Tremendous Success using Marijuana as Sleep Aid

[Wayne]

I live near the borders with Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming. On weekends the dispensary that is about 7 miles away has a line of customers out the door and to the street. The licenses of the cars parked in front are predominantly from out of state. This only tells me that citizens of those states are going to get it one way or another -- Prohibition has never worked when citizens are determined -- and these visitors would rather get it legitimately than on the black market. They are legal unless/until they cross the state line. That this happens on weekends also tells me that it is working people who are driving this demand, not a bunch of lazy, unemployed "potheads", the stereotype the anti-legalization crowd always promotes.

Hi @Iquitos,

Thanks for all your comments and insights. I found your above account fairly fascinating. My own understanding of the history of the demonization of marijuana was that it was initiated by the pharmaceutical companies in conjunction with the US government back in the 1930's--an unholy alliance that continues to this day. Apparently marijuana had been used extensively in all kinds of medical preparations in the prior century, and big pharma wanted to eliminate whatever competitions they could. Their scorched earth policy continues to this day with their campaigns against any health therapy that is effective and inexpensive.

 

[Hip]

There hasn't been, IMO, any attempt to lower the CBD -- it just hasn't been taken into account, until lately. By lately, I mean the last 4-5 years.

I would think that plant breeders cultivating new varieties of Cannabis subjectively judge a plant variety they create by how stoned it gets them. If a newly-created plant variety gives a strong "hit", then they will likely consider that plant to be a good one, and then use that plant as the basis for further breeding.

Now since the presence of CBD reduces the hit that THC gives, this may mean that plant breeders, without realizing it, will tend to select plants with a lower CBD content. So over the years, as they continue breeding plants, they may inadvertently reduce the CBD content.



Ever since I experienced an episode of enterovirus meningitis 10 years ago, I have not been able to have even small amounts of Cannabis without getting a significant and very horrible perturbation of mind that feels like it might lead to some mental breakdown or psychosis if I continue. Prior to that viral meningitis, I never had any such bad effects at all from Cannabis; in fact if anything Cannabis made me feel more normal, and more closely connected to the emotional side of my mind. In most periods of my life though, I only smoked Cannabis infrequently, often only a light dose once every few months.

I wish I could repair the damage that virus inflicted on my brain. You would have thought that Cannabis might help in this respect; Cannabis increases neurogenesis in the hippocampus, and Cannabis helps with ADHD symptoms — I have ADHD to a major degree now, subsequent to the meningitis, which means I have a lot of trouble reading any document that is longer than a few paragraphs.



By the way, if anyone wants to reduce the memory deficients and learning problems that taking Cannabis induces, this recent study found that COX-2 inhibitors such as ibuprofen, when taken at the same time as Cannabis, prevent these memory deficients and learning problems from appearing.

Although one of the authors of the study said:

As for people who use marijuana recreationally, taking ibuprofen as well might kill the buzz they’re looking for. Impairments in working memory may make people prone to jump from one topic to the next during conversation, and they may have fun doing that. So what we call side effects may attract people to marijuana in the first place.

 

[Iquitos]

@Wayne The "War on Drugs" was started by Tricky Dick Nixon as a way to disenfranchise anti-Vietnam War protesters. He commissioned a government study on it, the Shafer Commission, hoping to be told it's "reefer madness" all over again. The report he got said it's not a gateway drug, it's not addictive, it has potential as medicine, and it recommended marijuana be decriminalized and researched.

Not what Nixon wanted so he buried the report and created DEA. Making even possession of small amounts a felony made sure those who opposed him would not be able to vote ever again and those poor enough to not be able to afford a lawyer went to jail, taking them out of the equation. Even today, due to the "three strikes" laws, people who get arrested for the third time for possession are now being imprisoned FOR LIFE! That's more time than some murderers get!

Before that pharmaceutical companies had produced and sold cannabis remedies for a hundred years or more. But when we got to the era where drug patents became what made the drug companies rich, they realized they couldn't patent the whole plant so they began to lobby for legislation that we have today.

What's even more pathetic is that the US has bullied the rest of the world into signing "antidrug" treaties so that their laws resemble ours, whether they wanted it that way or not. Ganja was illegal in Jamaica, for heaven's sake!

 

[Iquitos]

I would think that plant breeders cultivating new varieties of Cannabis subjectively judge a plant variety they create by how stoned it gets them. If a newly-created plant variety gives a strong "hit", then they will likely consider that plant to be a good one, and then use that plant as the basis for further breeding.

Now since the presence of CBD reduces the hit that THC gives, this may mean that plant breeders, without realizing it, will tend to select plants with a lower CBD content. So over the years, as they continue breeding plants, they may inadvertently reduce the CBD content.



Ever since I experienced an episode of enterovirus meningitis 10 years ago, I have not been able to have even small amounts of Cannabis without getting a significant and very horrible perturbation of mind that feels like it might lead to some mental breakdown or psychosis if I continue. Prior to that viral meningitis, I never had any such bad effects at all from Cannabis; in fact if anything Cannabis made me feel more normal, and more closely connected to the emotional side of my mind. In most periods of my life though, I only smoked Cannabis infrequently, often only a light dose once every few months.

I wish I could repair the damage that virus inflicted on my brain. You would have thought that Cannabis might help in this respect; Cannabis increases neurogenesis in the hippocampus, and Cannabis helps with ADHD symptoms — I have ADHD to a major degree now, subsequent to the meningitis, which means I have a lot of trouble reading any document that is longer than a few paragraphs.



