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New New Scientist article on proposal to revise cannabis laws.
http://www.newscient...ls.html?full=true

WHAT should we do to minimise the harm cannabis can cause to the health and welfare of users and to society at large? The answer, according to a report by a group of prominent academics and government advisers, is to change the law to allow the state to prepare and distribute the drug for recreational use.

This controversial proposal comes from a commission assembled by the Beckley Foundation, a British charity dedicated to exploring the science of psychoactive substances. "The damage done by prohibition is worse than from the substance itself," says Amanda Feilding, the founder of the Beckley Foundation.

The Beckley commission's ideas will be aired in March at a meeting in Vienna, Austria, of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs. The UNCND will report to a meeting of the UN general assembly later this year that will set international policy on drug control for the decade to come.

[...]


It's a good read.

The Beckley Foundation's Global Cannabis Commission is here: http://www.beckleyfo...s_commission.html

Cheers,
Scott.
New I'd have to agree with them.
Properly grown and cared for, Cannabis would be *FAR* more profitable than Tobacco and effectively not quite as harmful. In fact, tobacco need special cultivation to even be properly grown. Hell, Cannabis is a weed... really and truly a weed, it grows damn near anywhere, with "Drug Enforcement" proof shows that it grows from northern tundra to southern tundra and from lush tropical to damn near desert terrain.

There is huge mountains of evidence (most of it non-USA based) that show the human body reacts VERY differently to the THC/leaf smoke and its reaction is a good thing. Its a very different reaction from tobacco.

There are people that grow this stuff legally in Cannada (haha, had a typo and had to "leaf" it). Where the THC is actually refined out of the leaves and made into a "BUTTER". If there is one "illegal drug" that needs to be made available properly its this one. The bad side-effects are *FAR FAR* outweighed by the cost and corralling of the this easily grown and harvested plant.

Make a freaking industry out of it! Its sitting there ready to be made! Don't let the pharma industry "take it over", if you do and you think $80 for a nickel bag is bad... you'll be pining for the old days.

The funny thing about this is, tobacco (and its additives) causes cancer... cannabis is used in the treatment of cancer, mainly as a lessening of pain thing, but hey... won't really be worse than all the other crap out there (Meth, Ice, Crack... et-al).
New Speaking of butter
So a slightly older relative get some butter from her daughter.

There was a miscommunication concerning potency.

I seem to recall it was enough for about 5 pounds of cookies.

The Mom used it all in a single meal for herself.

I'm told the major hallucinations lasted a day or so.

Bottom line: While she may not have enjoyed herself for a while, this stuff CANNOT kill you.
New Re: Speaking of butter
25-55% THC, depending on the method used to refine it.

Yes... it can *not* kill you.
New Found out a bit more
She made toast. That's it. With a lot of butter.
And she did enjoy most of it, at least in her memories.
New Don't trust them
They've layed a foundation for government
control on lies.

---------------------------------------------
The evidence assembled by the Beckley
commission left it in no doubt that
cannabis damages the health of heavy users,
especially those who start as teenagers.
Such users are at increased risk of suffering
from psychosis, and lung and heart disorders.
---------------------------------------------

Bullshit, bullsit, and I need more info.

Psychosis: Bullshit, disproven. The only
thing the studies showed was if you were
borderline, it might push you over early.
It was gonna happen anyway.


Lung: Bullshit. THC has a beneficial effect
on the lungs. The key is to cut down everything
else. Start with good pot, harvested and cured
correctly to minimise leftover fertilizer.
Then use a water pipe, get rid of most
particulate matter and any water soluable
chemicals. Finally, use high potency weed
so you spend less time holding your lungs
in an expanded way, which can cause problems
if done too much.

Heart: If this is the recent COPD study, bullshit
again. They have done studies on people who
smoked many joints a day for years. They fail
on the water pipe and quality issue.

These people want to limit potency, package
it like smokes, control it like alcohol,
and price it to limit consumption.

It will be slightly less damaging than tobacco
when they are done, but nothing I would want.

I agree that it should be treated as alcohol
from many aspects. Keep kids away, don't drive,
if it affects your work don't do it, or if your
company has a zero tolerance policy for alcohol,
it should apply as well. DURING WORKING HOURS!

But if prescribed for pain, then the job should
give the same accomodation they would for someone
on narcotics, no more, no less.

People should be able to grow their own for
personal consumption just like people can make
their own home brew. And then give it to their
friends in the same way.

If they start selling it, it should have the same
penalty as someone selling shots of vodka on the
single dose, or many cases of booze at the higher
level. This is a tax issue, not a moral one.
New Don't be so quick to assume it's harmless
http://www.rcpsych.a...mentalhealth.aspx

The Royal College Of Psychiatrists would disagree with you. The link above has lots of references.

I'm not stating an opinion on whether it's any more or less harmful than alcohol or tobacco, but to pretend that cannabis use is almost health-consequence-free is misleading, in my opinion. I think you should be allowed to use cannabis, but to do so in full possession of the facts. And the facts seem not to be that "cannabis has no long or short term mental health consequences", which is what I think you mean when you say "Psychosis: Bullshit, disproven".

What follows is a snippet from the linked page:

Mental health problems
There is growing evidence that people with serious mental illness, including depression and psychosis, are more likely to use cannabis or have used it for long periods of time in the past. Regular use of the drug has appeared to double the risk of developing a psychotic episode or long-term schizophrenia. However, does cannabis cause depression and schizophrenia or do people with these disorders use it as a medication?

Over the past few years, research has strongly suggested that there is a clear link between early cannabis use and later mental health problems in those with a genetic vulnerability - and that there is a particular issue with the use of cannabis by adolescents.

Depression
A study following 1600 Australian school-children, aged 14 to 15 for seven years, found that while children who use cannabis regularly have a significantly higher risk of depression, the opposite was not the case - children who already suffered from depression were not more likely than anyone else to use cannabis. However, adolescents who used cannabis daily were five times more likely to develop depression and anxiety in later life.

Schizophrenia
Three major studies followed large numbers of people over several years, and showed that those people who use cannabis have a higher than average risk of developing schizophrenia. If you start smoking it before the age of 15, you are 4 times more likely to develop a psychotic disorder by the time you are 26. They found no evidence of self-medication. It seemed that, the more cannabis someone used, the more likely they were to develop symptoms.

Why should teenagers be particularly vulnerable to the use of cannabis? No one knows for certain, but it may be something to do with brain development. The brain is still developing in the teenage years – up to the age of around 20, in fact. A massive process of ‘neural pruning’ is going on. This is rather like streamlining a tangled jumble of circuits so they can work more effectively. Any experience, or substance, that affects this process has the potential to produce long-term psychological effects.

Recent research in Europe, and in the UK, has suggested that people who have a family background of mental illness – and so probably have a genetic vulnerability anyway - are more likely to develop schizophrenia if they use cannabis as well.
New That looks like a study with an agenda.
Kids who need to get wasted regularly in their mid-teens have problems that are not related to the intoxicant. It's a symptom, not a cause. I grew up in the 60's. I know people who kicked smack, the wide ranges of speeds, booze, but I never saw anyone get the shakes because they couldn't have a joint. Support lines for grass addiction are bullshit; they are support lines for an underlying problem.

Disclaimer: I don't use the stuff. I have, and I don't like it. It makes me stupid(er) or at best unconscious.
New an added note on schizophrenia
anecdotal of course, it tends to amplify the disease effecta even when on your meds
thanx,
bill
New Did I say harmless?
No.

I said keep kids away. Even if I don't believe their bullshit on reefer madness, I am quite aware of the various effects, pro and con, and it doesn't make sense for adolescents to screw around with their brain chemistry. Let it settle down and make adult decisions as adults.


Use does not equal cause. And it is just as likely that people with mental problems are isolated, in both physical and mental pain, and might find some relief while using. For some people, it is enjoyable at many different levels, and it certainly is good for social lubrication.

That was a political weasel statement.

What harm do you know it causes? Feel free to compared to your booze. Either allow it to be treated the same, based on harm reduction (gets people out of jail, cuts organised crime, will generate billions in tax income, has killed JUST a couple people in a millenia), or tell me how you'd feel if we were in worldwide alcohol prohibition.

New What's a kid, though?
We know that people are still developing, both physically and mentally, up to and beyond the age of 20.

You dismissed the entire mental health risk with two words: "Bullshit, disproven".

All I've done is point out that the situation with cannabis and mental health isn't quite as clear-cut as that.

I don't care what harm an adult does to themselves with whatever substance they choose to use. I do care that they knew what they were getting themselves into.
New Ah, the nanny state has programmed you well
You've managed to pick one of the stereotypical laughing points when dealing with your culture.

You probably know what a kid is, at least legally and mostly medically, because I suspect you haven't been sharing a drink with your kid. I could be wrong of course.

So pick an age, and move on. Don't bother telling me they are all individual. Either you are part of the society or not, and if you are, then this particular rule is for society to decide, not the parents. Of course, if you want to push it, and keep them children forever, that's up to you (and the land/society you live in). Have at it.

One more time.

While their level of hysterical bullshit cannot be believed, at least by those of us who have read almost every study that was published in the last 20 years (and investigated the funding sources), there is ALWAYS a danger with screwing around with your head. The question is how much of a danger, how many people is it likely to effect, and what is the personal downside for the individual should it not go their preferred way, and is the risk worth it.

I'm too lazy to document and pull them apart for you, and let's face it, you'd discount it and pull what you want, just like most of us do anyway. It'll be he said/she said. So that why I'm asking about your personal viewpoints, which you don't seem to state (maybe I missed it).

A classic adult decision. At least over here.

For some odd reason you feel it's ok to ignore your drug of choice, even though there is no question of the death and misery it is directly involved in. Accidents, death, disease, violence, overdoses, millions of people who currently acknowledge being addicted to it, many millions more on the edge, not aware or caring.

I'm not saying you as a culture, but you personally in this discussion. Maybe you feel it is a distraction from the point. Or maybe you've had enough alcohol for enough time over your life that you don't understand the point.

I know a 29 year old women, a youngish office worker, junior management / clerical responsibility. She's a blackout dinker. Gets a bit drunk on the 3rd or 4th drink, and then nothing. She wakes up the next morning with no memories. Of course, everyone else is happy to tell her how she was the life of the party.

It doesn't seem to affect her work, she's enjoying herself (for now), but she's probably doomed. 10 more years of this and the Korsakoffs will set in.

She's one of millions in this stage. I've spent enough time dealing with AA, NA, rehabs, and the people involved to be very sure of the widespread effect of booze. And how trivial the effects of pot are compared to it.

So we outlaw booze, bring back prohibition, and deal with all of that because some people can't handle it? A LOT of some people it seems. And their poor reaction to it costs society big, both directly in immediate harm (accidents that hurt other people are pretty damn common, just ask MADD) and indirectly (long term family unit failure, very common).

Well? Is this merely a distraction to the discussion or a cornerstone issue, where certain people in society tell others what they can do, even when the COMPARATIVE harm is TRIVIAL compared to the alternative legal substance that is the norm for use.

I've even been to a school and gave an anti-drug and alcohol speech. I got a standing ovation when I told a room full of Catholic high school students that you don't need drugs to party, they can go out and get laid without them. The nuns were not amused.

My actions match my words.

Pick an age and actually discuss a point, rather than vague maybes, funded by people with an anti-pot viewpoint.

You want to screw around and rehash the juvenile point forever, (as ash would say: THINK OF THE CHEEEEELDRUN!), go ahead. But it's kind of obvious you are avoiding the issues.
New Cost/Benefit
The drug wars are far from harmless.

Cannabis would have to be proven, in a far more convincing way, to cause (not just be correlated to) very serious problems in a very large percentage of users to come close to justifying the damage caused by the current laws.

It seems to me that the assumption that it is less harmful than what we have now is warranted.

New You'll note
The nanny stater bailed.
Maybe he's just busy.
     New Scientist article on proposal to revise cannabis laws. - (Another Scott) - (13)
         I'd have to agree with them. - (folkert) - (3)
             Speaking of butter - (crazy) - (2)
                 Re: Speaking of butter - (folkert) - (1)
                     Found out a bit more - (crazy)
         Don't trust them - (crazy) - (8)
             Don't be so quick to assume it's harmless - (pwhysall) - (7)
                 That looks like a study with an agenda. - (hnick)
                 an added note on schizophrenia - (boxley)
                 Did I say harmless? - (crazy) - (2)
                     What's a kid, though? - (pwhysall) - (1)
                         Ah, the nanny state has programmed you well - (crazy)
                 Cost/Benefit - (mhuber) - (1)
                     You'll note - (crazy)

I like working for this guy.
He calls himself my towel boy.
He knows how to motivate me.
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