Michael Phelps -- Eight Golds and A Bong

I guess having just won eight Olympic gold medals and become the greatest swimmer of all time was too much for Michael Phelps and he needed a little something to take the edge off and wind down.

The above photo of the superstar pulling back on a bong is being run by News of the World. The photo dates from November 2008. So, assuming he has not been smoking the wacky weed since then, then any drug test would be negative for THC.

Nevertheless, the photo is pretty incriminating. That said I have known people to pack cones with nothing more than tobacco and smoke them. So, maybe he can claim that it was just tobacco and he was fooling around.

Is the swimming career over?

Mellow Dope Smokers -- The Myth Exposed?

It has long been rumored that marijuana or dope smokers were a mellow breed of individual. Simply, a few joints or cones would be the best recipe for taking the edge off, mellowing out, and just relaxing and enjoying life.

However, a study out of the University of New South Wales by the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre suggests that dope smokers are in fact as aggressive as crystal methamphetamine users. The study suggests that at least one in four men and one in three women are violent towards hospital staff or harm themselves. More interestingly are the statistics for suicide risk. These suggest that 12% are at risk of committing suicide. This means that more than one in ten dope smokers are a suicide risk.

Natural or not, it seems that the good ol' wacky weed does in fact make people more wacky than if they were not smoking it!

According to Professor Jan Copeland, "The reality is that it can make people highly agitated and trigger acute episodes of anxiety." When speaking of the study the Professor said that the statistics show that more than 9 per cent of cannabis users had depression or bipolar disorder, 5 per cent had schizophrenia and 4 per cent had paranoia and a history of self-harm.

Gordian Fulde, Head of Emergency at St Vincent's hospital, is concerned that the image of dope smokers of past years continues to permeate beliefs of the present day dope smokers and this image is just plain wrong. Fulde makes the point that the grass he might have smoked in the 1960's was probably just that, lawn clippings, particularly when compared to the hydroponically grown super weed of today.

Simply, the levels of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is much more concentrated and can be at levels of up to ten times the strength of regular weed. This means that a dope smokers value for money is increasing as a hydro joint gives you ten times the whack for the buck.

I guess the moral of this story is moderation or is it abstinence?

Argh back in the day!

Dope Smokers -- Public Service Announcement

This is a Public Service Announcement for all of my readers who smoke at least a joint a day. For the rest of you occasionally smokers I am not sure if this research applies to you!

An Australian study of heavy dope smokers, that is at least 5 joints a day for a decade, has found that this will shrink your brain. I guess the results would apply to those of you who prefer bongs and bust 5 cones a day as well.

The shrinkage is in the vicinity of 12% and seems to target the areas of your brain that deal with emotions and memories. This was combined with a 7% reduction in the areas of your brain that deal with fear and aggression.

So, in other words, you become a person without emotions because you cannot remember anything but you're never angry and fear nothing! I guess this why we have that drugged out phrase of, "Peace Man", because you cannot remember names and you have no fear or aggression.

There is nothing in the report that says it effects your sex life or the size of your family jewels. There is also nothing about the dreaded munchies and your fondness of refrigerators.

I figure the occasional joint to take the edge off has gotta be OK, right?

Off Your Head

Out of Texas comes a report that a couple of fellas decided to get off their heads by making a bong out of a real human skull and polished of a few cones! The picture is stolen off the Internet somewhere! This post has the potential for some really bad puns -- such as this story gives a new meaning to getting off your face or losing your head!

Strangely enough this abuse of a corpse is a misdemeanor offense so they two fellas involved are likely only to get a slap on the wrist and probably be warned to not go digging up any other graves to create drug paraphernalia. I would reckon a nice long femur would make an excellent peace pipe to smoke the old wacky weed with your friends.

Apparently the skull came from a grave in an abandoned cemetery, not that this makes it OK, somewhere out in the bush. The investigations are continuing to try and determine whose skull was used to make the bong!