Finally caught the movie Young at Heart... a really inspiring and heartwarming film about The Young at Heart Chorus... a group of incredible singers ranging 73 to 89 in age... who refuse to give up their love for singing ^^x
If you watched tennis, in particular the Australian Open, you would have heard of the bizarre situation that occurred days back at the Hisense Arena...
and finally some comment on the issue =3
Weeks ago I watched and wrote up a post about the 2010 film House of Numbers... now.. I've finally caught the other controversial film in 2010... What If Cannabis Cured Cancer?
In an EW interview last year... Katy Perry had this to say about her hit "Peacock"...
'' I'm hoping it will be a gay-pride anthem... ''
Frankly, the early years of Scouting really rubbed off... and every now and then, there is that urge to wanna chill somewhere with a mini BBQ... however, most of the time, it is such a hassle... you need to get the aluminum tray, the grill, a box of charcoal (that you will probably end up throwing away half), and the dirty inconvenience of lighting it up...
Well, that's where I find the EZ Grill attractive.
Honestly, in an age of choice, I don't mind paying a premium for convenience (Regular size: USD $9.90, Party size: USD $15.50)... coz face it... I rather spend time chilling with my friends, than on all that preparation... being portable, we could store it in the boot of someone's car till use... its a great idea!
And an independent review of the EZ Grill seems to support its claims...
Well, I guess the only thing left is finding a shop in Singapore that stocks this =S... If you know of any, do leave a comment =3
To understand more about the arguments on the use of Cannabis, one has to understand more about the effects of Cannabis in the body.. the film does touch briefly on this, as I will try to explain here.
The active ingredients of cannabis, like Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), mimic these naturally-occurring endocannabinoids and binds to CB1 and CB2. These reduces the amount of neurotransmitters released, and results in a decreased in sensory activity, thus the delayed responses and "stoning" effect.
In addition, cannabinoid receptors are present on GABA-inhibitory neurons, which inhibits dopamine release. THC is able to bind to these receptors and inhibit the GABA-inhibitory neurons, which in turn, removes the inhibition on dopamine release. This results in increased dopamine, and you get the "high".
The problem with cannabis, is that you have you have multiple forms of different cannabinoids within it... thus taking cannabis as it is, might have mixed results... an example is that THC, the main psychoactive substance in Cannabis, may worsen Schizophrenic cases, but CBD, another active ingredient in Cannabis, is actually an effective antipsychotic drug... so yes, there is an actual need to isolate and identify the individual cannabinoid for medical use.
Extensive research into cannabinoids have also shown that it has anti-cancer properties... and even has immunosuppresive qualities that could treat type II diabetes.. however, it is a holistic effect... treatment with THC can reduce cancer, but is psychoactive and immunosuppresive... so you might not die of cancer, but instead of the common cold.
So, my take is that research should still continue on cannabis, but it shouldn't be legalised... taken as it is, cannabis may help reduce the symptoms of cancer treatment, and even the cancer itself, but unsupervised, the patient might become psychotic and become a danger to the public and him/herself... the long term solution would be genetically modifying the plant, so that it only produces the cannabinoid of choice.. preferably non-psychoactive ones... only then, will it be safe for the public to start growing them legally in their backyard... at present, medicinal use of cannabis should be under a doctor's supervision and observation.
That being said, one should still avoid smoking the traditional rolled-up joints even for medicinal cannabis, as the incomplete burning process still produces carbon monoxide and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs), which is carcinogenic. Instead, use a vaporizer or a "bong" for a cleaner burn.