Category: How to pass

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• Synthetic Marijuana: Not Exactly Mother Nature’s Finest (Part 2)

  Posted on July 12th, 2011 How to pass

  Some reports of how the synthetic weed affects the user suggest that it is not exactly like the high you get from smoking natural marijuana.  Regular marijuana highs are normally associated with a little paranoia and some sleepiness, but the synthetic marijuana has been reported to cause dizziness, nausea, agitation, hallucinations, elevated blood pressure and an abnormally rapid heart beat.  Another adverse effect would be the damage to the throat and lungs.  This product is mainly sold under the guise of incense and when smoked it can leave a burning sensation in both the throat and lungs.  Smoking any substance can do damage to your respiratory system but smoking incense can leave a burning sensation for hours after you’ve finished smoking.

  Smoking synthetic marijuana while drinking alcohol can exacerbate hangovers.  According to people who have used the synthetic marijuana, the “high” only lasts about one half hour as opposed to real marijuana which lasts much longer.  One positive effect on the smoker is that the synthetic marijuana doesn’t bring on the “munchies” like the real marijuana does according to some who have smoked it.

  The state of Pennsylvania recently passed a law banning the sale and possession of synthetic marijuana, often marketed as “bath salts” or incense adding these chemical compounds to the list of controlled substances.  According to Pennsylvania state law, a substance on this list must have a high potential for abuse, no accepted medical use in the United States and lack medical safety.   The law penalizes the offender with up to one year in prison and a $5,000 fine for possession and up to five years and $15,000 fine for those caught with intent to distribute the substance.

• Cannabis and Cancer

  Posted on July 11th, 2011 How to pass

  It is common knowledge that smoking is a possible cause of cancer, especially lung, larynx and mouth cancers, and a major risk factor for developing such diseases as heart attack, stroke, emphysema, etc. But what kind of smoke has been actually proven to be harmful? You may be surprised to learn the answer – tobacco has been proven to be damaging to a human body, whereas cannabis has been proven to be not dangerous. These are scientific facts, and they have been recently proven by several independent studies. Some of the suspicions and fears that many people had had in mind regarding these substances finally had been confirmed by science.

  Numerous studies were conducted worldwide and occurred in a different settings and time intervals. A large number of volunteers have been observed and tested over a period of five years in one of the experiments, and another one lasted for ten years. There are many more that are still on progress. Despite of the diversity of the research, the conclusion has been practically the same – long-term use of marijuana has nothing to do with developing cancer, such as melanoma, colorectal, lung, prostate, cervix, or breast cancer. As far as cancer patients are concerned, in some cases they are actually prescribed Marinol – a pure THC in a pill form (active ingredient of marijuana) to help deal with eating disorders, nausea and various other of the side effects of dealing with this horrible disease.

  Population based case-studies had confirmed the negative influence of such substances as alcohol and tobacco, and now it has been officially confirmed that consuming marijuana does not have similar negative effects on human body as alcohol and tobacco do.

• What is THC? A History Part 3

  Posted on July 8th, 2011 How to pass

  Harry J Anslinger. The man who began the campaign against marijuana. There are many rumors about the campaign against marijuana, and Anslinger’s reasons for being a part of the campaign, but we cannot know the truth for sure. The things we do know are that it is unlikely that the campaign was actually spear-headed by William Randolph Hearst because Hemp was in line to replace paper. The truth of the matter is – even at its best hemp production was never on the same level as paper. Reports dating back to 1931 which stated that the mechanical ways in which they were harvesting the Hemp were unsuccessful for the most part and that unlike paper they had to harvest the materials by hand for at least two thirds of the crop in total. Making Hemp an easy target, but not even close to being a competitor.

  It was in 1936 that Anslinger began to receive more and more reports about the use of Marijuana – from his point of view this was an alarming increase from previous year reports. And the following year the numbers of reports also increased a substantial amount. Before this time marijuana use and the reports filed concerning it, was mainly in the Southwest along the Mexican Border. It was at this time that the government got on board and began to prepare legislature to put marijuana distribution and use directly under federal control as opposed to state. It was also at this time that Anslinger began the campaign against marijuana using newspapers, radio and other major art forums. He did receive substantial help from William Randolph Hearst with the use of his radio stations and newspapers, but unlike rumor would have you believe it was not Hearst who actually began the campaign, he simply was the vehicle through which the campaign became national. Through these forums Anslinger was able to spear head the operation against marijuana as well as other illegal drugs.

