Always a subject I have been interested in. Found this report and after reading it, was just wondering what other people's views are: http://m.huffpost.com/uk/entry/3539673/ 'Legalise It, Don't Criticise It' - Should Cannabis Be Legalised? The above lyrics are taken from a Bob Marley song which has been covered by UB40 entitled Legalise It; arguing for the legalisation of cannabis. The issue of drug use has been discussed recently due to critics arguing that events such as Glastonbury promote the culture of illegal drug taking. I can picture many of you, who are perhaps a bit naive when it comes to drug use reading this with a look of disgust on your face, but let's just consider the facts for a moment before we jump to the conclusion that if cannabis is legalised the UK will become a massive drugs ghetto with tens of millions of people suffering from mental health issues such as schizophrenia. One argument against the legalisation of cannabis is the 'evidence' which links the use of cannabis to the development of schizophrenia. Please note that I use the word links and not causes - This is very important as I hope I will be able to explain. Even the most hard-line right wing so-called experts in mental health will admit that only a small proportion of schizophrenia cases can be accounted for by the use of cannabis. Yes, unfortunately the majority of cases of schizophrenia can be accounted for by genetic factors, brain development disorders and chronic stress. So, why are certain groups so convinced by the evidence that cannabis can cause schizophrenia? First we need to understand the neurological basis of schizophrenia (don't worry I will not get too technical here): Schizophrenia is caused by an imbalance in a neurotransmitter called dopamine, particularly in the frontal-lobes and limbic system of the brain. If you give a person with schizophrenia drugs which increase dopamine across the whole brain, their symptoms worsen. Specifically, people with schizophrenia show a decrease in dopamine levels in the frontal cortex of the brain and an increase in dopamine levels in the limbic region of the brain which is responsible for many functions including addiction (Rogers, 2001). Smoking tobacco releases nicotine which stimulates the release of dopamine in the frontal cortex of the brain, therefore there is no surprise that there is a very high correlation between smoking and schizophrenia. Here comes the uncomplicated part: drug dealers tend to target younger adults who smoke. These drug dealers begin with selling cannabis before pushing other more dangerous drugs to the buyer. These drugs tend to begin with ecstasy and LSD, then build up to coke and if the person is really unlucky heroin. I can hear all my anti-drug campaigners screaming out 'See cannabis does lead to people taking harder drugs!' No, that is simply only because cannabis is illegal. Believe it or not, one does not have a joint or chocolate brownie and then thinks 'Ooh, I will take some crack cocaine tomorrow.' The majority of people who enjoy cannabis do not want any other drugs such as ecstasy, speed or coke, because these are uppers (drugs which excite you and give you more energy; and definitely do not help you relax). Cannabis on the other hand is similar to alcohol in that people who take it mainly do so to help them relax. So, how about the quality of the cannabis which you get from your local dealer? Unfortunately if you smoke resin you will find that quite a lot of that little black block is made up of tarmac, plastic bags and even dog excretions (lovely!). If you smoke skunk then the probability is that you have a lot of stuff which is a nice green or yellow colour which will burn in it. This includes nylon carpets, a number of herbs (excuse the pun) and anything else which the dealers can get hold of to spread out their packet of dope which you are buying. Yes, unfortunately the cannabis which is available on the street is probably only 40 to 50% cannabis if that. Let's reconsider the argument for the relationship between cannabis and schizophrenia; is it at all possible that the rubbish that dealers use to make the cannabis go further causes damage to the brain? I don't think inhaling plastic bags, dog poo or nylon carpet does anyone any good. There is also the case that the dealers will push other drugs onto the buyers, and it is well known that cocaine and drugs like that have a massive effect on dopamine in the brain. We are also forgetting the relationship between smoking and schizophrenia; even when the schizophrenia has not become apparent these people tend to smoke more, just they are targeted by the drug dealers and a lot of drug dealers are not the kind of people you would take home to meet your mother. A lot of drug dealers are also associated with money lending and organised crime and if a person who has a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia becomes entangled in this the only result is an increase in stress, which brings on the schizophrenia. Okay let's lay off the friendly dealers for a moment and look at this in a different perspective. If cannabis was legalised, then the government could control the strength of the drug and users would know what they were taking. This is the case in the Netherlands where cannabis is legal; you can eat it, drink it in tea or smoke it in a joint; but you know what kind you are having and how strong it is in terms of THC (the active ingredient in cannabis which stimulates dopamine and GABBA-a release in the medial temporal lobe and brain stem). Now if cannabis causes schizophrenia one would expect a higher rate of schizophrenia in the Netherlands compared to the UK where cannabis is illegal. Whoops, that is not the case according to a report by the World Health Organisation; in 2004 the WHO calculated the disability-adjusted life years for all countries and reported the diagnosis of both physical and mental illnesses per head of the population. For schizophrenia, we are looking on a scale from the lowest, which was Australia with 164.225 per 100,000 to the highest, Indonesia that has 321.870. So let's compare the cannabis smoking Dutch to the stiff upper-lipped British; the Netherlands had 168.282 while in the UK the diagnosis of schizophrenia per 100,000 was 185.182. You do not need to be a mathematical genius to see that where cannabis is legal and regulated the diagnosis of schizophrenia is lower than where it is not regulated and illegal. Finally, let's consider the number of deaths caused by legal drugs compared to cannabis. According to national statistics in 2011 just below 8,750 deaths were the direct cause of alcohol. If one would like to read, 100,000 died from smoking every year. How many died directly from cannabis overdose? The answer is a big fat 0! It is physically impossible to overdose on cannabis. Furthermore it is physically impossible to become addicted to the active ingredients of cannabis because THC has such a long half-life that you do not become physically dependent upon it unlike alcohol and nicotine. Yes, okay you can become psychologically addicted to cannabis, but you can also become psychologically addicted to anything from alcohol to chocolate (regardless of whether it is legal or illegal). There is also the cost of alcohol and smoking on the NHS; according to the Daily Mail alcohol abuse costs the NHS £6billion a year, and according to the BBC news smoking costs the NHS £5 billion a year. It is true that schizophrenia costs the NHS £6.7billion a year, according to NICE (but only a tiny amount of this can arguably be the direct result of cannabis, if any at all). Professor David Nutt lost his job for suggesting legalising cannabis; but if the former chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs does not know what he is on about then there is something wrong. Sure, many of you will be moaning that if cannabis is legalised then we are advocating smoking; that does not have to be the case, for example you could legalise cannabis for the consumption in food and drink in cafes for individuals who are aged 18 and over. The tax revenue which we would raise from cannabis could be used to treat schizophrenia, educate children on the misuse of drugs and help to reduce the Government's deficit. Let's face the truth, the USA had to end prohibition due to the fact that the sale of illegal alcohol was massive and funding criminal organisation, as well as killing hundreds of people with highly toxic beverages such as moonshine; so when are we going to get a grip and legalise cannabis... and relax?
Legalise Canabis then there'll be calls to legalise everything else mate whatever condition it is linked to, saying that though Alcohol kills more than class A drugs and Canabis but is strangely legal or should that be taxable? Smoking still kills loads every year no calls to ban that as of yet again it's a nice little earner for HMRC. Big NO for me.
No but they should drug test the dole bludgers who don't want to work cos money is handed out to freely. That should free up some money to be spent elsewhere on people who actually need it.
I've dabbled in a thing or two and can honestly say I have no idea why people smoke that stuff. So, so dull.
