[Guest post by DRJ]
The Austin American-Statesman noticed a recent study from researchers at Ohio State University (or, as their football fans call it, The Ohio State University) that use of pot might help memory. The linked article is interesting but the comments are priceless.
— DRJ
Pronounced "Patter-EE-koh"
E-mail: Just use my moniker Patterico, followed by the @ symbol, followed by gmail.com
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Anecdotal evidence: I haven’t smoked pot in the last 20 years except for a literal handful of times, but for five years before that I smoked a lot of it daily. (My cut off point was when I learned I was admitted to law school.)
But, I remember the five years I was smoking pot (college and some time after) better than I remember the first five years after I quit (law school and my first couple of years of practice).
Take that for what it is worth, which is probably not much.
Aplomb (b6fba6) — 11/19/2008 @ 6:45 pmI bet it’s a vivid recollection but do you remember it accurately?
DRJ (a50047) — 11/19/2008 @ 6:49 pmYes, DRJ, I well remember the beneficial rule of the Unicorns back then. It kills me that we have moved away from this form of government and no one even talks about it anymore.
Aplomb (b6fba6) — 11/19/2008 @ 6:51 pmHeh. I love this topic.
DRJ (a50047) — 11/19/2008 @ 6:53 pmBy the way, isn’t law school pretty much a blur for everyone? I can barely remember my professors’ names. Of course, maybe I’d remember everything if I’d been using pot.
DRJ (a50047) — 11/19/2008 @ 6:56 pmBest comment: I truly in my heart believe that this plant, if legalized could change the world for the better. heh.
One gets older and it becomes profoundly clear that the major drawback of smoking pot isn’t so much the memory issue but the tragic effect of munchies on middle-aged metabolism.
Dana (79a78b) — 11/19/2008 @ 6:57 pmI am not against the recreational use of marijuana, but is there anything more pathetic than an all-out pothead who has this quasi-religious belief that smoking out can bring about peace, love, and harmony? All aboard for loserville.
Um, what were we just talking about?
JVW (89c289) — 11/19/2008 @ 7:01 pmMedicare Part-D: Having the Federal Gov’t pay for medical marijuana for the Boomer Generation.
Another Drew (a9b92d) — 11/19/2008 @ 7:03 pmI’ve been in favor of decriminalization for many years, mostly because it’s not like other drugs that are habitually abused, and there’s no conclusive evidence that it’s a so – called “gateway” drug. That being said, I would think that daily use would eventually harm you, if for nothing else than the damage to your lungs.
Most of the cops I’ve talked to around here over the years are in favor of decriminalization as well, because they really don’t have the time to be chasing down people lighting up a joint on the sidewalk. Of course, if they’re driving while stoned, then all bets are off.
Dmac (e30284) — 11/19/2008 @ 7:08 pmAD,
Special marijuana benefits to help us remember to pay our taxes?
DRJ (a50047) — 11/19/2008 @ 7:08 pmOne of my favorite current pot-head strategies is to encourage everyone to use hemp as much as possible.
Yes, let’s wear clothes and furnish our lives using 19th Century rope technology.
Aplomb (b6fba6) — 11/19/2008 @ 7:09 pmDecriminalize it, make it safer, cheaper and tax the hell out of it to pay for some GM employee’s pension. You know who are the biggest contributors to the “keep it illegal” crowd? Drug lords! They don’t want to lose their livlihood.
J. Raymond Wright (0440ef) — 11/19/2008 @ 7:20 pmWhat really helps your memory, dude, is another Gig of RAM.
Official Internet Data Office (777bfc) — 11/19/2008 @ 7:39 pmWith nationalized health care we’re not going to be able to afford to take care of old people anyway – they’ll triage them like in Canada and give them no care – so who gives a shit. But legalizing pot, LUAP NOR!!!!!!
daleyrocks (5d22c0) — 11/19/2008 @ 7:52 pmComment by DRJ — 11/19/2008 @ 7:08 pm
Too bad they don’t give us a choice of mind-altering chemical substances.
Another Drew (a9b92d) — 11/19/2008 @ 8:31 pmIf Uncle Sugar wants to keep me in 12-yr old Scotch, I wouldn’t complain.
A .308 in one hand, and Pinch in the other.
Priceless!
I don’t want to claim that I smoked a lot of pot but for a time my colleagues were calling me Bernie….
voiceofreason2 (df4382) — 11/19/2008 @ 8:32 pmComment by voiceofreason2 — 11/19/2008 @ 8:32 pm
Is that one step beyond “Spicolli”?
Another Drew (a9b92d) — 11/19/2008 @ 8:34 pmIs that one step beyond “Spicolli”?
Heh!
voiceofreason2 (df4382) — 11/19/2008 @ 8:38 pmIt’s overwhelmingly obvious that a few hits of the good stuff will vaporize short term memory. But that write up was talking about long term memory effects. I know my psych days are now ancient history, but I do recall there were different brain processes for short versus long term memory. So I did a quick peek and found this:
© 2008 Lee et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
“…Whereas the induction of short-term memory involves only covalent modifications of constitutively expressed preexisting proteins, the formation of long-term memory requires gene expression, new RNA, and new protein synthesis. On the cellular level, transcriptional regulation is thought to be the starting point for a series of molecular steps necessary for both the initiation and maintenance of long-term synaptic facilitation (LTF)…”
So, perhaps Aplomb’s long term memory actually was being enhanced despite the ritual dips in the Ganga River. Personally, I do believe if this has any basis in reality, then over the years, I’ve quite tefloned myself from Alzheimer’s and such. But it is rather annoying when the exact lyrics to the most dreadful 60s music comes spilling out my enhanced brain loci for long term memory…something like:
Judy in disguise, well that’s what you are
allan (0e4085) — 11/19/2008 @ 8:48 pmLemonade pies with a brand new car
Cantaloupe eyes come to me tonight
Judy in disguise, with glasses
No Bogarting please!
Bill (8cff17) — 11/19/2008 @ 8:58 pmComment by allan — 11/19/2008 @ 8:48 pm
Well, it could have been worse.
Another Drew (a9b92d) — 11/19/2008 @ 9:02 pmI don’t know how, but it certainly could have been.
So, uh, what was the question?
bobdog (d068ae) — 11/20/2008 @ 4:33 amWhat were we talking about?
Oiram (983921) — 11/20/2008 @ 9:08 amI don’t know; I was drunk at the time.
[Always a good day when you can make a Pink Floyd reference.]
Icy Truth (aedb2f) — 11/20/2008 @ 10:44 amI was gonna clean my room until I got high
I gonna get up and find the broom but then I got high
my room is still messed up and I know why
– cause I got high [repeat 3X]
I was gonna go to class before I got high
I coulda cheated and I coulda passed but I got high
I am taking it next semester and I know why
– cause I got high [repeat 3X]
I was gonna go to work but then I got high
I just got a new promotion but I got high
now I’m selling dope and I know why
– cause I got high [repeat 3X]
I was gonna go to court before I got high
I was gonna pay my child support but then I got high
they took my whole paycheck and I know why
– cause I got high [repeat 3X]
I wasnt gonna run from the cops but I was high
I was gonna pull right over and stop but I was high
Now I am a paraplegic – because I got high [repeat 3X]
I was gonna pay my car note until I got high
I was gonna gamble on the boat but then I got high
now the tow truck is pulling away and I know why
– because I got high [repeat 3X]
I was gonna make love to you but then I got high
I was gonna eat yo pussy too but then I got high
now I’m jacking off and I know why
– cause I got high [repeat 3X]
I messed up my entire life because I got high
I lost my kids and wife because I got high
now I’m sleeping on the sidewalk and I know why
– cause I got high [repeat 3X]
I’m gonna stop singing this song because I’m high
Icy Truth (aedb2f) — 11/20/2008 @ 10:46 amI’m singing this whole thing wrong because I’m high
and if I dont sell one copy I know why
– cause I’m high [repeat 3X]
Sorry ’bout the dirty lyrics. Those are edited out of the version they play on the radio.
Icy Truth (aedb2f) — 11/20/2008 @ 10:48 am“About five years ago, I….. No, wait that was yesterday.”
“Yesterday I was…. No, that wasn’t me.”
Steven Wright
Sean P (e57269) — 11/20/2008 @ 11:28 amTony Pierce.
Nuff said.
Jim Treacher (592cb4) — 11/20/2008 @ 12:41 pmAll Ohio State attendees and those ‘in the know’ call it The Ohio State University; that is its official name.
truthnjustice (3d65f9) — 11/20/2008 @ 3:16 pmIt sorta brought it all together, well if I remember correctly.
Actually I do not partake of the substance, sans a once in awhile ramble. Meaning years between toks OK?
I already suffer from KRS, (kant remember shit), but prefer legal means to mental melt down. But I do remember this one girl, from band camp, she was hot as hell, and used the stuff for years.
I’ve watched her smoke a bit and continue to design your house, yeah the same one that did NOT fall apart during the last earthquake!
Which really relates only to how badly the war on some drugs has continued to be a TOTAL failure in this nation, and many others as well, with influence from the USA! We use the term “war on” so often it is almost like being called a racist or bigot, might as well say someone breathes. Meaningless dribble. So far there is not a single campaign that was conceived with the term “War on” has concluded any declared victory yet.
War on seems to equate to hang on to your asses and cover em up, cuz you can bet some none Dr. is gonna soon probe it!
TC (0b9ca4) — 11/20/2008 @ 11:01 pm