[IndicaMeltGuy]

Wasnt sure where to post this but after experiencing increasingly unpleasant body effects when i'm not using cannabis and coughing up small black specs continuously for months now i begin to wonder, how safe is the cannabis from most of these co-ops? In my opinion there should be like a ban on all shwag and non organically grown meds. Its no way healthier than organic buds. Just an idea,...But anyway every morning i get naucious/stomach aches/ and as of lately even with smoking, NO APPETITE. But i've always wondered if the black stuff i cough up is going to be a problem in the future. I cant be coughing it all out so i'm worried its building up somewhere. Does anybody know what the stuff even is? I have a feeling its like small amounts of ashes from each hit that are carried into your lungs with the smoke or something. But i dont know.

So what does everybody think about coughing? Does anybody else cough that crap out? And for the older patients, i'm curious to know if any of you have had health problems from the smoke yet?

Anyway any input would be appreciated. Peace

[shecky7]

Hi Indicameltguy. I am 41 and I cough up some of those black tar bits. Better that your lungs are working properly and expelling that foreign matter!I'm not sure if it's 'serious' but I'm sure It won't kill you as fast as whatever other ailment you might suffer from will (that goes for most of us). If you truly want a cleaner over more potent high, I would recommend a vaporizer. There is a trade off but some appreciate them more than smoking. Hope you enjoy your experience!

[Scheize]

I have the same problem IMG.

I just deal with it.

A few weeks ago I took a 3 day break and I think it helped a little. My intentions were for tolerance but that didnt really happen much.

[HairyKushna]

same exact problem... its irritating!

[halosmoker420]

There are other issues that must be considered as well. What type of job do you have (coal miner, mechanic, bus driver, industrial painter, etc), do you smoke anything else other then maryjane? If there is no other elements in your life that could contribute to "coughing up tar", then let's assume it's the ingestion of your medicine.

Try a vaporizer, or water pipe to help with minimizing the tar intake. Try to stay away from rolled meds, like blunts and joints. You could also take an over the counter expectorant. Make sure to follow the directions on the box. They're designed to eliminate phlegm but work for tar that may be loosly hanging on to the interior lining of your lungs. - Peace and best wishes - HALO

[Masonic Chronic]

Living in Southern California automatically qualifies you for "Black Lung." It hasn't gotten any better out here in Chicago.

[Organo]

that black stuff is a combination of dirt, smog, and byproducts of smoking.

[Davyl]

I'm 42 and I've been smoking cannabis for over 20 years, with a few short breaks here and there, but pretty much regularly...daily. Yes, I do cough that stuff up, sometimes more frequently, sometimes less. I get a physical every year and to date I really haven't had any significant problems, though just like you guys, I have nausea occaisionally in the mornings and lately I don't get the "munchies" like I used to.

[Dieselworks]

Better out than in.
Yes, I have the same.
vaporization helps.

[IndicaMeltGuy]

Originally Posted by shecky7

Hi Indicameltguy. I am 41 and I cough up some of those black tar bits. Better that your lungs are working properly and expelling that foreign matter!I'm not sure if it's 'serious' but I'm sure It won't kill you as fast as whatever other ailment you might suffer from will (that goes for most of us). If you truly want a cleaner over more potent high, I would recommend a vaporizer. There is a trade off but some appreciate them more than smoking. Hope you enjoy your experience!

Yeah thats true its defintely better to get it out rather than hold it in. I've tried vaporizing in the past but i used one hoping to get the same effect as smoking but it was not the same. If i still had one i would give it a try again though, i'm not looking for an intense high. Too bad i sold my vapezilla and volcano i would have tried vaporizing today.

Originally Posted by Scheize

I have the same problem IMG.

I just deal with it.

A few weeks ago I took a 3 day break and I think it helped a little. My intentions were for tolerance but that didnt really happen much.

Yeah i've just been dealing with it for awhile now too but a couple days ago it was just like much more intense than what i normally feel in the mornings. I'm going to try taking a break from smoking and see how i feel sometime.

