectious diseases. At a mental level, there are many new drugs for depression, anxiety, bipolar disorders, insomnia, and for attention deficit and hyperactivity in children. Certainly many of these drugs have their benefits but one wonders if the pursuit of drugs is the best way to handle our human problems.

Physical diseases are rooted in poor diet, lack of exercise and other life-style factors for which taking a drug may not provide the long term solution. Problems with the mind and emotions are connected to physical factors, but also to situational problems, wrong life-style and lack of purpose and spirituality in life, for which a pill may not provide a truly meaningful alternative.

Recreational drugs are also commonly used today from legally available alcohol and tobacco to marijuana, which can be easily found in most cities in the West and is legal in some places. In addition, and more dangerously, illegal drugs are commonly available not only for adults but also for teenagers and are involved with criminal elements in society. The statistics here are not clear but it is likely that a majority of the youth in all western countries has tried recreational drugs and a significant minority takes them regularly. This cuts across all ethnic groups and levels of society from the rich to the poor, though it is more a problem among the poor.

On top of such more overt taking of drugs, many people take junk foods, fast foods and soft drinks that are low in nutritional factors and contain many artificial chemicals, additives and colorings. Pesticides and chemical fertilizers are common in the vegetables we eat and our air contains various chemical pollutants. Even our water is not always safe to drink owing to its chemical content!
 

If this was not enough, we fill our minds with artificial impressions through the mass media, computers, television, movies and so on. There is little in our lives that is natural.

We certainly live in a chemical age and our bloodstream often carries a variety of chemicals that we are not aware of and which our ancestors never had to deal with. Reflecting this 'chemical orientation' of our society, it is not surprising that the youth looks to drugs to either provide them happiness or solve their problems. Drug addiction is arguably a social problem encouraged by the greater artificial life-style of our culture. It reflects a deeper seated weakness in our cultural life-style connected to a lack of spirituality and introspection.

What is the Hindu view of the use of drugs? Traditional Hindu medicine or Ayurveda does accept the value of drugs to treat certain physical health conditions. However, it sees them more as a secondary and temporary tool for health, not the first line or primary approach. Our health is determined by the primary factors of our physical existence which are the food we eat, the beverages we drink, the air we breathe, the exercise we do, how we adjust to climate, seasonal and age changes in life. Our state of health is a matter of our own action or karma, how we live on a daily basis. To have good physical health we should first address how we live relative to the natural factors of physical life. We should make sure to have good food, natural beverages, good air, adequate exercise and sufficient rest and relaxation.

In this regard Hindu practices of yoga postures and pranayama, as well as a sattvic diet emphasizing natural foods, are more important for long term physical health than any drug, however useful these may be at certain times for extreme conditions.

Ayurveda also accepts the value of drugs for treating psychological problems, but again regards them more as a secondary or temporary treatment for extreme conditions in which the patient may be in danger of losing control of their faculties. Our psychological health is the outcome of the primary factors of our mental existence, the type of sensory impressions we take in, the emotional states we are involved with, our basic values, relationships and associations in life. Again our psychological health is a matter of our own action or karma, how we think on a daily basis. To have good psychological health we should first address how we live relative to the natural factors of psychological and spiritual living.
 

In this regard, Hindu practices of mantra, meditation and devotion to the Divine are more important for long term psychological health than what any drug or therapist can do for us, however necessary these drugs may be in extreme conditions.

Some people point out that a number of Hindu sadhus take marijuana, as if this was some justification for the recreational use of all kinds of drugs. There are a few Hindu sects which do this. Smoking of marijuana can help sadhus deal with the cold and bodily discomforts of their austere lives. Ayurveda uses small amounts of marijuana in its formulas mainly for its pain relieving properties. Yet many other Hindu sects do not accept the use of any type of drug, including marijuana. Even a classical yogic text like the Yoga Sutras defines the use of drugs for spiritual purposes as a non-yogic approach that has its limitations.

Many native people use natural mind-altering drugs in a sacred way under special conditions and as part of traditional rituals. This is very different from recreational usage of drugs for personal pleasure as well. While one may not agree with the use of any drugs for spiritual purposes, one must discriminate between a regulated sacred use of natural mind-altering substances and an indiscriminate and self-indulgent use of recreational drugs.

The main problem with most pharmaceutical drugs is that they tend to accumulate in our tissues. As unnatural substances of a chemical and metallic nature, the body is not able to eliminate them. Their heavy nature also allows them to get deposited in the tissues and organs for which it can be very hard to extract them. Above a certain very low threshold they become toxic to the body as a whole.

So we should be very conservative in our taking of drugs, particularly when we are young, in order to avoid their accumulation to toxic levels within us during the course of our lives. As medicinal drugs may not be entirely avoidable, we should at least not expose ourselves to recreational drugs whose short term pleasure may result in long term health problems that may not manifest until our later years.
 

Drugs can have their benefits medicinally but they are not the main factor behind human health and disease either physically or psychologically. We should never forget that the ability to master our own existence and gain the real goals of human life lies in our own power and is a result of our own attitudes, values and actions. Recreational drugs can also provide enjoyment for us but they tend to weaken the nervous system in the process and make us less capable of finding natural happiness and contentment.

Hindu Dharma offers an inner technology of yoga, mantra and meditation for accessing higher states of consciousness, peace and happiness without needing to rely upon any external medications. If the Hindu youth studies and practices these then they will find the solution to all the issues and problems of life taking one to the highest Self-realization and universal awareness, understanding one's own nature and the nature of all of life as part of the same unfoldment of Divine bliss. Yet unless we make these yogic practices part of our daily lives, we should not be surprised if the youth follows the ways of the outer culture of today in which drug addiction is more likely.

Read similar articles HERE

British cops shine light on late-night lunacy By Paul Sims
June 07, 2007 01:03am

Link between full moon and violent crimes Some police sceptical about moon's effect Moon may also influence alcohol consumption

YOU might have always suspected it, but now it's been found to be true: a full moon brings out the worst in us.

A study by a British police force found cases of anti-social behaviour rose noticeably on the brightest nights.

"There is definitely a trend," Inspector Andy Parr of the Sussex police said.

"With each full moon the number of disturbances recorded increased significantly."

Insp Parr, who led the study, said its findings were too striking to dismiss as coincidence.

Violent crime increase with full moon

He compared the number of violent crimes recorded in the region last year with the date of each full moon and discovered a distinct correlation.

"It may be dismissed as an old wives' tale but there's plenty of other research to suggest that the moon has an impact on human behavioural patterns," he said.

In Queensland, however, senior police remain sceptical about the moon's effect on criminal behaviour.

'Urban myth'

State Homicide Group inspector Darryl Johnson said last year the full-moon phenomenon was nothing more than an unsubstantiated urban myth.

"I know the kids play up a bit when there's a full moon," he said.

"But officially, there's nothing to link the full moon to any out-of-the-ordinary activity."

However, some police have long held the view that the full moon made their lives a little busier.

Other studies have identified a link between full moons and extremes in human behaviour.

Binge drinking also affected

A study published by German scientists in 2000 claimed the full moon also sparked a rise in binge drinking.

They checked the police arrest reports and blood-alcohol tests of 16,495 offenders.

Most of those with an excess of 2ml of alcohol per 100ml of blood - drunk, under German law - had been caught during the five-day full moon cycle.

Another study, published in 1998, discovered an increase in violent incidents among the 1200 inmates at Britain's Armley Jail in Leeds during the days on either side of a full moon.

The other night at the Loft over dinner one guest was talking about the amount of money spent by Australians each week on alcohol. Given that there are 20.5 million people in Australia, how much do you think is spent each week on alcohol? Let’s say that half of them drink - that’s 10 million. Let’s say they spend $40 each on alcohol each week (a lot? too little?) - that would be AU$400 million.

Well, according to this guest, Australians spend $840 million per week on alcohol. Various anecdotal stories followed this over the dinner table over the next few days (it became a topic of conversation), including one story of two people who drank $3000 of alcohol between them in one week. Apparently a single cocktail drink at a nightclub on a night out in a major Australian city can set you back $15-$20.

I haven’t been able to find a solid reference for the $840 million figure, but I did find this interesting discussion paper on the average alcohol consumption per year (http://www.odyssey.org.au/latest_info/opinion/2005-01_yearlyconsumption.asp), which contains the factoid that 85% of Australian adults drink alcohol (or as they put it - 15% don’t). I also found this piece from the Gastroenterological Society of Australia on alcohol consumption (http://www.gesa.org.au/consumer/publications/alcohol/index.htm), which states that Australians spend an average of $400 each on alcohol per year (which would be $153 million per week).

Either way, imagine how much money could be saved by giving up drinking alcohol…

Tuesday, September 21, 2004 Posted: 9:53 AM EDT (1353 GMT)

TRENTON, New Jersey (AP) -- Which is more harmful to your health -- a smoky bar or a city street filled with diesel truck fumes? Well, you might want to skip your next happy hour.

Smoky bars and casinos have up to 50 times more cancer-causing particles in the air than highways and city streets clogged with diesel trucks at rush hour, according to a study that also shows indoor air pollution virtually disappears once smoking is banned.

Conducted by the researcher who first showed secondhand smoke causes thousands of U.S. lung cancer deaths each year, the study found casino and bar workers are exposed to particulate pollution at far greater levels than the government allows outdoors.

"This paper will help localities pass smoking bans," predicted the author, James Repace, a biophysicist who works as a secondhand-smoke consultant after spending 30 years as a federal researcher. "It shows how beneficial smoking bans are for hospitality workers and patrons."

Repace tested air in a casino, a pool hall and six taverns in Delaware in November 2002 and in January 2003, two months after the state imposed a strict indoor smoking ban.

His detectors measured two substances blamed for tobacco-related cancers: a group of chemicals called particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PPAHs, and respirable particles -- airborne soot small enough to penetrate the lungs.

"They are the most dangerous" substances in secondhand smoke, said Repace, a visiting assistant clinical professor at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston.

Repace said his research also showed that ventilation systems -- sometimes touted by tavern, restaurant and casino groups as an alternative to smoking bans -- cannot exchange air fast enough to keep up with the smoke.

The study, published in the September issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, was partly funded by the nation's largest philanthropic organization devoted to health care, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation of Plainsboro, New Jersey.
Health benefits of smoking bans

Repace found an average level of respirable particles of 231 micrograms, or millionths of a gram, per cubic meter of air in the eight nightspots in Delaware. That is 15 times the 15-microgram Environmental Protection Agency limit for outdoor air, and 49 times the rush-hour average on Interstate 95 in Wilmington. It even tops the 199-microgram rush-hour level at the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel tollbooths.

View the full article here:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/09/20/smoking.pollution.ap/index.html