James Ainsworth allegedly high on heroin when his SUV crashed, killing two in …
Both Ainsworth and Dunlap were taken by ambulance to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield for treatment of minor injuries. Hospital staff administered Narcan, a drug to counteract the effects of heroin, to Ainsworth, who then was unable to stay awake … Read more on GazetteNET

For Lawrenceville family, sting of failed medical marijuana fight still lingers
If you ask her parents why they still have few effective options for treatment more than a year after these episodes began, they have a word for that, too: politics. … They've lived a normal family life in their Lawrenceville home during six and a … Read more on Gwinnettdailypost.com

MS patient talks about relief she finds with marijuana
That's when she moved to Florida. For years, Alcorn took baclofen, a prescription drug for treating spasticity. Her symptoms kept getting worse, she says. Then about four or five years ago, she added in a substantial dose of pot, smoking the equivalent … Read more on Tampabay.com

Sanford charts path to diabetes detection
The Sanford Project research was conducted in collaboration with the University of Florida. The results recently were published in … In July, the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology featured Sanford research on a drug combination's potential to reduce … Read more on Sioux Falls Argus Leader

Rahall, officials to meet about substance abuse
On Thursday, Rahall and federal officials will visit two substance abuse treatment facilities — the Southern Highlands Community Mental Health Center in Welch and the FMRS Turning Point Center in Beckley — and meet with the Wyoming County Chapter of … Read more on Charleston Daily Mail

Rehab center to be located on Capital High property
The T-Center will be the first freestanding drug and alcohol abuse treatment center of its kind, housing up to 40 patients at a time to provide detoxification and stabilization programs, intensive outpatient programs and comprehensive family programs. Read more on Charleston Gazette

Proposed medical marijuana rules under fire
Cheryl D. Glenn told members of the Natalie M. LaPrade Medical Marijuana Commission — named in honor of her late mother — that requirements and restrictions would disqualify patients a doctor would otherwise recommend for marijuana treatment … Read more on Baltimore Sun

State drug courts boost treatment for addicts
Heffernan presides over a specialty court where defendants with substance abuse problems are closely supervised, subjected to random drug testing and required to participate in support groups and treatment programs as an alternative to jail … Read more on GazetteNET

Tazewell County grand jury hands down drug indictments
as an example of the work done by the prevention and treatment programs. He called on the medical community to use more caution in prescribing drug s for their patients. He said reformulating opana ended overdose deaths from use of that drug. Read more on Southwest Virginia Today

California Poised to Lead the Nation in Innovative Overdose Prevention Effort
AB 1535 is supported by a long list of public health organizations, drug treatment providers and advocacy groups including: California Pharmacists Association (co-sponsor); Drug Policy Alliance (co-sponsor); California Narcotic Officers' Association … Read more on Drug Policy Alliance (press release) (blog)

Patients face 'hoop-jumping' to gain medical marijuana
Julie Falco was active in lobbying Illinois to legalize medical marijuana, a drug she credits with "saving my life" since she started eating pot brownies to treat to multiple sclerosis 10 years ago. Yet now that the state has enacted a medicinal … Read more on Chicago Tribune

Health Insurance Companies Refuse to Cover Medical Marijuana
“It's a step to not only providing safer pain relief and treatment methods for those with legitimate diseases, but also to help end the rampant problem of prescription drug abuse.” Last modified: June 16, 2014. View Sources. Swift, A. (2013, October 22 … Read more on DrugWatch.com

Pregnant drug users in TN face prosecution starting July 1
However, reproductive organizations and other civil rights groups protested the bill on fears it would discourage pregnant women from seeking treatment for their addiction. Tennessee's Assembly enacted the law in response to the growing number of … Read more on Gant Daily

Older Americans hooked on Rx: 'I was a zombie'
When Betty Van Amburgh began treatment last year for her addiction to prescription painkillers, she was told to bring along all her medication. She arrived with a shopping bag – boxes of transdermal patches laced with fentanyl, a narcotic up to 100 … Read more on Clarksville Leaf Chronicle