Originally Posted by halosmoker420

There are other issues that must be considered as well. What type of job do you have (coal miner, mechanic, bus driver, industrial painter, etc), do you smoke anything else other then maryjane? If there is no other elements in your life that could contribute to "coughing up tar", then let's assume it's the ingestion of your medicine.

Try a vaporizer, or water pipe to help with minimizing the tar intake. Try to stay away from rolled meds, like blunts and joints. You could also take an over the counter expectorant. Make sure to follow the directions on the box. They're designed to eliminate phlegm but work for tar that may be loosly hanging on to the interior lining of your lungs. - Peace and best wishes - HALO

I've stopped smoking cigarettes months ago and my job is in front of a computer so its gotta be how my bodys reacting to my meds. I always use a waterpipe to medicate, never smoke joints/blunts. But taking something to eliminate phelm may be a good idea i think i might check that out. Thanks for your input man

Originally Posted by Davyl

I'm 42 and I've been smoking cannabis for over 20 years, with a few short breaks here and there, but pretty much regularly...daily. Yes, I do cough that stuff up, sometimes more frequently, sometimes less. I get a physical every year and to date I really haven't had any significant problems, though just like you guys, I have nausea occaisionally in the mornings and lately I don't get the "munchies" like I used to.

Yeah a short break isnt such a bad idea. I think its time for me to take mine.

[halosmoker420]

Originally Posted by Davyl

I'm 42 and I've been smoking cannabis for over 20 years, with a few short breaks here and there, but pretty much regularly...daily. Yes, I do cough that stuff up, sometimes more frequently, sometimes less. I get a physical every year and to date I really haven't had any significant problems, though just like you guys, I have nausea occaisionally in the mornings and lately I don't get the "munchies" like I used to.

awww, so sorry to hear that... I love the munchies.... :partysmile:

[Scheize]

Try a mucus relief product. Use it daily for a week or so. Helps a little. Stuff comes out much easier.

[sandyacres]

IMG, good post.

First, I've never experienced the black spots, but I live in northern San Diego county, which is kind of rural. Also, I never smoked cigarettes. I have smoked cannabis nearly everyday for the last four or five years, though, and not just using a water pipe. I sometimes use a pipe, and I like to roll one here or there. Maybe it's a little love from something in the LA air? I don't know about this one.

Here's my little "regiment". I don't follow it with any sort of regularity, but I do practice it a few times a week and it seems to keep me healthy.

1. I do deep breathing exercises, where I draw breathe in through my nose, fill-up my lungs as much as possible while still being comfortable, and then, after holding it for three to five seconds, I blow it gently out of my mouth. I do 2 sets of 10 of these. I recommend doing them while lying on the floor with your legs on a chair at 90 degree angle. It takes the pressure of the back muscles and allows the chest cavity to expand. It also seems to help keep my lung capacity strong and my breathing "flexible" and smooth.

2. I use a neti pot (photo attached) three or four times a week to rinse my nasal cavities of pollutants and smoke (stuff that may wind up in the lungs). You can find one at Whole Foods. The yogi's have used them for hundreds of years. You put a bit of salt in with warm water, and then essentially pour that nice saline solution through your nose to flush out any contaminates. At first, the sensation is a little unpleasant -- like getting salt water up your knows at the beach -- but once you get the mixture right and get used to it, its very refreshing.

3. I also gargle with salt water -- just like the salt water mixture I make for the neti pot above (just a pinch or two in a cup of water). I swish and gargle several times.

I know these three things don't address getting the gunk out of your lungs, but I believe it does help things out, reducing pollutants and traces of smoke with the gargle and the rinse, and increasing lung capacity and elasticity, with the deep breathing "stretches".

Anyway, good luck. Keep us posted. I'm always curious about other Tracker's experiences.

Peace.

[resipsa]

Top makes little filters that look like the filter tips in regular cigarettes. It really filters out a lot of the by-products and I don't notice a lot of difference in the taste or potency.

There's no roaches and you smoke less because the filter takes up a certain amount of room in the cigarette

I really like them, but I hesitate to recommend them to others because who knows what's in the filter itself. I will say coughing was greatly reduced and you don't cough up anything.

