Three, three, three posts in one!

Here is what my weekend looks like:

At 4:30 today (Friday 4/20) Christian and I are going on our 2^nd annual “Champion Warriors Father/Son Weekend Campout.”   It’s held at the Jabez Retreat Center 90 miles north of KC near Chillicothe, MO.

Champion Warriors 

It is a Father/Son weekend for boys in 4^th, 5^th and 6^th grades. It is a bonding time and a bit of a “rite of passage” event.  The Dads focus on their sons and affirm them and do activities and campfires and sleep in a tent together.  We went last year and after just the first day Christian was already saying, “When we come back next year….”  The retreat goes until Sunday at noon.

Jabez Retreat Center 

At 7:00 PM Sunday night I have my first “Sweeney Todd” rehearsal. It goes until 10:00 PM.

Soooooo….

I’m going to write three posts and you can read them all at once of just read one Friday, then one Saturday, and finally one Sunday (If you so choose.)

FRIDAY: (In light of “4-20”)

Marijuana has been in use for several thousand years. Ancient Assyrians referred to marijuana as “Ganzigun Nu”, or “the drug that takes away the mind” and “Azallu”, or “hand of the ghost, poison of all limbs”. The effects were obviously well known to the Assyrians and their descriptive names accurately depict the effect of marijuana on the mind and on the body.

Marijuana is used more than any other illegal drug in the United States. In Hawaii, out of 900,000 residents, 66,000 reported using marijuana at least once in the preceding 18 months. The highest percentage of users reside in Hawaii County with the largest number of actual users on Oahu where 85-90 percent of the population lives.

Marijuana’s active ingredient is tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Beginning in the 1940’s researchers identified THC as the primary psychoactive ingredient in Marijuana. Additional research continued wherein cannabibiod receptors were identified in the human body in both the brain and muscles. These receptors are identified as endogenous cannabinoid receptors. Research has identified the presence of the endogenous cannabinoid receptors in the human body and in fish, birds, mammals and reptiles. Receptors are identified as CB-1 and CB-2. CB-1 receptors are present in the brain and are one of the most abundant receptors in the brain

CB-1 receptors reside in throughout the brain, specifically in the cerebral cortex where high functioning is affected, in the basal ganglia where movement originates, in the hippocampus where learning and memory are achieved and in the cerebellum where body activity is regulated. Nearly all brain areas of the brain have CB-1 receptors, meaning that when marijuana is smoked, nearly all areas of brain function are affected and impaired.

Specific areas of the brain containing CB-1 receptors are the hypothalamus which regulates body temperature, the amygdala which regulates emotional responses and fear, the spinal cord affecting peripheral sensations and pain, the brain stem affecting sleep, temperature and motor skills, the central gray substance affecting analgesic qualities in the body and the nucleus of the solitary tract affecting nausea and vomiting.

Individuals smoking marijuana often report their smoking is due to their need to relax, eat more, sleep and reduce stress. With continued use often comes unexpected side-effects including agitation, severe anxiety, nausea upon cessation, fear and memory loss.

Marijuana smoking affects nearly every function of the human brain, including memory, emotions, concentration, moods, coordination and perception. Smoking marijuana on a daily basis impairs thinking and functioning in all aspect of daily life despite many active smokers’ assertions to the contrary.

Long term studies of marijuana users indicate that, similar to other drug use, users often suffer from withdrawal symptoms such as agitation, anxiety, physical discomfort and inability to sleep. Persons attempting to stop usage on their own often return to use shortly after cessation due to the unpleasant feelings experienced as the body releases the drug. These feelings can persist for up to a month. THC can be detected in urine months after it is smoked.