Cannabis and diving

[kelemvor]

Sometimes you also get to see a full on double rainbow fish all the way across the sea!

I wonder if there have been any more studies done on this topic since dope is legal in many more places than it was when this thread started.

 

[diverdorr68]

Personally, I can't think of any reason why I would ever want to smoke to make the dive a somehow better experience, as if that is possible. But, I'm sure there are those that do. I actually dove once and only found out afterwards that the other divers in my group were on amphetamines to help overcome their fear of the dive we were going on, yes for real. There is just no lack of stupidity.
There are so many divers who smoke, and until now we have had to whisper things that can help many other divers because of the political climate. I hope some good info gets shared so all may benefit and also help to completely remove the stigma people who use cannabis medically have to endure.

 

[Steve_C]

respect those who choose nature over chemicals in their bodies for treating themselves.

You cannot choose nature over chemicals. Nature IS physics and chemicals. Some natural chemicals are safe and helpful and some are not. Some man manipulated chemicals are safe and helpful and some are not. Whether something is natural or not is no indication of whether it is desirable. Rattle snake venom is natural.

 

[DocVikingo]

I wonder if there have been any more studies done on this topic since dope is legal in many more places than it was when this thread started.

Nothing published yet.

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

I smoked tropical sativas while in the Philippines for some years. After building a reasonable tolerance to this type of cannabis I dove the following day or even a few hours after smoking and no negative physiological effects many times. When having used the more psychedelic varieties it wasn't uncommon to see the ultra violet from soft corals. I had found this out after pointing out the 'new' coral growing on a part of the house reef to my buddy and him being clueless. After the dive we checked it out and sure enough the coral was putting off UV.
I would not advocate that anyone smoke cannabis just before diving. Just like alcohol, good decisions have to be made in advance. Though, unlike alcohol, good decisions are typically still possible to make when having smoked as opposed to drinking alcohol.
Be a responsible diver no matter what drug or medicine you choose to use, whether it be beer, liquor, cannabis, or pharmaceuticals.

To daily MMJ users:
There are some strains that I am perfectly fine to drive my car even moments after smoking, and others that I wouldn't dare. It is no different with diving. If it suits you and doesn't leave you unable to concentrate or focus when driving a car on a busy road then maybe...
Keywords being focus and concentrate.
To non-smokers, an important thing to remember is that smoking cannabis will not cause you to lose your fears like is commonplace with alcohol. As such, divers who also use cannabis normally don't choose to do stupid things, like diving high.
Before you trash the plant, I've been on boats where the beers are cracked open as the sun came up and few complaints, so keep your ignorance and misinformation to yourself if you've ever sipped a beer the day of your dive(or between them). I'm off 7 different prescriptions since beginning cannabis medically in 2010 and this is an important topic. Please treat this seriously, and respect those who choose nature over chemicals in their bodies for treating themselves.

So you're saying that you dove while under the influence of a hallucinogen? Smoking weed doesn't change the structure of your retina. Humans cannot see ultraviolet light. You were stoned. And impaired is impaired, whether you're impaired from beer, weed, oxycodone, clonazepam, or magic mushrooms. Your claims above are no different than the alcoholic who boasts that he drives just fine when he's drunk. I've seen the results of that attitude in the trauma ICU more than once.

I have also seen medical marijuana work so I'm a believer in it when it's appropriately applied. And, I've seen the "right" to medical marijuana abused. Part of the stigma you mention comes from regular marijuana users with general legalization as a goal who advocate for medical marijuana. It's two different animals altogether, and their advocacy contaminates the legitimate science.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[diverdorr68]

So you're saying that you dove while under the influence of a hallucinogen? Smoking weed doesn't change the structure of your retina. Humans cannot see ultraviolet light. You were stoned. And impaired is impaired, whether you're impaired from beer, weed, oxycodone, clonazepam, or magic mushrooms. Your claims above are no different than the alcoholic who boasts that he drives just fine when he's drunk. I've seen the results of that attitude in the trauma ICU more than once.

I have also seen medical marijuana work so I'm a believer in it when it's appropriately applied. And, I've seen the "right" to medical marijuana abused. Part of the stigma you mention comes from regular marijuana users with general legalization as a goal who advocate for medical marijuana. It's two different animals altogether, and their advocacy contaminates the legitimate science.

