cannabisnews.com: The Great Cannabis Debate 





The Great Cannabis Debate 
Posted by CN Staff on September 12, 2003 at 17:35:12 PT
By Nick Foley, PA Features 
Source: Scotsman UK
Cannabis smokers, who have the drug for their own personal use, need no longer fear being arrested if they’re caught with the herb by police. Users will instead have the drug confiscated and a record of the incident will be noted by officers.Controversially, the new police guidelines, which will come into force in January, don’t specify a personal limit for the drug and plans for a “three strikes and you’re out” system for those repeatedly caught with the drug have been abandoned.
Police, however, will still be able to arrest people who smoke the drug in public, who are under 17 and anyone who uses it near a school or youth club, under the Association of Chief Police Officers guidelines.Home Secretary, David Blunkett, argues that this softly softly approach to cannabis, which is expected to be downgraded to a Class C drug next year, will free up police resources to tackle hard drugs like heroin and crack cocaine.The move has been perceived as a step towards legalising cannabis and the Government’s relaxed attitude to the drug seems to send out the message that it is relatively harmless – something pro-cannabis groups have been claiming for decades.But are they right? What impact can smoking a spliff have on our health?Quite a big one, according to Professor Heather Ashton, a professor of clinical pyschopharmacology at Newcastle University.She says: “People are very aware of the risks of smoking cigarettes, but smoking one spliff is equal to about four or five cigarettes. If you’re smoking every day you’re asking for bronchitis, emphysema and lung cancer.“There’s no doubt that it can be addictive too, it’s very difficult to get off. It’s like a mixture of alcohol with a tranquilliser. I’ve seen students try to get off it because it gives them a bad memory, anxiety and panic attacks and insomnia.”Ashton says the Government’s “ill-advised” approach to cannabis will create more work for the police in the long run, rather than reduce it.She explains that we’re likely to see an increase in road accidents, because of the increased numbers of motorists she thinks will drive under the influence of the drug.Ashton says: “Smoking cannabis slows down drivers’ reaction time and their ability to judge speed and distance. They can see the traffic lights in front of them but they have a distortion of time and speed and so they don’t brake at the right speed or at the right time. That’s a danger to the general public and it will create more police work.”Another major problem with marijuana, she claims, is that it can precipitate schizophrenia in some people and even make it worse – once again creating a risk to the wider community.Studies have also linked cannabis to depression, lung cancer, amnesia and panic attacks, which all add up to one thing, according to Ashton – a huge strain on NHS resources in the future.“It’s a timebomb for the NHS. Cannabis now is 10 times stronger than the stuff which was around with the flower power period of the 1970s. It’s everywhere now. Heroin is more likely to kill you, but as the age of cannabis users gets younger the risk of lung cancer increases.”Ashton says that there’s no conclusive proof that cannabis is a gateway drug to harder narcotics like heroin or crack cocaine but insists it does have the potential to be.She explains that the more cannabis you smoke the higher your tolerance to the drug becomes, which means you need to take increasing quantities of the weed to get the same high.So when your tolerance levels peak and the drug’s effects are limited, users could look elsewhere for their kicks, she argues.She also points out that drug dealers don’t usually sell just one drug. So if you’re buying cannabis from someone, it won’t be long before you’re offered something a little stronger.But others claim the anti-drug lobby are over-exaggerating both the health and social impact the new guidelines could have on our communities.Steve Barker, a spokesman for the Campaign to Legalise Cannabis, says the drug causes problems in only 5% of the estimated 3.2 million people who use the drug in the UK.He explains that in those rare cases where the drug does have an unfortunate side effect on people’s personalities, they usually just stop taking it.He says: “It’s not an addictive drug – it can be habit forming but it isn’t addictive. If people don’t like it, they usually just stop. Those users with psychological problems often have these problems anyway, so the drug has nothing to do with their condition.”Barker also denies that cannabis has any long term health dangers and that an increased use of the drug could cause a major headache for the NHS in the future.He says: “Cannabis has been with us for 5,000 years in the Far East and there has been no particular problems emerging there of lung cancer.“It has many positive effects. It doesn’t cause public disorder and misbehaviour like alcohol and it’s not addictive – people can take it or leave it.“Medically speaking, it can be twice as effective as any painkiller for people suffering from chronic pains and aches.”The Government has gone some way to recognising the plant’s unique pain-killing qualities by trialing cannabis-based prescription medicines.The latest experiment found 28 of the 34 patients with multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury and other conditions causing severe pain, who were tested, said it eased their suffering and helped them sleep.But the problem for patients like these is that the new police guidelines still prohibit the production or selling of cannabis. This means that the reclassification of the drug and the new police rules still won’t allow them to legally obtain cannabis.Frank Warburton, a spokesman for the charity DrugScope which promotes better understanding of drugs, says there’s still a lot of work to do to educate the public and the anti-drug lobbyists on the effects of cannabis.He explains – through the charity’s website – that studies have yet to prove that cannabis smoking is linked to illnesses like lung cancer and dismisses the claim that smoking pot leads to harder drug use. He says: “While it’s true that many of those who become heroin addicts, for example, have used cannabis, the vast majority of people in the UK who have used cannabis, have never used so-called harder drugs such as heroin or cocaine. This would suggest that progression from cannabis to so-called ’harder’ drugs is in no way inevitable, in fact it is relatively rare.”Source: Scotsman (UK)Author: Nick Foley, PA Features Published: Friday, September 12, 2003 Copyright: The Scotsman Publications Ltd 2003Contact: Letters_ts scotsman.comWebsite: http://www.scotsman.com/Related Articles: Q&A: Cannabis Guidelines http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17290.shtmlEngland OKs Recreational Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17285.shtmlDiscretion for Police Over Cannabis http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17282.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #12 posted by afterburner on September 13, 2003 at 10:32:32 PT:
The Same Applies to Brits
"It cannot be right and it cannot be just to continue to criticize Jamaicans for private, personal use of marijuana, while more toxic substances, namely alcohol and cigarettes, used in public in excessive quantities attract no criminal sanction."