• Synthetic Marijuana: Not Exactly Mother Nature’s Finest (Part 1)

  Posted on July 7th, 2011 How to pass

  Some old hippies are probably rolling over in their graves right now at the mere mention of synthetic marijuana.  Does this new generation have no shame?  Fake Pot! How unnatural can you get?  Synthetic cannabis is the newest “loophole” to get around getting busted for smoking marijuana but many states are now passing laws that make selling and possessing this “New Pot” illegal and offenders could face stiff penalties if convicted.

  Synthetic cannabis is a mixture of herbs and chemicals that mimic the psychoactive effects that real marijuana has on the users.  Synthetic cannabis is known as K2, Spice, Mr. Nice Guy, Serenity Now, Puff and Kronic.  The “fake pot” gives the users the high that they seek by the synthetic cannabinoids that have similar effects on the body that THC does with real marijuana.  The synthetic cannabinoids that are most often used in the production of synthetic cannabis are cannabicyclohexanol, JWH-018, JWH-073, and HU-210.  The use of these artificial cannabinoids makes this synthetic cannabis a designer drug.

  Smoke shops, gas stations, convenience stores and online stores often sell this fake pot as an incense or herbal smoking blend.   The synthetic cannabis does not produce positive results in a drug test but its metabolites can be detected in a urinalysis.  The real danger in the use of synthetic cannabis is how it is produced.  Much like bathtub gin or moonshine there is no set formula for production and no two batches are the same.  The herbs are treated with the synthetic cannibinoids mostly by being sprayed or soaked in the compound but there is no uniformity to the application.  Some of the herbs may be coated with a little of the synthetic cannibinoids while others may receive a more generous application.  So there is no telling the potency of the synthetic marijuana from hit to hit.

  (To Be Continued)

• Increasing Demand?

  Posted on July 6th, 2011 How to pass

  What is the most asked question among people that are somehow connected to any drug consumption? “How long a specific substance stays in the system?” – this is the question that everyone wants to know the answer to. Of course it is pretty hard to determine and put a number to it, but in most cases it does not take too long to get completely clean. As you might know, out of all the toxins, metabolite of marijuana is the hardest to get rid of because it is fat soluble and store in fatty tissues of a body. There is a fear that with the official decriminalization of marijuana there will be a blast of everybody taking up the habit. However, statistics show that it is not likely to happen at all.

  Back in 1999 Federal Institute of Medicine released findings of a study that showed that less than 10 percent of people who had ever smoked marijuana developed dependency to it. For comparison – 34 percent of cigarette (and tobacco in general) smokers and 15 percent of alcohol consumers had met the clinical criteria of dependence. Therefore, legal consumption of the drug will not lead to constant use, and certainly will not cause more people to get seriously involved.

  Despite the fact that various studies have proven that cannabis is no more harmful to a human body than currently legal alcohol and tobacco, the fears of skyrocketed demand in the drug after legalization postpone the matter further. As though more facts are needed to prove that legalizing the substance would not cause the increase of the consumption, nor would addiction increase.

• What is THC? A History Part 2

  Posted on July 5th, 2011 How to pass

  We don’t know when the Cannabis plant came into being as it has been around as far back as we can tell. The earliest known uses of the plant were as hemp rope found in China as old as 10,000 BC. Through archeology and discoveries we have found that the Chinese also used hemp cloth in their burial rites, and in medicine to heal and remove pain from the afflicted. The Cannabis plant has been used in medicine for thousands of years.  The plant migrated across Europe much later and was found in Greece around 600 BC. In the middle ages it was found in Egypt and despite the government’s attempts to ban the use of Cannabis at the time because the Koran explicitly bans alcohol, but not Cannabis the government was unsuccessful in their attempts to remove the plant from within their borders.

  Napoleon invaded Egypt and attempted to assume power, and uphold the ban the government had been trying to place on its people and the use of Cannabis, but even Napoleon was ineffective in this as many of his soldiers went back to France with many wonderful stories and tales of the magical herb and its amazing effects on the human body.

  THC didn’t reach America until the 19^th century. In the early 20^th century the American government had an office called The Federal Bureau of Narcotics. An official working there by the name of Harry J Anslinger who held the position at the time of Assistant Prohibition Commissioner made it his personal Vendetta to attack Marijuana.

• The Tea Trade: Tea for THC Corn Silk Part 15

  Posted on July 4th, 2011 How to pass

  Corn silk is the hair-like substance that surrounds the kernels of corn underneath the husk to protect them from outside elements.  Corn silk is usually thrown away when the corn is prepared for cooking but it has many health benefits that should be considered before discarding the silk.  This is why it is one of the main ingredients that are included in our detox tea blends.

