2 questions about weed

[antiabort]

1. I have a heart condition called premature ventricular contractions. I have smoked weed 8 times before being diagnosed. Is it safe for me to continue?

2. How can you tell if your stuff is laced or not?

[aperson444]

1. I'm not a doctor, but I found this and can interpret it slightly: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/570583_6

Basically they say that cannabis/cannabinoids can induce reduced blood pressure and increased heart rate. While the cardiological effects are complex, it seems to focused on stimulation of the SA node -- the pacemaker of the heart -- now your condition is actually a lack of stimulation of this SA node. Your heartbeats are initiated by ventricles (I used a quick search of your condition). This may suggest that marijuana might actually be beneficial for your condition (though this claim is not proven, and I can't back it up other than that point). They also mention sympathetic nervous system activity (catecholamines!) which is basically fight-or-flight response. Now, seeing as your condition is a lot like what happens in the fight or flight response ("skipping a heart beat"), it may be ill advised to smoke a lot of marijuana because that might make your heart feel funny, but I don't think it would be truly dangerous. A decrease in the A-H interval (which is visible in the ECG -- I think that your condition increases the A-H interval, but I'm not 100%) is also demonstrated, but this paper states that "intra-atrial and intraventricular conduction seems to be unaffected by THC".

So all in all, I suggest you be careful. Don't do to much activity while smoking and try to relax. Your condition isn't nearly as severe as other heart defects (in which case I would recommend against marijuana smoking).

2. There is no 100% way. For me, I never buy from people who might lace it -- I buy from medical patients or people who sell for medical marijuana coops. There are ways to get an idea if it is laced. If it is laced with cocaine or crack, it might have a whitish-powdery appearance. If you take a little and lick it, it will taste bitter. With PCP, there is almost always a very nasty chemical taste. If it hurts to break up the weed, then there might be glass or other sharp objects in it. If it has chunks of bright colors (like powder or gravel), it could be some crushed up pills. Always check for mold or mites (mold and mites both look really fuzzy, but some really good weed can appear to have mold on it -- if you suspect mold then be very careful). Laced weed is rare because the profit margin is very low. Weed dealers don't make a lot of money unless they sell large amounts. That's why it's best to go for quality, not quantity. Growing your own is the only 100% way to know it's not laced. I have not however seen or heard of laced weed. My friend did once take a hit from a PCP-laced joint, but that was not straight marijuana.

[Φρανκομβριτ]

1. I have a heart condition called premature ventricular contractions. I have smoked weed 8 times before being diagnosed. Is it safe for me to continue?

Probably not. I would highly recommend discussing this with a medical professional prior to any further use

2. How can you tell if your stuff is laced or not?

Unless you grow it yourself? You can't. This world is sick sometimes and you'd be disgusted at what goes in to some drugs.

[Strength]

Lol'd at the lacing weed part. Anyone that believes that old myth is very naive.

[Φρανκομβριτ]

Lol'd at the lacing weed part. Anyone that believes that old myth is very naive.

It's more common than you think

[Craig1995]

Use a dealer u trustand have used before for the laced bit i guess ive never really thought about it.
And if u have a heart condition then maybe u shouldnt smoke it? Better safe than sorry :)

[Scruffy]

Yea it is safe for you to continue. Scientists have done studies proving its impossible to die from smoking weed. Plus youve already done it hefore yo were DIAGNOSED so nothing have changed.

And the only way i know that you can be sure yoyr shit isnt laced is to only get it off of somebody you TRUST. i get it off of one of my best freinds

[christianteen]

Smoking weed is like smoking tobacco. Cancer and heart disease are caused by all types of smoking, including pot. That's what we were taught in drug-ed anyway.

[aperson444]

Smoking weed is like smoking tobacco. Cancer and heart disease are caused by all types of smoking, including pot. That's what we were taught in drug-ed anyway.

Err, there's a pretty vast difference between tobacco and weed. Nicotine and THC/CBD/61 other cannabinoids have huge differences in mechanism and pharmacodynamics. Furthermore, cannabinoids tend to be vasodilators. Some of the reason why tobacco is so bad for the heart is because of vasoconstriction (and constriction of bronchial airways -- but that has more to do with lung disease). Because of vasodilation and reduced blood pressure, the heart must work harder to pump blood, which explains increased heart rate. Some "panic attacks" could also be attributed to this.

Even NIDA (US National ANTI-drug research agency) admits that cannabis has some anti-cancer agents that seem to mask the expected increased lung cancer risk in heavy cannabis smokers. They recruited a scientist to do this sort of study (Dr. Donald Tashkin) and found no marked lung viability risk HOWEVER, they did not rule out the chance of increased lung infections due to cannabis smoke -- which is evident in many users, especially those who smoke joints and more unclean, tarry methods of inhalation.

Tobacco is more or less the direct opposite of cannabis in effect. Tobacco is pro-inflammatory, cannabis is anti-inflammatory. Tobacco is a vasoconstrictor, cannabis is a mild vasodilator. Cannabis can dilate bronchial airways, tobacco constricts them. Tobacco stimulates the central nervous system by increasing neural activity, cannabis calms down neural activity. I can't find a better example of "polar opposites" in the drug world.

I would say that cannabis smoke does tend to be very dirty. That's actually why increased cannabinoid content is a good thing (the DEA and anti-drug media would say the exact opposite; it's a bad thing). That means you smoke less and you smoke a higher proportion of cannabinoid vapor versus carcinogens. Even with those carcinogens, there are reports of DECREASED cancer risk from cannabinoids (i.e Dr. Tashkin's reports).

Obviously cannabis isn't 100% safe, but it most certainly is safer than many widely accepted drugs. It's also got a 2,000 year old track record... With no reported addictions (unlike opium and morphine) until very recently.

[ImCoolBeans]

Lol'd at the lacing weed part. Anyone that believes that old myth is very naive.

I think you, in fact are very naive. You never know what you're getting, and any time you do it you're going out on a limb and putting your trust in some very sketchy people.

[antiabort]

Lol'd at the lacing weed part. Anyone that believes that old myth is very naive.

Where i'm from, it's not uncommon to get pcp with your weed. But pcp laced weed is very obvious, luckily.