Pubdate: Thu, 09 May 2013
Source: Westword (Denver, CO)
Column: Ask a Stoner
Copyright: 2013 Village Voice Media
Contact: http://www.westword.com/feedback/EmailAnEmployee?department=letters
Website: http://www.westword.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1616

WILL SMOKING POT KILL MY SPERM?

Dear Stoner: I recently started using medical marijuana to control 
the nausea that comes with Crohn's disease. It works better than any 
of the old drugs I used to use; is it doing something different?

J.H.

Dear JH: Not different, just better. According to researchers, high 
amounts of THC in your system help block the release of serotonin 
into the postsynaptic neuron by binding to your body's natural 
cannabinoid receptors. In English: THC stops the natural chemical 
reaction in your body that tells your brain you're feeling queasy. 
That's the same thing most pharmaceutical anti-nausea drugs do, but 
cannabis does it more effectively.

For many people - including yours truly - marijuana is one of the 
only anti-nausea drugs that doesn't come with pretty major side 
effects. Drugs like Ativan, Halcion and Ondansetron can cause 
reactions such as severe itching and hives, swelling of the hands, 
shortness of breath, headaches and constipation (something you 
definitely want to avoid when your belly isn't doing well).

For others, those drugs simply don't work. A 2001 study comparing 
Ondansetron to cannabis found that only 64 percent using Ondansetron 
reported the easing of their nausea, while 71 percent of cannabis 
users reported no nausea whatsoever. The severity of nausea was much 
lower with cannabis users as well.

Dear Stoner: The wife and I are trying to get pregnant, and she's 
insisting that pot is killing my little swimmers. It sounds like pot 
paranoia to me. But is she right? Should I stop smoking for a while?

C. Mann

Dear C: While there are a few studies to the contrary, most 
physicians and research shows that marijuana use does have some 
effect on your tadpoles - particularly in their shape, how straight 
they swim and how well they release hormones that allow them to break 
into an egg. So, yes: Laying off the herb isn't a bad idea if you're 
trying to increase your odds of having a kid.

The good news is that any damage you may have done up to this point 
is probably reversible within sixty to ninety days. And let's face 
it: Those stats haven't stopped stoners throughout history from 
having plenty of kids. If Willie Nelson can father seven children, 
you've got good odds.

That said, my advice is to do what your wife wants. If you haven't 
figured out by now that you aren't happy unless your wife is happy, 
this may be a good learning opportunity.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom