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Is marijuana good for diabetes?

Sula, I don't think you are missing out on anything. Whether marijuana helps with diabetes control or not is open to debate and varies from person to person but it can't cure diabetes. There is so far NO cure. I get really angry about people peddling "cures". There is promising research for a genuine cure but we're not there yet

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I'm interested in this thread. I don't suppose anyone has any idea about what (if anything) in cannabis may help manage diabetes. I know that cannabis comes in a variety of strengths, is it logical to think that stronger = better.

For me (51 yr old male) I'm about to embark on a personal trial, though I won't smoke it. I intend to use a small ammount of mild weed 3 days per week and see what my daily readings do. I have used in the past, but don't really like the feeling so am aiming for minimal effective dose

I see lots of recipes on 'tinternet and may start experimenting this weekend
 
I can't believe I just lost a very long and detailed post with lots of citations

Anyway in short it is believed a factor in the development of T2 is the breakdown of the endocannabinoid system (the system of cannabinoids and receptors for them made by the human body- the compounds in cannabis are essentially identical) If I find the right study again I'll come back and edit this post.

I support the use of medical cannabis but it doesn't mean go smoking anything, all day willy-nilly

Also can I stress that cannabis sativa, indica and ruderalis are all involved in the development of the plethora of strains out there created by individual breeders and they all have differing proportions of active 'ingredients', the main ones being THC, CBD and CBN.

STRONGER DOES NOT MEAN BETTER even if it might be more 'fun'. Clinical trials found pain relief was just as prevalent in test group given lower doses of THC as higher doses, and it is the unusually high level of THC in 'skunk' varieties that is thought to trigger psychotic episodes in those with a predisposition to them.

HOWEVER, the component CBD or cannabidiol is an ANTI-psychotic

http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/06/07 ... 39803.html

Can you see the impact choices of strains with differing levels of these compounds has? Completely opposite ends of the spectrum with the effects. This is why I prefer indica-dominant hybrids which offer pain relief but have lessened my anxiety and actually stopped the visual and auditory hallucinations I'd had since I was 14.


Pleasepleaseplease be careful and know exactly what it is you are smoking and how it could effect you as an individual. Personally I'd love it if we had a dispensary in this country where staff could help you make informed choices that are best for you health, not just the strain you will get the most kick out of.

Pure sativas are fun, but will not help much in the long run, and I'm saying that as someone who loves the ganja.


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Hi Littlewolf

I am reassured that stronger doesn't equal better I have no desire to go anywhere near the higher THC content - like I said I have used in the past and am not a huge fan of feeling stoned

I also appreciate that this is a natural product and as such levels of everything will vary, so caution is advised

I know that THC isn't soluble in water (best alcohol or fat) however I was looking into trying some cookery or perhaps making tea

If it's not the THC that helps manage diabetes (or stronger would be better) then perhaps that's a way forward
 
Sorry, I've just realised I might have come across as a little patronising. I am only 20 and have Asperger's Syndrome- forgive if it sounded like I was lecturing you.

Teas are possible if the THC is released into warm milk before adding water and an actual teabag if you'd like. It's a nice bedtime drink if you are an insomniac like myself.

Perhaps a little healthier than ganja cookies and treats, cooking savoury food with cannabis oil or butter is an option. I tend to use cheap-to-obtain 'shake', what is left at the bottom of the bag or stems. After making hash, I've cooked bacon in the pyrex dish, but it's very hard to dose with these things

One thing to bear in mind is you Do Not Need Much. Don't overdo it. You need very very little for edibles an it often takes a few hours to kick in so the temptation is to re-dose. It's taken me alot of practise and gradually increasing or decreasing amounts of raw cannabis accordingly with different strains and even still I try to undershoot just in case or use tiny serving sizes.

Now if only we has dispensaries that sell cannabis foods in accurately measured doses.. Until then, we have to do it ourselves and exercise caution.




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Hehe, been away from this thread a while now! Its turning a bit mental! Its funny that tobacco ALWAYS gets brought up as an argument for prohibition. Its called clutching at straws! Evidence for tobacco being harmful is in great abundance so fair point. But as people have mentioned, this isn't about tobacco! Its about cannabis in all its forms. I am not a child, I am not stupid, that's why I find issue with cannabis being illegal. Every argument I hear for prohibition is either misled, misinformed or missing the point totally. Arguments for banning MSG or corn syrup holds more weight! I have smoked daily for about 12-13 years and I have had no health issues apart from type 1 diabetes. It has not held me back, I'm where I want to be in life, family, job etc. Don't get me wrong though, if someone presents evidence suggesting that its harmful to health, I will reconsider, but I'm still waiting!

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I honestly don't care who smokes what, so long as I don't have to a) inhale their smoke b) they really do know what's in the stuff they're smoking c) they know where their hard earned cash is ending up as a result of buying it and d) their personality changes don't affect me at home or in the workplace or on the roads or anywhere else.

I know a few cannabis users who need the stuff to stay 'chilled'. They give the impression they're laid back people but they're actually quite angry people - which is why they keep taking cannabis and praising it's 'chilling' properties.

I've no doubt that pure cannabis has some benefits, if you read about any plant, it has some use of some kind. But even common herbs and spice like cinnamon, rosemary and chile can harm if used to excess.

To be honest when I see on TV about drug smugglers and pushers and how they smuggle stuff through customs by swallowing it wrapped in condoms - I honestly have to doubt the sanity of anyone who buys the stuff on the streets later and helps make someone else very rich by buying something that's been through someone elses digestive system. :sick: :sick:
 
Oh that's a very fair point! If someone really does have emotional/anger issues that they do not want to acknowledge not much is going to help them unless they accept it. I dislike stoners who don't function within society as much as I dislike someone on any other drug who is the same way, regardless of legal status.

And I'm always careful to make sure I'm smoking where people aren't going to get a faceful or alone, but not everyone is like that unfortunately. I know I can't handle people's cigarette smoke near me.

Looks like you've had to deal with some selfish smokers. The problem is they always were selfish and angry :/

But anyway, this vasodilation business might be the best thing cannabis has going for it with regard to diabetes. I'm also wondering if hemp oil applied to the skin would be good for rashes. I put it in my hair to keep it moisturised/anti frizz, so going to experiment with it on my dry skin patches.


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And another one about smuggling and crime associated with buying cannabis... This is why I wish someone could just have there couple of plants in their back yard so they know what it is and no one had to get shot or something to get it to them. I'm lucky enough to know my weed is coming from local growers but I have seen some compressed brown nasty stuff that probably did get through customs squeezed in someone's asscrack. Also hash... You never know what's in it! It's just brown squishy stuff, could be okay doh for all you know lol.

And like you said, anything in excess is dangerous, like nutmeg! I tried it before I tried weed and the trip was far too strange and intense, then I read how incredibly poisonous it is on large doses. Never again.


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After working in the mental health sector for some years and witnessing the multitude of young men being admitted with Paranoid schizophrenia as a direct result of smoking massive amounts of Cannabis I would definitely not recommend it to anyone. I can see the attraction to people who like to be zoned out and have their worries and stress dissapear for a few hours till it wears off and they need another spliff. when I was younger I smoked it myself.

However, most of the talk of it being beneficial is farcical. Check out most people homes who are cannabis dependent and you will see the signs of their mood swings when they can't access a "smoke" including holes in plasterboard walls and doors. Ask the non smoking wives of guys who smoke it on a daily basis. Mood swings galore, kicking off when they can't score, taking the last bit of money from the housekeeping if they need to, sitting round the house with their friends smoking, disappearing for hours sometimes days on end, off smoking at some friends flat.

Cannabis is a dependent drug no matter what people who smoke it will tell you.

Obviously only my opinion but I would like to see it criminalised more, more deterrents and a tighter grip on its control :D
 
I await the replies of "yes but if it was legalised" and "think of all the drunks that smash up houses". My only argument is that most weed smokers are substandard humans with b.o. and greasy hair living on squalor whilst spending my hard earned taxes...

Just my opinion, I may be wrong. But I'm not!

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Mr Happy said:
I await the replies of "yes but if it was legalised" and "think of all the drunks that smash up houses". My only argument is that most weed smokers are substandard humans with b.o. and greasy hair living on squalor whilst spending my hard earned taxes...

Just my opinion, I may be wrong. But I'm not!

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That is known as stereotyping Mr. Happy.

I work in psychiatry and have seen many people from all walks of life and of all ages who have experienced psychiatric problems with the use of cannabis.
 
