Posts tagged marijuana myth

Can you donate blood if you smoke or have smoked marijuana?

10 years ago

by Mythbuster in Marijuana Myths

For those of you who did not come here to read a lengthy discussion of this topic, the answer is yes. It is perfectly fine for someone who has smoked or even regularly smokes marijuana to donate blood. The Red Cross is very explicit on this topic and states that “marijuana or alcohol use does not necessarily disqualify you from giving blood as long as you are feeling well.” It is important to note that a blood donation center is unlikely to accept your donation if they believe that you have recently consumed either alcohol or marijuana. Also, while marijuana and alcohol will not disqualify you from giving blood, intravenous drug use at any point in your lifetime will disqualify you as will various other medical conditions and other assorted criteria. A helpful guide on donating blood which was put together by the Red Cross can be found here.

Now, the reason this is acceptable and does not harm the recipient of a blood transfusion is because your body metabolizes THC into two different chemicals. The first of which is 11-OH-THC which is also psychoactive like THC. Some scientists and doctors believe that the reason the munchies are delayed is because 11-OH-THC causes the munchies and your body must take time to metabolize THC before 11-OH-THC is present in your blood stream. This process happens relatively quickly as your liver filters blood continuously. Enzymes in the liver continue metabolizing these chemicals and turn the 11-OH-THC into 11-nor-9-Carboxy-THC which is non-psychoactive. This takes several hours and by the time that there is no THC nor 11-OH-THC in your system you are no longer high. So, when the Red Cross says that your donation is unlikely to be accepted if the blood donation center staff believe you have recently consumed marijuana, they are in effect making sure that your body has broken down any psychoactive chemicals that your blood may otherwise contain. This makes it acceptable to donate blood even if you are a regular marijuana smoker as no recipient of your blood would be taking any psychoactive chemicals into your body which may otherwise cause them to feel high.

Ethically, some people say that marijuana smokers should not donate blood as there THC laden and generally dirty,trashed, second-rate excuse for blood is unsuitable for an infant, toddler, child recipient. However, as we have just discussed by that point in time your blood contains no psychoactive chemicals, and it might be argued at that point in time that it is actually more harmful for people with high cholesterol to donate blood. In our opinion, it actually defies our moral and ethical beliefs to not donate blood as often as you can. How often you can donate will differ by blood center and by the type of donation you are giving, so check with you local blood center, but its safe to say you are eligible 6 times per year. The Red Cross states that you can save up to 3 lives by donating blood just once. So, get out there do it. Hope this cleared up a few things for everyone.

Myth Busted: Does coughing make you more high?

11 years ago

by Mythbuster in Marijuana Myths

So, awhile ago we set up a poll asking our readers if they thought that they get more high when they cough while smoking makes. It seems like 78% of us feel that coughing gets us more high, while 17% say it doesn’t, and 5% apparently have never coughed while smoking. Now, here are some things to consider which might justify some truth behind this marijuana myth.

When you smoke marijuana, the main ingredient which gets you high is the chemical THC. Good old Delta 9 Tetrahydrocannabinol. When the THC reaches approximately 301 degrees Fahrenheit it becomes active (CBD at 403 F and CBN at 415 F). This is the reaction that occurs when you light a joint or a blunt, torch a bong, or use a vaporizer. In a joint, for example, the paper burns at 451 degrees Fahrenheit which is a major them in the book Fahrenheit 451. Or in the case of a bong or a bowl where you are using a butane lighter which burns around 550 degrees Fahrenheit. So, depending on the person and the size of the apparatus you are smoking out of, everyone will take in a different amount of smoke on any given toke of the sacred herb.

When you cough, your lungs are gasping for air, its an instinct which has stuck with us from our time as reptiles millions of years ago. When you cough, your lungs expand, and certain areas of your lung are exposed to smoke that wouldn’t have been had you not coughed.

So, you might not get as high taking a hit from a joint that makes you cough as you would from a hit from a bong. But, the best way to utilize any given hit is to maximize the amount THC that you absorb. This can be easily achieved by coughing and increasing the surface area in your lungs that can absorb the THC, or by holding in the hit. We have also been looking in to what the ideal amount of time is to hold in a hit. Let us know what you think it is, by voting in this poll.

And, to vote in the coughing poll, click here.

best way to smoke marijuana coughing marijuana coughing more high hold in hit ideal hit length marijuana myth marijuana myth busters marijuana mythbusters

We will even bust myths you think of while you’re high…

11 years ago

by Mythbuster in Marijuana Myths

So, we we’re asked “Can one simple cannon(ball) sink a pirate ship?” Now, this is a very intriguing question in our opinion. It doesn’t have anything to do with marijuana. It really isn’t even a myth. But, we suspect that whoever asked this question was undoubtedly under the influence of God’s blessed herb.

So, where to begin. We don’t own a cannon, and that is probably for the best. And, if we had a pirate ship. It is much more likely we would be shooting cannons at other ships than our own, just saying. But, it is important to remember that this is the 21st century. A time in which we still have pirates and where practically everything has been figured out, except maybe the speed of dark and who really built the pyramids.

Fortunately, someone has figured out if cannonballs could sink wooden ships. And this great-wizard-of-the-ancient-world’s name is Yaacov Kahanov, a professor at the University of Haifa in Israel. He found that cannon fire could penetrate wooden hulled ships, and that slower moving cannonballs actually did more damage to a ship’s hull than a faster moving cannon ball.

Let’s assume a cannon was fired. Before hitting its target it dipped into the water, and the impact with the water slowed the cannonball down slightly. Then, it made impact with the wooden hull of its target while under water. It seems very likely that one sole cannonball could in fact sink a ship.

For more information on this subject we recommend this article, here.

Thank you for submitting your myth. Remember, we will even bust myths that don’t pertain to marijuana, as long as you thought of them while you were high. So, stay high. And, to submit your myths, click here.

-MJMB-

cannon myth cannonball myth high myth marijuana myth marijuana mythbusters mythbusters smoke weed pirate mythbusters pirate ship myth weed myth

More people want pot legalized than don’t

11 years ago

by Mythbuster in Marijuana Myths

For the first time since Woodstock, more people in the United States want marijuana to be legalized than think it should remain illegal.

Here is a graphic representation of this data.

And, here is the break down by different demographic groups.

For access to the original article, click here.

legalize it legalize marijuana marijuana marijuana facts marijuana myth marijuana mythbusters myth busters mythbusters

Myth Busted: Marijuana Overdose

11 years ago

by Mythbuster in Marijuana Myths

In a small suburb of New York City, today it was proven that it is impossible to overdose on marijuana. It has been a common myth among many recreational cannabis consumers and medical marijuana patients that marijuana overdose can occur if a smoker can manage to smoke his or her own weight in marijuana in one day. However, this in and of itself is impossible…

1. When you smoke marijuana, you get the munchies.

2. When you get the munchies, you eat food.

3. When you eat food, you gain weight.

4. So, the act of smoking marijuana causes you to gain weight.

Now, when you smoke a gram of marijuana it is more than likely that you will increase your weight by much more than just one gram. The munchies will cause you to eat, and the cotton mouth will cause you to quench your thirst. Both actions will lead to an increase in your body weight. And, you will now have to smoke the same weight in marijuana as the food and water you just ingested.

This process is often cyclical, but will never lead to an overdose. Eventually you will simply go to sleep.

Additionally, if you can afford your weight in marijuana or possess your weight in marijuana, please contact us immediately.

-MJMB-

PS: Watch this video about a police officer who baked pot brownies from weed he confiscated, and thought he had overdosed on pot.