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Topic Title: Pot Smoking Baby Boomers Are On The Rise, Why Are Scientists So Happy For Them?
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Created On: 11/13/2022 05:58 PM
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 11/13/2022 05:58 PM
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dingpatch

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Pot Smoking Baby Boomers Are On The Rise, Why Are Scientists So Happy For Them? Hint: Benefits For The Aging Brain

Maureen Meehan
Sun, November 13, 2022 at 5:39 PM

As cannabis users get older and/or as weed consumption among seniors becomes more common (it has quadrupled in the past seven years!) a group of scientists honed in on this large demographic of pot-smoking baby boomers..and guess what? Their results suggest that the use of whole-plant cannabis does not have a negative impact on cognition. In fact, the opposite is true.

The study, done at the University of Colorado Boulder, examined the effects of cannabis use in adults aged 60 to 88 with no history of alcohol or other substance use disorder.

Gary Wenk Ph.D., a scientist not involved in the study, noted that while high THC levels can have negative effects on the adolescent brain, quite the opposite is true with older brains. Older cannabis users, relative to non-users, have significantly greater neuronal communication between the cerebellum and hippocampus.

Why? Age-related changes in the endocannabinoid system (ECS) include a decrease in the number of cannabinoid receptors throughout the brain. The ECS, a significant aspect of our human physiology that helps maintain homeostasis, is a complex cell-signaling system in the brain and body that interacts with just about all of our other body systems.

Decreased Number Of Cannabinoid Receptors Need Stimulation, Which Means...?

During normal aging, the decline in cannabinoid receptors correlates with increased levels of inflammation in these brain regions causing a loss of neurons in the hippocampus, which is critical for learning and memory. This, in short, explains age-related memory impairment.

Very Clever Of Nature

Wenk referred to his own laboratory studies that showed improved memory, decreased brain inflammation and increased hippocampal neurogenesis in older brains after the daily stimulation of cannabinoid receptors. "The potential benefits are important given that the cerebellum and hippocampus are highly vulnerable to the effects of aging. The hippocampus is stable until around age 50, at which point the hippocampus undergoes a rapid period of atrophy," he wrote in Psychology Today, adding that hippocampus atrophy is consistent with mild cognitive impairment.

"The few human studies of the effect of cannabis on the brain in middle-aged or older adults found little or no negative effects on cognitive function. Longitudinal studies that compared pre- and post-exposure performance reported that cannabis was associated with improved cognitive task performance in middle-aged adults," Dr. Wenk wrote.

"Low-dose, daily cannabis use after age 55 might effectively reduce the degenerative effects of chronic brain inflammation," Wenk concluded.

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Dora Hates You
 11/14/2022 09:56 AM
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garcia

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Whew!
 11/14/2022 10:54 AM
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dingpatch

Posts: 19032
Joined Forum: 07/24/2003

Dude !!

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Dora Hates You
 11/14/2022 11:02 AM
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tom

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Medicare?!?

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add a signature since I'm here in profile anyway
 11/15/2022 08:22 PM
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SlimyBritches

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I smoked pot since 1970. I owned my own company and did what I want. Except travel out of the state.
 11/16/2022 11:54 AM
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dingpatch

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Lawmakers debate decriminalizing marijuana at federal level

Samantha Manning
Wed, November 16, 2022

Recreational marijuana is legal in nearly half of the states in the U.S., but it remains illegal at the federal level.

Members of a House subcommittee on Tuesday debated if marijuana should be decriminalized nationwide and if some marijuana convictions should be expunged if marijuana becomes legal at the federal level.

Reforming marijuana laws had overwhelming bipartisan support on the subcommittee, including from the chairman and ranking member.

"The war against marijuana has ruined so many lives," said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), chairman of the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.

"The only place it's controversial is here in the halls of the Capitol," said Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), ranking member of the subcommittee.

Currently, 21 states plus Washington, D.C. have legalized recreational marijuana and 37 states allow marijuana for medical reasons.

"Congress has failed to implement sensible cannabis reform," said Amber Littlejohn, senior policy advisor for the Global Alliance for Cannabis Commerce.

According to lawmakers on the subcommittee, marijuana arrests account for 43% of all drug arrests, with most being simple possession charges. While white and Black people use marijuana at roughly the same rate, Black people are nearly four times more likely to be arrested for violating marijuana possession charges.

"I urge this committee and Congress to go beyond decriminalization and repair the damages that have been done," said Keeda Haynes, a senior legal advisor for Free Hearts.

While support for descheduling marijuana had bipartisan support, one Republican congressman pointed to concerns about potential harm.