Brooklyn task force offers ideas on fighting drug addiction
The kits would include an informational card with instructions on steps to take following administration, as well as information on how to access addiction treatment and support services. The task force also called age-appropriate information about the … Read more on Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Question by Wait! U Mad Bro??!!: OK MARIJUANA AND LSD DEBATE?
Allright, so my friend is a smoker right, he doesn’t smoke ALL the time, but he still smokes. so we were having a debate on LSD and Marijuana effect on the brain when they are ABUSED. I said, if you abuse both substances, they could lead to brain damage, but he insists that only LSD does this. He literally says Marijuana will not have an effect on the brain if it is abused. I told him it will and sited a medical book as my source. He then tells me that the book is biased and that he’s done many research on the drug and is sure it doesn’t effect the brain in any way. DOES THAT MAKE SENCE?!!!
well

Best answer:

Answer by bravozulu
Effect should be modified to negative effect. The word “abused” is subjective and even leading. Damage is also somewhat subjective and the word “could” doesn’t have much meaning either. It could be one chance in a billion or 50/50.

THC most definitely has an effect on the brain and it potentially has profound effects on the mind. The changes are due to activating cannabinoid receptors. Those change other neurotransmitters and it changes how the brain functions. There isn’t much long term change and probably no permanent damage. He probably meant that no permanent or even temporary harm was done. That is probably true unless the dose is far beyond normal usage.

LSD is extremely non toxic. The changes are very temporary. This statement from wikipedia is consistent with statements from all the medical doctors I have heard.
“LSD is non-addictive, is not known to cause brain damage, and has extremely low toxicity relative to dose, although in rare cases adverse psychiatric reactions such as anxiety or delusions are possible.”

The later anxiety and delusions are sometimes described as flashbacks and it is generally believed that they are memories of your altered conscious thoughts. You remember feeling paranoid or whatever you experienced so there is potential for permanent psychological damage. The same is logically true for THC though most people don’t normally react badly to it. There are certainly exceptions though.

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House Votes to End DEA Raids on Legal Medical Marijuana Businesses
The Huffington Post adds that medical marijuana dispensaries have faced the wrath of both the DEA and the Obama administration, with the agency still considering marijuana a Schedule I substance, meaning it has high potential for abuse and no accepted … Read more on Complex.com

What the legalization of marijuana has meant for children
Although she was unhurt, the kitchen was destroyed and the adults who were present have been charged with reckless endangerment and child abuse, according to CBS Denver.Such dangerous environments are tied to recreational use of marijuana. Read more on Wicked Local Hopedale

Mississippi, home to federal government's official stash of marijuana
Researchers can't get anything from the 46-year-old Marijuana Research Project at Ole Miss unless the Drug Enforcement Administration gives the go-ahead. A panel on which the National Institute on Drug Abuse is represented often must sign off too. Read more on Los Angeles Times

Ban brings fears of unintended outcomes
Taranaki health workers are bracing themselves for an increase in youth prostitution, alcohol abuse and experimental drug use in the wake of the ban on legal highs. Currently legal, psychoactive substances will be yanked from the shelves within … Read more on Marlborough Express

Medical Marijuana Passes Another Senate Committee, Local Drug Treatment …
"There's a significant chance of unintended consequences," said Mark Casagrande, Executive Director of Park Avenue Center, and President-Elect of Minnesota Association of Resources for Recovery and Chemical Health. Casagrande believes there are … Read more on KSTP.com

PreCheck, Inc. Offers Human Resources Random Drug Testing Training Webinar
PreCheck, Inc., an employment and background screening firm specializing in the healthcare industry, recently announced it will host a live, complimentary webinar titled, “The Value of Random Drug Testing in the Prevalence of Prescription Drug Abuse”, … Read more on PR Web (press release)

Talks on drug trends in Bernards Township start Wednesday
The mission of the Bernards Township Municipal Alliance Against Substance Abuse is to provide consultation, programs, training and resources to members of the Bernards Township community with the goal of preventing and reducing the use of alcohol, … Read more on New Jersey Hills