Truth in Media : Cannabis as Medicine.

[vegster]

Which goes to show that you know **** all about it.

Oh really ? maybe you should do some research.

 

[wakeytom]

I'm all for legalising drugs (and prostitution) because I'm of the general opinion of when you criminalise something criminals move in.

However (and it's a big however) you would be naive to think that there would be no criminal activity.

Because of the nature of such pleasure activities and their addictiveness, the state will view it as a cash cow, tax accordingly and criminals will move in to supply a cheaper product.

Both alcohol and cigarettes are legal but have a black market worth billions.

But we will have the choice, and to be honest having the option to know 100% is being used is better than having a guess and hoping that whatever the current product is cut with wont kill. That is worth a premium in my book!

 

[clapham_gull]

But we will have the choice, and to be honest having the option to know 100% is being used is better than having a guess and hoping that whatever the current product is cut with wont kill. That is worth a premium in my book!

Read first sentence.

The war on drugs is a waste on time, but it's naive to think some people won't make a choice based on price.

 

[beorhthelm]

Both alcohol and cigarettes are legal but have a black market worth billions.

you're right, but the level and nature of criminalty is rather different isnt it.

 

[smudge]

I still regret not getting some gear for my old Mum while she was alive. She was in constant pain with arthritis & it would of been great to just help give her some relief.

 

[clapham_gull]

I don't understand your argument. As it stands, cannabis sellers and growers are 100% criminal and unregulated, without paying taxes.

Alcohol and tobacco sellers, must be at least 95% legitimate, when is the last time you bought illegal booze or fags? Not that it really matters anyway.

What I do isn't relevant. The black market in fags and booze is huge because of the nature of the product. Both legal.

Cigs well I'd imagine most are "legit" and not fake because of the huge variation in taxation. Doesn't matter really, criminals aren't doing it as a public service they are doing it to make money.

My point being is that although I think cannabis should be legal, it won't remove illegality from the supply chain.

If it was legalised it won't be introduced like sliced bread. When smoked either with tobacco or not, or bought in high strength it is harmful to health unfortunately. I think less harmful than alcohol, but harmful all the same and addictive.

Because of this it will be taxed and regulated and therefore criminals will move in to produce a cheaper product.

So !

Do I think cannabis should be legalised ? Of course ! Will it remove the criminality associated with it ? Nope unless the Government tax it like food which they won't. They would tax it very highly like fags, increasing every year in the budget.

 

[clapham_gull]

you're right, but the level and nature of criminalty is rather different isnt it.

No, not really. I'd imagine more people have been killed by dodgy alcohol than "dodgy" cannabis.

 

[wakeytom]

What I do isn't relevant. The black market in fags and booze is huge because of the nature of the product. Both legal.

My point being is that although I think cannabis should be legal, it won't remove illegality from the supply chain.

If it was legalised it won't be introduced like sliced bread. When smoked either with tobacco or not, or bought in high strength it is harmful to health unfortunately. I think less harmful than alcohol, but harmful all the same and addictive.

Because of this it will be taxed and regulated and therefore criminals will move in to produce a cheaper product.

I thought it has never been proved to be addictive, the only addiction is more around similarity - ie getting home from work and first thing to do is have a joint rather than a cup of tea

 

[clapham_gull]

I thought it has never been proved to be addictive, the only addiction is more around similarity - ie getting home from work and first thing to do is have a joint rather than a cup of tea

Well, I'm very much in the psychologically additive camp. If it wasn't addictive I'm not sure we would be having this conversion.

And let's not compare having a cup of tea to a spliff. Please. I've had lots of both and they aren't the same are they

It's a funny argument in all.

I don't think there are "health benefits" to cannabis in the same way I don't think they are health benefits to morphine. Both have their place in pain relief and cannabis should be an option for MS sufferers (even smoked with tobacco) but it isn't Vitamin C.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

http://wwwnews.live.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/28324463

Cannabis doubles the risk of paranoia, suggests study

Smoking cannabis can double the risk of developing the disorder, an expert on paranoia has told Newsbeat.

Professor Daniel Freeman is a clinical psychologist at Oxford University and says teenagers are most vulnerable.

The results of his study, the largest ever looking at the effects of cannabis, suggests it can cause paranoia.

The active ingredient of Cannabis is THC and Prof Freeman says it "raises levels of suspiciousness".

It can also lead users to ''misread situations''.

His study focussed on people who had taken the drug at least once before.


It can cause us to worry and feel more negative about ourselves. That raises levels of suspiciousness

Daniel Freeman Professor of clinical psychologist at Oxford University

Prof Freeman says that paranoia is our most common fear, with over half the population having "slight paranoid thoughts".

Many studies have been done on the general psychotic effects of THC but this was the largest dedicated solely to paranoia.

It focussed on what Prof Freeman calls "every day suspiciousness", where we have to judge what people are thinking and who we should trust.

More than 100 cannabis users took the drug and were placed in simulated social situations before being questioned on how they felt.

The results show THC can make noises appear louder and lights more bright. Thoughts might echo in users heads and it can even distort their perception of time.

While Prof Freeman accepts some people enjoy these effects, he warns that young people are more likely to have a negative reaction.

"THC makes the world feel different and that can be confusing," he said. "It can make people worry and that has an impact on their self-esteem.

"All these issues stem from the paranoia making us feel negative about ourselves. We start to worry and worry leads us to the worst conclusions."

He suggests that teenage years are the "real window of vulnerability" and young users "severely raise their risk" of developing a disorder.

"Most people will be fine", he told Newsbeat.

But with nearly 14% of 16 to 24-year-olds using the drug each year he says that's lots of people putting themselves at risk.

When using the drug, he recommends asking friends how they feel, but knows this is unlikely given the sense of mistrust THC generates.

He says the best way to clear your head of paranoid thoughts is to stop smoking cannabis.

"The increased paranoia only happens when there's THC in your bloodstream," he said.

 

[wakeytom]

Well, I'm very much in the psychologically additive camp. If it wasn't addictive I'm not sure we would be having this conversion.

And let's not compare having a cup of tea to a spliff. Please. I've had lots of both and they aren't the same are they

It's a funny argument in all.

I don't think there are "health benefits" to cannabis in the same way I don't think they are health benefits to morphine. Both have their place in pain relief and cannabis should be an option for MS sufferers (even smoked with tobacco) but it isn't Vitamin C.

I honestly think in the correct setting they are - I dont smoke it now by the way. No its not Vit C but I think it must be better for you, I have had for medical reasons had Morphine a couple of times and have had the most horrible response ever to it. Once I was in a London Hospital after been moved from the south coast due to medical expertise and had been given a long dose for the transport and wanted to jump from the floor I was on out of the windows to stop the green monsters coming through the wall to get me I do not think for one second I would have had the same response from green but would have had sufficient pain relief from it

 

[wakeytom]

Cannabis causes paranoia. In other news, alcohol makes people drunk.

Now pass the crisps.......

 

[John Bumlick]

Cannabis causes paranoia. In other news, alcohol makes people drunk.

it also causes people to get up to change the channel on the TV (the remote disappeared years before) to "watch Match of the Day" and then proceed to watch the first 15 minutes of the aforementioned sports highlight show standing right in front of the TV with one hand resting on the top before turning round and going to sit down like nothing had happened. it's stories like this that make a very good case for cannabis being MANDATORY....

 

[happypig]

Obscene that in 2014 the police are still wasting their time bothering people over cannabis.

They cannot choose which laws to apply; if a police officer finds someone in possession of something illegal then he/she is duty bound to act.

As for legalising cannabis (and indeed all other drugs), I'm not sure what I think but I know that the "war on drugs" is unwinnable. It was banned in 1928 and yet there is more of it around than there ever was. Every time a drug dealer (whether small time street dealer or big player) is taken out of circulation, someone moves in to fill the gap. Drugs are as easily available as they ever were, probably more so and I cannot see anything will change that.
For that reason I think there needs to be an open and honest debate about ALL drugs, will partial or total decriminalisation on the agenda - we will get nowhere all the time that mainstream politicians are unable to argue in favour of it for fear of being labelled as "soft".

As for the side effects, I've seen a lot of people go through the criminal justice system and drugs/alcohol were probably involved in more than half of them; I've seen a few people with mental health issues due to cannabis use and I've seen a fair number with all sorts of problems due to heroin addiction but the most wretched individuals I've seen are those ravaged by years of alcohol abuse. Unfortunately there are some people who tend towards excess and whether their beverage of choice is white lightning, cannabis, cocaine or toilet duck, they will over indulge and have heath issues; to criminalise these people does nothing to help them in particular or society in general.

I like a drink and have missed the odd work day through having a few too many (probably 3 or 4 days in 35 years) but generally my alcohol consumption is recreational, I know when to stop and my health isn't badly affected; I'm sure there are lots of people on here who are the same whatever their "tipple". It's only when the intoxicant of choice starts to affect one and take over one's life that consumption becomes a problem. Unfortunately the "Ban it" lobby advocate (wrongly IMO) that ANY use of cannabis will lead to a lifetime of addiction and criminality; this simply isn't true.

 

[Leighgull]

Oh really ? maybe you should do some research.

It is possible to remove the psychoactive elements from cannabis in the same way as one can remove the alcohol from vodka.

What remains unequivocally true, however, is that both activities remain utterly pointless.

 

[Skaville]

A friend of mine is currently beating "incurable" cancer. She swears it's down to cannabis oil.

 

[happypig]

The statistics make interesting reading; the latest figures show 2955 drug deaths in 2013, 8367 alcohol deaths (2012 is latest available) and 107000 deaths from smoking.
Even if, after legalisation, drug deaths soared tenfold smoking would still massively eclipse it.

Personally I know which one I'd ban, even if it means losing £12 billion+ in tax

 

[Hugo Rune]

Cannabis causes paranoia. In other news, alcohol makes people drunk.

Cannabis can be a lot more harmful than just causing paranoia to some people:

http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/healthadvice/problemsdisorders/cannabismentalhealthkey.aspx?theme=mobile

This is probably why it has not been legalised (yet) and is not a medicine. Hopefully scientists can develop the drug and eliminate the side affects so the user's mental health is not damaged. I wonder if alcohol could be sold as a drug too? It certainly numbs the pain.

 

[vegster]

It is possible to remove the psychoactive elements from cannabis in the same way as one can remove the alcohol from vodka.

What remains unequivocally true, however, is that both activities remain utterly pointless.

Now that is a far more reasoned reply then your previous expostulation.

However, my point is valid, it is possible AND usefull. It has not fully been explored yet but for some people it really is a miracle cure that reduces fits by up to 95%.

https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/news/news/human-trials-cannabis-treatment-63429

 

[dingodan]

Now that is a far more reasoned reply then your previous expostulation.

However, my point is valid, it is possible AND usefull. It has not fully been explored yet but for some people it really is a miracle cure that reduces fits by up to 95%.

https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/news/news/human-trials-cannabis-treatment-63429