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High Times Interview with Andrew Weil, MD
High Times - January 1996
The interview touches on Spontaneous Healing, the dark potential of mushrooms, hemp seed oil as a dietary supplement, beneficial plants, coca leaf, toad venom, lung care for marijuana smokers, ayahuasca and 2-CB.

ALLEN RR; SLIKKER W JR; PAULE MG
Repeated measures designs in behavioral toxicology: application to chronic marijuana smoke exposure.
Neurotoxicol Teratol. 1990 Sep Oct; 12(5): 441-8
This paper discusses the application of repeated measures methods in the statistical analysis of an experiment in behavioral toxicology. The chronic marijuana smoke exposure study conducted at the National Center for Toxicological Research is used for an example of the types of problems that one encounters in analyzing these types of studies. In particular, the standard univariate analysis most frequently used for repeated measures analyses has some very restrictive assumptions on the form of the covariance matrices. These assumptions are not met in the example discussed and are rarely met in many other problems. Other possible models for analyzing repeated measures when these assumptions are not met are presented and discussed. Other problems specific to the chronic marijuana smoke exposure study that may occur in similar type studies are presented. These include pooling the experimental units into groups with comparable baselines, choosing a function of the measures to be analyzed, dealing with a large data set with many observation times and missing data, unequal group sizes and different designs for different subsets of the experimental animals. The standard univariate repeated measures analysis was chosen to analyze the data even though the violations of the covariance assumptions may lead to finding differences that do not exist (Type I or false-positive errors), since the other methods presented also had covariance assumptions that were not met or had low power. Use of Bonferroni-type multiple comparisons on the single degree of freedom contrasts of interest hopefully reduced the chances of these false-positive results.

ALMADORI G; PALUDETTI G; CERULLO M; OTTAVIANI F; D'ALATRI L
Marijuana smoking as a possible cause of tongue carcinoma in young patients.
J Laryngol Otol. 1990 Nov; 104(11): 896-9
A case of T1N0M0 carcinoma of the tongue in a male 23-year-old 'regular' marijuana smoker is described. Hemiglossectomy and complete bilateral neck dissection were carried out. No post-operative radiotherapy was given as the resection margins were histologically negative. The tumour recurred one year later in the left cervical region involving the mandible and surgery was again performed, but after three months, neck disease was still evident. The case described case implies the introduction of marijuana as a possible new risk factor in the development of oral cavity tumours. Resection of the primary lesion has to be as wide as possible even in T1 cases, due to the aggressive biological behaviour of such tumours in young subjects.

ARY DV; BIGLAN A; GLASGOW R; ZOREF L; BLACK C; OCHS L; SEVERSON H; KELLY R; WEIS
The efficacy of social-influence prevention programs versus 'standard care': are new initiatives needed?
J Behav Med. 1990 Jun; 13(3): 281-96
This study evaluates the effects of a school-based smoking prevention program after 1 year, using school (22 middle/elementary schools, 15 high schools) as both the unit of randomization and the unit of analysis. The multigrade level (grades 6 through 9) intervention was designed to address comprehensively the social influence factors that encourage smoking. Teacher survey data indicated that treatment schools had a median of 10 classroom sessions devoted to tobacco/drug use education, 5 of which were the sessions designed for this evaluation, and control schools had also dedicated a median of 10 classroom sessions to tobacco/drug education. Thus, the study evaluated the incremental effects of the social influence intervention compared to 'standard-care' curricula. Among those who reported smoking one or more cigarettes in the month prior to the intervention, there was a significant treatment effect on rate of smoking at one year, but no grade level, gender, or interaction effects. The 1-year covariate-adjusted smoking rate among pretest smokers in the treatment schools was 76.6 cigarettes per month, compared to 111.6 cigarettes per month in control schools, a 31.4% difference. These effects were not accounted for by differential subject attrition. The analyses for nonsmokers, however, showed no significant effects, and the program did not affect self-reported alcohol or marijuana use. Taken together with the results of other prevention studies, these results point to the need for the development and evaluation of new initiatives to prevent substance use.

BARBERS RG; EVANS MJ; GONG H JR; TASHKIN DP
Enhanced alveolar monocytic phagocyte (macrophage) proliferation in tobacco and marijuana smokers.
Am Rev Respir Dis. 1991 May; 143(5 Pt 1): 1092-5
We tested the hypothesis that enhanced cell division accounted for the augmented numbers of monocytic phagocytes with characteristics attributed to alveolar macrophages (AM) found in the lungs of habitual tobacco (T) and marijuana (M) smokers. The monocytic phagocytes, that is, alveolar macrophages, were obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) from 12 nonsmoking subjects; 10 subjects who smoked T only (TS); 13 subjects who smoked M only (MS); and 6 smokers of both T and M (MTS). The replication of these cells was determined by measuring the incorporation of [3H]thymidine into the DNA of dividing cells and visually counting 2,000 cells on autoradiographically prepared cytocentrifuge cell preparations. This study demonstrated that the number of [3H]thymidine-labeled monocytic phagocytes with characteristics of alveolar macrophages from either TS or MS have a higher proliferative index compared to cells (macrophages) from nonsmokers, p less than 0.05 by one-way ANOVA. The total number of BAL macrophages that are in mitosis in TS (17.90 +/- 4.50 labeled AM x 10(3)/ml) or MTS (10.50 +/- 4.20 labeled AM x 10(3)/ml) are 18- and 10-fold greater, respectively, than the number obtained from nonsmokers (1.01 +/- 0.18 labeled AM x 10(3)/ml). Interestingly, the number of [3H]thymidine-labeled macrophages from MS (2.90 +/- 0.66 labeled AM x 10(3)/ml) are also greater than the number obtained from nonsmokers, although this is not statistically significant. The stimulus augmenting alveolar macrophage replication is as yet unknown but may likely be found in the T or M smoke. ...

BERENSON AB; STIGLICH NJ; WILKINSON GS; ANDERSON GD
Drug abuse and other risk factors for physical abuse in pregnancy among white non-Hispanic, black, and Hispanic women.
Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1991 Jun; 164(6 Pt 1): 1491-6; discussion 1496-9
We investigated prevalence and risk factors associated with physical abuse among a tricultural population of 501 pregnant women who attended a public prenatal clinic. Twenty percent (98/501) reported being physically abused; 29% (28/98) stated that abuse occurred during pregnancy. More white non-Hispanic women reported previous abuse than did black or Hispanic women. Battered women more frequently were divorced or separated, were of greater parity, smoked, used alcohol, or admitted to illicit drug use than did women who were not battered. An increased risk of previous physical abuse was observed among white non-Hispanic and black women who used alcohol (odds ratios = 3.0 and 6.0) or drugs (odds ratios = 2.1 and 3.7) but not among Hispanic women. Odds ratios of 4.7 for cocaine use among white non-Hispanic women, 4.7 for marijuana use among black women, and 5.8 for tobacco use among Hispanic women were observed. This is the first study to report the effects of race on the association between physical abuse of pregnant women and substance use.

BOGUSZ M
Anmerkungen zu: 'Tetrahydrocannabinole im Haar von Haschischrauchern' S.Balabanova et al. und zu der Antwort Dr. Balabanova auf die Bemerkungen von H. Kaferstein und G. Sticht. [Comments on: 'Tetrahydrocannabinols in hair of hashish smokers', S. Balabanova
Z Rechtsmed. 1990; 103(8): 621-2
[NO ABSTRACT] THC and hair analysis

DAVIS RE; MIDALIA ND; CURNOW D
Illegal drugs and nutrition in undergraduate students.
Med J Aust. 1978 Jun 3. 1(11). P 617-20.
The nutritional status of 82 marihuana-smoking students from two establishments of tertiary education was studied and compared with 63 controls. There was little difference between these two groups of students. Thirty-four per cent of those taking drugs had a diet which was deficient in one or more nutrients, compared with 30% of the controls. Four of the students who took drugs and three controls had a marginally reduced serum level of vitamin B12, but all were taking oral contraceptive agents. Sixteen marihuana-smokers had either a low folate or low pyridoxal serum level, and another three had reduced serum levels of both vitamins compared with a total of eleven among the controls. Forty-three students (52%) had used, or were using, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in addition to marihuana, and 10 had used mushrooms (Psilocybe cubensis). Thirteen students appeared to be 'stoned' at interview.

DOBLIN RE; KLEIMAN MA
Marijuana as antiemetic medicine: a survey of oncologists' experiences and attitudes.
J Clin Oncol. 1991 Jul; 9(7): 1314-9
A random-sample, anonymous survey of the members of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) was conducted in spring 1990 measuring the attitudes and experiences of American oncologists concerning the antiemetic use of marijuana in cancer chemotherapy patients. The survey was mailed to about one third (N = 2,430) of all United States-based ASCO members and yielded a response rate of 43% (1,035). More than 44% of the respondents report recommending the (illegal) use of marijuana for the control of emesis to at least one cancer chemotherapy patient. Almost one half (48%) would prescribe marijuana to some of their patients if it were legal. As a group, respondents considered smoked marijuana to be somewhat more effective than the legally available oral synthetic dronabinol ([THC] Marinol; Unimed, Somerville, NJ) and roughly as safe. Of the respondents who expressed an opinion, a majority (54%) thought marijuana should be available by prescription. These results bear on the question of whether marijuana has a 'currently accepted medical use,' at issue in an ongoing administrative and legal dispute concerning whether marijuana in smoked form should be available by prescription along with synthetic THC in oral form. This survey demonstrates that oncologists' experience with the medical use of marijuana is more extensive, and their opinions of it are more favorable, than the regulatory authorities appear to have believed.

DUNFORD, MARTIN; HOLLAND, JACK
Police Trouble, and a Note on Drugs. (2)
THE REAL GUIDE - AMSTERDAM (The Guide for the '90s; Prentice Hall Travel
DRUGS: Some residents claim that the liberal municipal attitude toward the sale of drugs has attracted all sorts of undesirables to the city. This is partly true, but the 'cleaning up' of the Zeedijk, once Amsterdam's heroin-dealing quarter, seems to have made open trafficking less frequent and the city a safer place. Amsterdam has sanctioned the sale of cannabis at the Melkweg and Paradiso nightspots, and at many coffee shops, since the 1960's. It's also acceptible to smoke in some bars, but since many are strongly against it, don't make any automatic assumptions. If in doubt, ask the barperson. Purchasing, transporting, or consuming cannabis products elsewhere is inadvisable. Although busts are rare, legally you're allowed to possess only 28 grams for personal use. Bear in mind, also, that while there's a lively and growing trade in cocaine and herion, possession of either could mean a stay in one of The Netherland's lively and growing prisons. For drug-related problems, the Drug Advice Center, Keisergracht 812 (Mon.-Fri. 1:00-3:00pm; phone: 23-78-65), offers help and advice.

DUNFORD, MARTIN; HOLLAND, JACK
Smoking.
THE REAL GUIDE - AMSTERDAM (The Guide for the '90s; Prentice Hall Travel
('SMOKING' COFFEE HOUSES) BASJOE: Kloveniersburgal 62. Dark and convivial coffee shop. BIBA: HAZANSTRAAT 15. iN A STREET OF COFFEE SHOPS, THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST. BON AMI: Brouwersgracht 137. Very loud music. THE BULLDOG: Leidseplein 13-17; O.Z. Voorburgwal 90; O.Z. Voorburgwal 132 Helkveld 7. The biggest and most famous of the coffee-shop chains, this has come a long way from its pokey Red Light district-dive origins. With a main branch housed in the former police station on glitzy Leidseplein (the 'Palace'), the Bulldog has now reached the height of - and commerical success. The dope they sell comes in neat little brand-labeled packets and the Leidsplein branch has a large cocktail bar, coffee shop, juice bar, souvenir shop, and a GVB ticket counter. EXTASE: Oude Hoogstraat 2. Part of a chain run by the initiator of the Hash Info Museum. Considerably less chichi than the big cheeses. FAIRY NUFF: 2e Laurierdwarstraat 1b. Small and quiet, with a low-key atmosphere. FANCY FREE, Martelaarsgracht 4; Haarlemmerstraat 64; Leliegracht 6. Slick plush, and commerical, very much in The Bulldog mold. GOA, Kloveniersburgwal 42. A member of the Extase chain (see above) GRAND PRIX, Reguliersdwarsstraat 29. Once part of the Prix d'Ami outfit, and little changed since. GRASSHOPPER, N.Z. Voorburgwal 59. One of the city's more welcoming 'smoking' coffee shops, though at times overwhelmed by tourists. HAUSSMANN, Singel 485; Zieseniskade 2. White, modernistic coffee shop with more than a hint of soulessness PIE IN THE SKY, 2e Laurierdwarsstraat 64. Beautiful canal-corner setting, great for outside summer lodging PRIX D'AMI, Haringpakkersteeg 3; Nieuwendijk 239. Super-entrepreneurial Amsterdam chain, but with little of the character of its rivals. ROMA, O.Z. Achterburgwal 162. Red Light district smoker, par of the Extase/Goa concern. RUSLAND, Rusland 16. One of the first Amsterdam coffee shops, and a cramped and vibrant place that's a favorite with both dope fans and tea addicts (43 different kinds). A little worse for the recent extension, but still a cut above the rest. SIBERIE, Brouwersgracht 11. Set up by the former staff of Rusland and notable for the way it has avoided the over-commercialization of the large chains. Very relaxed, very friendly, and worth a visit whether you want to smoke or not. SO FINE, Prinsengracht 30. Long-established, coffee shop, big on atmosphere at night with good food and music. a pool table, and a video room.

EMBODEN WILLIAM
Peganum harmala, Syrian Rue
Narcotic Plants
Syrian rue is a name used to describe a woody perennial shrub found growing in dry areas of the Mediterranean, in northern India, Mongolia, and Manchuria. Known to botanists as Peganum harmala of the family Zygophyllaceae, it is famous for its use in producing the dye called 'Turkish Red,' which is obtained from the abundant seed. It is used to produce color characteristic of all the Iranian and Turkish carpets. Dioscorides spoke of this plant in his famous codex (Codex Vindobonensis) of the first century. The written history of this plant extends over a thousand years. In Egypt the oil from this seed is sold as 'zit-el-harmel' and has the reputation of being an aphrodisiac. Medicinal uses extend to its use in treating diseases of the eyes, as a vermifuge, soporific, lactogogue, etc. The seed is widely known as a narcotic, and analyses reveal harmaline, harmalol, and harmine. Harmine is now in use in research on mental disease, encephalitis, and inflammation of the brain. Small doses are stimulating to the brain and reportedly are therapeutic, but in excess harmine depresses the central nervous system. During the Second World War, Nazi 'scientists' used harmaline to advantage as a truth serum. In reality there is no truth serum, but an alteration in thresholds of consciousness may make a person loquacious. A crude preparation of the seed is more effective than any extract because of the presence of related indoles. The Douvans of Bokhara used to inhale the smoke of burning Peganum harmala seed and became quite exuberant, much in the manner of the people of South America using caapi, which has the same class of chemicals. This is one of the few clues as to possible historical uses in a shamanic context, and at this time no one has done any thorough research on it.

