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 Study Links Pot Smoking to Psychosis
A new study says people who toke marijuana every day or every week double their chances of developing a mental illness over their lifetime. And if you've ever smoked a joint, you increased your lifetime risk of developing psychotic illness by 40 per cent.
Digital Journal - The study published in the Lancet medical journal (subscription required) is being touted as "one of the most comprehensive, thorough and reliable reviews of its kind."
The study found a strong relationship between heavy marijuana use and schizophrenia, paranoia, hearing voices and hallucinations.
"It's not as if you smoke a joint and you're going to go crazy," Richard Rawson told the L.A. Times. Rawson directs the Integrated Substance Abuse Program at UCLA and was not part of the study. However, he said, "It's definitely not a good idea to use heavy amounts of marijuana."
According to the Lancent, Cannabis is the most commonly used illegal substance in most countries and up to 20 per cent of young people smoke it at least once per week.
The study's co-author, Dr. Stanley Zammit of Cadiff University and the University of Bristol in Britain, said risk of developing psychotic illnesses rises with dosage, suggesting that cutting back on pot smoking or stopping altogether would lower risks.
"People who have ever used cannabis, on average, have about a 40 per cent increased risk of developing psychotic illness later in life compared with people who have never used cannabis," Zammit told WebMD. "People who used it on a weekly or daily basis had about a 100 per cent increased risk, or twofold."
While not likely to change laws on medicinal marijuana usage, the study's authors believe there is solid evidence linking psychosis with pot smoking, and the public needs to know about it.
"If you compare other substances like alcohol or tobacco it may not be as harmful, but what we are saying is neither is it completely safe," Zammit told Reuters.
The results of the study say up to 800 schizophrenia cases could be prevented in the U.K. each year by stopping marijuana usage.
The study did not look directly at pot smokers, but instead a "meta-analysis" of 35 other studies. Researchers looked for a connection between psychotic illness and marijuana consumption.
The research focused directly on the links between marijuana and psychosis, rather that elements that could one day lead to psychosis such as depression or harder drug usage. Researchers looked at evidence from studies that ranged from one year, to 27 years.
"We have described a consistent association between cannabis use and psychotic symptoms, including disabling psychotic disorders," the team wrote.
The authors said ultimate proof to confirm the study's findings should come from a randomized trial of healthy young people with long-term follow-ups.
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This is a new study? I have heard of the link between pot and paranoia for quite a while.
Everything in moderation, nothing in excess. Pot has some good uses as well as bad effects.
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Very interesting as it could explain the behavior of a couple of people I know plus the diagnosis of one of them.
One is in her 60s and has been possibly a daily pot smoker since the hippy days. There might be a third who is in their 70s who smoked it when she was younger and not sure if she still does.
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Sounds like we're reverting back to the 70's style propaganda tactics!
Refer Madness v.2.0?
I have smoked Marijuana for over 20 years, I have been to the doctor once (for a sore back), have never ever heard voices in my head, nor ever hallucinated (i wish). Nobody I know, out of all friends and family have never experienced any such symptoms or even heard of anyone else having them.
This is probably the work of the Pharmaceutical Industry, who are seeing many of their expensive drugs being replaced Medicinal Marijuana.
Hang on.....
Yes. Yes. My dog agrees....he thinks it a lie too.
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( Don't say it AM..) lol
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Hmm, yes, this does help explain some people's behavior.
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@ phree
( Don't say it AM..) lol
How did you know?!?! lol
Maybe pot makes you psychic and not just paranoid....
* cue twilight zone music* -
While it may be easy to dismiss this study, especially if you seek conspiracies, pot effects the brain and anything that does that could be a problem.
. The study goes beyond paranoia and talks about the complex world of schizophrenia, interesting.
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Well if pot makes you more likely to develop a mental illness, and mental illness is a prerequisite for genius, then pot makes you a genius. Therefore, as my dogs points out, everyone should smoke weed!
Now we're off to lick our balls a bit, before nap time.
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@ Bob Ewing
While it may be easy to dismiss this study, especially if you seek conspiracies, pot effects the brain and anything that does that could be a problem.
. The study goes beyond paranoia and talks about the complex world of schizophrenia, interesting.
Jokes aside. If you have schizophrenia (which only comes out during a brief period in ones life (5-15yrs)...either early onset or late onset) then Marijuana can bring out the symptoms. -
then Marijuana can bring out the symptoms. Accepting that, then marijuana does have a negative impact in certain cases. Ans as 1 in 100 people may have schizophrenia then there are many people who may do better to avoid pot -
I have heard of Pot making some people with certain chemical make ups rather violent and irrational. Usually it just calms you down. Has anyone heard of that with MAO inhibitors or something?
