POT DOESN'T DAMAGE BRAIN CELLS

Re: "Ykers get the dope on dope," Yellowknifer, Nov. 14.

In regards to memory loss and pot use, Steve Walton says, "That's
brain damage ... that's not funny." THC is a therapeutic agent, not a
toxin, and does no damage at all. There is no science to support the
notion that it causes brain damage. In fact, recent science show that
cannabis reduces the damage caused by Parkinson's, stimulates tissue
growth in the hypothalamus section of the brain, blocks a protein than
causes Alzheimer's, and recent science out of Germany even shows how
cannabinoids stimulate the body's production of TIMP-1, which helps
healthy cells resist cancer invasion.

What pot does is expand the brain activity and therefore the
imagination, making it difficult for some users to maintain and focus
their attention to just one thing. Sort of like carrying a mattress by
yourself - the imagination becomes cumbersome. When pot use is
discontinued, the mind returns to its usual levels.

But then, my epileptic wife uses five grams of pot every day, and uses
a Volcano Vaporizer to administer it.

This device heats up the pot, but does not burn it, so she gets about
four times the amount of THC as the same amount smoked (one joint in
the volcano equals four joints smoked). Based on Walton's non-medical
"brain damage" assessment, my wife should be a drooling moron, but she
has astonished her doctors with her remarkable recovery - reducing
both the number and intensity of her seizures. Instead of always
listening to prohibitionist shills like Walton, it would be nice to
see reporters do some actual research once in a while, because these
"experts" obviously don't have "the facts."

Russell Barth

Patients Against Ignorance and Discrimination on Cannabis