POLL: Thoughts about cannabis?

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4582818.stm

The UK is looking at re-classification (again). It was downgraded a couple of years ago, but a medical review has been held over the last 12 months.

Ignoring the poor use of English...
Cause or Effect folks?
For information, Schizophrenia affects about 1% of the general population, (so approximately 4% of canabis smokers I would assume) but accounts for a fourth of all mental health costs (US statistics) - about $63 billion a year

http://www.schizophrenia.com/szfacts.htm

OK, possibly better differential odds than getting liver disease for alcoholics, or lung disease in smokers.

 

DotW: Not a smart recommendation. Getting caught with a small amount of marijuna is a relatively minor offence. Growing your own turns you into a dealer in the eyes of the law (and now is a much stiffer penalty). Your choice though -- I have never seen the allure in drugs and have no problems with sending those who distribute illegal drugs away for a long time.

Personally, I feel use of illegal drugs should only be a fine. Selling/producing illegal drugs should involve prison time -- the time should double if a minor is involved.

 

Blah, I'm resurrecting an ancient topic.

I agree partly with you, T2. I agree that the production of hard drugs (cocaine, heroin, well the chemical crap) should be punished to the maximum possible.

But as for the little Joe Average starting their own greenhouse, what if they grow their grass for personal use, and do not sell a single gram? They're not selling, so they're not harming anyone . I have stopped growing Blueberry because I'm smoking FAR too much weed recently. I NEVER, ever sold a single gram to anyone. In fact, no one ever knew I was growing grass. So I never harmed anyone by selling, because I never did.

 

Damn I hate M-J. My roommate spent the entire last year stoned, and he really got on my nerves. The worst one was this year when I was trying my best to get with a girl and he appeared and started chatting to her and mucking around while stoned.

That, ladies and gentlemen is categorical proff that marajuana leads to homicide.

 

this is why.
Oh, and this.
I've never smoked pot in my life, and after reading this, I never will.
I can see the point here behind the want for legalisation, though; if pot is legal, then they'll be able to focus on the important drugs, like heroin and cocaine.

Idiot edit: links now fixed.

[ April 17, 2006, 22:40: Message edited by: Mediocre Man ]

 

I drink far too much alcohol (should cut down), but no drugs.

I've only ever had cannabis once ,and was put off for life as I was ill for 2 days. I was drunk when I took it, which was a bad idea. But whenever I think about it, I just feel like throwing up.

 

Excuse Mediocre Man but both your links point to Microsofts start page.
Are you implying that Microsoft is behind the demonization of Marijuana?
Anyway i have read many medical reseaches about marijuana and its effects.
Contrary to the one Carcaroth has presented was a research of a French univercity which revealed that most people that smoked pot are more calmed and easy going than the guys who don't.
Truth has many faces and we can't see them all.
But choice is essential. And the freedom to trully have and take a choice.

 

@Mediocre Man:
The problem with your links is an extra "http://" at the front. Once I deleted that from my address line, the links worked fine. It's actually a good reason for me personally not to smoke MJ (as my grandmother had paranoid schizophrenia, so I may be pre-disposed), but I doubt that would hold true for everyone here. A great many people have smoked cannabis for most of their lives without developing schizophrenia.

 

True. It's even better if that's home-grown grass without chemicals. I grew (and smoked) 100% natural Blueberry (well, except the 20-20-20 fertilizer) for many, many years and I'm still doing fine today. Unfortunatly, you can't trust stock bought in the streets. There's too much junk in those, as I have already stated.

Well, that depends on the person. Some can be much more relaxed, others can be no different and other can be totally hyped. There are no two identical cases.

 

Cannabis Sativa affects your mind, if you are pre-disposed for certain mental illnesses it serves as a trigger and catalyst for an outbreak of a dorman condition. I work in a psychiatric ward and I have seen numerous psychosises triggered by cannabis.

Simply put, it ****s with your mind. For most people it has no severe consequences (even if lnog term use seem to develop mental conditions in people whether they are pre-disposed or not) but this romantic and idealistic view of cannabis is a mockery to the young kids I have seen tied down in their beds screaming obscenities and threathening to kill us all after a cannabis triggered psychosis.

 

Why especially Sativa? There is also Indica, and Ruderalis. They're different in the type of high they trigger, even though Ruderalis is more for industrial uses rather than smoking. The only Ruderalis with psychotropic effects are the fruits of genetics.

 

Mediocre Man: But does weed cause the disorder or are those predisposed to or inflicted with drawn to the weed?

 

I asked my roommate to write a piece defending his use of MJ, but he's found Cartoon Network and Doritos.

On a more serious note, the main side effect I notice in ibserving the students of my school is finding their hands fascinating, watching RomComs, and eating Pot Noodles (they were named that for a reason, eh!) without adding water.

 

The whole notion that the government can protect the people from themselves is, IMO, idiotic. People are going to do what they want, regarding their lifestyles, and if the government tries to stop them, they will still find a way. If the "War on Drugs" has proven anything over the last 30 years, it's that simple fact.

So people should not "drive or fly airplanes" while under the influence? no sh-->. They probably should not drive and talk on their cell phones at the same time either, but morons do anyway. This is a healthcare issue and should be "controled" as such. People agree the government can "regulate" our healthcare closely, like through the FDA, and it can solve a lot of drug related problems, if given the same time (30 years) as the "war on drugs." Yes, I believe in the power of education over prisons, as long as it's not "mass media education." Just say "no?" Yeah, right...

But what would really happen if we legalized "most" illegal drugs? We would have to close half of our prisons, layoff half the police force, unclog the entire criminal justice system and get rid of a lot of lawyers. And a lot of poor folk would no longer have the stigma of being "criminals." Heck, that's half the nation's economy right there. On second thought, maybe we should NOT make drugs legal; it would cost too many jobs. Besides, we all know the poor belong in prison, when they are not working at McDonald's or Walmart.

 

Wow, Chandos, such sarcasm!

You're right about driving and talking on a cellphone being dangerous. It's appearantly more dangerous than driving drunk, or stoned. Yet some morons still do it. What now, will the goverment outlaw cellphones?

Anyhoo, back on topic now. Mary-Jane should be the ONLY drug legalized, to allow more of our wonderful justice system to focus on the war against hard drugs, who ruin FAR more lives than Mary-Jane ever did. I've said it before, and I'm saying it again.

Or either it will drop IQ to that of a houseplant (completly vegetative state), make someone start giggling like a moron uncontrolably (happens often to me), yammer non-stop, or simply completly insulate one in his own "bubble". Beren's right, the variety of effects of Mary-Jane is very broad.

 

You have to cater to your weakest person. If it affects most people negatively, then why should it be legalized? I am not saying it does, but I think we should look at the possibility that while it doesn't affect you (too) negatively, DotW, it can seriously hurt other people, and it should be treated as something that does.

Eh, as long as people who are high don't go out and do things like drive cars, I'm fine with it. Have fun, don't die, and don't hurt other people.

 

I tried it a couple times when I was a teenager, but haven't since. My job does random drug testing, and they frown on nurses doing weed.

 

What's wrong with that? They are among the best munchies food. But I prefer corn chips and Diet Pepsi

Blech, that sucks. My current job did a drug test after my interview, and I guess I should be counted as lucky that my boss closed his eyes on the positive THC result. He asked me straight about my smoking habits, and I told him in all honesty "Every once in a while when at home to relax". That was good enough for him, BUT if he ever finds me welding when stoned, I'm automatically fired. I wouldn't toke before going to work, anyway. That would be stupid. Oh, and you're a nurse?