To say that marijuana has been given a bad rap over the past few decades is an understatement. If you’re like most Americans, you have been led to believe that marijuana is a dangerous and addictive drug that has destroyed the lives of millions of teens and adults. You have been encouraged to believe that marijuana causes lung cancer and is a “gateway” to harder drugs. The government has even tried to convince you that most people who use marijuana are losers who sit around on couches all day doing nothing. What we would like to do is wipe the slate clean and start over. Forget everything you have heard in the past and be open-minded to the truth about marijuana. We are not here to tell you that it is without harms or is some kind of miracle drug. We simply hope you will come to understand that it is far, far less harmful than what your government has told you. Part of the problem is that many people are simply unfamiliar with marijuana. They have never tried it (or perhaps only tried it a time or two decades ago) and assume the worst. They have been conditioned to think that marijuana use is bad and that people who use it are dangerous or strange or maybe even dirty. They have visions of people using marijuana and being totally zonked out, unable to maintain a regular conversation. The truth is that marijuana is widely used in a manner quite similar to alcohol. Adults might consume it before enjoying a dinner party with friends. Friends might have a little before engaging in a spirited game of ultimate Frisbee. And spouses – yes, even some couples you know – might imbibe a bit while enjoying a romantic evening together. Concert-goers have even been known to have a puff or two before or during a show – which more likely than not results in them dancing or otherwise enjoying the music, not lying on the ground like lumps. None of this is “bad” or “wrong” or “immoral.” It is simply something that these responsible adults choose to do. And frequently it is something they choose to do specifically instead of alcohol. And for good reason! Alcohol is more toxic, more addictive, more harmful to the body, more likely to result in injuries, and more likely to lead to interpersonal violence than marijuana. Below are just a few facts that highlight the very different impacts of these two popular substances on those who consume them and on the broader community. A vast amount of additional information can be found in the book, Marijuana is Safer: So why are we driving people to drink? (Chelsea Green, 2009), which can be purchased on Amazon.com or accessed for free on-line at Scribd.com. Safer for the Consumer Many people die from alcohol use. Nobody dies from marijuana use. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than 37,000 annual U.S. deaths, including more than 1,400 in Colorado, are attributed to alcohol use alone (i.e. this figure does not include accidental deaths). On the other hand, the CDC does not even have a category for deaths caused by the use of marijuana. People die from alcohol overdoses. There has never been a fatal marijuana overdose. The official publication of the Scientific Research Society, American Scientist, reported that alcohol is one of the most toxic drugs and using just 10 times what one would use to get the desired effect could lead to death. Marijuana is one of – if not the – least toxic drugs, requiring thousands of times the dose one would use to get the desired effect to lead to death. This “thousands of times” is actually theoretical, since there has never been a case of an individual dying from a marijuana overdose. Meanwhile, according to the CDC, hundreds of alcohol overdose deaths occur the United States each year. The health-related costs associated with alcohol use far exceed those for marijuana use. Health-related costs for alcohol consumers are eight times greater than those for marijuana consumers, according to an assessment recently published in the British Columbia Mental Health and Addictions Journal. More specifically, the annual cost of alcohol consumption is $165 per user, compared to just $20 per user for marijuana. This should not come as a surprise given the vast amount of research that shows alcohol poses far more – and more significant – health problems than marijuana. Alcohol use damages the brain. Marijuana use does not. Despite the myths we've heard throughout our lives about marijuana killing brain cells, it turns out that a growing number of studies seem to indicate that marijuana actually has neuroprotective properties. This means that it works to protect brain cells from harm. For example, one recent study found that teens who used marijuana as well as alcohol suffered significantly less damage to the white matter in their brains. Of course, what is beyond question is that alcohol damages brain cells. Alcohol use is linked to cancer. Marijuana use is not. Alcohol use is associated with a wide variety of cancers, including cancers of the esophagus, stomach, colon, lungs, pancreas, liver and prostate. Marijuana use has not been conclusively associated with any form of cancer. In fact, one study recently contradicted the long-time government claim that marijuana use is associated with head and neck cancers. It found that marijuana use actually reduced the likelihood of head and neck cancers. If you are concerned about marijuana being associated with lung cancer, you may be interested in the results of the largest case-controlled study ever conducted to investigate the respiratory effects of marijuana smoking and cigarette smoking. Released in 2006, the study, conducted by Dr. Donald Tashkin at the University of California at Los Angeles, found that marijuana smoking was not associated with an increased risk of developing lung cancer. Surprisingly, the researchers found that people who smoked marijuana actually had lower incidences of cancer compared to non-users of the drug. Alcohol is more addictive than marijuana. Addiction researchers have consistently reported that marijuana is far less addictive than alcohol based on a number of factors. In particular, alcohol use can result in significant and potentially fatal physical withdrawal, whereas marijuana has not been found to produce any symptoms of physical withdrawal. Those who use alcohol are also much more likely to develop dependence and build tolerance. Alcohol use increases the risk of injury to the consumer. Marijuana use does not. Many