In article , drjohn@NOSPAM.hotpotmail.com (Dr
John Watson) wrote:

> *From:* Dr John Watson 
> *Date:* Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:30:06 +0100
> 
> Noticed at Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:35:53 -0700: Andy informed us:
> 
> > Interesting conversation with my former GP over this....
> > 
> > He's personally seen a lot of mental illness amongst cannabis 
> > smokers.
> > However he's yet to meet such a patient with no previous history 
> > of such
> > diseases. His conclusion seemed to be that schizophrenics like 
> > smoking
> > pot- they find it relaxing. A kind of itch-scratch relationship.
> 
> One of the ingredients in cannabis - cannabidiol (CBD) is an
> anti-psychotic. It seems likely that schizophrenics will get 
> temporary
> relief from their symptoms, which is why they self-medicate. 
> However, the
> THC may worsen their condition.
> 
> > My personal experience would go along with this. It can certainly 
> > make
> > mental problems worse, but does it cause them where they don't 
> > exist in
> > the first place? I think the answer is no. In the few cases where 
> > this
> > is claimed, it is difficult, maybe impossible to accurately 
> > diagnose any
> > form of personality disorder in under 21s, as the brain has not 
> > fully
> > developed. All teenagers are "schizophrenic" to some extent, it's 
> > part
> > of growing up.
> > 
> > However, a big problem with cannabis is dosage of THC. Unlike 
> > alcohol it
> > is impossible to tell by taste/smell alone how strong the narcotic
> > component is. Also , being illegal it is not tested for strength 
> > and
> > properly labelled. Imagine if you could not taste, smell or see 
> > the
> > difference between beer and whisky- drinking would be incredibly
> > dangerous as the drinker wouldn't know how much alcohol there were
> > consuming. The high THC-varieties of cannabis can render the 
> > unaware
> > user in a state where they are a danger to themselves or others.
> 
> Because of the different methods of ingestion, drunk and smoked, 
> this is
> not a valid comparison.
> 
> Smoked cannabis works almost immediately - the effects start to be 
> noticed
> as soon as blood from the lungs reaches the brain - less than 10 
> seconds.
> The full effects develop over the next minute or so. It is easy to 
> titrate
> the dosage, an experienced user won't take too much.
> 
> Drunk alcohol takes a long time to work - up to 30 minutes. When 
> the user
> feels pissed, and stops drinking, there's still another 30 minutes 
> of
> alcohol to be processed - so the user is likely to become paralytic 
> before
> starting to sober up. There is a very real danger of overdose 
> (which can
> be fatal).
> 
> > My view. Legalise completely the weaker forms of the drug- have 
> > it lab-
> > tested and properly labelled and use the proceeds to close down 
> > the
> > production and import of stronger varieties, such as "skunk".
> 
> Skunk *is* cannabis, it's just the nickname for the flowering tops 
> of the
> plant. 
I have always assumed the generic term skunk comes from Skunk Number 1 which is  in
the make up of many european home grow plants, is that not right?



It would be impossible to tell the difference between Daily 
> Mail
> skunk and Jacqui Smith weed, without a forensic test.
An experienced observer can tell the quality of cannabis resin by looking at it,
breaking it open, smelling it and otherwise giving it a close look provided the
sample is big enough, it is not though, easy to know the THC/CBD ratio in different
fresh european herbals.
> 
> -- 
> Dr John Watson
> Baker Street
> 
>

Noticed at Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:13:00 +0100: Claude informed us:

> I have always assumed the generic term skunk comes from Skunk Number 1
> which is  in the make up of many european home grow plants, is that not
> right?

As I understand it (perhaps someone knows the definitive answer) the term
skunk refers to the smell, as I've never smelled skunk scent I couldn't
comment. Skunk #1 is named after the smelly nickname.

> It would be impossible to tell the difference between Daily
>> Mail
>> skunk and Jacqui Smith weed, without a forensic test.

> An experienced observer can tell the quality of cannabis resin by
> looking at it, breaking it open, smelling it and otherwise giving it a
> close look provided the sample is big enough, it is not though, easy to
> know the THC/CBD ratio in different fresh european herbals.

Yes, I agree, If different strengths of "skunk" cannabis were to be
treated differently the only way of telling would be to analyse the THC
content, which is impractical.

-- 
Dr John Watson
Baker Street

On 30 apr, 07:27, Dr John Watson  wrote:
> Noticed at Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:13:00 퍝: Claude informed us:
>
> > I have always assumed the generic term skunk comes from Skunk Number 1
> > which is  in the make up of many european home grow plants, is that not
> > right?
>
> As I understand it (perhaps someone knows the definitive answer) the term
> skunk refers to the smell, as I've never smelled skunk scent I couldn't
> comment. Skunk #1 is named after the smelly nickname.
>
> > It would be impossible to tell the difference between Daily
> >> Mail
> >> skunk and Jacqui Smith weed, without a forensic test.
> > An experienced observer can tell the quality of cannabis resin by
> > looking at it, breaking it open, smelling it and otherwise giving it a
> > close look provided the sample is big enough, it is not though, easy to
> > know the THC/CBD ratio in different fresh european herbals.
>
> Yes, I agree, If different strengths of "skunk" cannabis were to be
> treated differently the only way of telling would be to analyse the THC
> content, which is impractical.
>
> --
> Dr John Watson
> Baker Street

There are testkits available to determine the ratios of cannabinoids.
http://www.alphanova.nl/?pagina=index&cat=7

There are cannabis shops that do take steps to inform people of the
exact ratios of various cannabinoids in the cannabis they sell.

"Dr John Watson"  wrote in message
news:67qea8F2pj2hmU1@mid.individual.net...
> Noticed at Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:13:00 +0100: Claude informed us:

> > An experienced observer can tell the quality of cannabis resin by
> > looking at it, breaking it open, smelling it and otherwise giving it a
> > close look provided the sample is big enough, it is not though, easy to
> > know the THC/CBD ratio in different fresh european herbals.
>
> Yes, I agree, If different strengths of "skunk" cannabis were to be
> treated differently the only way of telling would be to analyse the THC
> content, which is impractical.

But 'cannabis strength' is also an artificial 'problem'. When you have
new weed, you can take a few puffs and see what it does for you.

If it is stronger than usual, you smoke less of it. And give it a
little time to work.

The idea that the government must step in and regulate
cannabis strength or THC content...

Noticed at Tue, 13 May 2008 23:43:10 +0200: 5trfg6h7 informed us:

> But 'cannabis strength' is also an artificial 'problem'. When you have
> new weed, you can take a few puffs and see what it does for you.
> 
> If it is stronger than usual, you smoke less of it. And give it a
> little time to work.

Yes, it has always puzzled me why Claude drinks whiskey (10 times stronger
than beer) in pints.

> The idea that the government must step in and regulate
> cannabis strength or THC content...
-- 
Dr John Watson
Baker Street