Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Social media bots often tweet fake health claims about cannabis: study

news.usc.edu

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 132 posts

Re: Social media bots often tweet fake health claims about cannabis: study

#81

Post by zo1 »

hanniabu wrote: post #63
lemiffe wrote: post #4

> The worry is that all the online chatter about cannabis’s beneficial qualities will have offline consequences, ultimately influencing attitudes and behaviors, Allem said I doubt this is a realistic consequence... I mean, who is following these bots? Would people really listen to a bot? I presume most people would be able to tell bot-controlled Twitter accounts from friends and legitimate followers. I think the stud…

> I mean, who is following these bots? Would people really listen to a bot? It certainly helped get Trump elected

To be fair, that "certain" fact is wildly disputed. It's like the political equivalent of "reefer madness" in that it's easy to throw around, yet hard to quantify or present as a valid case for/against.

I mean, look at the absolute circus a controversial point such as "how did Trump get elected" has caused in the US and even world-wide. We're nearing the next election and I would argue it's still no where near resolved. In fact, I'd argue it's caused a bigger divide than anything else precisely because it's so un-pinnable to being either true/false or good/bad.

Re: Social media bots often tweet fake health claims about cannabis: study

#82

Post by fpgaminer »

superkuh wrote: post #48

Worst of these claims are the (almost literal) "snake oil" companies and sellers that are selling 10mg of CBD to people as a 'dose' and implying or telling them it is anything other than placebo at this level. All professional journal studies that have made claims about CBD do studies that use at least 300mg and more often 600mg as the absolute minimum dose and repeat this daily for weeks. Unfortunately 600mg of CBD…

Unfortunately we don't have enough research to establish much of anything beyond the current FDA approved usage. However, that usage is 600mg/day for an average person (10mg/kg/day). So the claim of 600mg being the "absolute minimum dose" is absurd.

Plenty of studies have occurred at levels as low as 25mg/day and shown effects. The quality of those studies isn't great, but there aren't any good quality studies on CBD to begin with. But considering those poor quality studies together with the body of anecdotal evidence which suggests that CBD's anti-anxiety effects kick in between 15mg and 50mg, I'm inclined to believe that CBD is not a placebo at these levels.

My dose is between 5 and 10mg a day, and I can feel as little as 1mg (I'm hypersensitive to the stuff).

All of that said, I agree with you on your last point about charlatans. There's plenty of woo-woo and snake oil in the CBD "industry". But there are real benefits here that I wouldn't want drowned out.

Re: Social media bots often tweet fake health claims about cannabis: study

#83

Post by nyhc99 »

fjabre wrote: post #26
geff82 wrote: post #16

Recently, a friend came to me with a list of all the health benefits that are attributed to cannabis. I sent him back a list of all the health benefits attributed to good old ginger - and they matched almost one to one. Health claims concerning cannabis are usually just for those who want to consume a drug and feel better about themselves.

Can you blame them? Last time I checked ginger wasn't subjected to 70 years of war on drugs propaganda. Never heard of anyone thrown in jail for consuming ginger. Maybe people want to consume a drug without being labeled and stereotyped by people who say all drugs are bad and that getting high is a sin.

I have to agree with this. If exaggerating health claims about a plant is what it takes to convince the country that you shouldn't be thrown in prison for choosing to consume that plant, then have at it.

The older generations will find it much harder to vote against legalization while they're rubbing CBD cream on their aching joints. If that's the trade-off, it's a good deal.

Re: Social media bots often tweet fake health claims about cannabis: study

#84

Post by zer0tonin »

scottlocklin wrote: post #71
JaumeGreen wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's lots of pro-cannabis and pro-LSD comments everywhere. My cynical view is that the "power" wants us all sedated, and it's investing its media to promote the "new" batch of drugs to get another generation hooked up. I do think that there are probably quite beneficial uses of drugs, but probably not in a ludic way as most people prefer to use them.

Certainly one of the things that gives me the creeps are the CBD quiosques freaking everywhere selling what amounts to CBD weed, CBD lotions, CBD potions, CBD whatever; I've seen them in airports, in tourist locations and in shopping malls. Mostly completely unpatronized, with a sullen presumably CBD anesthetized employee manning the desk. Just for the rent and employees we're talking something like a hundred million…

Do you have a source on the fact that "nobody is buying this shit"? Here in Paris the few attempts at opening CBD shops (now closed by police) were extremely popular.

