Societal Impacts of Alcohol and Marijuana, Revisited: the German Model.

    In Germany, over the last 25 years the consumption of alcohol has fallen by a third. Legal marijuana use rates (in the Netherlands or abroad, or in decriminalized settings at home) have increased in 18-24 year olds from 7% to 28% during this time period. The economic growth has been enormous, suggesting a link between the two, in order to confirm it would be advantageous to compare the numbers with those outlined in the data from my previous paper on societal impacts of alcohol with a low to moderate impact on the national IQ. In this paper it was demonstrated that while the first 5-10 points of IQ decrease would remove 80% of the geniuses or highly gifted workers from a community, more than this had limited effects until the damage reaches 20 or 30 points. This is because the population begins to move along a straight line on the bell curve, where the initial damage from lead, or once the pollutants in the environment are removed, from illegal or decriminalized marijuana (it should be noted that in a legalized setting, marijuana has been associated with a societal increase of 5 points in IQ, while contaminants or parasites in illegal or decriminalized pot have been connected to a decrease) or alcohol, moves along a steep exponentially defined curve.
    Lead was removed around the same time as this trend in drinking occurred. According to the DAX, the Deutsch (German) stock market, the value has risen by over 4 or 5 times since then, as seen in this graph (1989-2014) from under 2000 points to over 9000 points. The GDP, which is predicted by the DAX, a list of around 30 of the heavyweights in the German economy, to a great extent, also has increased in this period from under 1500 to nearly 4000. These are both in keeping with the increase indicated by an increase in geniuses of 500% in an intellectual property dominant economy (such as Germany or America) as found in most of the modern world.
DAX index of German listed companies:

German GDP from 1970-2014

     While this can seen initially as true and true and unrelated, the fact that previous research in SPECT scan imaging has made the connection between responsible drinking and low cognitive functioning concrete in the last few years seems to indicate that this link is more causal than correlative. This can be seen in previous research into light and moderate alcohol or marijuana use this year. That the hypothetical model outlined in the research into societal impacts of these substances fits exactly to the statistics gathered in the real world is encouraging as well, and demonstrates that this is a legitimate and probably accurate method and application of the scientific information available.

http://platophilosphy.blogspot.com/2014/07/effects-of-regular-or-light-marijuana.html
http://www.tradingeconomics.com/charts/germany-stock-market.png?s=dax&d1=19890101
http://www.tradingeconomics.com/charts/germany-gdp.png?s=wgdpgerm&d1=19870101
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/germany/140619/germany-non-alcoholic-beer
http://platophilosphy.blogspot.com/2014/09/societal-impact-of-currently-under.html

Societal impact of currently under-regulated legal substances: Alcohol and Marijuana in comparison to lead

As seen in the Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography scan imaging, the cognitive damage from alcohol is legitimate; there is damage being done to the brain in significant and substantial amounts over any amount of use. In a heavy marijuana user, one region of the brain increased in function and activity, while the rest remained strong. It would appear that humans have become used to a level of alcohol (a naturally fermenting fruit rotting on the tree at late harvest will not have alcohol over .5%). For adults, while the damage is not permanent, it is significant, and by removing the toxins the brain has the capability of returning to normal. See the video below, posted before, to see an example of this.

What is the impact of this? It was in low and moderate marijuana users found to be nearly 5 points on average an increase in IQ (Fried et al.), there have been studies that suggest marijuana has a detrimental effect though this can be attributed to increased levels of toxoplasma gondii as marijuana is grown in greater amounts in home operations and has exposure to cat feces and has only been observed in states with illegal or decriminalized marijuana laws and recent exposure of leading anti-marijuana academics as corrupt and accepting corporate bribes without disclosing their anti-marijuana bias (Fang). Of low and moderate alcohol users: a "number of studies have noted a measurable diminution in neuropsychologic parameters in habitual consumers of moderate amounts of ethanol" (Eckardt). Taken into context, the estimated damage of lead poisoning (affecting the majority of Americans before the 90's or so, but today only affecting a minority) is 5-10 points  (Bellinger). Translated, as seen on the graph below, this means that the first toxin a population is exposed to will reduce the number of gifted (IQ of 125+) by 80% while when multiple of these are introduced, the bell curve flattens and the damage from 15 points for example will well within 85% (How Pollutants Affect Brain Development). Due to this nature of the bell curve and the improving environmental standards in the United States, there is now the capability to definitely recommend the regulation of alcoholic drinks and foods to under .5 percent.

It should be noted, however, that this graph is not perfectly accurate, and there is a skew on the graph towards a lower IQ where the population is more gradual, as seen demonstrated in actual IQ data below. This means that the effect that is being observed on the high end of the scale is "mirrored" on those with functional or mental retardation and with some substance there is no noticeable effect, and at some point there is an amount at which the number dramatically increase (closer to 20 or 30 points, perhaps associated with illegal narcotic or prescription drug use). An example of this can be seen by looking at the Chinese economy following the legalization of hard drugs in the 1800's which was associated with a loss of approximately 95% of the economy (Major Economies' Share of Global GDP, 0-2005) in just a few generations.

The economic impact of the loss of the gifted group is real, as IQ is directly correlated with achievement, productivity, and income. While the income difference between 90 and 110 IQ points is in the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, from 110 to 125 or 130 can be over 500,000 dollars annually (seen below, extrapolating decile into percentile using an exponential scale). So it may only be two percent of the population that is substantially impacted by lead poisoning or unregulated alcohol and marijuana, but the impact to the economy is exponentially greater. This can be seen in the change in the workplace today, populations with clean environments, high-tech industry and low substance use rates have averages of 10 or 20, sometimes just 5 or 6 employees for each manager. Low tech industry in the 1960's involved hundreds of employees per manager or executive in companies and poorly qualified supervision. In countries and parts of the US with low environmental standards or high use rates this can continue to be seen, both legally and in illegal sweatshops.

Source: NLSY79, Bureau of Labor Statistics

By regulating the use of these substances to fall within safe levels, the cultural and societal benefits can be retained, while creating an artificial "Flynn" effect, where environmental factors such as health care, nutrition, or mating and marriage regulation and rules gives a boost to the population as seen below.

Addendum: Due to information on infection from toxoplasma gondii and resulting psychosis and schizophrenia that has only been compiled in a meta-analysis in 2014, the impact of marijuana on the IQ may be incorrect in places with legalized marijuana industries. It would appear that the most severe perceived negative effects of marijuana are in actuality the effect of a small parasite that is present in many cats, the fece of which will infect soil and crops in a home-grow operation for up to a year. The information provided here on the impact of illegal or decriminalized marijuana holds, however, as these laws encourage home grown operations meaning many users will contract the parasite as they will buy from a cat owner at some point. In addition the research was confounded using economic variables, and funding was sourced illegitimately to corporations in an investigation.

Bibliography:

Bellinger, David C., Karen M. Stiles, and Herbert L. Needleman. "Low-level lead exposure, intelligence and academic achievement: a long-term follow-up study." Pediatrics 90.6 (1992): 855-861.

Eckardt, Michael J., et al. "Effects of Moderate Alcohol Consumption on the Central Nervous System*." Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research22.5 (1998): 998-1040.

Fried, Peter, et al. "Current and former marijuana use: preliminary findings of a longitudinal study of effects on IQ in young adults." Canadian Medical Association Journal 166.7 (2002): 887-891.

Fang, Lee. "Leading Anti-Marijuana Academics Are Paid By Painkiller Drug Companies | VICE News." VICE News RSS. VICE News, 7 Sept. 2014. Web. 20 Dec. 2014.

Fischer, P. A. (2014). Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography - Alcohol and Marijuana light use, case study.

Effect of under-regulated Marijuana or Alcohol on blood flow (circulation) of the brain

Effects of under-regulated or decriminalized regular or light marijuana and light alcohol use on the brain - Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography

These are the brains of various substance users, alcohol is seen to be incredibly damaging even in weekend only drinking, while marijuana use has an effect observed similar to caffeine. On the right are alcoholic and various other drug users. Using four times a week over the period of three years, this heavy drinker's brain is scalloped out, and damage to the blood circulation in the brain is apparent. In a normal person without any substance use and in continued sobriety, seen at the beginning, there is no damage to the circulation of the brain. Due to statistics suggesting infection from toxoplasmosis, the information provided here regarding marijuana, which is frequently homegrown may be incorrect, however it does show that marijuana use is equivocal to the effect of caffeine with responsible adult use. For those who experience more negative results with marijuana, potential toxoplasmosis gondii infection and hard substance use should be investigated (as both are linked and causal factors in schizophrenia and other disorder cases) and childhood history should be gathered and confirmed using a blood test for the stress hormone cortisol as well, as elevated cortisol levels have been identified as a primary causal factor in adult psychotic depression, and in childhood trauma victims, will be permanently higher (Belanoff). The scan remains an excellent example of light alcohol use as well as the impact of potential parasitic infection from using marijuana in a decriminalized or illegal setting. [Article from News Illustrated, 2013]

With the alcohol and other drug users, this looks like swiss or cottage cheese after decades or years of abuse. Interestingly and significantly, an example of a weekend only drinker is provided. The brain still looks completely decimated by the alcohol use, dismissing the concept that just sometimes using alcohol limits or reduces the damage done by the neuro-toxins present in alcoholic beverages. I wondered what might occur with light marijuana use (and much less alcohol use).
After about a year of sobriety (enough time for the circulation of the brain to return completely to normal), this experiment involved use of one half to one full ounce of marijuana and around 36 beers over a 6 month period and getting a single photon emission computed tomography scan which accurately shows brain function and substance use.

© MCT
Source: The Hanley Center, Amen Clinic, Siemens


First, it is necessary to look at a brain with bad habits and excessive caffeine use, this is a baseline:
                                                                     Daniel's Scan

Marijuana and alcohol use:

Over a six month period, occasional use of around 36 beers, seen following, moderate non-consecutive use and between one half and one full ounce of marijuana, medium quality consumed less than one half of a gram at a time. The damage to blood flow in the brain is clearly beginning in the same areas as that exhibited by an alcohol and marijuana user, though only a fraction of the levels as displayed through heavy use, and consistent with caffeine use. This indicates positively that light substance use has a legitimate and severe negative impact on multiple areas of cognitive and motor skill functioning as well as emotional processing, but is not nearly to the same level as some research has claimed. It must be noted, however, that in a legal setting the impact of pesticide and parasite free marijuana may be completely different from alcohol, and some studies have connected current light marijuana use, that is responsible adult use (5-10 grams per week in Fried et al.) with an increase in IQ (though alcohol remains negative regardless of legality). The scalloping seen on the top of the head is light, and most likely caused by alcohol consumption, along with reduced circulation to decision making and memory functions which are likely caused and exacerbated by marijuana consumption as well, though retrospective research using MRIs suggests that marijuana use may actually increase connectivity and alleviate these symptoms. There is currently no permanent structural damage, as expected as well. No significant history of physical brain trauma, ie. head injury or medical problems to rule out. Some prior use of hallucinogens including absinthe, but several years past and not apparent in this scan. It can also be mentioned before the experiment light alcohol use for 3.5 years and marijuana use for 5 years. The subject was 22 years old, and the brain seen is nearly complete in development, giving an accurate view of the substances involved.

Addendum: Retrospective research by several universities has found that the effects of marijuana on brain structure are such that responsible adult use increases functional connectivity in a dose dependent fashion, though this is only confirmed currently in IQ studies with responsible adult use of marijuana (Filbey). This may be due to different associations with light or heavy marijuana use and nonstandard quality, as noted in the study, "Long-term effects of marijuana use on the brain".

Second Addendum: Results may not be reproducible as lead contamination in marijuana has been confirmed in both Germany and the Northeast of the USA, both of which are regions in which the subject consumed marijuana under decriminalization procedures, a practice carried out by dealers of the historical artifacts to increase profits and potency. A similar research experiment in these regions recorded blood lead levels of around 3.5 micrograms per deciliter one month after cessation and urine THC levels were over 500 ng/mL (or over 10 times the level recorded in a chronic user 12 hours after use), suggesting the high core temperature of a lead-infused joint (1200 degrees centigrade vs. 700 in a cigarette or 500 in pipe tobacco) resulted in significantly more THC absorption than was previously believed. This is confirmed from studies on tobacco which show the absorbed nicotine from cigarettes is 5X greater than that of pipe tobacco, though research on THC absorption as a result of different incineration temperatures is not yet available. Finally, a case-study from Romania has recently shown that the short-term effects of THC are also positive, increasing alertness and even overwhelming the effect of "significant" alcohol intake, which decreased alertness until administration of THC brought the subjects to a level of cognitive functioning even above a control baseline level.

Imaging by Eclipse Nuclear Medicine
Facility: The Hanley Center

Affiliations: Undergraduate research completed while enrolled at the University of Vermont, no declared affiliations.


Bibliography:

Amen, Daniel G., and Martin Waugh. "High resolution brain SPECT imaging of marijuana smokers with AD/HD." Journal of psychoactive drugs 30.2 (1998): 209-214.

Belanoff, Joseph K., et al. "Cortisol activity and cognitive changes in psychotic major depression." (2014).

Callender, Thomas James, Lisa Morrow, and Kodanallur Subramanian. "Evaluation of chronic neurological sequelae after acute pesticide exposure using SPECT brain scans." Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A Current Issues 41.3 (1994): 275-284.

Filbey, Francesca M., et al. "Long-term effects of marijuana use on the brain." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111.47 (2014): 16913-16918.

Fried, Peter et al. “Current and Former Marijuana Use: Preliminary Findings of a Longitudinal Study of Effects on IQ in Young Adults.” CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal 166.7 (2002): 887–891.

Mariani, Giuliano, et al. "A review on the clinical uses of SPECT/CT." European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging 37.10 (2010): 1959-1985.

Torrey, E. Fuller, John J. Bartko, and Robert H. Yolken. "Toxoplasma gondii and other risk factors for schizophrenia: an update." Schizophrenia bulletin 38.3 (2012): 642-647.