people who have consumed alcohol or know others who have consumed alcohol would not be surprised to hear that it greatly increases the risk of serious injury. Research published this year in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, found that 36 percent of hospitalized assaults and 21 percent of all injuries are attributable to alcohol use by the injured person. Meanwhile, the American Journal of Emergency Medicine reported that lifetime use of marijuana is rarely associated with emergency room visits. According to the British Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, this is because: "Cannabis differs from alcohol … in one major respect. It does not seem to increase risk-taking behavior. This means that cannabis rarely contributes to violence either to others or to oneself, whereas alcohol use is a major factor in deliberate self-harm, domestic accidents and violence." Interestingly enough, some research has even shown that marijuana use has been associated with a decreased risk of injury. Safer for the Community Alcohol use contributes to aggressive and violent behavior. Marijuana use does not. Studies have repeatedly shown that alcohol, unlike marijuana, contributes to the likelihood of aggessive and violent behavior. An article published in the Journal of Addictive Behaviors reported that "alcohol is clearly the drug with the most evidence to support a direct intoxication-violence relationship," whereas "cannabis reduces the likelihood of violence during intoxication." Alcohol use is a major factor in violent crimes. Marijuana use is not. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimates that 25-30% of violent crimes in the United States are linked to the use of alcohol. According to a report from the U.S. Dept. of Justice, that translates to about 5,000,000 alcohol-related violent crimes per year. By contrast, the government does not even track violent acts specifically related to marijuana use, as the use of marijuana has not been associated with violence. (Of course, we should note that marijuana prohibition, by creating a widespread criminal market, is associated with acts of violence.) Alcohol use contributes to the likelihood of domestic abuse and sexual assault. Marijuana use does not. Alcohol is a major contributing factor in the prevalence of domestic violence and sexual assault. This is not to say that alcohol causes these problems; rather, its use makes it more likely that an individual prone to such behavior will act on it. For example, a study conducted by the Research Institute on Addictions found that among individuals who were chronic partner abusers, the use of alcohol was associated with significant increases in the daily likelihood of male-to-female physical aggression, but the use of marijuana was not. Specifically, the odds of abuse were eight times higher on days when men were drinking; the odds of severe abuse were 11 times higher. According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) website highlights alcohol as the "most commonly used chemical in crimes of sexual assault" and provides information on an array of other drugs that have been linked to sexual violence. Given the fact that marijuana is so accessible and widely used, it is quite telling that the word "marijuana" does not appear anywhere on the page.
Personally think it depends on the individual, however multiple studies show it is far less dangerous than alcohol which then poses the question why is alcohol allowed and cannabis not… Bit of a strange debate but America seem to be slowly legalising it in some states
I smoked loads of hash through college, became a bit of an addiction tbh, i've dabbled in many other recreational drugs aswell (its ok me and pops are cool, he knows my life i know his) Now if i have a night with the lads and a few spliffs, usually at the pre derby poker night (my turn this year to host) i get paranoid as fook, so i'm on the fence on this one, for medical purposes why not? Available over the counter not so sure, probably happen though as hmrc would cream it in
That reminds me... Dad, if you're on here I'm doing a BigGun. I haven't touched a drug a day in my life I'm just bragging to make friends.
No no no. The biggest reason why it should not be legalised, is the bloody government will tax the hell out of it and it will cost me a fortune. I like a smoke, nothing wrong with that in my eyes, I do it my own home and it doesn't make me violent like drink does to some people, in fact it chills me out after a hard day at work. I like buying it from my supplier, paying a reasonable price, I don't want to buy it from a shop paying a huge wad of tax on it.
American states are trending towards legalization. The idea that the Gov't is selling the drug as addictive and dangerous over here is decades old...if not older. Just not happening. In California, it's the #1 state crop. The jobless grow it like weeds in their yards. Make a decent buck, too. Easy to get a medical license, which allows for growing 8 plants per license. Always amused by what people think goes on over here.
It kills me how many politicians (Who often grew up in the 60's or were students at that time) have said stupid things like 'I tried it once but didn't know what it was', or 'I didn't inhale it', or'I tried it but didn't enjoy it' - all of these are actually quotes from modern politicians. I did enjoy it as a young man but am on the fence concerning legalization. As long as it is illegal then in order to buy the stuff young people are exposed to the same circles of people where other drugs are available - and, if already stoned, are less likely to say no. I lean more towards decriminalization, as in countries such as Italy and Spain, where possession of up to 30 grammes is allowed for personal use.
Leagalize it . Im sick of lining lay about`s pockets, tax free as well . I have a couple of joints in the evening .Go to work and pay my taxes It doesnt interfere in my working life . I wouldnt even want to smoke it in the day time , I would get **** all done for a start .
Yes yes yes! Legalise it. produce it and tax it. Different strains treat different ailments. It's becoming legal in a lot of US states now. If the government takes out and undercuts the street dealers it will reduce the crime it funds.
I used to take one to the match and smoke it after I got out of the car but stopped doing it and went back on the beer for matches.