Friedrich G; Leber D; Weigend M
[Urine checks as a supportive measure with drug abuse patients to supplement current therapy models]
Beitr-Gerichtl-Med; 1991; 49; P 325-31
Urine samples of 120 heroin-addicted probands who had to take part in urinanalysis tests were analysed during a 26 months' period. Up to 7 substances (morphine/diamorphie, codeine, cocain, LSD, cannabinoides, barbiturates and amphetamines) were tested. The results were compared to the results of a group of 177 cannabies-smokers. The purpose of this study was to find out in how far urinanalysis tests can change drug-consuming behaviour. More than 80% of the cannabis-smokers showed evidently a decrease of THC-positive urine samples at the end of the investigation period. Only about 13% had positive samples during the whole period. 12 out of 120 heroin-addicted probands (= 10%) had morphine-positive urine samples at the beginning of investigations. For 104 out of 1423 tested samples (46 probands) an unmistakable distinction between morphine/diamorphine- or codeine-intake was not possible because the concentrations found were too low. About 20% of the samples indicated a shift to a substitutional used drug like codeine. Further more a slightly significant increase of cannabis-intake was to be observed.

FRIEDRICH G; NEPITA W; ANDRE T
Serumtestosteronkonzentrationen bei Cannabis- und Opiatkonsumenten. [Serum testosterone concentrations in cannabis and opiate users]
Beitr Gerichtl Med. 1990; 48: 57-66
The object of this study was to establish possible influences of long-term cannabis usage on plasma testosterone levels. The plasma testosterone levels of 66 male Pakistani who for years had smoked cannabis daily or drank cannabis regularly where measured after chronic and acute intake of the drug and compared with a material of 41 normal controls, i.e. persons who did not use cannabis. An evaluation of the results showed that there were no significant differences between the two groups. No influence of long-term cannabis usage on plasma testosterone levels was found. Furthermore we wished to find out wether long-term heroin abuse showed an effect on plasma testosterone levels. The concentrations of testosterone in the plasma of 102 heroin addicts assigned to a Methadone Program were measured and compared with the values of 29 male healthy students as controls. Plasma testosterone levels were found to be significantly decreased in heroin addicts as compared to controls.

FRIEND, TAD
The New Seekers (Inside the psychedelic underground)
'Details' Magazine, November, 1990.
In Los Angeles 'toad licking' is increasingly popular: the venom of the Sonoran Desert toad is smoked (not, usually, licked), producing an intense, fifteen-minute, presumptively illegal high. But the active psychedelic, 5-MEO DMT, is easily obtainable from chemical-supply firms. Includes items about designer drugs and an interview with an 'underground chemist'.

HEISHMAN SJ; HUESTIS MA; HENNINGFIELD JE; CONE EJ
Acute and residual effects of marijuana: profiles of plasma THC levels, physiological, subjective, and performance measures.
Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1990 Nov; 37(3): 561-5
Three experienced marijuana smokers participated in four 2-day experimental sessions in which they smoked either 0, 1, or 2 marijuana cigarettes containing 2.57% delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) at two different times on the first day. A battery of physiological, subjective, and performance measures was repeated throughout day 1 to assess acute effects and on day 2 to measure any residual effects of marijuana. Blood samples were also repeatedly collected to examine the relationship between plasma levels and pharmacological effects of THC. Acutely, marijuana increased heart rate and subjective ratings of drug effects and slightly impaired performance on a circular lights task in all subjects. Performance was also impaired (decreased accuracy and increased response time) on serial addition/subtraction and digit recall tasks on day 1 in two subjects. On day 2, tachycardia and subjective effects of marijuana were not observed. Performance remained impaired on the arithmetic and recall tasks on day 2, although the decrements were not as large as those observed on day 1. In general, plasma THC levels covaried with the other measures. These preliminary results suggest that marijuana can adversely affect complex human performance up to 24 hours after smoking.

HOLLISTER, LEO E; OVERALL, JOHN E; GERBER, MICHAEL L
Marihuana and setting.
Archives of General Psychiatry; 1975 Jun Vol 32(6) 798-801
Marihuana or placebo cigarettes were smoked by 12 male Ss in 2 environments, one 'favorable' and one 'neutral.' The object was to determine the contribution of setting to the effects reported from the drug. 2 quantifiable self-report measurements, the linear euphoriant scale and the card-sort version of the Addiction Research Center Inventory (Marihuana and Hallucinogen scales), were the major reporting criteria. Analyses of variance consistently demonstrated strong effects for Ss and drug but not for the environmental conditions. Reports of marihuana effects may be assumed to be highly colored by psychological differences in the mental set of Ss, or biological variations in their responses to the drug. The actual environment in which the drug is taken seems to play little, if any, role.

KELLY TH; FOLTIN RW; EMURIAN CS; FISCHMAN MW
Multidimensional behavioral effects of marijuana.
Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 1990; 14(6): 885-902
1. Five groups of three healthy adult male volunteers (n = 15), all reporting occasional, controlled marijuana use, gave written consent and participated in residential studies lasting 6 to 15 days. 2. Subjects smoked marijuana cigarettes (0, 1.3, 2.3 or 2.7% THC, w/w) at 0945, 1330, 1700 and 2030 every day, and each subject received both active and placebo marijuana cigarettes in 2-5 consecutive day phases, with placebo and active doses presented in an alternating fashion. 3. In comparison with placebo, active marijuana produced a variety of effects on measures of human behavior, including increases in food consumption and errors on psychomotor tasks, decreases in bouts of tobacco-cigarette smoking and verbal interactions and no changes in rates of task performance, time spent under social conditions or social cooperation. 4. Dimensions of human behavior were differentially sensitive to the effects of smoked marijuana. 5. The simultaneous measurement of multiple dimensions of human behavior is a useful procedure for determining dose potency following marijuana administration.

KRIKSTONE B J; LEVITT R A
BANANA SKINS
Psychopharmacology: A Biological Approach; 1975 Hemisphere Publishing
Another recent, rather faddish excerpt in the story of distorting drugs is the use of banana skins as hallucinatory agents. However, it is not sufficient to ingest a large quantity of bananas; a specific preparation is needed. The inner layers of banana skins are scraped and then slowly dried in a warm oven. The dried remains are then rolled into a cigarette or put into a pipe and smoked. The exact effect of the mixture is open to debate. Lingeman (1970) claims that when the skin burns, it produces a distorting chemical, which may produce effects reported as a mild high. However, other investigators have labeled the phenomenon 'the great banana hoax' (Borzetti, Goldsmit & Ungerleider, 1967), and agencies having control over drugs and drug abuse have said that the banana does not contain hallucinogenic chemicals. (However, we do know that bananas are very rich in serotonin.) Whatever the true nature of the chemical content of banana skins, their use is not a subject of major concern and seems to have been a tangential effect of the drug scares and drug cultures of the 1960s.

LEIRER VO; YESAVAGE JA; MORROW DG
Marijuana carry-over effects on aircraft pilot performance.
Aviat Space Environ Med. 1991 Mar; 62(3): 221-7
This study finds evidence for 24-h carry-over effects of a moderate social dose of marijuana on a piloting task. In separate sessions, nine currently active pilots smoked one cigarette containing 20 mg of delta 9 THC and one Placebo cigarette. Using an aircraft simulator, pilots flew just before smoking, and 0.25, 4, 8, 24, and 48 h after smoking. Marijuana impaired performance at 0.25, 4, 8, and 24 h after smoking. While seven of the nine pilots showed some degree of impairment at 24 h after smoking, only one reported any awareness of the drug's effects. The results support our preliminary study and suggest that very complex human/machine performance can be impaired as long as 24 h after smoking a moderate social dose of marijuana, and that the user may be unaware of the drug's influence.

MATHEW RJ; WILSON WH
Substance abuse and cerebral blood flow.
Am J Psychiatry. 1991 Mar; 148(3): 292-305
OBJECTIVE AND METHOD: This paper reviews acute and chronic effects of drugs of abuse on cerebral blood flow (CBF) and metabolism and their clinical significance. The most important source of information for the review is human research reports published in refereed journals. A few animal studies, book chapters, and abstracts that are especially relevant are also included. RESULTS: In humans, ethanol in small doses produces cerebral vasodilation; higher doses induce cerebral vasoconstriction. Chronic alcoholism is associated with reduced CBF and cerebral metabolism. Sedatives and antianxiety drugs lead to global reduction in CBF and cerebral metabolism. Caffeine, even in small doses, is a potent cerebral vasoconstrictor. Cerebral vasodilation is seen immediately after cigarette smoking, but chronic smokers show global reduction in CBF. Changes in CBF after marijuana smoking are variable; both increases and decreases are seen. Chronic marijuana smoking, however, seems to reduce CBF. Most inhalants and solvents are vasodilators; chronic abuse is accompanied by a decrease in CBF. A number of drugs of abuse, including ethanol, amphetamines, cocaine, nicotine, and caffeine-phenylpropanolamine combinations, increase the risk for stroke. Reduction in CBF associated with chronic use of ethanol, nicotine, inhalants, and solvents is at least partially reversible upon abstinence. CONCLUSIONS: Topics for future research include regional brain function, which mediates drug-induced mood changes (euphoria); CBF concomitants of psychological and physiological characteristics that increase addiction potential; changes in CBF that accompany withdrawal syndromes; mechanisms responsible for drug-induced stroke; and effects of functional and organic complications on CBF.