[lef]

try Clearlungs extra strength the one with the blue label GNC has it.

[MJP420]

Maybe you could try one of those carbon-filter adapters? I don't know how well they work, I've read that there isn't much of a smoothness difference, but maybe it does clean the smoke better. I also personally cough up a bunch of fatties in the morning occasionally with some specs, and no I do not smoke cigarettes. Although I live in the SFV.

[Pure Kush Anyone?]

Dear Indicameltguy, Im not sure but I have some theories. About a month and a half ago, I woke up one day out of the blue and felt like complete s&#!. I mean I went from feeling perfectly normal to completely miserable over night. Ive posted before that Ive smoke EVERY single day for FIVE straight years, but on this one day that I woke up I couldnt smoke. I tried but it only intensified my bad feelings. Im talking about feeling so bad metally and physically like the pits of despair, that I couldn't get out of bed for two weeks. During this month and a half Ive tried alot of things, got my blood tested, a parasite test, stopped drinking sodas completely and dairy. Im still not sure what happened. Now I do know that the day before I started feeling this way, I went to a new club, which I wont mention, and got an eighth of LA conf and smoked it just fine that night without problems.
Now where my theory comes into play. I dont think my eighth was tampered with or poisoned or anything of that nature, but it sure could have been too. We all know the feds/DEA hates us patients and they raid about a club a week. Any of them could also obtain a reccomendation from a DR, just like we all did, and the issuing DR would have no idea this person was DEA or a fed, just lilke my weed DR doesnt know I work at Costco. BUT what would be stopping the DEA from raiding a dispensary taking all the money and POUNDS of weed from that dispensary, then tampering all those pounds and reselling it any other club. Not only do they get money from the raid, they get lots of moey from reselling POUNDS of tampered weed to an unsuspecting club and therefore making thousands in profit off the same weed they stole. We all know the DEA is hurting for $$ or so they claim, and it's obvious they hate us patients so what is to stop this from happening. That one DEA guy who obtained his liscence like you and I could be going to other clubs to sell this poisoned weed and we wouldn't have any idea of it. I know this may seemed far fetched but I had to throw away a good looking eight because each time I tried a bowl off it, I would get this horrible depressed anxiety feeling, which is not normal for me. So for the past month and a half lots of theories have been running through my head and I think it seems very logical and possible. I don't wanna scare anyone, just bring to light something that those dirty FEDS could be doing to us to help eliminate their problem, which is us and dispensaries. Maybe growing your own is the only option for me thats what Im doing from now on. They are smart thay could put something on weed thats undetectable to the eye and nose that makes people very sick when they smoke it, I wouldnt put it past them. The black stuff though is normal. Its just your lungs cleaning themselves, weed does have more tar than cigs and its a sign that theyre working properly to clean themselves of foreign matter. And if you use a bong or pipe or a joint you can expect it on a regular basis.

[Dieselworks]

I would not doubt that the feds might contaminate the sacred herb. They've done it before. Paraquat?! "Paraquat is the trade name for N,N'-Dimethyl-4,4'-bipyridinium dichloride, a viologen. Paraquat is used as a quaternary ammonium herbicide. It is extremely poisonous to humans if swallowed. Other members of this class include diquat, cyperquat, diethamquat, difenzoquat, and morfamquat. All of these are easily reduced to the radical ion, which generates superoxide radical that reacts with unsaturated membrane lipids."

If your too young to remember this try googling it.

As we speak, a shell company controlled by the CIA is spraying small villages in Colombia with a super version of Roundup. This has caused numerous health issues in the villagers. BTW these locations that are being sprayed, are also oil rich!

Next take a look at some of the ingredients in these chemical fertilizers. Potassium Nitrate was given to soldiers in WWII to (how should I put this) to keep them from getting aroused. How about Urea Phosphate. Potassium sulphate? Try googling these.

Organics is they way to go. However, growers are less likely to use organic methods. This is the same fact of life as with the food we eat. Almost all of it is grown with chemical fertilizers. And we didnt even discuss the pesticides, mites, or SO2 vaporizers.

The problem is that it hard to grow enough food for everyone in this country using only organic methods. So, we resort to chemicals to improve yields. But at a price.

