cannabisnews.com: Doctors' Fears at Cannabis Change










  Doctors' Fears at Cannabis Change

Posted by CN Staff on January 20, 2004 at 16:32:35 PT
Cannabis use will not lead to arrest in many cases 
Source: BBC News  

The British Medical Association has launched a last minute attack on the government's decision to downgrade the criminal status of cannabis. Cannabis is due to be reclassified from a class B to a class C drug next week. Doctors' leaders said they were "extremely concerned" the move would mislead the public into thinking the drug was safe to use. In fact, it has been linked to greater risk of heart disease, lung cancer, bronchitis and emphysema, they said.
Dr Peter Maguire, deputy chairman of the BMA's board of science, welcomed a new government campaign to highlight the dangers of cannabis. But he said: "The public must be made aware of the harmful effects that we know result from smoking this drug. "The BMA is extremely concerned that the public might think that reclassification equals 'safe'. It does not. "We are very worried about the negative health effects of smoking cannabis and want the government to fund more research on this issue." 'Astonishingly high' The mental health charity Rethink is calling for clear health warnings to be issued over the increased risk of developing schizophrenia, and other forms of psychosis, from cannabis use. Rethink chief executive Cliff Prior said: "There is a strongly-held view that cannabis is risk-free, reflected in the astonishingly high rates of use amongst young people as the street drug of choice. "Cannabis is not risk free. We have known for years that using cannabis makes the symptoms of schizophrenia far worse in people who already have the illness. "Now there is a rapidly growing body of evidence showing that cannabis can trigger schizophrenia in people already at risk."   Aggravated situations When it is downgraded, possession of cannabis will no longer be treated as an arrestable offence in most cases. The drug will be treated as equivalent to bodybuilding steroids and some anti-depressants. Police will retain the power to arrest users in certain aggravated situations, such as when the drug is smoked outside schools. But officers will stop targeting those using cannabis in their own home. Some drugs campaigners have criticised the move, saying it will encourage more youngsters to try the drug.  Focus on hard drugs But Home Secretary David Blunkett has said the change in the law is necessary to enable police to spend more time tackling class A drugs such as heroin and crack cocaine. At present, about 80,000 adults a year are currently arrested and fined for possession of cannabis. Research has found that the drug is far more harmful to health than smoking ordinary cigarettes, with more tar and harmful chemicals taken into the body. Around 120,000 people die every year in the UK from smoking ordinary cigarettes. A £1m government campaign is to underline the message that cannabis will remain illegal despite the change in the law. Millions of leaflets will be handed out while newspapers and radio stations will carry adverts which warn the drug is harmful to health. Source: BBC News (UK Web) Published: Wednesday, January 21, 2004Copyright: 2004 BBC Contact: newsonline bbc.co.ukWebsite: http://news.bbc.co.uk/ Related Articles:End The Confusion Over Cannabis http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18159.shtmlMarijuana Doesn't Cause Lung Cancerhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread10025.shtml

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Comment #16 posted by John Tyler on January 21, 2004 at 19:46:40 PT
More blather
What a crock! If these guys were so concerned about health why aren't they campainging against smoking tobacco? It is the worst. Don't blame mental illness on cannabis.
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Comment #15 posted by Ethan Russo MD on January 21, 2004 at 10:48:30 PT
Aversive Memories and Cannabinoids
Check out this vignette:http://www.gwpharm.com/research_depression.aspHere is an abstract of Marsicano's article on cannabinoids and PTSD:http://www.nature.com/cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v418/n6897/abs/nature00839_fs.html&dynoptions=doi1074711196Look carefully on the left to download the article PDF.
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Comment #14 posted by E_Johnson on January 21, 2004 at 10:38:35 PT
Dr. Russo think of this
Cannabinoids regulate extinction of aversive memories -- this tells us something, I believe, about the social and political basis for cannabis prohibition.How do people acquire aversive memories? From acts of God like earthquakes, or through abuse by other humans.Human abuse of humans often occurs on a social level when there is a differential in power between two groups. Is there a pattern we can see in history of the abused group seeking out cannabis for relief, and the abusing group doing everything they can to keep the abused group from medicating?One example of this pattern would be in the 1930s when Harry Anslinger was quoted in a Hearst paper as saying"Reefer makes a darkie look a white man in the eye."This one sentence I believe shows that the social position of marijuana is strongly linked to the cannabinoid regulation of the extinction of aversive memories.Racism during that era was very violent. Every measure was taken to make sure that blacks feared whites as much as possible.Blacks must have had quite a lot of aversive memories to deal with in that time, because people could still remember slavery at that point. There were still people alive who had been born slaves.An association between marijuana and insanity might be made if the abusing person perceived the abused person as being "crazy" for being able to withstand the abuse without bending.Anslinger perceived an assertive black man as a dangerously insane black man, given the times in which he lived, where an assertive black man could find himself facing a lynch mob.Or an audience of white jazz fans in a fancy night club!Anslinger really hated the latter.Marijuana makes the help get uppity. That's why we're here and that's what makes this journey so historical.
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Comment #13 posted by kaptinemo on January 21, 2004 at 08:58:29 PT:

Thank you, Kegan
Because it reminded me of something I saw a few years back; I was visiting a friend in the TO area and was watching the Canuck news programs, when I saw something shocking...and it takes plenty to shock me.Teenaged First Nations kids, possibly Inuit, were shown on TV huffing gasoline from plastic bags. Gasoline. Of all things, gasoline. It was the only intoxicant they had access to, and proof that humans will find any means necessary to alleviate the boredom in their lives.Needless to say, these kids were endangering their health in ways far beyond the so-called 'damage' caused by cannabis ever could. And these supposed public health functionaries in this article were concerned that weed is so widespread in La Belle Quebec? Considering the alternative, they should be quietly muttering Hosannas.
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Comment #12 posted by Ethan Russo MD on January 21, 2004 at 07:57:20 PT

More GW News
An online Webcast from GWP presented earlier today in London is available at:http://www.gwpharm.com Please press the "More" button under "Latest News," then the "Access" button toward the bottom of the following page.

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Comment #11 posted by yippierevolutionary on January 21, 2004 at 07:30:04 PT

Re: Montreal Teens
"However, with continuing talk of decriminalizing pot, there's a generalized loosening up of attitudes toward marijuana, she said. "We're not only sending mixed messages, we're sending the wrong message to teens," said Cooney, her cell phone ringing."Cooney should know about the dangers of cell phone use. All the facts are not in yet but even the cell phone companies admit that cell phones raise the temperature of the brain by your tempal, and many people report headaches and tension and migraines from their use. Not to mention tumours found in mice.Cell phones are totally mainstream, a good majority of teens use them with impunity. They are hip.How many years have cell phones been used by almost everyone for almost every call? How many years will it take us to figure out this is dangerous on a huge scale?
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Comment #10 posted by Sam Adams on January 21, 2004 at 06:27:39 PT

Dean exposed!
Dr. Russo, thank you, the website you provided is one of the best resources I've seen! I like the way its scope is beyond GW's products.Look at this - the real Howard Dean slipped out 2 nights ago! What kind of a man would stop his legislature's attempt to help help sick medical marijuana users? A mean person. A fascist - looks like Dean let his inner Hitler slip out in a moment of frustration:http://www.boston.com/news/politics/primaries/iowa/articles/2004/01/21/yell_in_iowa_may_haunt_dean_camp/
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Comment #9 posted by The GCW on January 21, 2004 at 05:59:56 PT

Taylor 121,
Very good, but substitute the word plant for drug. 
It will help Me know who You are. In the future only ignorant cannabis prohibitionists will refer to the plant, cannabis as "drug".It helps Our cause to let cannabis prohibitionists know right from the start, they are not going to twist this around. Plant; herb; medicine; kaneh bosm; superplant; green leaf; bud etc. 
420It is an eye opener to hear doctors try to explain why to cage humans for using a plant.It helps know which are doctors and which are quacks.It is one reason Howard Dean is scary; He is a doctor who is comfortable with the policy of caging His brother for using a plant.420My desire to help youth resist cannabis is not greater than My desire to stop caging humans who do.It is commendable to help youth resist drugs, alcohol, cannabis, coffee and cigarettes until they are older and responsible for their choices, but caging responsible adult cannabis users is not the correct way to do it.Re-Legalizing cannabis for adult use, would go a long way to help reduce cannabis use among youth. As We can see, the present system increases cannabis use among youth.That is in part because for Adults to change the discredited cannabis laws, there is a great effort to prove to youth that cannabis is good. When adults no longer have to prove cannabis is good, to youth, then adults will spend a more balanced approach to teaching youth to resist cannabis while young.

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Comment #7 posted by Taylor121 on January 21, 2004 at 04:49:01 PT:

Legalize marijuana!
One-Revolution.com has policy reports in favor of marijuana reform. If you haven't it guessed it yet, I'm for the regulation and sell of marijuana to adults. Marijuana was once legal in the United States with very little problems surrounding the drug. It is safe to say that marijuana poses no real threat to society in comparison to any other drug, whether legal or not. I must make it clear, that my persuasive appeal is being made on the basis that marijuana sales should be legal for adults, never for children under the age of 21 years. Starting with the cost and effects of prohibition, and moving towards the actual negative health consequences surrounding cannabis, I will take you through a broad educational appeal to open your eyes for the need to legalize marijuana. Let us begin. Continue reading the article  
http://www.one-revolution.com/~one-revo/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=17&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0http://www.mpp.org -Join the Marijuana Policy Project
One-Revolution
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Comment #6 posted by Kegan on January 21, 2004 at 03:11:13 PT

Montreal Teens
http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/story.asp?id=64C16861-F622-4730-AA42-AAFA6D8897B6Pot and teens: study raises concerns here
Quebec youths singled out. Using marijuana is no longer counterculture - it's almost the norm, notes social worker   CHERYL CORNACCHIA 
   The Gazette Tuesday, January 20, 2004Are Quebec teens going to pot? New research suggests they are more likely than teenagers anywhere else in Canada to smoke marijuana and then brush off concerns relating to its use.The Health Canada study made public last month also reported nearly half of Quebec teens - 45 per cent of 12- to 19-year-olds - have used marijuana on more than one occasion. And their first exposure is often by age 13."For me the numbers certainly made connections between early drug use, abuse, gambling and other problems," said Barbara Victor, a Montreal social worker who, like others, found the results alarming. Victor is the director of school services for Jewish Family Services, which organizes drug prevention programs in more than 100 Quebec schools. She said the statistics tell her Quebec families, schools and other community organizations must do a better job of giving young people skills - other than smoking pot - to cope with life's stresses.The national study found only 34 per cent of Canadian teens, age 12 to 19, have smoked marijuana more than once and were more likely to have concerns about it than Quebec teens.In Quebec, Victor said, smoking pot is no longer counterculture but almost the norm.Many of today's parents have smoked marijuana in the past and many continue the habit.As a result, Victor said, "teenagers say and, understandably so, 'You do it Dad. Why can't can't I?' "But when a teenager smokes pot," she added, "he or she brings his 13-year-old judgment to the situation and it becomes all the more dangerous."The 74-page report on Canadian youth and marijuana was put together for Health Canada by Ottawa-based GPC Research. The report is now making its way into the hands of professionals working in the field of drug prevention.The study was commissioned as part of the federal government's plan to develop a comprehensive health promotion and drug prevention strategy to discourage Canadians, teens specifically, from smoking marijuana.There are about 3 million teens in Canada.It's important to note the age cohort used was a broad one: there's quite a difference between a 12-year-old pot smoker and a 19-year-old one.Although the Quebec numbers were not broken down further, nationally, they were. The study indicated among Canadian teens, 12 to 15 years of age, 14 per cent have tried marijuana more than once while 54 per cent of 16- to 19-year-olds have done so.Still, Jo-Anne Cooney, a counsellor with Project Pride Drug Crisis Centre, an N.D.G.-based community initiative, said she is concerned.She worries about the fact the study suggests Quebec teens who have used marijuana more than once do not believe it has adverse effects.But "anyone who knows the chemical makeup of marijuana know that's just not true," she said.However, with continuing talk of decriminalizing pot, there's a generalized loosening up of attitudes toward marijuana, she said. "We're not only sending mixed messages, we're sending the wrong message to teens," said Cooney, her cell phone ringing.A drug-addicted teen in crisis was on the other end of the line.Before ending the interview, she said, teenagers don't hear there are adverse side effects to short- and long-term use or understand decriminalization does not mean it's something 12-year-olds should use.Barbara Evans, a divorced Beaconsfield mother of two, said she, too, has concerns about the growing use of marijuana among young teenagers.Evans (we've changed her name for privacy) explained she came home early one day last month to find her 13-year-old son smoking marijuana in the family bathroom.She said she was shocked, even though, she uses marijuana herself occasionally.In the end, she said, she had to be careful about being hypocritical and try to persuade her son the exploration of marijuana at age 13 was dangerous.She said she told him you can't drive a car, smoke cigarettes or order a drink in a bar at age 13 and, for all the same reasons, you are also too young to smoke pot.ccornacchia thegazette.canwest.com[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]================================
Canadian Cannabis Coalitionhttp://cannabiscoalition.ca/Email List:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ccc-members/ Yahoo! Groups LinksTo visit your group on the web, go to:
 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ccc-members/To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
 ccc-members-unsubscribe yahoogroups.comYour use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
 http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ 
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on January 20, 2004 at 20:58:59 PT

Dr. Russo
Thank You! You do great work. I guess I'm a big fan! Someday we'll have the option here in the states. That will be so good.
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Comment #4 posted by jose melendez on January 20, 2004 at 20:54:24 PT

congrats, Doctor Russo
from: http://www.gwpharm.com/research_cri.aspThe Cannabinoid Research Institute was established by GW as a distinct division within the Company to consolidate GW's position as a world leader in cannabinoid science. The Institute's activities are directed by Dr Philip Robson, GW's Medical Director. The Institute was formed to build a bridge between commercial enterprise and academia. We believe this is the best way for GW to undertake fundamental science and to investigate future commercial opportunities arising from phytocannabinoids (which occur in plants), synthetic cannabinoids and/or endocannabinoids (which occur naturally within the human body). In addition to enhancing GW's pipeline of cannabis-based medicines by conducting early stage clinical trials, the Institute's programme of primary research on the cannabinoid system will allow GW to further explore cannabinoid mechanism(s) of action. New product opportunities will arise from more precise targeting of cannabinoids to specific illnesses and from the discovery and application of new cannabinoid products. The Institute collaborates with many of the top cannabinoid scientists and in particular, we are delighted that Professor Roger Pertwee , a world leading cannabinoid receptor, research, has joined the team as Director of Pharmacology. More recently, the Institute was very pleased to welcome Dr Ethan Russo, formerly of Universities of Washington and Montana, as its Senior Medical Adviser.Great news doc, glad to see GW is successful.Will they be making a public statement about the latest reefer madness news below?http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread18175.shtml
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Comment #3 posted by Ethan Russo MD on January 20, 2004 at 20:38:44 PT

Maybe the Doctors Should Read This
I was asked to revise the clinical indications section for the GW Pharmaceuticals WWW site: http://www.gwpharm.com/research_cri.asp It contains quite a list of conditions on the right. Each has a few paragraphs with current references (The final one was not of my authorship). I hope that you will find these helpful as a resource.

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Comment #2 posted by Virgil on January 20, 2004 at 16:52:34 PT

Highly political and human health is not relevant
They sure seem to be concerned about the political arena. It is almost as if the pill companies are the sun they revolve around. They can put up accurate information on their website. They can put brochures out at health care facilities and doctors offices. They can educate doctors on the alternative delivery systems that reduce what little harm smoking a joint every day would do.If they want to step into the area in which the criminal justice affects the health of those vicimized by the the unjust laws, I wish they would. The laws put people in contact with a black market representative. The black market imposes a big cost in the form of extortion/robbery because someone wants the benefits of the Miracle Plant experience. Being poor jeopardizes a person's health. The negative self-image and fear of arrest and its consequences cannot be good on health.Hepatitus and AIDS might be a result of the criminal justice treatment of something that is not even a real problem to people's health. Go ahead BMA and help the health problems that come with consuming cannabis.But you know, there is one group in society that really needs help. That would be those in need of help with mental illness. Of course the prison industry has a way of saying they can do that too. The wrong priorities inflict harm on one group that should be free under the principle they inflict no harm on no one else. The laws inflict harm and they do not arrest the ones that make the horrible laws that defy freedom. Then in a sin of omission, they inflict harm on the mentally ill claiming their is not enough tax money.The BMA does not talk sense. 
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Comment #1 posted by The GCW on January 20, 2004 at 16:52:28 PT

How the testing industry feeds their family.
US: Armchair Drug Detectionhttp://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n127/a10.html?397Devices Sweep Office Fixtures For Illegal Substance Traces; Viewed As 'Kind Of Sneaky'. On a recent evening after most workers had gone home from Robert M. Sides Inc., a music company in Williamsport, Pa., three men went through the offices testing for the presence of drugs... 
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