Howdy,

I run (not jog) between 4 and 8 miles per day, 6 days a week. I'm 40yrs old
and have been a professional athlete for the majority of my adult life.
I've run more than 40 marathons, and more recently, a buttload of 1/2
marathons. I never smoke before I work out, and I always give my body time
to recover naturally after a workout before smoking. Because I'm getting
older, it's becoming more painful to run, and subsequently to get up in the
morning as well. When I smoke in the late afternoon or evening, it helps me
cope a great deal easier.

Does it make my body more sensitive? I'm not sure because I don't really
know anyone else who smokes. I will state for the record (imho), "the more
I smoke, the more tolerance I develop and therefore the more I need to enjoy
the same sensation". With that stated, I rarely take more than two puffs at
a time. I never smoke paper (rolled), and I never smoke tobacco. If I find
that I'm over indulging over a weekend, for instance, I might forgo smoking
the rest of the week. Regardless, I do notice that I cough and my lungs are
working to rid themselves of the excess garbage that collects in them as a
result of smoking (this can't be denied). Running most certainly helps!

With this stated, I have noticed something really incredible. I abstained
for many (many) years from smoking due to my career of choice. I only
recently (last year) picked it back up. For some reason, my cholesterol
levels had been increasing over the years regardless of my diet and
exercise. It just "happens" in some people. After I picked up smoking good
MJ, my cholesterol levels dropped //dramatically// over a period of 6
months. Although there is no proof that was the result of MJ, THAT was the
only change in my diet and routine. I talked this over with a personal
friend who is a physician, and he stated to the best of he knowledge, there
has never been a study done on this subject and he began to assist me with
developing a point paper on the topic. To assist him with providing a
hypothesis, I stopped smoking for a month (I'm on the 4th week now) and I'll
be going into the docs office for another cholesterol check in 2 weeks. If
the LDL/LCL cholesterol levels are the same as before or if they go up, we
can hypothesize that MJ has an effect on cholesterol levels on someone with
my demographics, conditioning and type of issue.

However, even though it may reduce cholesterol (remains to be proven), one
can not overlook the negative effects it has on the lungs. Any kind of
smoke one breaths in can't be good whether or not it's from a blunt, bong,
or vaporizer. But, these should be personal decisions that each of us
should have the right to weigh ourselves and it's unfortunate we don't have
this right.

Ok, I'm through rambling now....
DudeMaster