[INTOXICATED712]

Originally Posted by Davyl

I'm 42 and I've been smoking cannabis for over 20 years, with a few short breaks here and there, but pretty much regularly...daily. Yes, I do cough that stuff up, sometimes more frequently, sometimes less. I get a physical every year and to date I really haven't had any significant problems, though just like you guys, I have nausea occaisionally in the mornings and lately I don't get the "munchies" like I used to.

Been medicating 2 years none stop everyday. I dont get the munchies like I use to either my doc diagnose many depressing and pain problems that could be my issue.

[clinton]

I bought a binocular microscope with 20x-80x magnification. This makes viewing buds so clear. It has three dimensional images. It cost only $139 (made in China, but quality).

Anyway with this you see everything clearly. I have seen many contaminates on buds from dead mites and other insects to rodent hairs. I have seen alot of mold powdery and other kinds. Mold spores can kill or sicken. Bad handling of buds can get them very dirty. I have seen some buds that looked like they had been swept up with the broom. Get a microscope unless you grow your own. It is great even if you grow as you can see the trichomes like trees.

There are many nonviable contaminants that the scope will miss. Some you may taste such as over fertilized and not flushed buds. But some growers who's only interest is $$$ may and do use all types of bad things on the plants. You would need to chemically test for contaminants to know for sure.

The buds should also be checked for bacteria, if you do not know the source. IMO it is best to grow for your own needs.

clinton

[IndicaMeltGuy]

Originally Posted by sandyacres

IMG, good post.

First, I've never experienced the black spots, but I live in northern San Diego county, which is kind of rural. Also, I never smoked cigarettes. I have smoked cannabis nearly everyday for the last four or five years, though, and not just using a water pipe. I sometimes use a pipe, and I like to roll one here or there. Maybe it's a little love from something in the LA air? I don't know about this one.

Here's my little "regiment". I don't follow it with any sort of regularity, but I do practice it a few times a week and it seems to keep me healthy.

1. I do deep breathing exercises, where I draw breathe in through my nose, fill-up my lungs as much as possible while still being comfortable, and then, after holding it for three to five seconds, I blow it gently out of my mouth. I do 2 sets of 10 of these. I recommend doing them while lying on the floor with your legs on a chair at 90 degree angle. It takes the pressure of the back muscles and allows the chest cavity to expand. It also seems to help keep my lung capacity strong and my breathing "flexible" and smooth.

2. I use a neti pot (photo attached) three or four times a week to rinse my nasal cavities of pollutants and smoke (stuff that may wind up in the lungs). You can find one at Whole Foods. The yogi's have used them for hundreds of years. You put a bit of salt in with warm water, and then essentially pour that nice saline solution through your nose to flush out any contaminates. At first, the sensation is a little unpleasant -- like getting salt water up your knows at the beach -- but once you get the mixture right and get used to it, its very refreshing.

3. I also gargle with salt water -- just like the salt water mixture I make for the neti pot above (just a pinch or two in a cup of water). I swish and gargle several times.

I know these three things don't address getting the gunk out of your lungs, but I believe it does help things out, reducing pollutants and traces of smoke with the gargle and the rinse, and increasing lung capacity and elasticity, with the deep breathing "stretches".

Anyway, good luck. Keep us posted. I'm always curious about other Tracker's experiences.

Peace.

Yeah i do breathing exercises also sometimes to improve my lungs a bit. I feel it does help to some degree. I would try out your salt water methods but i just can't stand putting salt water in my mouth. Its so nasty,.. i'd just puke. I'm going to have to take a break from smoking and see how i feel. Its not so much the coughing for me as it is the morning sickness of stomach cramps/nausea. I talked about it in another thread. I've just been waking up feeling horrible these past few days so its time for my break haha. Thanks for sharing what you do though its good to know

Originally Posted by MJP420

Maybe you could try one of those carbon-filter adapters? I don't know how well they work, I've read that there isn't much of a smoothness difference, but maybe it does clean the smoke better. I also personally cough up a bunch of fatties in the morning occasionally with some specs, and no I do not smoke cigarettes. Although I live in the SFV.