Morgan, Adrian
Father Christmas flies on toadstools
New Scientist, 25-Dec-1986/1-JAN-1987 Vol 112 pg 45
The first travellers in Siberia were shocked by a custom of many of the tribes. The urine of those intoxicated by fly agaric toadstools was collected in bowls or skin bags, to be drunk later. The poorer classes, who could not devote time to gathering the mushroom, drank the urine of the better-off for a little light relief. Reindeer, which live off lichens in winter, also have a taste for the fly agaric. When Georg Steller, and explorer, visited Kamchatka in 1739 he noted that reindeer were sometimes intoxicated. And the Koryak people, not wanting to miss out on the fun, tie up the animals until their condition subsides. Then they kill them. All who eat the flesh become intoxicated. Johnathan Ott, an American author, suggested in 1976 that use of the fly agaric in the midwinter festivals of deepest Siberia may have inspired some of the imagery of Santa Claus. The winter dwelling, or yurt, had a smokehole in the roof, supported by a birch pole. At the midwinter festivals, the shaman would enter the yurt through the smokehole, perform his ceremonies and ascend the birch pole and leave. Santa Claus is roben in red and white, the colours of the fly agaric. He enters through the chimney, and he has reindeer. Santa Claus also flies, an accomplishment that he shares with a shaman. In central Europe fly agaric is linked with chimney sweeps, who have adopted it as their emblem, perhaps echoing the Siberian ritual. The fly agaric has appeared on Christmas cards in central Europe for a long time. In Kocevje, in southern Yugoslavia, people believe that on Christmas night, Wotan, the king of the gods, rides through the woods on a white horse, pursued by devils. The red-and-white flecks of foam from the horse's mouth fall to the ground and grow into next year's crop of fly agaric.

MOSCHOVAKIS, A; ET AL
Cannabis interferes with nest-building behavior in mice.
Psychopharmacology; 1978 Vol 58(2) 181-183
Nest-building behavior has never been used to answer questions concerning the psychotomimetic effects of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). In this study, several fractions of cannabis and tobacco pyrolysis products were tested consecutively in the same procedure. The following drugs were injected ip under a saline-drug-saline schedule: dextroamphetamine (6 mg/kg), pentobarbital (25 mg/kg), THC (10, 5, 2.5 mg/kg), the cannabis fractions designated I-sub(S ) (water soluble products), II-sub(S ) (nonsoluble, nonvolatile products), III-sub(S ) (what is inhaled by a hashish smoker), and analogous fractions of tobacco pyrolysis products designated III-sub(B ) (what is inhaled by a common tobacco smoker), II-sub(B), and I-sub(B). The effects of THC (10 mg/kg), II-sub(S), and III-sub(S ) were similar in disrupting the normal behavioral pattern. Amphetamine, THC (5 mg/kg), and II-sub(B ) disrupted normal behavior as well. The similarity of the effects of II-sub(S ) and III-sub(S ) was unexpected in view of the different contents of cannabinoids in these fractions. Also unexpected was the similarity of the effects of THC (10 mg/kg) and III-sub(S ) (40 mg/kg containing 7% THC), as well as the activity of fraction III-sub(B).

NDOSI, N.K.
Cannabis and its health-damaging effects
The Dar es Salaam Medical Journal, v 10(2) pp. 10-12 ( 1993), Niger
CANNABIS / CANNABINOIDS / MARIJUANA ABUSE / MARIJUANA SMOKING / SUBSTANCE ABUSE / HEALTH PROMOTION / ADOLESCENT BEHAVIOR
Cannabis is derived from the plant Cannabis sativa. Bhang or marijuana might be the cheapest and most readily available form of cannabis abused mainly by adolescents and young adults in Tanzania, but concrete data is lacking. Some of the drug abusers are mentally unstable individuals who lack self criticism and adequate self restraint. When bhang is smoked, cannabinoids are readily absorbed from the lung and bound by the grey matter of the brain. Cannabinoids are psychoactive ingredients which cause complex behavioural changes with stimulant and depressed properties. This article therefore, aims at raising more awareness concerning the health-damaging consequences of bhang abuse. . African Index Medicus

PEREZ REYES M; BURSTEIN SH; WHITE WR; MCDONALD SA; HICKS RE
Antagonism of marihuana effects by indomethacin in humans.
Life Sci. 1991; 48(6): 507-15
To investigate whether the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) indomethacin antagonized the effects of marihuana, an exploratory single-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted. Subjects (n = 4) smoked marihuana after pre-treatment with placebo and indomethacin. The subjective rating of marihuana 'high', heart rate, word recall, time estimation/production, and plasma concentrations of THC and PGE2 were measured. It was found that: 1) indomethacin pre-treatment decreased the elevation of prostaglandins induced by THC; 2) indomethacin significantly attenuated the subjective 'high' and the heart rate accelerating effects of THC, although the magnitude of this effect was modest; 3) indomethacin abolished the profound effect of THC on time estimation and production; and 4) indomethacin pretreatment did not affect the decremental effects of THC on word recall. We conclude that prostaglandins are involved in the neurophysiologic mechanisms that mediate some of the typical clinical effects of THC, particularly the distortion of time perception.