Re: Social media bots often tweet fake health claims about cannabis: study

#85

Post by frenchyatwork »

superkuh wrote: post #48

Worst of these claims are the (almost literal) "snake oil" companies and sellers that are selling 10mg of CBD to people as a 'dose' and implying or telling them it is anything other than placebo at this level. All professional journal studies that have made claims about CBD do studies that use at least 300mg and more often 600mg as the absolute minimum dose and repeat this daily for weeks. Unfortunately 600mg of CBD…

> This unregulated wild west of CBD and non-THC pot products is only going to backfire on the charlatans

Hopefully, but don't get your hopes up. "Alternative medicine" is still very much alive.

Re: Social media bots often tweet fake health claims about cannabis: study

#86

Post by scottlocklin »

zer0tonin wrote: post #84
scottlocklin wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Certainly one of the things that gives me the creeps are the CBD quiosques freaking everywhere selling what amounts to CBD weed, CBD lotions, CBD potions, CBD whatever; I've seen them in airports, in tourist locations and in shopping malls. Mostly completely unpatronized, with a sullen presumably CBD anesthetized employee manning the desk. Just for the rent and employees we're talking something like a hundred million…

Do you have a source on the fact that "nobody is buying this shit"? Here in Paris the few attempts at opening CBD shops (now closed by police) were extremely popular.

My own lying eyes tell me this. Though there were a lot of takers in the Lisbon tourist location; I see literally dozens of these across the US northeast with zero customers, ever. Was just staring at the one in the Manchester NH airport. In a freaking airport! "Gee I have to get me some CBD cookies and massage oil to take on the airplane with me."

Re: Social media bots often tweet fake health claims about cannabis: study

#87

Post by drummer »

IgorPartola wrote: post #62

Well yeah. So long as the federal government keeps classifying cannabis as a tier 1 controlled substance (cocaine is tier 2), no research money will flow to academics to do the relevant research. In the meantime, we will continue seeing claims like RSO curing all cancers and other diseases ( http://www.trueactivist.com/this-is-the-cannabis-oil-recipe-... ). Being able to research effects of cannabis is reason number…

The main component of RSO actually has been studied and proven to kill cancer. You need RSO with very high THC concentration. https://youtube.com/watch?v=1miGzTwK28U

Re: Social media bots often tweet fake health claims about cannabis: study

#88

Post by dsfyu404ed »

yodsanklai wrote: post #76
deith wrote: post #2

You don't have to go and look on social media, just come here to HN and say "perhaps weed is not completely safe and we should research whether it could damage the brain" to get downvoted

Often nuanced points of view are those that get you criticised the most.

A nuanced point of view is incompatible with the ideology of the extremists at both ends of whatever the issue is so you have twice as people mashing the "make the wrongthink go away" button

Re: Social media bots often tweet fake health claims about cannabis: study

#89

Post by markdown »

fpgaminer wrote: post #82
superkuh wrote: post #48

Worst of these claims are the (almost literal) "snake oil" companies and sellers that are selling 10mg of CBD to people as a 'dose' and implying or telling them it is anything other than placebo at this level. All professional journal studies that have made claims about CBD do studies that use at least 300mg and more often 600mg as the absolute minimum dose and repeat this daily for weeks. Unfortunately 600mg of CBD…

Unfortunately we don't have enough research to establish much of anything beyond the current FDA approved usage. However, that usage is 600mg/day for an average person (10mg/kg/day). So the claim of 600mg being the "absolute minimum dose" is absurd. Plenty of studies have occurred at levels as low as 25mg/day and shown effects. The quality of those studies isn't great, but there aren't any good quality studies on CBD…

> I can feel as little as 1mg (I'm hypersensitive to the stuff).

What gives you the confidence that this isn't the placebo affect at work?

Re: Social media bots often tweet fake health claims about cannabis: study

#90

Post by [deleted] »

JaumeGreen wrote: post #6
deith wrote: post #2

You don't have to go and look on social media, just come here to HN and say "perhaps weed is not completely safe and we should research whether it could damage the brain" to get downvoted

There's lots of pro-cannabis and pro-LSD comments everywhere. My cynical view is that the "power" wants us all sedated, and it's investing its media to promote the "new" batch of drugs to get another generation hooked up. I do think that there are probably quite beneficial uses of drugs, but probably not in a ludic way as most people prefer to use them.

[deleted]
Post reply on HN