  Corn silk is a very powerful diuretic and can be very helpful with problems related to the bladder and the urinary tract.  It can be used to reduce inflammation of the prostate and other kidney related problems.  Corn silk can help people who are suffering from water retention due to PMS or other kidney problems.  It can help children or adults with bedwetting problems.

  Corn silk contains vitamin K which is very beneficial in controlling bleed in especially during childbirth.  A number of ailments can be alleviated with the use of corn silk including: gout, gonorrhea, cystitis, urethritis, urinary tract infections, hardening of the arteries, gall bladder stones, and the mumps.  It may also help to lower blood sugar levels.  It can also alleviate pain from carpal tunnel syndrome.

  Corn silk may aid people who are suffering from obesity because it acts like a diuretic and helps with water retention.  Corn silk is just one of the ingredients in our detoxifying tea blends but it can be made into a tea just by itself by steeping it in hot water for a few minutes and then straining the water into a cup.

  (To Be Continued)

• Different Marijuana

  Posted on July 1st, 2011 How to pass

  There is a belief that potency of marijuana decreased over the years. Some people who have been smoking for a long time say that pot used to be much stronger and much better “back in a day.” Others think that they just got so much used to it that the effects of smoking the same amount of pot now and before are different and blame it on their body building up tolerance to it. Which is the truth?

  First of all you need to note that sometimes cannabis does not reach the final consumer in its original form – other ingredients may be added to it so that people could “achieve desired effect.” In its clean form, THC, marijuana metabolite, is not toxic to healthy body cells or organs, which cannot be said of the added ingredients. Considering that currently only a small percent of cannabis is grown locally, in US, the potency of the plant did not change over the years – it is still the same green plant, but if it is “diluted” with something else, its effects could be different depending on the contents. Also, people differ, so the effects of pot could be perceived in dissimilar ways.

  There is virtually no fatal dose of marijuana, but it is very often associated with bad influence and harder substances, but all the experiments and scientific analyses had cleared its name and now it is being prescribed as pure THC pills – Marinol, for those who prefer to eliminate the smoking part and are eligible for a prescription.

• What is THC? A History

  Posted on June 30th, 2011 How to pass

  At the same time that medical researchers were studying morphine and other pain reducing drugs available for study the receptors in the brain for THC were discovered. It was also discovered at that time that the human body produces a chemical rather similar in make-up to THC. Though, at that time there was almost no interest in studying this drug and so all research into it came to a halt.  Almost 20 years after the first discovery of the receptors, in the 1940’s,  and the bodily reaction to them scientists were able to isolate THC and synthesize it in a lab in 1963.

  Five years later in 1968, one of the scientists responsible for this discovery and breakthrough wrote a book all about the Cannabinoids in the brain that the human body produces naturally. Because of his studies he was eventually capable of creating a synthetic Cannabinoid that was up to 100 times stronger and more potent than the THC derived from plants directly. This stronger and more viable THC was the key to finding the receptors in the brain directly responsible for the sensations we experience when our bodies are under the influence of THC.

  The study of THC in medicine has continued into today and results have shown its effects to be helpful in Cancer research and Alzheimer’s patients. Cannabinoids have been shown through scientific study to increase blood flow in the brain, suppress nausea and encourage appetite. Studies are on-going today into the potentials of this “drug”.

• The Tea Trade: Tea for THC Fennel Seed Part 14

  Posted on June 29th, 2011 How to pass

  Our detoxifying tea blends include fennel seeds.  Fennel seeds are most commonly used in making Italian sausage but they are included in the tea because they have many health benefits as well as a sweet licorice-like taste. Some people believe that eating the peeled fennel plant stems will relax the body to enable people to fall asleep easier. The main reason fennel is included in our detoxifying detox teas is that fennel seeds are very helpful for treating problems with the digestive system.

  The ancient Egyptians used fennel seeds for problems with the digestive system and to relieve cramping. Fennel contains a multitude of vitamins and minerals such as vitamin c, vitamin b3, manganese, potassium, calcium, iron, and fiber.   Herbalists sometimes recommend mixing fennel with peppermint and caraway to treat heartburn, indigestion and irritable bowel syndrome.

  Fennel has also been recommended for women to treat hormonal imbalances that lead to premenstrual syndrome, menopause and low libido.  Fennel can stimulate menstruation and promote milk production in women who are breastfeeding.  It can be used to relax the uterus and as a natural breast enhancement.  People who are experiencing problems with congestion may benefit from drinking a fennel tea because it has the ability to loosen phlegm and to relieve a chronic cough.

  Fennel has been credited with suppressing the appetite and helps reduce water retention and because of this has been recommended as an effective weight loss ingredient.  People who suffer from asthma should consult a physician before using fennel as they may experience some adverse effects.

  (To Be Continued)