I don't know people to buy it off. I've been having to grow it myself in recent years - in a grow-tent, inside the house (of course), with the attendant fire-risk.

A few decades ago, there wasn't such a fuss about it: I grew it FOR FUN in my parents' back garden. I didn't NEED to grow it. Indeed, perhaps JUST BECAUSE it's illegal, it's easy to buy when you're a teenager.

But it's not so easy if you don't hang around in pubs, and the like.

Happily, I've got some sensible, hard-working gents coming to do some building-work next week. These are the kind who wouldn't dream of spending hours hunched over a screen, tapping out messages about diabetes and marijuana. (The boss has type 2.)

But I know their kind. (My late father was a joiner.) And true to form, I've already established that one of them - a roofer - likes a smoke (ie. he smokes cannabis) just as much as a drink. And "one of his lads" also smokes, and I'll be able to purchase some from him.

Any amount of legislation would make no difference. There will always be these sensible, hard-working men and women who smoke cannabis. And they will carry on smoking it regardless of what anyone else says.

Well, they won't be entirely regardless. They will snort, and perhaps they'll laugh, and then they'll skin up. (Nb. To 'skin up' means to 'roll a joint'; cigarette papers are sometimes called 'skins'.)

I'm not one of those sensible, hard-working people myself. (There couldn't possibly be any sensible, hard-working people making seemingly endless contributions to this web-site; my sensible 92-year-old mother, for whom I'm a carer, is getting fed up with the amount of time I've recently been spending here myself.) But I believe I recognise them for what they are.
 
Hopefully the hard working gents will carry out required repairs to your property before "skinning up" or they may be there longer than anticipated lol !


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Mr Happy said:
I await the replies of "yes but if it was legalised" and "think of all the drunks that smash up houses". My only argument is that most weed smokers are substandard humans with b.o. and greasy hair living on squalor whilst spending my hard earned taxes...

Just my opinion, I may be wrong. But I'm not!

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I used to believe that too Mr Happy. However, the only weed smokers I've ever come across personally are all holding down good jobs and have rarely, if ever, had to claim benefits. Perhaps they use it sensibly, I don't know. Then there are others who I 'know of' as a result of my job in psychiatry, who end up very ill as a result of using it, perhaps not sensibly. I honestly don't know why some people seem to be OK with it and others not. I just feel very sorry for young people getting involved with dealers and thinking it's 'cool' and perhaps being open to other, harder drugs as a result.
 
I was a teenager in the 1970s, when there were all kinds of cannabis available, from all over the world - but all grown naturally, I'm sure. (I remember one kind from the name alone: 'Thai sticks'.)

Nowadays, perhaps because importation is ever more difficult and risky (on account of the penalties involved for those caught), it's all grown artificially - under lights. (Doubtless much is grown in this country, so the importation difficulties are avoided.) Accordingly, especially since the bigger criminals involved will perhaps not be paying for the electricity, ever-stronger varieties of the drug become available.

Some of the stuff I've tried I have found to produce very uncomfortable effects, mentally speaking. And indeed, if on account of your genetic inheritance and/or your social environment you happen to be prone to psychosis, much of this BLACK MARKET material is liable to be distinctly unhealthy for you.

These might be counted as grounds for heavier legal penalties. But they might also be counted as grounds for decriminalisation and governmental control. (Never mind about the tax that the government is missing out on.)

I look forward to the day when I might read of fields of Afghani cannabis being grown for Western consumers, instead of those same fields being used for opium poppies, much of which is more locally consumed.

I believe this has nothing to do with diabetes. However, I might be wrong about that. But since the drug is illegal, the thread's question is effectively academic anyway.
 
I'm trying not to get upset at the various directions the same old rhetoric is coming from. As I've said before, the reasons for prohibition were wholly unethical in the first place. Since then stereotypes have been built by the media to depict it in bad light, the same could have been done with any currently legal substance and have the same results! It is merely the power of suggestion! Re previous post, the same could be said for alcohol, is 40% proof spirit necessary? It is human nature to experiment! Its beautiful and should be embraced. Its society that creates the mindset of dependency which manifests itself into many aspects of life, consumerism, food, status. Its scientifically safer than most substances but still carries this weight. Its just wrong!

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