Message #8 (10 is last):
Date: Fri Apr 29 10:56:18 1994
From: verdant@student.umass.edu (Sol Lightman)
Subject: :safetyaa: UMACRC requested file
To: ug324@freenet.victoria.bc.ca
Reply-To: verdant@titan.ucs.umass.edu (Library)



                   UMACRC Safer Smoking Facts

The UMASS Cannabis Reform Coalition cannot and does not encourage
you to smoke any substance, but if you choose to do so, the CRC
would like to make sure you do it as safely as possible.

How to reduce the health risks of using marijuana:

Smoking any substance produces chemicals which may damage your
lungs.  Marijuana smoking may not be as dangerous as smoking
tobacco, but it is still possible to hurt your body this way.  If
you are concerned about reducing this damage, there is one simple
rule you should keep in mind:  The less you have to smoke to get
`high' the better.

One of the easiest things you can do to smoke less is to pay
attention to what part of the plant you are smoking.  Different
parts of the cannabis plant have different amounts of THC (the
active ingredient in marijuana) in them.  Many people smoke the
leaves of the cannabis plant.  The leaves are the worst part to
smoke (except for the stems and seeds, which do not even get you
`high', and are not `marijuana') because they contain a lot of
`tars' and not too much THC.  The buds and the resin (or `hash')
have less tar and more THC.  If you smoke leaf, you breath in more
chemicals than you would smoking bud.  Hash burns hotter than leaf
or bud, though, and it may damage your throat this way, so it may
or may not be a better choice.

The way which you smoke can also make a big difference.  Using a
pipe (or `bowl') burns the marijuana more completely than a rolled
cigarette (or `joint'), and a water-pipe (or `bong') cools the
smoke and removes some of the chemicals from the smoke.

Another thing that can be done is to not smoke at all.  If it is
dissolved in butter, fat, or alcohol, THC can be eaten instead of
smoked.  This totally eliminates lung damage.  It also is very
expensive, though, because it takes a lot more marijuana to get
high when you eat it.

One thing you do NOT have to worry about is overdosing on THC.  The
Lethal dose of THC is so high that it would be practically
impossible.  You should watch out for contaminated marijuana
though, so don't just assume that it is safe to smoke your whole
bag.  (See the next section.)

When the newspapers say that `marijuana is five times more potent
today than it was in the 60's', we say `GOOD!', because this means
that people who smoke marijuana will smoke less to get high, and
they will be healthier as a result.


Some things to look out for:

If marijuana were legal and regulated, marijuana smokers could buy
clean, well-made cannabis products.  Marijuana today is made or
smuggled illegally, though, and some very dangerous things can get
added to it before you buy it.  The following drugs can be added
to (or `laced with') marijuana: heroin, tobacco, cocaine,
mushrooms, speed, and PCP.  The following drugs cannot: LSD, X
(MDMA).  

Another danger of poorly produced marijuana is poisonous fungi. 
There are a few fungi which will grow on cannabis, and if the
grower does not spot them, or doesn't care, they can make you very
sick.  Again, if marijuana were legal, market regulations could
include quality control to eliminate these problems.

Paraquat is no longer sprayed on marijuana.  This chemical was used
by the government in marijuana eradication efforts, and when it was
burned in a joint, it released a chemical which is very harmful.

If your marijuana contains crystals, white powder, or appears to
have fungus growing on it, or if any bag of marijuana gets you
sick, or just does not feel right, then throw the bag out.  It is
not worth the risk.

This pamphlet is produced as a public health service by the UMASS
Cannabis Reform Coalition.  It does not constitute medical advice,
just common sense.