Yeah that seems like it would help eliminate things from being carried into the lungs. Do they sell carbon filters and stones at headshops? Or is the best place to get them from EDIT?

Originally Posted by Pure Kush Anyone?

Dear Indicameltguy, Im not sure but I have some theories. About a month and a half ago, I woke up one day out of the blue and felt like complete s&#!. I mean I went from feeling perfectly normal to completely miserable over night. Ive posted before that Ive smoke EVERY single day for FIVE straight years, but on this one day that I woke up I couldnt smoke. I tried but it only intensified my bad feelings. Im talking about feeling so bad metally and physically like the pits of despair, that I couldn't get out of bed for two weeks. During this month and a half Ive tried alot of things, got my blood tested, a parasite test, stopped drinking sodas completely and dairy. Im still not sure what happened. Now I do know that the day before I started feeling this way, I went to a new club, which I wont mention, and got an eighth of LA conf and smoked it just fine that night without problems.
Now where my theory comes into play. I dont think my eighth was tampered with or poisoned or anything of that nature, but it sure could have been too. We all know the feds/DEA hates us patients and they raid about a club a week. Any of them could also obtain a reccomendation from a DR, just like we all did, and the issuing DR would have no idea this person was DEA or a fed, just lilke my weed DR doesnt know I work at Costco. BUT what would be stopping the DEA from raiding a dispensary taking all the money and POUNDS of weed from that dispensary, then tampering all those pounds and reselling it any other club. Not only do they get money from the raid, they get lots of moey from reselling POUNDS of tampered weed to an unsuspecting club and therefore making thousands in profit off the same weed they stole. We all know the DEA is hurting for $$ or so they claim, and it's obvious they hate us patients so what is to stop this from happening. That one DEA guy who obtained his liscence like you and I could be going to other clubs to sell this poisoned weed and we wouldn't have any idea of it. I know this may seemed far fetched but I had to throw away a good looking eight because each time I tried a bowl off it, I would get this horrible depressed anxiety feeling, which is not normal for me. So for the past month and a half lots of theories have been running through my head and I think it seems very logical and possible. I don't wanna scare anyone, just bring to light something that those dirty FEDS could be doing to us to help eliminate their problem, which is us and dispensaries. Maybe growing your own is the only option for me thats what Im doing from now on. They are smart thay could put something on weed thats undetectable to the eye and nose that makes people very sick when they smoke it, I wouldnt put it past them. The black stuff though is normal. Its just your lungs cleaning themselves, weed does have more tar than cigs and its a sign that theyre working properly to clean themselves of foreign matter. And if you use a bong or pipe or a joint you can expect it on a regular basis.

Yes sometimes i feel like smoking when you feel that way only makes things worse. (more intense stomach pains/nausea and worries) So most of the time i'm almost afraid to smoke some bud because i'm not sure if that would make things better or worse. I'm hoping to get some blood work done soon. I need to get tested for parasites also thats shit freaks me out. Sometimes i feel like i have something internal.

And i dont think your theories are very far fectched haha it would be foolish to just discard that possibility. I wouldnt be suprised if a fed was vending to some of the clubs. After all by harming patients that would help them become the good guys and "prove" that mmj is unhealthy. And i've also bought eighths that looked great but turned out to be a very shitty high. I have some "blackberry kush" right now that its totally grown with chemicals. Looks quite potent but everytime i smoke it, after about a 20-30 min of a pretty nice high, but the comedown is just complete anxiety.

I plan to setup a grow also. I have lights just need to build a shed. It seems like its the only way to medicate the way i need to. And lately i've been seeing more and more buds that seem to be contaminated. Do you know what little white specs on the buds are? I've recently had some White Widow that had quite a bit of them on the leaves and such. They were not trichomes, they looked just like small white specs. Any idea?

Originally Posted by clinton

I bought a binocular microscope with 20x-80x magnification. This makes viewing buds so clear. It has three dimensional images. It cost only $139 (made in China, but quality).