"Marijuana and drugs are crippling," said Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX). "They cause addiction. They cause crime."

In response, supporters of marijuana reform pointed to the data.

"How many deaths have there been from marijuana overdoses?" Mace asked.

"So, I don't believe the CDC, DEA, NIDA or any other federal agency has ever directly associated a fatal overdose with cannabis," said Eric Goepel, founder and CEO of Veterans Cannabis Coalition.

"So, that means zero," reiterated Mace.

Our Washington News Bureau asked Paul Armentano, deputy director for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), if he believes Congress will be successful in passing bipartisan legislation to decriminalize marijuana federally.

"It's hard to say," said Armentano. "If facts, cultural opinion, public opinion, science was driving this train, we would already have a very different cannabis policy than the one we have now in this country."

The House passed a bill decriminalizing marijuana at the federal level. A similar bill has been introduced in the Senate, but its chances of passing remain unclear.

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Dora Hates You
 11/17/2022 04:26 AM
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surfsail

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Lets hope that this finally goes somewhere..

Sure big pharma will be railing against it..

Until it's full on rec & legal for you to smoke/eat & 'grow your own' - with reasonable quantities/restrictions etc - the battle isn't 'won'...

Glad we have a summer place up in N MI where it's like that and I don't have to deal with the petty ass anti weed BS 'laws' and mentaiity to go with it for at least part of the year..

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There are NO white people at all in the Bible... take all the time you need with that...
Please stop feeding the trolls - they will go away if you do...

 11/17/2022 07:10 AM
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dingpatch

Posts: 19032
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Benzinga

Historic Breakthrough: First Time Ever Congress Will Send Cannabis Bill To Biden's Desk

Maureen Meehan
Wed, November 16, 2022 at 9:02 PM

On Wednesday the Senate passed the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act, marking the first time ever that a standalone piece of cannabis reform legislation will be sent to President Joe Biden's desk.

Prior to the voice vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on the floor that he is continuing "productive talks" about broader cannabis reforms he hopes to pass before the end of the lame-duck session.

The research bill was introduced by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii).

The goal of the bill, which passed the House of Representatives in July by a comfortable bipartisan vote of 325-95 under the leadership of Reps Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) and Andy Harris (R-Md.), is to facilitate research on cannabis and its potential health benefits. The bill will accomplish this by streamlining the application process for scientific marijuana studies and removing existing barriers for researchers that have stalled the research process for decades.

"After working on the issue of cannabis reform for decades, finally the dam is starting to break. The passage of my Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act in the House and Senate represents a historic breakthrough in addressing the federal government's failed and misguided prohibition of cannabis," said Blumenauer, founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus.

Feinstein noted that the bill will make it easier to study how these medications can treat various conditions, resulting in more patients being able to easily access safe medications. "We know that cannabidiol-derived medications can be effective for conditions like epilepsy. This bill will help refine current medical CBD practices and develop important new applications. After years of negotiation, I'm delighted that we're finally enacting this bill that will result in critical research that could help millions."

Grassley said he was grateful the bipartisan bill is now on its way to President Biden. "Since 2015, I've pushed to expand medical research into marijuana derivatives such as cannabidiol to better understand their benefits and potential harms."

Schatz joined the delighted chorus. "Our bill, which is now set to become law, will remove excessive barriers that make it difficult for researchers to study the effectiveness and safety of marijuana, and hopefully, give patients more treatment options."

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Dora Hates You
 11/18/2022 07:51 AM
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CurtisEflush

Posts: 841
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I like the sound of a "Cannabis Caucus" staffed by a guy named GRASSley.
 11/18/2022 08:23 AM
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SlimyBritches

Posts: 6462
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I used to have hay fever. For months I'd sneeze, have red itchy eyes, and copious amounts of snot.

UNTIL I started smoking pot. I still get red eyes, but they don't itch.
 11/18/2022 03:37 PM
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StirfryMcflurry

Posts: 8746
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Originally posted by: SlimyBritches I used to have hay fever. For months I'd sneeze, have red itchy eyes, and copious amounts of snot. UNTIL I started smoking pot. I still get red eyes, but they don't itch.
itchy eyes.. isn't that a Bob Welch tune
 11/18/2022 07:07 PM
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SlimyBritches

Posts: 6462
Joined Forum: 01/08/2016

Originally posted by: StirfryMcflurry

Originally posted by: SlimyBritches

I used to have hay fever. For months I'd sneeze, have red itchy eyes, and copious amounts of snot.



UNTIL I started smoking pot. I still get red eyes, but they don't itch.


itchy eyes.. isn't that a Bob Welch tune


I think it's Itchy Thighs.
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