By the way, if anyone wants to reduce the memory deficients and learning problems that taking Cannabis induces, this recent study found that COX-2 inhibitors such as ibuprofen, when taken at the same time as Cannabis, prevent these memory deficients and learning problems from appearing.

Although one of the authors of the study said:

Yes, I agree the reduction in the ratio of CBD to THC has probably been inadvertent. I wonder whether your experience would have been different if you had had access to a low-THC variety with a ratio of 1:1 with CBD.

The varieties I grow have a ratio of 7:7 in % of THC to CBD. I don't experience any memory loss (as far as I can tell ) and a lot of my cognitive problems have lessened in the approximately 1 year I've been using them. This is probably the increase in neurogenesis that you mention. Brain cancer studies in Spain have been finding cannabis to be neuroprotective as well. So far only in the petri dish with human brain cancer cells and a few volunteers who have run out of other options.

This is why I so wish the research into the other cannabinoids would really take off.

Interesting about the COX-2 inhibitors, too. There are other COX-2 inhibitors besides ibuprofen. I wonder whether they would produce the same results.

 

[Hip]

Interesting about the COX-2 inhibitors, too. There are other COX-2 inhibitors besides ibuprofen. I wonder whether they would produce the same results.

Other COX-2 inhibitors should also produce the same results. Propolis is actually a potent COX-2 inhibitor, so taking something like 4000 mg of propolis should work just as well as ibuprofen.

I used this kind of dosage of propolis daily at one point, because I found COX-2 inhibitors would reduce my anxiety symptoms.



Have you ever combined CBD oil with Cannabis? I would be curious to see how having extra CBD in the system alters the effects of THC from Cannabis. We know that CBD will tempers the effects of THC, but I would be interested in how this tempering feels subjectively.

When I tried pure CBD oil on its own just before bed, it unfortunately produced a mental vagueness and inability to focus for several hours the following morning, which I did not really like (my account of trying CBD oil is given here). But how might CBD oil be when combined with some THC, I wonder? Would the THC actually counter the vagueness I got from CBD oil?

 

[Wayne]

Brain cancer studies in Spain have been finding cannabis to be neuroprotective as well.

@lquitos, you might appreciate this short 3-4 min. video on how an elderly man with a brain tumor was given just weeks to live. He then recovered completely in a matter of weeks by using cannabis:

 

[cigana]

Other COX-2 inhibitors should also produce the same results. Propolis is actually a potent COX-2 inhibitor, so taking something like 4000 mg of propolis should work just as well as ibuprofen.

I used this kind of dosage of propolis daily at one point, because I found COX-2 inhibitors would reduce my anxiety symptoms.

Would you recommend any particular brand/type of propolis?

 

[cigana]

@lquitos, you might appreciate this short 3-4 min. video on how an elderly man with a brain tumor was given just weeks to live. He then recovered completely in a matter of weeks by using cannabis:

I often find these stories too good to be true....then again....there are just so many of them!
Maybe we should all be popping the mary jane pills as preventative medicine

 

[Iquitos]

@lquitos, you might appreciate this short 3-4 min. video on how an elderly man with a brain tumor was given just weeks to live. He then recovered completely in a matter of weeks by using cannabis:

Thanks @Wayne Yes, this is just how desperate a patient has to be to try cannabis, at this point in time. There are similar stories in various places around the world. But it's all "anecdotal" until researchers conduct those blinded trials. There are several youtube videos featuring Rick Simpson that have similar stories of cancer recovery.

 

[Iquitos]

Other COX-2 inhibitors should also produce the same results. Propolis is actually a potent COX-2 inhibitor, so taking something like 4000 mg of propolis should work just as well as ibuprofen.

I used this kind of dosage of propolis daily at one point, because I found COX-2 inhibitors would reduce my anxiety symptoms.



Have you ever combined CBD oil with Cannabis? I would be curious to see how having extra CBD in the system alters the effects of THC from Cannabis. We know that CBD will tempers the effects of THC, but I would be interested in how this tempering feels subjectively.

When I tried pure CBD oil on its own just before bed, it unfortunately produced a mental vagueness and inability to focus for several hours the following morning, which I did not really like (my account of trying CBD oil is given here). But how might CBD oil be when combined with some THC, I wonder? Would the THC actually counter the vagueness I got from CBD oil?

@Hip I have not tried adding commercially produced CBD to my cannabis. I feel like my 7% THC to 7% CBD medical cannabis varieties have sort of done this anyway.

I have never had anxiety as one of my symptoms but I have noticed on user ratings that some varieties are claimed to be helpful for anxiety and some are said to aggravate it. If/when I run across those user ratings again, I'll note the varieties that are supposed to good and bad for anxiety.

I'm thinking, though, that it may not be just the THC:CBD ratio that affects you and others. It might be one or more of the other cannabinoids. Or not. According to www.cannbinoidchemistry.com CBD is supposed to relieve anxiety and be "tranquilizing." Maybe that tranquilizing aspect was too much for your system, in which case a little THC might counteract the CBD enough to work for you. We can only experiment on ourselves at this point.

Or maybe taking a lot less CBD would work for you....or not. I know I am very sensitive to the THC and don't take my tincture if I'm going to be driving or even leaving the house or receiving visitors. That 7% THC seems to affect me like a 25% THC "stoner" variety would affect a healthy person.

 

[Hip]

Would you recommend any particular brand/type of propolis?

The one I use is called Bee Heath Propolis, but whether this is any better than other brands, I don't know.

It is the caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) found in propolis that provides most (90%) of its COX-2 inhibiting effects; so the CAPE content of a propolis supplement will determine is quality as far as COX-2 inhibition is concerned.