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LOL! I knew Phree would be weighing in on this story in a big way.......doesn't surprise me that his dog is confirming his believes as well.
I know a woman that has smoked pot for well over 40 years. Her brain is toast. She is irrational, illogical and often times paranoid. She doesn't do well in social situations, and seems to need to be "high" to function with other people.
Another serious health risk, not related to the brain, are the lungs. I read somewhere that one joint was equal to a pack of cigarettes. So unless you are using a bong or something to attempt to filter the smoke, you are really frying not only brain cells but your lungs as well.
The woman I mention has the ickiest, grossest cough you've ever heard. She sounds like her lungs are just filled with phlegm at all times. She is also a cigarette smoker so I would be shocked if she lives into her late 60's at the rate she is going.
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@ Bob Ewing
Accepting that, then marijuana does have a negative impact in certain cases. Ans as 1 in 100 people may have schizophrenia then there are many people who may do better to avoid pot
Good point. But If they have schizophrenia, there is nothing they can do to prevent it. Sooner or later the symptoms will appear. Better to smoke pot when you're young, to "get it over with" and still be able to live a full healthy adult life??
Besides (if we use lensman logic) without schizophrenia we wouldn't have a lot of great art!
  Vote it up!
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 Vote it up!
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 Vote it up!
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Louis Wain my favorite schizophrenic artist. -
Cigarettes cause Cancer. Weed doesn't, it causes great artists, musicians, and writers.
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@ phree
Cigarettes cause Cancer. Weed doesn't, it causes great artists, musicians, and writers.
this is not a given. -
There is no need to do weed to be creative, clever or happy. In fact if you need it to achieve these then i'd suggest you have a problem. It is a good way to unwind and if used in moderation is fine.
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@ Bob Ewing
There is no need to do weed to be creative, clever or happy. In fact if you need it to achieve these then i'd suggest you have a problem. It is a good way to unwind and if used in moderation is fine.
Agreed. -
reefer madness for real
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Almost everyone that I know that has smoked pot, the results were that they developed some serious paranoia. My youngest son was such a case...I hated it when he was around and he was high (years back). He'd scare me to death... with his thought processes! I'm glad that he finally stopped smoking it.
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THIS IS HORSE SHIT. just more propaganda bullshit! Marijuana DOES NOT lead to permanent pharmacological damage. I smoke weed every day and can tell you first hand that this story is bullshit. Sure if you toke over and over all day u get paranoid, but as soon as you stop that goes away. My very close friend started smoking weed at 15, hes now 56 and just quit, He is fine, in fact i have never met or herd of someone going crazy over pot. (other than bullshit propaganda stories like this.)
GET INFORMED
http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/
PLEASE READ THE FACTS BEFORE YOU START TO HATE POT OVER THESE BULLSHIT STORIES. -
Dang Bradleyson!
Why don't you tell us how you really feel?
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bradleyson just a thought. But does smoking pot help with your spelling, your language or your ability to express your self?
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*passes the fatty to bradleyson*
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@ bradleyson
PLEASE READ THE FACTS BEFORE YOU START TO HATE POT OVER THESE BULLSHIT STORIES.
You are phree to make judgments but there are a number of medical professionals who are standing behind this study. I'm not claiming the study is correct or not -- I'm just reporting the news. -
I love the 1 joint is equal to 10 cigarettes fact. It's terribly amusing to me. Most people don't smoke more than a joint a day but smokers typically smoke at least a pack or two a day. You do the math. Also, I think that statistic is bogus, but it's still funny to see how flawed their logic is. Also, I know lots of people who smoke. None of them are crazy and I'm pretty sane myself. Also, I hear if you get a vaporizer your lungs won't feel it at all. A nice ice bong is very soothing. Joints are costly and time consuming. My guess is that most stoners use a pipe or a bong. You waste less and save your lungs a little.
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*passes the fatty to the guy sitting on the fence*
:)
I'm gonna go paint some cats in peoples clothes now.
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"It's definitely not a good idea to use heavy amounts of marijuana."
It's not a good idea to use any substance in large amounts, aspirin and tylenol which are both over the counter common pain/fever reducers can cause liver and stomach problems and can lead to a painful (and usually prolonged) death in both cases. (I sat with a 15 year old girl who had ingested a bottle of tylenol after having a fight with her mother, she told me "it was just tylenol" She died a few months later, unfortunately, she had delayed telling the parents what she had done thinking an over the counter drug was a safe way to garner the attention she wanted from her mother) So my point is abuse of any drug can and will cause damage.
"If you compare other substances like alcohol or tobacco it may not be as harmful, but what we are saying is neither is it completely safe," Zammit told Reuters
But yet both alcohol and tobacco are sold to adults over the counter, they state that they may not be as harmful then why is marijuana listed as such a high class drug (at least in the US) ?
The study did not look directly at pot smokers, but instead a "meta-analysis" of 35 other studies. Researchers looked for a connection between psychotic illness and marijuana consumption.
I looked up just what a " meta-analysis" was, simply because I didn't know what the term meant. And I wasn't verily impressed with any results they come up with using this methodology to base a results study on.
Also what (or whom) were they studying in the 35 other studies they got these results from if not from pot smokers.
Researchers looked for a connection between psychotic illness and marijuana consumption.
If you look for a needle in a haystack long enough you may just find it...they went in with a hypothesis they wanted to confirm and not surprisingly they did..of course having a stacked deck does tend to help.... -
@ phree
Jokes aside. If you have schizophrenia (which only comes out during a brief period in ones life (5-15yrs)...either early onset or late onset) then Marijuana can bring out the symptoms.
Where did you get this info about ," If you have schizophrenia (which only comes out during a brief period in ones life (5-15yrs)...either early onset or late onse"?
This illness usually begins in the late teens towards age 30 and this happens to be a life condition which has no known cure. -
@ patxxoo
But yet both alcohol and tobacco are sold to adults over the counter, they state that they may not be as harmful then why is marijuana listed as such a high class drug (at least in the US) ?
Not sure if thats a typo or not but the article states that cigarettes and alcohol are more harmful. Which they are. Even if the article is correct, which I highly doubt, I'll take a minuscule chance of becoming psychotic over lung cancer or liver failure any day. Thats not even mentioning the fact that DUI accounts for thousands of deaths every year. Life is a pick your poison kind of situation. My poison smells great and helps me relax.
The article states that there is a 40% increase. Does that mean out of 10 000 people, 154 of them became psychotic instead of the usual 110? I'm sure the margin of error in this kind of study has to be fairly large. -
@ bradleyson
THIS IS HORSE SHIT. just more propaganda bullshit! Marijuana DOES NOT lead to permanent pharmacological damage. I smoke weed every day and can tell you first hand that this story is bullshit. Sure if you toke over and over all day u get paranoid, but as soon as you stop that goes away. My very close friend started smoking weed at 15, hes now 56 and just quit, He is fine, in fact i have never met or herd of someone going crazy over pot. (other than bullshit propaganda stories like this.)
GET INFORMED
http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/
PLEASE READ THE FACTS BEFORE YOU START TO HATE POT OVER THESE BULLSHIT STORIES.
Well apparently smoking pot on a daily basis didn't calm you down. You sound pretty darn hostile! -
OK I am laughing my schizophrenic ass off here folks.... the banter is just too funny!! Upvotes for all :>)
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@ bradleyson
THIS IS HORSE SHIT. just more propaganda bullshit! Marijuana DOES NOT lead to permanent pharmacological damage. I smoke weed every day and can tell you first hand that this story is bullshit. Sure if you toke over and over all day u get paranoid, but as soon as you stop that goes away. My very close friend started smoking weed at 15, hes now 56 and just quit, He is fine, in fact i have never met or herd of someone going crazy over pot. (other than bullshit propaganda stories like this.)
GET INFORMED
http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/
PLEASE READ THE FACTS BEFORE YOU START TO HATE POT OVER THESE BULLSHIT STORIES.
Bradley, why did your friend quit at the ripe old age of 56? I suppose his mom said he couldn't live in the attic anymore and had to get a job?! ROFL!!!
(anyone remember that commercial with the two old stoners toking away in the attic bedroom with the old mom's voice shouting "John, did you even look for a job today?!") hahahahahaha!!!!!! -
@ Chris Hogg
You are phree to make judgments but there are a number of medical professionals who are standing behind this study. I'm not claiming the study is correct or not -- I'm just reporting the news.
Good story. I don't necessarily agree with the report but the story is interesting and newsworthy. -
@ S.H. Mills
Good story. I don't necessarily agree with the report but the story is interesting and newsworthy.
I'm not a scientist or doctor so I admit the results shocked me too. I figured reporting it here would get this kind of reaction, too :) -
Bradley, why did your friend quit at the ripe old age of 56? I suppose his mom said he couldn't live in the attic anymore and had to get a job?! ROFL!!!