Best regards,
DDM

Re-read my post please, you must have been stoned the first time. Then answer the question again. Having a degree in anything only makes your opinion of value when properly applied and you have yet to do so. It must be difficult for you to accept the way you have practiced medicine has led to the deaths of so many due to overdose and misuse. Have any of your patients ever died as a result of the medicine that you prescribed? One death every 19 minutes as a result of pharmaceuticals, or is that not true? Will you have to read something or exercise your mind to find that out, yes. Will it help you to learn to avoid making inaccurate representations of the posts of others, maybe not.
You are a doctor, first do no harm. Your prestigious title is of little value of those in need when the service you deliver causes further harm to the patient when the harm can be safely avoided while still or even often giving better symptom relief. You said that MMJ has a place in modern medicine. I don't recall seeing you at the 8th annual conference on cannabinoid science(the greatest emerging field of medicine in the world) last week in Portland, OR. It may not be that important to you, but for hundreds of other doctors and millions of patients who will have the information disseminated it was. In India, the NEEM tree is used in 40% of their medicines, start drawing parallels. In California, where cannabis has been legal medically since 1996, there has been a 68% reduction in the amount of pharmaceuticals prescribed. Is that of note, do I seem stoned to you? I just smoked, am I hallucinating? Is your opinion more important than facts? Why have traffic fatalities fallen along with alcohol sales and domestic violence in California? Does that mean light up before diving, of course not!!
Please re-read my post and then please answer responsibly, thank you.

Just finished doing a bit of research on the ability to see UV, and I see that what I was speaking of what the brilliantness of the corals fluorescence, and only that one particular type of coral. I thought it was UV because of the purplish blue 'glow'
And not that it is any of your business, but I've had cataract replacements in both eyes(30 and 31 years old) from steroids given me in massive quantities to treat chemical burns to my lungs. I also have suspect glaucoma in both eyes with some tearing and enlarged nerve and cup. I hope I will never be so dismissive of others in my life as you, particularly when they deal with the areas of life I am held in high regard for.

---------- Post added May 13th, 2014 at 12:50 PM ----------

You cannot choose nature over chemicals. Nature IS physics and chemicals. Some natural chemicals are safe and helpful and some are not. Some man manipulated chemicals are safe and helpful and some are not. Whether something is natural or not is no indication of whether it is desirable. Rattle snake venom is natural.

Hi Steve,
I think you'll agree that luckily no one is using snake venom in their efforts to combat the effects of narcotics addiction or chronic pain, seizures or cancers. You might find it strangely accurate that if snake venom did work for those problems, you would likely use it if it was proven safe, even after having been systematically lied to about it being dangerous for your entire life. The obvious difference here being that cannabis has a safety record of zero deaths, ever. Whereas pharmaceuticals kill once every 19 minutes in the United States alone., They're chemically derived in a lab and have killed hundreds of thousands of people, as opposed to cannabis grown organically in a garden, having never caused a stand alone death.
I'm hopeful that other divers will lose their fear of discrimination against them for using cannabis as opposed to say...oxycontin and help bring the truth to everyone else. There is little good that comes from clashes on forums, but facts must prevail in matters of this importance and yesterday's misinformation is easily discredited today and can't be tolerated when the safety of divers and others is at stake.
I don't want to see anyone else, and you would never see me light up before a dive. As a genuine daily medical user I have not been 'high' in over a year. My tolerance is much higher then non smokers. I would bet that I have had in my system before diving as the result of residual half lives of different strains, more THC then would be needed make a non user 'high' Extrapolate...

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

I think I read your post perfectly well. You said, "When having used the more psychedelic varieties it wasn't uncommon to see the ultra violet from soft corals." Cataract surgery does not impart the ability to see ultraviolet, nor does glaucoma nor any other eye dysfunction. Unless you meant something different, e.g. the colors were so much more vivid, in which case your mind was still altered and you were probably measurably impaired.

Many years ago I had minor surgery and was prescribed narcotic pain killers. I'm what's known in the profession as 'opioid naive', but I didn't feel strange and thought I was perfectly fit to drive while taking my pain pills. I went to the Trader Joe's down the street from my house and on the way home, I had an epiphany about a song I was listening to on the radio... by golly, I finally knew what the songwriter truly meant. I was experiencing the music in a whole new way.

In other words, I was a tiny bit stoned and probably measurably impaired.

When I realized that I thanked my lucky stars I hadn't hurt myself or anyone else and did not drive again while taking that medication.

For the record, I as the primary author of the DDM posts am an advanced certified hyperbaric nurse and retired U.S. Navy diver, not a physician. When I was in nursing school, I took care of a sickle cell patient who was in such pain that none of his prescribed pain medications were working. I vividly remember watching him sitting in his chair, twisting his IV tubing and writhing. I went to call his physician and see about some new pain medication orders and when I came back into his room I smelled marijuana smoke. He was calm, relaxed, and wasn't in any pain at all. My nursing instructor told me to keep it to myself and make sure he didn't get caught. That experience stuck with me, and if I was a physician, I would not hesitate to prescribe medical marijuana for patients I felt it was appropriate for, if I was in a state that allowed that (which I unfortunately am not).

Also for the record, it's not usually pharmaceuticals themselves that kill people, it's pharmaceutical abuse. While perhaps it's true that it would be hard to smoke enough marijuana to do yourself in from respiratory depression, it's not hard to smoke enough to put yourself at higher risk of permanent brain dysfunction or any one of a number of different types of cancer. Marijuana may have medical benefits, but it is not the benign drug you're making it out to be. Yours is the righteous indignation of an admitted recreational marijuana user who is aghast at the prejudice against your now legitimized use of pot, which is brought on in part by misrepresentation of the drug by people like yourself.

Regards,
DDM

 

[Lorenzoid]

Re-read my post please, you must have been stoned the first time....

I might conclude that marijuana use can make one argumentative, combative, paranoid, and so forth.

 

[diverdorr68]

Nurse DDM,
I would like to know why your personal experiences of making poor decisions before driving have any bearing on my responsible cannabis use. You are a Nurse. If I'm not mistaken does that medication you mistook not carry a warning label, NOT to drive, UNTIL you know how it effects you? I am indignant in part to Nurses who speak like they are doctors about things they don't know when the health and safety of others including myself is involved, maybe some.

"While perhaps it's true that it would be hard to smoke enough marijuana to do yourself in from respiratory depression, it's not hard to smoke enough to put yourself at higher risk of permanent brain dysfunction or any one of a number of different types of cancer."

This is both a quote from you and total fiction. Cannabis is called a "far superior" treatment for Alzheimer's by the 2009, by the National Institute of Health. That doesn't sound like brain dysfunction. A recent study published in the US Library of Medicine concluded that cannabis, when used by young people while binge drinking, actually PROTECTS the brain, NOT harms it. Head, throat and neck cancers are less then half as common in regular cannabis users as non users, etc, etc..If you have an interest I will post one or both for you. Also, just last month the federal gov't approved the clinical trials of cannabis for PTSD. The reason for this is that it has shown enormous anecdotal evidence of effectiveness at not only treating the PTSD, but in helping vets come off of narcotics, end alcoholism and get off antidepressants. Is that a BAD thing to you?
These answers may not suit your palette, but they are no less true and we must treat them as such. This is a divers forum, I didn't come on to joke around or be rude. I want to help educate and begin this very important and very long overdue subject in our diving communities.
People with medical titles must be at the forefront of facts and the truth! It is literally a medical necessity. I usually try to let well intentioned people off without firing back, but you heartless. Now, my once rec use makes me a bad guy? And please, in the furtherance of the subject could you give as many of my misrepresentations of the plant as possible so I can publicly dispel them for you in this thread? I had to do this research myself when people like you told me I just wanted to get high, or to give the pills that were killing me a 'little more time', that the side effects were necessary and unavoidable. You bet I will be indignant to people like you when you misspeak on it, particularly as you have a title. If you'r a beacon for others because of your profession, you must be careful not to misinform.



---------- Post added May 13th, 2014 at 02:29 PM ----------

I might conclude that marijuana use can make one argumentative, combative, paranoid, and so forth.

I might conclude that too if I didn't know better. This topic requires a foothold and is important. When people, especially with medical titles, comment on the OP as though it says something it doesn't, should it be pointed out? especially when very derogatory towards the original poster?
I might conclude you were just backing up DDM.. It's 2014, it's time to take this seriously. Derogatory or off hand remarks about the medicine a person chooses to use, or even to use recreationally over booze will be met with equal disregard towards attacker, so PLEASE enough.
As I read the thread, we are under diving 'medicine' not legalities and certainly not for attacking anyone, or is it?

 

[mdb]

Marijuana far less harmful then many other drugs. Just make it legal. It is natural. Tax it and sell at the corner store.