Primavera, Louis H; Pascal, Robert
A comparison of male users and nonusers of marijuana on the perceived harmfulness of drugs.
American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse; 1986 Mar-Jun Vol 12(1-2) 71-77
Examined the perceptions of nonprofessionals (i.e., not involved in drug research or treatment programs) with regard to the harmfulness of illicit drugs. 108 male volunteers (aged 19-35 yrs), who expected to smoke marihuana during the study, were asked to rate the harmfulness of a number of illicit drugs, including marihuana. Ss composed 3 groups: naive users, light users, and heavy users. Groups did not differ in terms of their perceived harmfulness of any of the drugs. Cluster analyses indicated 3 distinct clusters for the total group: The drugs perceived to be most harmful were heroin, morphine, and LSD; drugs perceived to be less harmful were cocaine, amphetamines, barbiturates, and nicotine; drugs perceived least harmful were caffeine and marihuana, with marihuana being judged the least harmful of all drugs. (20 ref)

RAINONE, GREGORY A; DEREN, SHERRY; KLEINMAN, PAULA H; WISH, ERIC D
Heavy marijuana users not in treatment: The continuing search for the 'pure' marijuana user.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs; 1987 Oct-Dec Vol 19(4) 353-359
Attempted to locate 'pure' (i.e., exclusive) marihuana smokers to examine the relationship between heavy exclusive marihuana use and problem behaviors. Of the 99 adults and adolescents responding to an advertisement for heavy marihuana users, 12 met the criteria for exclusive marihuana use, suggesting that the pure user is a rare phenomenon. While only 10% of the Ss reported ever seeking treatment, nearly half reported problems resulting from their marihuana use. Findings suggest that heavy marihuana users who had engaged in lifetime multiple drug use had been introduced to marihuana early in life. It is concluded that efforts to locate pure users should be directed toward high-school aged populations.

SIEGEL, RONALD K; JARVIK, MURRAY E
DMT self-administration by monkeys in isolation.
Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society; 1980 Aug Vol 16(2) 117-120
Three rhesus monkeys trained to smoke lettuce cigarettes for water reward extinguished responding when given water ad lib or when the hallucinogen dimethyltryptamine (DMT) was added to the lettuce. Ss were then individually confined to an operant unit placed in a sensory isolation chamber that deprived them of light and sound but permitted infrared video monitoring. After continuous isolation for several days, 2 Ss consistently self-administered DMT in performance marked by dramatic changes in perceptual-motor behaviors. These results suggest that animals will self-administer a hallucinogen when it provides stimulation in an otherwise deprived environment.

SMITH, ALEXANDER B; POLLACK, HARRIET
Deviance as a Method of Coping
Crime and Delinquency; 1976, 22, 1, Jan, 3-16.
A deviant person is one who does something we would not do; thus defined, deviance is subjective. Not all deviant conduct is culturally relative; acts malum in se --eg, rape, murder, & assault--are almost universally considered to be crimes. Noncriminal deviance however, frequently exists more in the eye of the beholder than in the real world. Deviant conduct may be divided into 3 categories: crime, sin, & poor taste. Crime, eg, violent acts against the person & serious property crimes, refers to those acts which are objectively & measurably harmful to the community & which cannot be tolerated by any society that wishes to continue as a stable organism. Sin--eg, prostitution, gambling, drug use, alcohol consumption, & obscenity--refers to those actions which were originally prohibited by the dominant religion or religions of the community. They may at times have been incorporated into secular law. Poor taste refers to social practices which are abrasive & unpleasant & may symbolize conduct that society wishes to prohibit. Examples are overt public sexual practices, peculiar methods of dress, & the wearing of unpopular political symbols. Most deviants, including smokers & overeaters, recognize that their conduct is personally destructive & may be socially harmful as well. They continue to deviate from socially prescribed norms because this conduct enables them to cope with the stresses that a highly organized society imposes on their personalities. Many forms of deviance are tension relievers. Some create a short-lived euphoria & others are acts of rebellion against socially prescribed norms. In coping with deviance, society must first look at what the deviant is attempting to tell us through his conduct. If other ways of relieving stress can be provided, he can be persuaded to conform. If he cannot conform & his conduct is violent, he must be physically restrained. If he is nonconforming & nonviolent, interference should be avoided.

SPARACINO CM; HYLDBURG PA; HUGHES TJ
Chemical and biological analysis of marijuana smoke condensate.
NIDA Res Monogr. 1990; 99: 121-40
[NO ABSTRACT] Marijuana smoke analysis

STEEL PH
Student cigarette smoking habits.
N J Med. 1991 Apr; 88(4): 277-9
Identical surveys in 1965 and 1989 show cigarette smoking patterns for Atlantic County, New Jersey, students, grades 5 through 12, have decreased; yet, the number of female smokers has increased. Drug and alcohol experimentation are common for these students.

STREISSGUTH AP; GRANT TM; BARR HM; BROWN ZA; MARTIN JC; MAYOCK DE; RAMEY SL; MOO
Cocaine and the use of alcohol and other drugs during pregnancy.
Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1991 May; 164(5 Pt 1): 1239-43
Recent reports of adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with prenatal cocaine exposure have raised questions about the actual numbers of infants who are exposed to cocaine in utero. Whereas toxicologic urine screens obtained at delivery can detect cocaine use in the preceding few days, they fail to yield a comprehensive picture of use during and immediately before pregnancy. According to postpartum self-report, 15% of a teaching hospital sample and 3% of a private hospital sample of mothers had used cocaine during pregnancy or in the previous month (total = 876). Rates at the teaching hospital reflect a fifteenfold increase over the past 12-year period, when compared with previously obtained data. Cocaine users were significantly more likely to report that they drank alcohol, smoked cigarettes, and took other illicit drugs during pregnancy than women who denied using cocaine. Mothers at highest risk for cocaine use were those who were black (20%), were single-separated-divorced (24% to 33%), and had less than a high school education (21%).

TUAKLI N; SMITH MA; HEATON C
Smoking in adolescence: methods for health education and smoking cessation. A MIRNET study.
J Fam Pract. 1990 Oct; 31(4): 369-74
The purpose of this study was to explore smoking behaviors and attitudes among adolescents. A self-administered questionnaire was used to sample adolescents presenting for health care to physicians belonging to MIRNET, a network of family physicians collaborating on research across Michigan. The questionnaire was anonymous and was completed before the visit. Physicians or office nurses were asked to complete a brief face sheet on their patient's demographic information and smoking status, which was linked to the questionnaire through a code number. Twenty-seven percent of female patients and 16% of male patients were smoking and 57% had tried smoking. Knowledge regarding health risks of smoking was high, and the major reasons given for starting to smoke were curiosity and peer behavior. Current smokers reported greater alcohol and marijuana use and cited problems with stress and anxiety, peer behavior, boredom, and the influence of smoking parents and relatives as factors in continuing to smoke. Patients' suggestions for successful smoking cessation focused on peers, explicit messages through pictures, and medication.

VICTORA CG; MUNOZ N; HORTA BL; RAMOS EO
Patterns of mate drinking in a Brazilian city.
Cancer Res. 1990 Nov 15; 50(22): 7112-5
Mate drinking, a hot infusion of Ilex paraguayensis commonly drunk in parts of South America, has been associated with increased risks of upper digestive cancers. In a population-based survey, we have studied the patterns of mate drinking in a sample of 1400 adults living in a southern Brazilian city. Approximately one third of the population drank mate less than once a month or not at all; another third drank mate at least once a month, but less than once a day; while the remaining third drank mate daily. Daily drinking was most common among individuals aged under 60, those who migrated from rural areas, and among cigarette smokers. Drinkers ingested on average about 1800 ml/day at a mean temperature of 69.5 degrees C. Individuals who had never attended school tended to ingest larger quantities. The temperature of the drink was higher for males and for drinkers of alcoholic beverages. This information may contribute to the design of preventive interventions, since a large proportion of upper digestive cancer cases in those regions might be due to mate drinking.

WU, TZU CHIN; TASHKIN, DONALD P; ROSE, JED E; DJAHED, BENHAM
Influence of marijuana potency and amount of cigarette consumed on marijuana smoking pattern. Special Issue: Marijuana--an update.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs; 1988 Jan-Mar Vol 20(1) 43-46
Monitored the smoking patterns of 15 healthy adult male habitual marihuana users. Ss were observed while they smoked marihuana cigarettes (joints) containing 0.004% (placebo) or 1.24% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Ss reported feeling significantly more intoxicated after smoking the THC joint than after the placebo joint; however, there were no significant differences for the 2 strengths of marihuana in smoking parameters (e.g., puff number, inhaled volume of smoke). Results do not support observations by M. Perez-Reyes et al (1982) that less potent joints are smoked less aggressively or that the same smokers consume a smaller portion of more potent than less potent joints.

ZACHARIAH SB
Stroke after heavy marijuana smoking.
Stroke. 1991 Mar; 22(3): 406-9
I examined two young men who developed cerebral infarction associated with heavy marijuana smoking. Both were light tobacco smokers, but they did not drink alcohol or use other street drugs. Diagnostic work-up for nonatherosclerotic causes of stroke was unremarkable. I postulate that marijuana-associated alterations in systemic blood pressure resulted in vasospasm, leading to strokes in these patients.

ZACNY JP; CHAIT LD
Response to marijuana as a function of potency and breathhold duration.
Psychopharmacology Berl. 1991; 103(2): 223-6
The present study examined the effects of systematic manipulation of breathhold duration (0 and 20 s) on the physiological and subjective response to active (M; 2.3% delta-9-THC) and placebo (P; 0.0% delta-9-THC) marijuana in a group of ten regular marijuana smokers. During the eight-session experiment, subjects were exposed twice to each of four experimental conditions (P0, P20, M0, M20), scheduled according to a randomized block design. A controlled smoking procedure was used in which the number of puffs and puff volume were held constant. Expired-air carbon monoxide (CO) levels were used to monitor smoke intake. Breathhold duration affected CO absorption; significantly more CO was absorbed from both P and M smoke after 20 s of breathholding (mean CO boost = 6.9 ppm) than after no breathholding (mean = 4.4 ppm). Heart rate was minimally affected by the breathhold manipulation. Effects of marijuana on mood were not consistently affected by breathhold duration. The results confirm previous findings that prolonged breathholding does not substantially enhance the effects of inhaled marijuana smoke.