I don't get it. Wait a sec lemme ask my mom to explain....
(LOL...good one Scoop.) Reminds me of Homer and Otto in the attic smoking one and listening to Deep Purple. -
@ 666divine
Where did you get this info about ," If you have schizophrenia (which only comes out during a brief period in ones life (5-15yrs)...either early onset or late onse"?
This illness usually begins in the late teens towards age 30 and this happens to be a life condition which has no known cure.
Louis Wain had late onset.
William Kurelek had early onset.
Both painters had symptoms for a period in their life, although they always had the disease. -
All kidding aside, I wonder if anyone actually thought that perhaps there are more people who are prone to developing a psychosis that are willing to experiment with life to a greater degree that the more staid type. When you look at the statistics, the one article says that
In a group of 100 people, three would be expected, statistically speaking, to develop a psychotic illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder with psychosis. "When you factor in the marijuana study, one or two more, depending on how often they use it, will have psychotic illness," Spring says.
You go from 3% to 4.2%, or from 3 people out of a hundred to 4 or 5 people out of a 100, to me, not really something that we need to raise red flags over.
The researchers filtered out about 60 factors (in the psychotic illnesses and marijuana portion of the study), such as preexisting mental illness and the use of other illicit drugs, and considered IQ and social class, to try to isolate the effect of marijuana, Zammit said.
The mood disorder studies were less successful in filtering outside factors, so the increased risk may be unrelated to smoking marijuana, Zammit said.
I guess this answers the question (sort of) about whether or not people who are more apt to develop psychoses, one study says maybe the other says maybe not. Not earth shattering to me. -
Phree,
I wanna talk to Sampson!
Billy Bong Thorton ran out of da shit.
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Running out of "mothers little helpers" Am?
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One is of the opinion that were one, say, not to be in the accustomed tree, and to be engaged in some dalliance such as painting, writing, playing music, or reproducing, (as though there were a difference) and one were to encounter a means of becoming psychotic as well, that one might, with little forbearance, be persuaded that it was in one’s interests not to dally therewith, and perhaps cause one’s peers and other possible sources of income to fear for one’s sanity, because one would have transgressed the line of niceness and even given cause for persons of a certain natural inquisitiveness to cast doubts upon the present condition of one’s on/off switch, thus creating considerable social networking difficulties and possibly requiring urgent laundering or some other surgical procedure, although this would not of itself be an indication of psychosis, and could perhaps be a juxtaposition of personal opinions and a deep desire to avoid one’s peers’ value systems, norms, and concepts of human life, at all cost.
One sentence, 169 words, and there’s even a subject. Who needs psychosis? The counter argument is equally appealing, if you like hitting yourself with bricks on an hourly basis:
Yet one feels that the establishment of guidelines to define human mentality in its post-arboreal state is of considerable value, in order to determine in what manner other people are transcending the psychological merits of this delightful world, thereby creating gainful employment for those to whom psychosis of others is the preferred means of earning a living, and whose perceptions of others is by nature analytical rather than necessarily penetrant or extrapolative of artistic, individual, or objective mental states of their subjects, tending to base their definition of non-psychotic persons on those who do not demonstrate those characteristics in a recognized manner and confine themselves to the ancient and revered tradition of just being jerks, and not generating sufficient revenue to merit study or tax shelters for professionals in the field.
132 words, a subject, and a possible basis for prosecution.
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apparently smoking pot makes you spell badly and comment in this article. You bad people you...And Picasso? You should not be in a thread like this. Let me escort you home.
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My buddy Phree.... -
@ Samantha A. Torrence
Phree,
I wanna talk to Sampson!
Billy Bong Thorton ran out of da shit.
Any friend of Sampson is a friend of mine. -
@ RobotGod
apparently smoking pot makes you spell badly and comment in this article. You bad people you...And Picasso? You should not be in a thread like this. Let me escort you home.
Why thank-you my friend Muse. I accept. :-)
Actually I am not in the thread I just look in now and then to see what the "bad people" are up to. LOL -
@ Paul Wallis (Wanderlaugh)
One is of the opinion that were one, say, not to be in the accustomed tree, and to be engaged in some dalliance such as painting, writing, playing music, or reproducing, (as though there were a difference) and one were to encounter a means of becoming psychotic as well, that one might, with little forbearance, be persuaded that it was in one’s interests not to dally therewith, and perhaps cause one’s peers and other possible sources of income to fear for one’s sanity, because one would have transgressed the line of niceness and even given cause for persons of a certain natural inquisitiveness to cast doubts upon the present condition of one’s on/off switch, thus creating considerable social networking difficulties and possibly requiring urgent laundering or some other surgical procedure, although this would not of itself be an indication of psychosis, and could perhaps be a juxtaposition of personal opinions and a deep desire to avoid one’s peers’ value systems, norms, and concepts of human life, at all cost.
One sentence, 169 words, and there’s even a subject. Who needs psychosis? The counter argument is equally appealing, if you like hitting yourself with bricks on an hourly basis:
Yet one feels that the establishment of guidelines to define human mentality in its post-arboreal state is of considerable value, in order to determine in what manner other people are transcending the psychological merits of this delightful world, thereby creating gainful employment for those to whom psychosis of others is the preferred means of earning a living, and whose perceptions of others is by nature analytical rather than necessarily penetrant or extrapolative of artistic, individual, or objective mental states of their subjects, tending to base their definition of non-psychotic persons on those who do not demonstrate those characteristics in a recognized manner and confine themselves to the ancient and revered tradition of just being jerks, and not generating sufficient revenue to merit study or tax shelters for professionals in the field.
132 words, a subject, and a possible basis for prosecution.
I'll bet you're really good a counting ceiling tiles and patio bricks too! LOL!!
Quick - how many gumballs in the machine Wanderlaugh?
Who needs pot when you're natural state of mind is this obscure to begin with? -
But yet both alcohol and tobacco are sold to adults over the counter, they state that marijuana may not be as harmful, then why is marijuana listed as such a high class drug (at least in the US) ?
The study did not look directly at pot smokers, but instead a "meta-analysis" of 35 other studies. Researchers looked for a connection between psychotic illness and marijuana consumption.
@ bradleyson my correction is as above (and yes it was a typo, but I see you got my meaning anyway)
instead of coming off as yelling, why not state your opinions and facts in a reasonable manner, if you want a few extra links to throw around and or video of long term pot smokers of a US federally provided program (of course it was closed down and their are only like 5 people still left alive in it) check this out
Chris good article to debate. Though I sill think the data is skewed to support their hypothesis. -
@ patxxoo
Chris good article to debate. Though I sill think the data is skewed to support their hypothesis.
Whether it's correct or not, there are a lot of people out there who are going to be willing to take the risks =) -
Okay,
I thought this would be appropriate to post here. I work at a golf course and this guy came in REAKED of pot. I keep smelling that sweet smell from him, and after about 5 minutes of the waft I started feeling a happy and relaxed... I think I got a contact buzz... although I dunno how 'cause he wasn't tokin in front of me, or maybe I was just laughing so hard on the inside imagining his high arse golfing i couldn't help but feel happy.
lmao
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That's true, for some the risks are worth it.
For me the risk isn't (illegal here) , but I can be vocal in trying to help get the laws changed at least on the medical marijuana standpoint (as a prescription that can be filled) , though I'm not holding my breath on that...lol.
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pat, I am all for legalized marijuana. The only thing that should be illegal is tokin in public and driving under the influence. If someone wants to get high on a daily basis all the more power to them. As long as there are no risks of others getting hurt that is a whatever. If pot were legalized we could charge taxes on it, sell it possibly cheaper, and really delve into the medical marijuana aspect of it. The recptors activated by THC have been found to be useful in healing processes ( at least that is what I remember I could be wrong).
Personally I have no reason to smoke pot, nor do I want to. I am naturally high or can get there very easy by just stimulating endorphines with comedy. I don't need to make my paranoia worse... or at least it would be paranoia if they weren't already after me.... hehehehehee
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Here's a laugh for you...back when my youngest son smoked pot, he later told me that he and his friends would go down into the basement to get high. While I was sleeping. Then went on to tell me that they stood under the bedroom heat vent and literally blew the pot smoke up into my bedroom! Of course...my bed was right there where the duct was! Gee...always wondered why I slept so good in that house! ROTFL!!!
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@ Pamela Jean (GotTheScoop)
I'll bet you're really good a counting ceiling tiles and patio bricks too! LOL!!
Quick - how many gumballs in the machine Wanderlaugh?
Who needs pot when you're natural state of mind is this obscure to begin with?
"I developed my superior communication skills" through working in a bureaucracy. Some people need nothing but a face and a name to be like that.
Gumballs- 1789 and someone called George.
Counting tiles and bricks... I thought you were supposed to eat them... -
lol killer comments, and hilarious stories so i'll add one of my favorite pictures:
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Once again we see unscienetific science! I invite everyone to stop reading all the propaganda, and actually read the studies for yourselves. You will find that pot is much safer than many otc medications. So why all the deception?
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