Deep ground fog this early Thursday on California’s north coast — not like just awhile ago when it appeared we might actual receive some sunshine with sunrise.
Dawn was nearly clear, even a few sprinkling of stars could be seen off in the eastern skies, and, there was a whisper of an red-orange glow just at the top of the coastal mountains, low on the horizon.
Another cigarette break later — shock still at the maritime sense of change. Thick moisture in way-gray air, as if in minutes, the whole scene off my back patio had shrunk to just a few feet, the rest of humanity, including the apartment complex across the street, had seemingly vanished into little shredded pieces of water vapor.
Yesterday, nearly the same, except I don’t remember any glow to the east.

Maybe then there was yet no glow off a bowl. And speaking of cannabis, a couple of items this morning on more benefits of the weed.

(Illustration: Salvador Dali, ‘Alice’s Evidence,’ found here).

In defiance of sanity, marijuana prohibition is one of the most-ludicrous shams ever — the help for humans could be endless, in view of only-just-recent changes in pot’s perspective, good, health-related shit turns up all the time. In a post I did yesterday, a look at domestic violence amongst married couples — shit is cool here, dude.

And as an old guy — retired now — who’s just one among a million-shitload of old guys worldwide (and gals, too), pot maybe can aid in fending-off an apparent scourge of aging: Shit going wacky in the Noodle
Yesterday via Neuroscience News:

Extremely low levels of the compound in marijuana known as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, may slow or halt the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, a recent study from neuroscientists at the University of South Florida shows.
…
Researchers from the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute showed that extremely low doses of THC reduce the production of amyloid beta, found in a soluble form in most aging brains, and prevent abnormal accumulation of this protein — a process considered one of the pathological hallmarks evident early in the memory-robbing disease.
These low concentrations of THC also selectively enhanced mitochondrial function, which is needed to help supply energy, transmit signals, and maintain a healthy brain.
“THC is known to be a potent antioxidant with neuroprotective properties, but this is the first report that the compound directly affects Alzheimer’s pathology by decreasing amyloid beta levels, inhibiting its aggregation, and enhancing mitochondrial function,” said study lead author Chuanhai Cao, PhD and a neuroscientist at the Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute and the USF College of Pharmacy.

And the stink-ass shit of the deal:

“While we are still far from a consensus, this study indicates that THC and THC-related compounds may be of therapeutic value in Alzheimer’s disease,” Nabar said.
“Are we advocating that people use illicit drugs to prevent the disease? No. It’s important to keep in mind that just because a drug may be effective doesn’t mean it can be safely used by anyone.
“However, these findings may lead to the development of related compounds that are safe, legal, and useful in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.”

Which dovetails somehow nicely/or shittingly to the second piece on Mary Jane’s healthful tendencies — off the latest news about high US usage of painkillers: As of this summer, 23 states have legalized pot for medical uses like alleviating chronic pain. Now a new study may spur others to follow their lead. According to research from the Pearlman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, states with legalized medical marijuana experience fewer fatal opioid-related overdoses than states without such laws (via Vocativ).
Hence, the big-bucks rub.
From Vice:

VICE has found that many of the researchers who have advocated against legalizing pot have also been on the payroll of leading pharmaceutical firms with products that could be easily replaced by using marijuana.
When these individuals have been quoted in the media, their drug-industry ties have not been revealed.
Take, for example, Dr. Herbert Kleber of Columbia University.
Kleber has impeccable academic credentials, and has been quoted in the press and in academic publications warning against the use of marijuana, which he stresses may cause wide-ranging addiction and public health issues.
But when he’s writing anti-pot opinion pieces for CBS News, or being quoted by NPR and CNBC, what’s left unsaid is that Kleber has served as a paid consultant to leading prescription drug companies, including Purdue Pharma (the maker of OxyContin), Reckitt Benckiser (the producer of a painkiller called Nurofen), and Alkermes (the producer of a powerful new opioid called Zohydro).
Kleber, who did not respond to a request for comment, maintains important influence over the pot debate.
For instance, his writing has been cited by the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police in its opposition to marijuana legalization, and has been published by the American Psychiatric Association in the organization’s statement warning against marijuana for medicinal uses.
…
Studies have found that pot can be used for pain relief as a substitute for major prescription painkillers.
The opioid painkiller industry is a multibillion business that has faced rising criticism from experts because painkillers now cause about 16,000 deaths a year, more than heroin and cocaine combined.
Researchers view marijuana as a a safe alternative to opioid products like OxyContin, and there are no known overdose deaths from pot.
…
As ProPublica reported, painkiller-funded researchers helped fuel America’s deadly addiction to opioids such as OxyContin and Vicodin.
These academics, with quiet funding from major pain pill firms, encouraged doctors to over-prescribe these drugs for a range of pain relief issues, leading to where we stand today as the world’s biggest consumer of painkillers and the overdose capital of the planet.
What does it say about medical academia today that many of that painkiller-funded researchers are now standing in the way of a safer alternative: smoking a joint.

A long, hard road with a lot of assholes knocked aside, but we’re getting there.