> Anders Sandberg <asa@nada.kth.se> wrote:
>
> > Cannabioids are interesting chemicals, although I think they have very
> > limited transhuman applications.
> I'm not so sure about those limited applications; cannabis is used to
> treat glaucoma, nausea (due to chemotherapy, for example) insomnia,
> anorexia, depression, epilepsy, pain in general and lots more.
Yes, but I doubt most of us would regard Gabapentin and other drugs
against the above illnesses as very transhuman, They are just useful
tools to live a healthy life, and cannabinoids would belong in that
group of limited transhuman applications in this respect. What makes
the cannabinoids more interesting is of course the mental effects, and
the question of whether they can really be useful.
> I think we need a lot more serious, unbiased studies to fully understand
> the potential (or lack of it) of this plant.
True. But I think it might be a good idea to start with the
cannabinoids themselves since they are less controversial - they do
exist, they have objective, measurable effects and can be studied
using the normal psychopharmacological methods. Given these data we
can get a better knowledge of the potential.
> It would probably be a good thing if scientists would "lighten
> up" every now and then, the greatest breaktroughs are made when looking
> from a different perspective.
Definitely. And I usually have my best ideas in quite altered
states. It is just that I do not need drugs to get there (thank
Heisenberg for my personal mix of receptor protein genes! :-)
> Be sure to visit Amsterdam sometime ;-)
Well, we european transhumanists have to meet somewhere, don't we? :-)
-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension! asa@nada.kth.se http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/ GCS/M/S/O d++ -p+ c++++ !l u+ e++ m++ s+/+ n--- h+/* f+ g+ w++ t+ r+ !y