This sounds damning, doesn't it?
Of course there are two aspects of this US government study you might want to take into consideration while you are evaluating its reliability.
Number one: the next sentence in the story.
In other words: we didn't bother to actually check for any signs of heart disease.
Number two: the definition of a heavy marijuana user.
Which, as it turns out, is someone smoking between 11-50 joints per day.
As pointed out by Marijuana Research Project's Bob Mirken:
I don't suppose it is surprising to find out that the same government that had a specific program set up to lie to American citizens about the war in Iraq through ersatz experts, also has an arm that produces phony research in order to justify the fiscal and moral sinkhole that is our 21st Century War on Drugs.
More to the point, if you make it a habit to visit Drug War Rant (which is where I originally found this story), you will find so many additional pieces of propaganda and outright lies regarding American drug use and the purported consequences thereof that it will make your head spin.
But--more's the pity--it won't get you high.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Heavy marijuana use can boost blood levels of a particular protein, perhaps raising a person’s risk of a heart attack or stroke, U.S. government researchers said on Tuesday.
Levels of a protein called apolipoprotein C-III were found to be 30 percent higher in the marijuana users compared to the others. This protein is involved in the body’s metabolism of triglycerides — a type of fat found in the blood — and higher levels cause increased levels of triglycerides.
High levels of triglycerides can contribute to hardening of the arteries or thickening of the artery walls, raising the risk of stroke, heart attack and heart disease.
Of course there are two aspects of this US government study you might want to take into consideration while you are evaluating its reliability.
Number one: the next sentence in the story.
The study did not look at whether the heavy marijuana users actually had heart disease.
In other words: we didn't bother to actually check for any signs of heart disease.
Number two: the definition of a heavy marijuana user.
Which, as it turns out, is someone smoking between 11-50 joints per day.
As pointed out by Marijuana Research Project's Bob Mirken:
“We’re talking about people who are stoned all the time. We’re talking about the marijuana equivalent of the guy in the alley clutching a bottle of cheap wine. If you do anything to that level of excess, it might well have some untoward effects, whether it’s marijuana or wine or broccoli.”
I don't suppose it is surprising to find out that the same government that had a specific program set up to lie to American citizens about the war in Iraq through ersatz experts, also has an arm that produces phony research in order to justify the fiscal and moral sinkhole that is our 21st Century War on Drugs.
More to the point, if you make it a habit to visit Drug War Rant (which is where I originally found this story), you will find so many additional pieces of propaganda and outright lies regarding American drug use and the purported consequences thereof that it will make your head spin.
But--more's the pity--it won't get you high.
Comments