Anyway with this you see everything clearly. I have seen many contaminates on buds from dead mites and other insects to rodent hairs. I have seen alot of mold powdery and other kinds. Mold spores can kill or sicken. Bad handling of buds can get them very dirty. I have seen some buds that looked like they had been swept up with the broom. Get a microscope unless you grow your own. It is great even if you grow as you can see the trichomes like trees.

There are many nonviable contaminants that the scope will miss. Some you may taste such as over fertilized and not flushed buds. But some growers who's only interest is $$$ may and do use all types of bad things on the plants. You would need to chemically test for contaminants to know for sure.

The buds should also be checked for bacteria, if you do not know the source. IMO it is best to grow for your own needs.

Thats really cool i'd buy one. Would be really useful to check the buds from these co-ops. I'll probably be needing one when i grow too. I wouldnt want to be smoking anything i screwed up on during the grow.

[jbone45]

Dude, having NO appetite is miserable. I'm one of those people that if they don't eat they get in the worst mood, and they're the meanest son of a gun. Every once in awhile I lose my appetite for about a week and wake up in the morning nauseus and with a stomach ache. I have to force myself to eat, can only finish half of my meals, and never want to go out and eat because I never can finish my food. I never really thought too much about it but it seemed to happen more when I DIDN'T have my MMJ recc.

[MJP420]

Originally Posted by IndicaMeltGuy

Yeah that seems like it would help eliminate things from being carried into the lungs. Do they sell carbon filters and stones at headshops? Or is the best place to get them from EDIT?

I've never seen em at shops so I'd just order it from EDIT, but then again, I've never asked. I've pretty sure you can use certain kinds of cat liter as activated carbon...but idk if that only applies to reducing smell for growing. If you do get a carbon filter let us know if it helps the problem, maybe I'll invest in one.

[IndicaMeltGuy]

Originally Posted by jbone45

Dude, having NO appetite is miserable. I'm one of those people that if they don't eat they get in the worst mood, and they're the meanest son of a gun. Every once in awhile I lose my appetite for about a week and wake up in the morning nauseus and with a stomach ache. I have to force myself to eat, can only finish half of my meals, and never want to go out and eat because I never can finish my food. I never really thought too much about it but it seemed to happen more when I DIDN'T have my MMJ recc.

Yeah i feel like i go through phases, one week i wake up feeling fine, smoke a bowl, and i pick up an appetite right away. And then another week i'd wake up sort of naucious and its more difficult to get an appetite from smoking. Maybe its the buds?

Originally Posted by MJP420

I've never seen em at shops so I'd just order it from EDIT, but then again, I've never asked. I've pretty sure you can use certain kinds of cat liter as activated carbon...but idk if that only applies to reducing smell for growing. If you do get a carbon filter let us know if it helps the problem, maybe I'll invest in one.

Yeah i'm going to ask the next time i'm at a shop. I'd like to try the carbon stones i'll be sure to post pictures and videos on youtube if i ever find a filter.

Originally Posted by nwkay

I also have been smoking on a daily basis for about five years. The only type of discomfort I've experienced when smoking weed is my nose getting clogged up (mucus) or getting headaches. I've deduced the headaches have been caused by the butane in the lighters. Plus there is that 'weed hangover' feeling if you've taken something very strong before you go to bed. To me, its all about balance and moderation. If someone isn't in serious need of medication but is smoking the same amount as a cancer patient, it seems logical there might be some repercussions. My recommendation is to stay away from joints and cigarettes, go with a vaporizer or a water bong.

I agree about the headaches. Sometimes after using a lighter a headache would come on minutes later. Thats why i like the Hakko

[Scheize]

Originally Posted by IndicaMeltGuy

Yeah i feel like i go through phases, one week i wake up feeling fine, smoke a bowl, and i pick up an appetite right away. And then another week i'd wake up sort of naucious and its more difficult to get an appetite from smoking. Maybe its the buds?



Yeah i'm going to ask the next time i'm at a shop. I'd like to try the carbon stones i'll be sure to post pictures and videos on youtube if i ever find a filter.



I agree about the headaches. Sometimes after using a lighter a headache would come on minutes later. Thats why i like the Hakko

Hakko FTW!