Posted by paxvox on September 5, 2001, at 12:05:47
In reply to Re: Cannabis and Depression, posted by sweetmarie on September 4, 2001, at 17:21:57
OK, I wasn't going to respond to this post, but I will. First the science: THC delta 9, the main pyschoactive constituent of cannabis, has so many metabolites that I believe it would take years of study to discern what, if any, drug interactions it might have. THC is technically a hallucinagenic by definition (if you don't believe it is, eat about 2 TBS.(preferably cooked in a food) and wait about an hour.Now some subjective observations: THC clearly affects time perception, and sense of "self". It is generally a mood enhancer, in that it expands whatever mood one is in before partaking....good or bad. It can make you VERY paranoid and cause panic/anxiety problems. On the other hand, it has a tendency to expand sensual perception, especially in hearing and vision and artistic expression. Try listening to some music on headphones, you will hear sounds you never noticed. Again, this suggests the hallucinagenic nature of THC. Does it affect depressive illness? I don't know. I DO know that it's panic/anxiety tendencies did not make me feel any less depressed. I do not recommend chronic dope smoking for anyone, let alone one already chemically imbalanced. Final thoughts? Too subjectively sensitive (i.e. it affects different people in different ways) to have any across-the-board medical benefits in mental disorders. No extant science exists (that I'm aware of) to suggest otherwise. Your mileage may vary.
PAX
poster:paxvox
thread:77688
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010902/msgs/77845.html