Re: Smoking [Was: An interesting poll]

Jeff Fabijanic (jeff@primordialsoft.com)
Thu, 17 Jun 1999 11:01:00 -0400

KPJ wrote:
>Yes, MAPS performed a study on cannabis smoke filtration device effects in
>the Newsletter of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies,
>Volume 6, Number 3, Summer 1996.

Actually, MAPS did not conduct the study, but rather sponsored it (along with CaNORML).

The commentary on said study has been almost uniformly negative, with many individuals, including active researchers in the fields of pharmaceutical science and biochemistry, questioning the rigor and accuracy of the protocols used. In addition, the lab conducting the study did not conduct additional analyses, specified in their contract, into the effectiveness of water pipes and vaporizers in filtering harmful gases from cannabis smoke. The lab informed MAPS that technical difficulties prevented it from conducting the gas analysis portion of the study.

Overall, I must say that although I admire MAPS' honesty in making the results of this study public, I have to question their choice of research facility and I do not rate this study highly among those conducted on the topic. This one study is in conflict with a significant number of studies which indicate that "bongs" - water pipes - filter little or none of the THC from cannabis smoke, and are very effective in removing many of the most harmful constituents.

The book _Marijuana Chemistry_ by Michael Starks, has some decent basic coverage on the topic of the soluability of cannibinol isomers. Also, for a recent overview of work on this topic, I would refer interested readers to:

<http://www.maps.org/news-letters/v04n2/04204mwp.html> Nicholas Cozzi, Effects of Water Filtration on Marijuana Smoke: A Literature Review, MAPS Newsletter, Vol. IV #2, 1993].


Fwiw, this extropy-minded individual, were he to do something so rash as to inhale the smoke of this government-scheduled substance, would make an effort to do so using a water-filtered pipe.

|    Jeffrey Fabijanic, Designer         The Future exists,
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