- Jamaican Senator, Trevor Munroe -
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #11 posted by BGreen on September 13, 2003 at 04:55:41 PT
ashton did quack and moo one inadvertent truth
She also points out that drug dealers don’t usually sell just one drug. So if you’re buying cannabis from someone, it won’t be long before you’re offered something a little stronger.If she would listen to anybody besides john PEE, she'd realize that her statement was the reason the Dutch allowed the sales of cannabis in the coffeeshops nearly THIRTY YEARS AGO!Professor Heather Ashton, a professor of clinical pyschopharmacology at Newcastle University, should be FIRED and all of her former students should get their money back. I guess this ignorant, lying twit is trying to land a cushy MDMA "research" job at john hopkins' university of "oops."The Reverend Bud Green
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #10 posted by Kegan on September 13, 2003 at 04:36:20 PT
Gibberish
According to Professor Heather Ashton, a professor of clinical pyschopharmacology at Newcastle University, "Quack quack, blah blah blah. Moo, woof woof, meow. Bahhhhhh..... Tweet tweet tweet BOING!"
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #9 posted by Jose Melendez on September 12, 2003 at 22:38:52 PT
bc!
http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/3093.html
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #8 posted by FoM on September 12, 2003 at 22:12:19 PT
Petard 
It sounds just like what I thought would be nice. I agree about a notice too. I'll read what others lists use and try to adapt it for all of us. I receive e-mail from different lists but I haven't really commented in any of them. I find just reading them helps me learn. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #7 posted by Petard on September 12, 2003 at 22:04:07 PT
Thanks
Appreciate the compliment. But admittedly I have some screwy ideas too and advice is like, er, um, SARS in Hong Kong. Everybody's got it. Other topics of interest could include concerts (notices, reviews, schedules), court actions/precedings (hopefully none of us, but...), birth/death announcements, support for the troubled (ill or emotionally distressed). Basically anything goes except for flaming and personal arguments. Can't forget, no illegal activites (like facilitating transactions of a legally "questionable" nature.) Sure, most all of us are smart enough to know that, but like the "Adult Content" notice, just one of those butt covering notices.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by FoM on September 12, 2003 at 21:43:45 PT
Petard
Thanks! Moderator Hat! That's funny. When people are upset with another person taking it to a private email saves everyone from being caught up in a problem that isn't really about the group and their concerns.  Over the weekend maybe we'll be able to come up with even more ideas. It should be a place where we can talk about different issues that are important too. You have good ideas and advice.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #5 posted by Petard on September 12, 2003 at 21:24:45 PT
Fighting on mail lists
Fighting has ruined many a list. Just watch and see, the first time it happens, bleep bleep, bleep bleep, bleep bleep, your mailbox will fill up with unsubscriptions (or if you have AOHell that guy or gal saying "you have mail" will get hoarse. LOL).A lot like this, yes, but yet different too. Some will be more comfortable knowing it is not entirely public speech for all the world to see and let it all hang out. Others that merely lurk here may participate with a limited audience environ. The complete jokers and funny ones will come out of the closet here where their jokes might not exactly fit with forum etiquette. Stuff like that as well as links to funny cartoons and ganja tunes, ya know a sharing of culture within the culture.And as here, there will be occasions where you will have to put on that moderator hat. But in the mail group we will all be able to point and laugh at that funny hat too :-)
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by FoM on September 12, 2003 at 21:08:12 PT
Petard
Thank you. Basically like we do here on Cnews seems to be what you are saying if I'm reading you correctly. I naturally am concerned when we try something new. I have one issue that is very important to me. Fighting.I can get so angry that I scream and holler and jump up and down, generally act like an idiot and shake my fist at the computer but I try to be nice when I comment. I'm just kidding. I don't get that mad but fighting really does bother me. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by Petard on September 12, 2003 at 20:45:24 PT
Cnews Mail
Theme: Cannabis, Prohibition, and Freedom.Truths, jokes, ideas, opinions, and hopes, anecdotes, and personal experiences, information, News, and sharing welcomed.No flaming, except for politicians.
No arguments except where respectful, on topic, and non-personal. There's room for differing ideas and methodologies without being devisive or derisive.Adult content (can't feed the prohibs by NOT making that statement)
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by FoM on September 12, 2003 at 20:32:50 PT
Update On CNews E-Mail List
Hi Everyone,I've been trying to learn how to work our new email list. It isn't open yet. I have a question for you. What would be interesting to talk about in our list? I am not sure. Cannabis discussion will be primary but does anyone have any suggestions. I need to write an introduction but I'm not sure what we should include. Any ideas would be appreciated. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by Petard on September 12, 2003 at 19:42:31 PT
I can't hold 'er togetha Cap'n
As Scotty on the original Star Trek would say. "Ah'm givin her all Aye got, but if we keep going at this speed she'll tear herself to bits." Pretty soon Captain's Bushit, Asscrapt, and Assa the Hut will have to order the crew to abandon the ship USSA DrugWar. The ship's "shields" just can't hold up against the power of the Truth weapon. Oh, the US networks will report on this. During the early morning hours when nobody is awake and after the next big event when everyone is focused on the "big" story. Until then it'll just be a whisper, or a memo tucked away in a stack of "minor" stories.
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment