The Alcohol Lobby and Cannabis Reform

Borrowed from here

It is probably one of the worst kept secrets in the world, but the Alcohol industry doesn't want cannabis legalized for medicinal purposes, and especially not for private home use.
Now, call me cynical (or even a conspiracy theorist), but I don't think that the Alcohol Lobby opposes Cannabis reform for altruistic reasons.

The Alcohol Industry employs a lot of people and keeps a lot of people happy (or unhappy if you can't control your Alcohol intake).

According to Alternet, there is mounting evidence that the Alcohol Lobby and certain Police groups (in opposition to their members) are the primary financial backers to California's anti Prop-19 group 'Public Safety First'.

I'll repeat what I've read of other opinion pieces. The Alcohol sector stands to lose a lot of money if cannabis is legalized across Western cultures. The Pharmaceutical Industry, another anti-Prop 19 heavy-weight will also lose a lot if a non-patentable drug is available to grow in our homes. Lastly, it is widely rumoured that Narcotic divisions of certain Police Departments will have a hard time justifying expenses if their one 'easy catch' offence is no longer available.

Will every state or territory in every Western country have to fight this type of attack when they see the light and try to pass a legalization motion for cannabis?

Thanks to Chilli Man for permission to edit and reprint.

Outgoing UN Drug/Crime Director living in a Fantasy Land

An interesting post in the Vancouver Sun in regards to comments made by the outgoing Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Antonio Maria Costa.

Some of Antonio's comments on Cannabis prohibition appear at the very least, dated. At worst, completely ignorant of facts.

Read the post here

Some of Neil Boyd's response is here:

The continuation of criminal prohibition is not the answer. We can demonstrate that rates of consumption of a drug as lethal and addictive as tobacco can be reduced without resorting to criminalization. Why are we continuing to waste costly police and enforcement resources on a drug as trivial as cannabis?

1000's of Cannabis Convictions May be Based on Flawed Evidence

One of the most commonly used Cannabis detection methods may be responsible for the wrongful convictions of thousands of people.
According to AlterNet, the 'Duquenois-Levine' test, widely used by police forces as a screening test for Cannabis, is non-specific and may produce false positive. In fact, the manufacturers of the test stress that it should only be used as a preliminary screening test, prior to more specific testing methods.
Yet the test is routinely presented as the only evidence in cannabis use/possession charges.

Science Blog also covers this story.

Natural News ran a similar story back in 2009, stating cases where NIK tests were falsely flagging soaps and chocolates as narcotics and/or Cannabis.

Stop The Drug War ran the expose in 2009

The Australian Hemp Embassy is also re-reporting the story from AlterNet.

Big Pharma denies the facts again - cannabis cures cancers

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A typical response by commercial entities that stand to lose a LOT if this cure gets widespread exposure. Refer to my earlier post on how cannabis cures cancer

Enough of the Lies! Cannabis DOES Cure Cancer!

For many years, I have been reading and seeing documentaries about the cure for many cancers. I've read about it on pro-pot websites. I've seen documentaries about people who have been using cannabis to treat and cure cancers and other diseases. I've read countless research findings that show cannabinoids to be superior to all other cancer treatments. I'm not talking about relieving the symptoms of chemotherapy, which it is globally recognised to do. I'm not talking about cannabis and its analgesic effects for cancer pain and other conditions.

I am talking about cannabis CURING cancer. YES, CURING!!! Did you see that word. It says curing. It is derived from the verb 'cure'. To make healthy again.


Almost every day, new research is showing that cannabinoids can stop the spread of various types of cancers, AND 'kill' the surviving cancer cells without harming healthy cells.


Before I go onto the technical research jargon, in very simple terms this is basically how cannabinods kill cancer:

The cannabinoids somehow block the cancer cells ability to 'feed' and 'breath'. As with anything, cancer cells need to get nutrients in order to multiply. Cannabinoids not only prevent the cells from multiplying, but essentially starve the cells to death.

The kicker is that cannabinoids do not target healthy cells. Anyone who has experience with chemotherapy knows what damage that treatment does to healthy cells.

Let's look at some of the evidence. I'm going to take you on a little journey through scientific research and anecdotal accounts of how cannabis cures cancer. I'll also provide some food for thought as to why there hasn't been a global recognition and acceptance of cannabis as a cancer cure.

Research


I am going try to stick with research papers released in the past two years. Yes, there are many studies that have been conducted over the years. They've been reported many times in the pro-cannabis press and in this blog. I want to show you the new stuff. I'll also decipher the abstracts into human language...
This research has all been conducted in the last couple of years and reflects research conducted in past years. These studies also come from all over the globe.

From Korea:

Cannabinoids May Cure Gastric Cancer

Effect of a synthetic cannabinoid agonist on the proliferation and invasion of gastric cancer cells

Although cannabinoids are associated with antineoplastic activity in a number of cancer cell types, the effect in gastric cancer cells has not been clarified. In the present study, we investigated the effects of a cannabinoid agonist on gastric cancer cell proliferation and invasion. The cannabinoid agonist WIN 55,212-2 inhibited the proliferation of human gastric cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner and that this effect was mediated partially by the CB1 receptor. We also found that WIN 55,212-2 induced apoptosis and down-regulation of the phospho-AKT expression in human gastric cancer cells. Furthermore, WIN 55,212-2 treatment inhibited the invasion of gastric cancer cells, and down-regulated the expression of MMP-2 and VEGF-A through the cannabinoid receptors. Our results open the possibilities in using cannabinoids as a new gastric cancer therapy. J. Cell. Biochem. 110: 321-332, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Translation (my comments in brackets):

These scientists knew that cannabinoids could effectively fight other cancer types, but no one had done any tests on gastric cancers specifically. So they got a hold of some synthetic cannabinoids (why synthetic? I assume because natural cannabinoids have such restrictions in terms of access for research).
They tested the cannabinoids on human gastric cancer cells at different doses and found that at a particular dose and balance of cannabinoids, the cancer cells died.

Definitions (from Wikipedia and Wordweb):

Neoplasm is an abnormal mass of tissue as a result of neoplasia. Neoplasia (new growth in Greek) is the abnormal proliferation of cells. The growth of the cells exceeds, and is uncoordinated with that of the normal tissues around it. The growth persists in the same excessive manner even after cessation of the stimuli. It usually causes a lump or tumor. Neoplasms may be benign, pre-malignant or malignant.

In modern medicine, the term tumor is synonymous with a neoplasm that has formed a lump. In the past, the term tumor was used differently. Some neoplasms do not cause a lump.

Antineoplastics are drugs that inhibit and combat the development of neoplasms.


Apoptosis 
A type of cell death in which the cell uses specialized cellular machinery to kill itself; a cell suicide mechanism that enables metazoans to control cell number and eliminate cells that threaten the animal's survival.
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From Switzerland:


Cannabinoids Cure Muscular Cancers?


According to this research, yes:


Cannabinoid receptor 1 is a potential drug target for treatment of translocation-positive rhabdomyosarcoma

Gene expression profiling has revealed that the gene coding for cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) is highly up-regulated in rhabdomyosarcoma biopsies bearing the typical chromosomal translocations PAX3/FKHR or PAX7/FKHR. Because cannabinoid receptor agonists are capable of reducing proliferation and inducing apoptosis in diverse cancer cells such as glioma, breast cancer, and melanoma, we evaluated whether CB1 is a potential drug target in rhabdomyosarcoma. Our study shows that treatment with the cannabinoid receptor agonists HU210 and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol lowers the viability of translocation-positive rhabdomyosarcoma cells through the induction of apoptosis. This effect relies on inhibition of AKT signaling and induction of the stress-associated transcription factor p8 because small interfering RNA–mediated down-regulation of p8 rescued cell viability upon cannabinoid treatment. Finally, treatment of xenografts with HU210 led to a significant suppression of tumor growth in vivo. These results support the notion that cannabinoid receptor agonists could represent a novel targeted approach for treatment of translocation-positive rhabdomyosarcoma. [Mol Cancer Ther 2009;8(7):1838–45]

Translation:
These scientists tested cannabinoids against a particular muscular cancer and got the same results as the Koreans that tested them against gastric cancer.

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From the United States of America

Let's Put an End to Breast Cancer


More and more studies are proving that cannabinoids actively fight breast cancers. WHY are women still having to have mastectomies?


Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists inhibit tumor growth and metastasis of breast cancer

Cannabinoids have been reported to possess antitumorogenic activity. Not much is known, however, about the effects and mechanism of action of synthetic nonpsychotic cannabinoids on breast cancer growth and metastasis. We have shown that the cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 are overexpressed in primary human breast tumors compared with normal breast tissue. We have also observed that the breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB231, MDA-MB231-luc, and MDA-MB468 express CB1 and CB2 receptors. Furthermore, we have shown that the CB2 synthetic agonist JWH-133 and the CB1 and CB2 agonist WIN-55,212-2 inhibit cell proliferation and migration under in vitro conditions. These results were confirmed in various mouse model systems. Mice treated with JWH-133 or WIN-55,212-2 showed a 40% to 50% reduction in tumor growth and a 65% to 80% reduction in lung metastasis. These effects were reversed by CB1 and CB2 antagonists AM 251 and SR144528, respectively, suggesting involvement of CB1 and CB2 receptors. In addition, the CB2 agonist JWH-133 was shown to delay and reduce mammary gland tumors in the polyoma middle T oncoprotein (PyMT) transgenic mouse model system. Upon further elucidation, we observed that JWH-133 and WIN-55,212-2 mediate the breast tumor-suppressive effects via a coordinated regulation of cyclooxygenase-2/prostaglandin E2 signaling pathways and induction of apoptosis. These results indicate that CB1 and CB2 receptors could be used to develop novel therapeutic strategies against breast cancer growth and metastasis. [Mol Cancer Ther 2009;8(11):3117–29] 

Translation: Cannabinoids inhibit the spread of, and kill breast cancer cells.

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Combined research from Italy and the US

Do you know someone with intestinal cancer? Has their doctor told them of this research?

Cannabinoids in Intestinal Inflammation and Cancer

 Emerging evidence suggests that cannabinoids may exert beneficial effects in intestinal inflammation and cancer. Adaptive changes of the endocannabinoid system have been observed in intestinal biopsies from patients with inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer. Studies on epithelial cells have shown that cannabinoids exert antiproliferative, antimetastatic and apoptotic effects as well as reducing cytokine release and promoting wound healing. In vivo, cannabinoids – via direct or indirect activation of CB₁ and/or CB₂ receptors – exert protective effects in well-established models of intestinal inflammation and colon cancer. Pharmacological elevation of endocannabinoid levels may be a promising strategy to counteract intestinal inflammation and colon cancer.

I don't think I need to translate that abstract.

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From The United Arab Emirates and the US

Mouth Cancer is highly resistant to accepted anti-cancer drugs. Cannabinoids kill it.

Cannabinoids Inhibit Cellular Respiration of Human Oral Cancer Cells

Background and Purpose: The primary cannabinoids, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ8-THC) are known to disturb the mitochondrial function and possess antitumor activities. These observations prompted us to investigate their effects on the mitochondrial O2 consumption in human oral cancer cells (Tu183). This epithelial cell line overexpresses bcl-2 and is highly resistant to anticancer drugs. Experimental Approach: A phosphorescence analyzer that measures the time-dependence of O2 concentration in cellular or mitochondrial suspensions was used for this purpose. Key Results: A rapid decline in the rate of respiration was observed when Δ9-THC or Δ8-THC was added to the cells. The inhibition was concentration-dependent, and Δ9-THC was the more potent of the two compounds. Anandamide (an endocannabinoid) was ineffective; suggesting the effects of Δ9-THC and Δ8-THC were not mediated by the cannabinoidreceptors. Inhibition of O2 consumption by cyanide confirmed the oxidations occurred in the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Δ9-THC inhibited the respiration of isolated mitochondria from beef heart. Conclusions and Implications: These results show the cannabinoids are potent inhibitors of Tu183 cellular respiration and are toxic to this highly malignant tumor.

Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel

Translation: (Surprise, surprise) cannabinoids kill mouth cancer cells.

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From Italy

The following article covers recent research into the role of cannabinoids in anti-cancer therapies:

Use of cannabinoid receptor agonists in cancer therapy as palliative and curative agents

Cannabinoids (the active components of Cannabis sativa) and their derivatives have received renewed interest in recent years due to their diverse pharmacological activities. In particular, cannabinoids offer potential applications as anti-tumour drugs, based on the ability of some members of this class of compounds to limit cell proliferation and to induce tumour-selective cell death. Although synthetic cannabinoids may have pro-tumour effects in vivo due to their immunosuppressive properties, predominantly inhibitory effects on tumour growth and migration, angiogenesis, metastasis, and also inflammation have been described. Emerging evidence suggests that agonists of cannabinoid receptors expressed by tumour cells may offer a novel strategy to treat cancer. In this chapter we review the more recent results generating interest in the field of cannabinoids and cancer, and provide novel suggestions for the development, exploration and use of cannabinoid agonists for cancer therapy, not only as palliative but also as curative drugs.

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I'll move on now. However, if you're interested in lung cancer research, look here
If glioma (brain cancers etc) is your thing, check this
There are many more studies that show how cannabis can cure and treat many diseases besides cancer. I'll expand on this in future posts.

Anecdotal, long term evidence.

There is so much junk on YouTube and other multimedia websites, that it can be hard to find real documented information in respect to cannabis. Yes, you can find lots of grow videos and other stuff, but the true stories are sometimes hard to find.
The following website and links to video content are about Rick Simpson, a man who has been treating his family and friends with cannabis oil for many years. He has seen first-hand the results that his oil has had on various forms of cancer and other diseases. Rick Simpson does not sell his product. He gives his medicine away. Rick is currently 'in exile' in Europe. If he returns to Canada, he may be jailed and denied the medicine he uses to keep him alive. I urge you to read his story and watch the documentary if  you haven't before.

Rick Simpsons Website- Phoenixtears.ca

If I return home, I will be arrested and put in jail without bail or medicine. I am not afraid of their jails but I cannot go without my medicine, the system has nothing that could help me with my conditions. So for me to return to Canada would be like committing suicide. I would be thrown in jail and denied my medicine and a short time later you would hear in the news that Rick Simpson died of natural causes. I cannot tell the people of Canada who are depending on my presence to help their medical conditions how sorry I am. But it was not me who caused this situation.

It seems the goal is to keep me from returning home and they succeeded. But to what end? All hemp magazines on this planet are now telling their readers how to heal themselves with this wonderful medicine. If governments want to live in denial, it will be short-lived. We are gaining tens of thousands of followers every day. You cannot stop the truth.

For me, going to the Cannabis Cup was a great adventure and I would like to thank Greenhouse Seeds for making this trip possible. To stand before hundreds of people and being crowned as the Freedom Fighter of the Year was a great honour. But it is an honour that comes with a price. Most people who have worn the tricorn hat have gone to jail for spreading the truth.

To have this honour bestowed on me and to join the ranks of people like Jack Herer and Eddy Lepp has given my life even more purpose.

Jack Herer believed as I do that the key to hemp´s complete legalisation is in the magnificent medicine this plant can produce. Once the public becomes aware of the fact that properly made hemp medicine can cure or control practically any medical condition, who is going to stand against the use of hemp?

Rick has a number of videos that are worth watching. The 'Run From The Cure' documentary is a must see:

Rick Simpson Videos

I hope this post opens the minds of many who were ignorant of cannabis as a cancer cure, and provides some information and entertainment for the already aware.

NIDA Stifles Cannabis Research - NORML

Paul Armentano, Deputy Director of NORML reports that NIDA has admitted that it discourages Medicinal cannabis research. Well, surprise surprise NIDA...I think the majority of us were already aware of your policy towards marijuana and research into medicinal use. After all, isn't it a part of the Czar's Job Description that he/she must actively attempt to discredit any valid medicinal use for cannabis?

From NORML:

NIDA spokeswoman Shirley Simson told the Times: "As the National Institute on Drug Abuse, our focus is primarily on the negative consequences of marijuana use. We generally do not fund research focused on the potential beneficial medical effects of marijuana."
NIDA presently oversees an estimated 85 percent of the world's research on controlled substances.
Commenting on NIDA's admission NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said, "NIDA has finally admitted to the world the 'Catch-22' that has been plaguing medical marijuana advocates and patients. Lawmakers demand clinical research regarding the safety and efficacy of medical cannabis, but the agency in charge of such research denies these studies from ever taking place. It's tragic that these public officials have let political ideology, not science, determine American's health decisions."

New Zealand Cannabis Laws Challenged in Court

UPDATE:
http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/decision-reserved-cannabis-advocate039s-stay-application/5/35834

A judge deciding whether cannabis laws breached the rights of a cannabis campaigner has reserved her decision.
Judge Ann Kiernan said she wanted to carefully consider an application by Dakta Green for a stay of proceedings on charges he faces of possession of cannabis and possession for supply.

The original post:


This is something we Aussies should be taking a lead from.
 http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/landmark-cannabis-hearing-today-auckland-district-court/5/35722

Dakta Green, founder of New Zealand's most prominent cannabis club will today argue that cannabis laws are a fundamental breach of his rights.
Mr Green is arguing for a stay of proceedings on charges of possession and possession for supply and will argue before Judge Keirnan that cannabis laws
discriminate against cannabis users and that the severity of the penalties breach the Bill of Rights Act.
The hearing will see the Misuse of Drugs Act challenged using the Bill of Rights Act
"Alcohol and tobacco are dangerous drugs but are legally available. Cannabis causes less harm to our community", says Green...

The illegality of cannabis may well be a breach of the Australian Constitution as well. However, our politicians respect our Constitution in much the same way as a person respects a dog turd on the footpath. They recognize the danger of standing in it and give it a wide berth. For all intents and purposes, our Constitution doesn't exist when it comes to the Law.

Having said that, it may be worthwhile looking into a challenge to The Courts over here. 
I'll post an update to this as soon as the results of the hearing are heard.

Marijuana Addiction - Lies, Lies and a little Fantasy For Good Measure

Someone is at it again. Sourcing anti-marijuana drivel from another document library called 'ezine Articles'.

This one, titled 'Marijuana Addiction', has been posted on a blog called 'Health Medical Information - Useful Health Medical Articles for Every Health Resolution'.

Or, according to the 'About' page:-

themedicalcenters.com is a personal blog Information and global resources on all health topics. Here we have lots of useful articles will guide to enjoy your life in a healthy way.
kunfaiakun-at-gmail-dot-com

The 'Addiction Recovery Blog' also used this article back in June of 2009.

The original author of the article is apparently Anu Seth -

http://ezinearticles.com/?expert_bio=Anu_Seth

Anu Seth says of herself:

I enjoy writing and sharing my thoughts and beliefs with others. Turning an uninteresting topic into a gripping article, with well researched facts and eloquent use of the english language, is my way of spending time fruitfully.

Below is the article in question. The one that the title of this post refers to. I have taken the liberty of correcting some of  Ms Seths errors. She may or may not wish to update her text to to correct the errors.

Marijuana is a tobacco-like substance, dull in colors like green, gray or brown, made up of dried leaves, stems, seeds and flowers of the hemp plant. Known by over 200 names, it is an addictive substance commonly referred to as pot, herb, weed, grass, boom and hashish is its stronger form. In whatever form it is taken, it alters the way the mind works as it contains an active chemical called THC, or delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol. Initially used for medication and healing, it became dangerous, dreaded drug in the 1970s as its addictive powers gripped thousands and became a forbidden drug that was smuggled into countries...

Cannabis can be psychologically addictive for some people. It is not physically addictive.

Marijuana is terribly addictive and obsessive. It is smoked almost like a cigarette and gets absorbed into the body almost instantaneously. It reaches the brain and united with receptors of nerve cells, affecting that part of the brain, which controls pleasure, thought, concentration, memory and coordination. It then impedes these activities. A person gets addicted to it very easily and it is peddled so much that it is often easier to procure than alcohol. Addicts think about the drug all the time, where and how to get it, how to raise funds for it, forgetting values and principles just to be able to get marijuana, and the fear of not getting it in the future. The biggest problem of its addiction is the body's physical craving for marijuana, and more and more quantities are required to reach that level of bliss.

The above paragraph made me laugh. I think this might come straight from the script of 'Reefer Madness', that  1936 anti-pot propaganda film. I refuse to disprove text that is based on the authors opinion. The above paragraph is so far from the truth that it should be classed as fiction. Please Anu Seth, DO SOME RESEARCH *before* you attempt to write an 'authoritative' article on the subject.

Marijuana addiction is far tougher to shake off than alcohol. It is so addictive that the individual is unable to give up when he knows its ill effects and the consequences of its addiction. It gets him caught in the vicious circle of wanting to take it to escape the consequences of its consumption. The stigma attached to it engulfs family members as well.

 Is this article about Marijuana? Sounds more like it's describing chronic Heroin addiction, or a long term Methamphetamine addiction.

Firstly, Alcohol addiction is not only harder to break than cannabis dependency, alcohol is also poisonous to the body. This article, http://www.harmreductionjournal.com/content/6/1/35
 describes a small study that shows how cannabis can be an extremely effective in treating alcohol addiction.
Further, in terms of cannabis and addiction, the withdrawal effects have been ascertained to be less problematic than caffeine withdrawal.
There are some comparisons of different drugs and their addictiveness ratings available here at ProCon.org.
The comparisons are from medical professionals and consistently rate marijuana as the least addictive of the drugs, including caffeine.

Marijuana addiction leads to problems with remembering, incoherence, inability to learn and leads to absenteeism, lack of seriousness at work. This could culminate in losing one's job and earning capability. It would also turn him into a social outcast often disowned by friends, and sometimes even by family. A marijuana addict is even treated as a threat to society and many steer clear o him for fear of getting dragged into this addiction.

 Another paragraph from the Reefer Madness script. This must just be padding to get the word count up. Once again, I won't insult my readers' intelligence by pointing out the ignorance of this paragraph.

This addiction is really like a disease, which needs to be treated over a period of time with medication and counseling. Behavioral therapy adopted by some organizations committed to eradicating marijuana addiction are known to get encouraging results in hundreds of cases. An example of one such organization is the Spencer Recovery Center, which hires professionals only to treat marijuana addicts and have a fantastic success rate due to their committed approach.

The final paragraph appears to be an endorsement fora rehab center. Maybe Anu is on commision to write articles like this. Nooooo.

Anu Seth, if you do happen to read this, please, please, please don't perpetuate the marijuana myths of the 30's. All it does is lower your credibility as an author and lead people to doubt the authority of any of the other articles you've written for 'ezine articles'.

Australian Politicians - Are You Reading This?

Rather than get offensive, I'll start this by saying, Australian Cannabis laws are archaic.

We have six states and two territories (on the major continental islands). In every one it is illegal to grow medicinal grade cannabis. Granted, our industrial hemp laws are in some ways ahead of other countries. In three of our states (Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales), we can grow Industrial Hemp with varying degrees of monitoring and inspection. However, some other states have trialled the crop, but inconceivably rejected industrial use.

Right now we need to push for legal medicinal cannabis in Australia.

Canada has passed Medicinal Cannabis laws. Thirteen states in the US have medicinal cannabis laws. In Europe, many countries have decriminalised cannabis. In Australia? Nothing. It is still an illegal drug with wide and varied penalties, depending on where you live and what you possess/grow.

Current research shows cannabis to be a valuable, but underutilized medicine.

In previous posts I have reported on many of the recent research efforts into cannabis' medicinal value.
The following links are just a sample:

http://itsmedicinejim.blogspot.com/2010/01/treating-alcohol-and-drug-addictions.html

http://itsmedicinejim.blogspot.com/2009/12/cannabis-as-medicine-video-links.html


 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19638490

 Australia has an opportunity to be at the forefront of medicinal cannabis research and development. We could lead the world in this industry if a few forward thinking politicians look beyond the 'marijuana madness' myths of the 30s and 40s, and start seeing cannabis as the valid medicine that it is and has been for 5000 plus years.

Marijuana Is Evil! (or...Time Tripping on the Interweb)

It's True! I read it on the Interweb! Cannabis, Marijuana, Hemp, Ganja, Weed...it doesn't matter what you call it, IT'S EVIL!!!

The good charitable folk over at 'How Do I Get Off Drugs' (dot com) told me so:

Call it Aunt Mary, Dope, Ganja, Gangster, Kif, Skunk, Weed, Hash, Maryjane or simply marijuana. These are some of the common names of the illegal drug, Marijuana. The campaigns against the use of marijuana are endless. It is true that they kill. People take it for the first time to be dared, second time if they feel low, third time at a party, fourth time for a good sleep and unfortunately after that it has to be taken till it turns them to the death bed. It is dangerous and it must be avoided.

 I just had another 'Twilight Zone' moment. Every time I read that paragraph, I feel like I'm back in the fifties.

Why is this type of outdated, ignorant fear-mongering still happening in 2010?
One answer could be that the owners of 'How Do I Get Off Drugs?' have a vested interest in convincing people that they need rehabilitation. After all, they are a rehab clinic themselves, offering 'competitive rates'

Think drug rehab is just for movie stars and politicians?  think again, we offer competitive rates,  we accept most insurance, female only and male only treatment centers, onsite and offsite locations and a confidential safe environment with highly trained, confidential staff members. PLEASE visit us today, it just might save a life.

This centre also provides an online questionnaire to help parents assess whether their child may be on drugs:

1 Do you find that your teen has had a recent change in his/her group of friends?
 
2 Do you find that your teen is careless with grooming?
 
3 Do you find that your teen has lost interest in activities or sports that they used to enjoy?
 
4 Do you find that your teen has been missing school?
 
5 Do you find that your teen has had declining grades?
 
6 Do you find that your teen is secretive about possessions, friends, or conversations?
 
7 Do you find that your teen seems guilty when you ask questions about his or her whereabouts?
 
8 Do you find that your teen lies to you about the places he or she’s been?
 
9 Has dramatic personality or mood changes?
 
10 Do you find that your teen seems more sluggish and run down than usual?
 
11 Do you find that your teen frequently makes excuses for not being able to attend family events or outings?
 
12 Do you find that your teen uses incense, room spray or perfumes to hide smoke or chemical odor?
 
13 Do you find that your teen uses secretive or "coded" language with friends?
 
14 Do you find that your teen has been taking/spending an increased amount of money with no explanation for where it’s going?
 
15 Has been in trouble — with family, at work or school, or with the police — because of drinking or drug use?
 
16 Have you found evidence of drug paraphernalia such as pipes, rolling papers, etc?
 
17 Have you found inhaling products (such as hairspray, nail polish, correction fluid, etc)? Or rags and paper bags that are sometimes used as inhalant accessories?
 
18 Have you found bottles of eye drops, which may be used to mask bloodshot eyes or dilated pupils?
 
19 Have you found that he or she has come home after school or after being out with the smell of mouthwash or breath mints to cover up the smell of alcohol?
 
20 Have you found that you are missing prescription drugs?  

Now, I am a parent. I have five adult children and two entering their teens. If I were to answer that questionnaire, I'd be convinced my eldest were on drugs when they were teens before I got to question 9! That's puberty, not drug addiction.


I then got to thinking, where do these people get their information from?
A check with the online plagiarism checker (I'm beginning to really like this tool) led me to this page:

Free Articles For Reprint (Google cached page).

So, the evil weed warning was a straight copy and paste. The full article was written by someone who sells custom wall posters, hence the title of the post:

Drugs Posters: the Evil Must be Stopped

 Isn't there a law about inciting fear using falsehoods in order to make a financial gain?

"Canabis is a Dangerous Drug" according to Aussie Politician

You know, just when I think that maybe people will soon be open to a medicinal cannabis debate in Australia, some ignorant, publicity seeking politician comes along and shows us just how uneducated some people are in terms of the 'dreaded weed'.

In the state of Victoria (in Australia), the government has decided to continue to allow the sale of bongs in shops. Much to the disgust of the opposition leader, Ted Baillieu. Or, in his words:

"As long as John Brumby (ED: The Premier of Victoria) allows bongs to be sold freely at more than 100 outlets across the state, Victoria's young people and families will continue to suffer from the damaging effects of cannabis."

and

"Cannabis is a dangerous drug which causes serious mental and physical damage to many Victorians every year,"

The Honorable Mr Baillieu, can you define 'many'? Is it two? Is it 10? Is it hundreds? As far as I am aware, the latest studies from New Zealand and Australia suggest that a defective gene that cannot control dopamine flow when affected by THC cannabinoids is the cause of the rare occurrence of psychotic episodes in cannabis smokers. In fact,only 2% of the population is believed to have this defective gene. Of that 2% of the population, statistics tell us that only 20% of those will ever try pot, let alone become a chronic adolescent smoker. I say adolescent because scientists believe the gene is extremely susceptible during the brains growth stages, ie; adolescence and young adulthood.
Remember though that it is still theory, not proven science.


In an effort to ensure that everyone knew how ignorant he was on the subject of cannabis, he further said that

...research showed cannabis was a gateway drug into more dangerous illicit drugs, with most heroin and cocaine users first experimenting with cannabis.

The Honorable Mr Baillieu, the theory of cannabis being a 'gateway drug' was disproved quite some time ago. The current consensus among  researchers is that cannabis is a terminus drug. A 'terminus drug' is one with which people begin using or move on to but never move on to stronger drugs. In fact, they may even stop using other drugs such as alcohol and stay with the terminus drug.

Cannabis is one such drug. If my memory serves correctly, some 80% of people who have tried cannabis *never* move on to harder drugs. However, it can be assumed that users of harder drugs will use cannabis at some point.

The following pages may help you get clued up on the subject of cannabis Mr Baillieu:

Marijuana Myths

Ten Cannabis Myths

For links to further studies in respect to cannabis, feel free to browse back through this blog. In particular, these posts:

A Doctors View on Medicinal Cannabis

Video Case Studies and Stories (1)

Video Case Studies and Stories (2)

Cannibinoids Fight MRSA Bugs

From the National Library of Medicine in the US, a study showing that moderate cannabis use may prevent some cancers:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19638490

Finally, Mr Baillieu. Next time you talk of the evils of drugs, please be specific. I have no argument on the negative effects of any drug when abused. I also agree that certain drugs can be detrimental to growing brains. I think most of the Australian population would be aware of these risks.

However, cannabis is a valid medicine and is recognized as such in other countries such as Canada and The United States. It is time for people such as you Mr Baillieu, to start looking at the facts and encourage further research into a natural drug that could become a valuable commercial pharmaceutical crop.

(Source)

Cannabis and Insomnia

Every day, more and more people are coming out of the closet to describe their cannabis experiences to the world. This article, 'The cannabis Closet: Insomnia' gives an insight into how hard it is for someone to use their chosen medicine under archaic laws and prejudices.

This quote says so much about the stigma attached to cannabis use in countries where the use of cannabis is still illegal:

In my twenties, I had a cigar box full of marijuana that I left in a drawer by my bed. (I was never a recreational user, since smoking in the company of others made me feel paranoid.) If I woke up in the middle of the night, I would smoke a little, go back to sleep and wake up feeling bright eyed and bushy tailed. But I stopped smoking when I met my now husband, since he didn't approve. Now my insomnia has gotten much worse since the birth of my child, with all the attendant middle of the night awakenings.

Latest Research on Medicinal Cannabis' Possible Future Uses

Sorry I haven't posted for a while, but I had important family business to attend to. Rather than rehash the last six months of research, I'll provide some links to some of the latest media releases on cannabinoid research.

Cannabinoids Linked to Colon Cancer Prevention:
http://health.supertxt.net/html/Health/1555.html


Interferon-based therapy for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is often limited by side effects including flu-like symptoms, fatigue, insomnia, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle and joint pain, and depression, which can lead to poor adherence, dose reduction, or treatment discontinuation.

Medicinal cannabis may relieve such side effects and help patients stay on treatment, according to a study published in the October 2006 European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.



..and finally, an example of the ongoing conflict btween US Federal and State Laws:

DEA Raids State Medical Marijuana Dispensary

Cannabis Link to Heart Attack/Stroke Full of Flaws

It's all over the online press; 'Marijuana Use Linked to Heart Attack/Stroke' - 'Cannabis Could Cause Stroke'. On the face of it, and according to the summaries and interviews that have flooded the web in the past few days, it appears cannabis users are all doomed to die of heart disease.

If you haven't seen the headlines, I'll give you a sample to check out:

'Marijuana Use May Raise Risk of Heart Attack/Stroke' -
US News and Global Report

'Study Finds Possible Connection Between Marijuana Abuse And Stroke or Heart Attacks' -
Armenian Medical Network

'Marijuana May up Heart Attack/Stroke Risk: Study' -
Yahoo Health News

But then, someone smells a rat and digs a little deeper to find that there is something strange going on. Russ Belville, podcaster over at NORML, checked the figures and discovered exactly how misleading the mainstream media must be. You can read the above link to the blog, or check the NORML blog with much the same but prettier coding.

A U.S. group supporting legal sales and regulation of marijuana disputed the findings. Marijuana Policy Project spokesman Bruce Mirken said, for example, the study involved people who were extremely heavy users.

“I think the low end was 78 joints a week. That’s 10 or 11 joints a day,” Mirken said in a telephone interview.

“We’re talking about people who are stoned all the time. We’re talking about the marijuana equivalent of the guy in the alley clutching a bottle of cheap wine. If you do anything to that level of excess, it might well have some untoward effects, whether it’s marijuana or wine or broccoli,” Mirken added.

“Even if you take this finding at face value, it’s not at all clear that it has any relevance to the real world because there is still no data showing higher rates of mortality among marijuana smokers. If this was a significant cause of cardiovascular disease, where are the bodies?”

So instead of us smokers being the next wave of dead people, we're just being mislead with extreme science.
Russ Belville sorts the figures:

Mirken’s right. 78 to 350 joints a week? That’s 11 to 50 joints per day. Let’s see, the government-rolled joints weigh in at about ¾ gram each (you do know there are official US Federal Government joints, right?), but the folks I know roll them a bit bigger (even to the ridiculous cubit-sized 70-gram models). However, most researchers seem happy with the ¾ gram model, so let’s do the math:

Low-end = 11 joints/day = 11 x 0.75g = 8.25g/day = about 2 ounces / week
High-end = 50 joints/day = 50 x 0.75g = 37.5g/day = over 9 ounces / week

So if you are consuming daily enough cannabis to equal about one-half to two-and-one-half pounds per month, then you might run an increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and heart disease. Personally, I’m thinking that at $300 per ounce, you’re more likely to run the risk of bankruptcy!

Yet still, note that the study doesn’t check to see if the heavy marijuana users actually do have heart disease. The research done on the health effects of even heavy marijuana smokers show little if any difference between cannabis users and their non-using counterparts, and some studies even show a benefit from cannabis in treating hypertension.

However, overeating, drinking alcohol, and smoking tobacco are proven to have deleterious effects on the heart and on health. I doubt we’re going to see any major effort to arrest the users of those substances, though.

More information can be found at the Marijuana Policy Project website

After seeing this article, I got curious and find some average cannabis consumption rates from the real world. Now, I couldn't just go out and ask folks this sort of question, so I went where I knew I could get some pretty accurate answers. My online friends at Rollitup.org are helping to build a picture of average daily usage by smokers.

If you read this and you smoke, pop over and see the figures so far (this site is for 18+ Internet users sorry) Maybe you could join and contribute with your daily average usage.

Twelve hours into the poll, 42 punters have given their input with 40% of people being in the 1 to 2 gram window. There are only 4 users, or 9.5% that are doing more than 7 grams a day.
Hopefully this poll will get a few more contributing to get a good picture.
Personally, I doubt that we'll see a huge number of 7 gram plus smokers.

Anti-pot Blogger Censors and Deletes Pro-cannabis Comments

Time to rant. I was going to try and keep this blog civil. However...

I was polite. I pointed out his profile description and then suggested he do some research on the report he was quoting. I then pointed out how the ONDCP Director is obliged to discount or discredit any reports that might suggest that cannabis has medicinal uses. I then pointed the blog author to some research about cannabis and directed him to my blog.

I posted the comment and a couple of hours later I'd been banned from the comments page. The comment had gone up originally because I checked. I guess facts mean nothing to this author, so I'll respond to the blog post here. I won't pull the entire post apart though. My responses are inline (the bold text in the quote was added by Avi Green):

Teens who smoke cannabis risk being on dependency leash and mental illness

A new report being released by the US government warns of the hazards teenagers can face:
WASHINGTON - Depression, teens and marijuana are a dangerous mix that can lead to dependency, mental illness or suicidal thoughts, according to a White House report being released Friday.

A teen who has been depressed at some point in the past year is more than twice as likely to have used marijuana as teens who have not reported being depressed — 25 percent compared with 12 percent, said the report by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

"Marijuana is a more consequential substance of abuse than our culture has treated it in the last 20 years," said John Walters, director of the office. "This is not just youthful experimentation that they'll get over as we used to think in the past."

Smoking marijuana can lead to more serious problems, Walters said in an interview.

For example, using marijuana increases the risk of developing mental disorders by 40 percent, the report said. And teens who smoke pot at least once a month over a yearlong period are three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than nonusers, it said.

The report also cited research that showed that teens who smoke marijuana when feeling depressed were more than twice as likely as their peers to abuse or become addicted to pot — 8 percent compared with 3 percent.

Experts who have worked with children say there's nothing harmless about marijuana.

"I've seen many, many kids' lives negatively impacted and taken off track because of marijuana," said Elizabeth Stanley-Salazar, director of adolescent services for Phoenix House treatment centers in California. "It's somewhat Russian roulette. There are so many factors, emotional, psychological, biological. You can't predict the experimentation and how it will impact a kid."

The drug control policy office analyzed about a dozen studies looking at marijuana use, including research by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Overall, marijuana use among teens has decreased 25 percent since 2001, down to about 2.3 million kids who used pot at least once a month, the drug control office said.

While the drop is encouraging, Walters appealed to parents to recognize signs of possible drug use and depression.

"It's not something you look the other way about when your teen starts appearing careless about their grooming, withdrawing from the family, losing interest in daily activities," Walters said. "Find out what's wrong."

In the first part of my comment to Avi, I quoted his 'profile' statement:

"...I maintain a strong belief in the public's right to knowledge and accuracy in facts. I like to think of myself as a conservative-style version of Clark Kent. I do not know if I'll ever be as good as him, but I do my best."

I think I then suggested that rather than take one link to a Yahoo news post as reference, look for the original report from the ONDCP (PDF) and then check up the sources that the ONDCP has cited. Then do some research for anything that may contradict those reports and studies. I then explained to him how the Director of the ONDCP is obliged to lie when it comes to the cannabis debate. I chose not to make any comments about the rest of his post, but hey, he removed my comment, so I think I have the right to analyze this post fully now.

I'll leave you to read the rest of his post now, so you can decide what you think of Avi Green. My opinion is that he is more bigoted / racist than the people he accuses of same. I also believe that Avi Green would never let the truth get in the way of his blog, because the truth and facts don't count at 'Tel-Chai Nation', it's just another comic book fantasy. You will note that Avi lambasts a Canadian commenter in this post, and takes him to task for attempting to limit his right of free speech. Well, I guess I can add that I think Avi Green is a hypocrite. Besides limiting free speech in direct contrast to his published views on free speech, Avrem also contradicts his persona in an FAQ that says:

"...I'd been coming to the conclusion that he was simply too attached to the media establishment and the Main-Stream Media's (MSM for short) way of thinking, which is what some would call "politically correct." It's a viewpoint and an approach that I simply cannot identify with..."

So why do you quote mainstream media as if it were gospel Avrem?

Years ago, I knew an extremely racist 19-year old on a message board, supposedly from Perth, Australia, who said that he smoked weed "on occasion", and indicated that he hung out with some pretty shady characters, not unlike himself. You could wonder if his abuse of the substance led him in part to be racist, but who knows? What I certainly do know, is that he was one filthy little left-wing bigot, and I'm not even sure if he really was from Australia, because his last name, "Erceg" which he gave at one point, sounded more Hungarian.

Oh, and while we're on the subject, I also was once yelled at on another topic I once wrote by a blabbermouth named "Steve" who certainly did come from Canada, who wrote the following comment:

Your claim that marijuana destroys creativity is blatantly and totally false. Some people would claim that it enhances creativity, which I don't believe -- except to the extent that feeling relaxed might help.

You can't even count the number of people who used marijuana and were creative, however -- and it only takes one to prove you wrong. In addition to Carl Sagan, I present for your consideration Pierre Berton. Berton was the most famous and important Canadian non-fiction writer of all time. He wrote 50 books, and won the Governor-General's award three times, the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal AND Golden Jubilee Medal, the Nellie Award for the best public affairs broadcaster in Canadian radio, and the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. He was a Companion of the Order of Canada. While doing all this, he also enjoyed using marijuana for 40 years.

Before you say anything about marijuana and creativity, read Sagan's The Demon-Haunted World, and Berton's The Last Spike and The Arctic Grail. Then face facts.

Heh heh heh. Carl Sagan? That daydreamer? As Debbie Schlussel says:

Uh, wasn't that the same Carl Sagan who told us that Reagan's nukes would soon result in nuclear winter? Sagan died, nuclear winter never happened, and Ronald Reagan's steadfastness on our nuke build-up helped bring down the Communist Soviet Union. Sorry, but pot use does not equal genius, just fantasy.

That poor little putz from Canada who blabbered about Sagan and Berton sure does fantasize himself as well. He should pay attention to Debbie, who certainly knows a lot better than he does. "Steve" then went on to say, after I'd pointed out that people like him, from what I could tell, were ultra-leftists:

You obviously did not check the facts about Pierre Berton. If you had, you would know that my statements are true.

America's position on drugs is in fact ridiculous, and the majority of Americans know it, including such ultra-leftists as William F. Buckley, Jr.:

http://www.nationalreview.com/12feb96/drug.html
Whoops, that's where you know that something's wrong, when he doesn't properly acknowledge the fact that Buckley was an ultra-rightist (but a phony at that!). And when he starts insulting Americans by implying that they're stupid. In other words, this kook whose comments I display here was - what else? - an addict himself. Poor man. He must be out of his mind, and he's certainly an embarrassment unto Canada. And attempting to govern someone else's right to free speech, he dares? Dear dear dear.

And Berton, while he may not have deteriorated over the short term, certainly could have over the long term, and it's possible that he didn't even first chug cannabis when he wrote all his books. So message to "Steve": take your crud about Berton and Sagan and stick it down your bottom.

Lastly, why do I use the actual name of this drug instead of the slang "marijuana"? I gave the answer to that earlier. Yes, I think it's insulting, so I'm not using that particular slang again, period.

Update: The Washington Post has an interesting related article that tells how teenage girls are especially at risk if they gobble cannabis.

Avi, the Washington Post link reads the same as the Yahoo news link! Look, the report here says:

"Teen girls are especially at risk. In fact, three times
as many girls (12%) as boys (4%) experienced
depression during the year.
Another study confirms
that girls are more likely than boys to report feelings
of sadness or hopelessness (37% vs. 29%).

Substance abuse can compound the problem.
Girls who smoke marijuana daily are significantly
more likely to develop symptoms of depression and
anxiety: their odds are more than five times higher
than those of girls who do not smoke marijuana"

Hang on a minute! That last update wasn't there when my comment got posted! Avi, are you being a hypocrite and not allowing facts to get in the way of some hysteria?

Avrem, you throw insults around like confetti at a wedding. I would suggest that you have never heard of Carl Sagan except for the small snippet in some gossip columnist's rave about Kirsten Dunst and a reference to her friend's father.

I'm sure the last part of my comment re your post read:

I'm happy to debate this 'report' with you anytime Avi, as I believe this issue is too important to ignore.

The offer still stands.

Unfortunately I think you'll just call me an 'addict' and resort to childish postings much like this one (and yes, I do mean *my* post). It's much the same as yours.

Petitions, Videos and US Federal Cannabis Supply

I'm in the middle of researching and posting about the plethora of conflicting reports about cannabis/marijuana/THC/ and it's effects on human health. It is a far bigger job than I expected it to be (I want *real* information, not media blurb). So in the meantime, check this out...

First, a petition to the US Congress to ... well, it doesn't say. It does list a heap of information about the medicinal benefits of cannabis though. I guess you can sign it or leave it depending on your paranoia level.

Second, the Marijuana Policy Project has released a new series of commercials to be aired, including this one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH132JP5_Cc):

MINNEAPOLIS — Proponents of a bill to protect seriously ill patients from arrest for using medical marijuana with a doctor's recommendation released their latest TV ad today featuring former Fillmore County sheriff and state representative Neil Haugerud, who suffers from severe, intractable pain due to inflammation of the spine.

Opposition to the bill, which according to a new KSTP poll has the support of 64 percent of Minnesotans and has already passed the Senate, has been largely confined to a handful of members of the law enforcement community. Gov. Tim Pawlenty has threatened to veto the bill as long as law enforcement opposes it, but advocates and patients maintain that that opposition relies on false, misleading arguments.

"Law enforcement I think is stepping out of bounds," Haugerud says in the ad. "Law enforcement is there to enforce the laws in relation to what the law is – they really don't need to influence ... what the law should be." The new ad is online at http://minnesotacares.org/Ads_video.html.

"Neil Haugerud knows this issue from both sides – as a longtime sheriff, and now as a patient suffering severe pain every day, who might benefit from medical marijuana," said Neal Levine, director of state campaigns for the Marijuana Policy Project. "We urge the House to quickly send this to the governor’s desk, and hope that Governor Pawlenty will reject the misinformation coming from a few in law enforcement and sign this compassionate, tightly crafted bill into law."

Third:

The US Federal Government has an anniversary due. On the 10th of May, 1978, the US Federal Government began supplying medical marijuana to patients. Wha...? I hear you say? Read more at The Marijuana Policy Project website, or read a good coverage on Alternet.


And last but not least:

Mick Hume, a columnist at The Times Online recently posted this opinion piece online and has received some flak.

In part:

If there is anything duller than a dopehead, it is the endless debate about whether cannabis should be Class B or C. Frankly, who gives an F? The classification system makes as much sense as a spliffed-up student discussing moral philosophy. It bears little relation to the risks or popularity of any drug.

Magic mushrooms, for example, are Class A even though, as one doctor says, “it is doubtful whether they ever cause more than a bellyache”. Ecstasy's Class A status has not dissuaded a generation of users from inducing a dance-trance that appears more moronic than ecstatic. Ritalin remains a Class B drug, yet is freely doled out to “hyperactive” children. As for cannabis, its popularity has fallen since it was last downgraded to C.

Might that have something to do with those ministers admitting that they tried it? Perhaps Ms Smith's best preventative option would be to declare that dope is now officially classed C for Cool.

Or maybe new Labour should give up the attempt to reclassify itself as a Class A Government by waging another phoney war on drugs, and instead try inspiring young people with something more mind-expanding than dope.

Full opinion piece is here.

I responded with the following:

I think you've missed the point folks.

Mick is just saying what generations of non-smokers have possibly thought in their lifetimes. I think if you read the last four paragraphs where Mick finally gets to the point (are you *sure* you're not a closet stoner Mr Hume?), you'll see he has some valid points to make.

Mick Hume may not have any compassion for wannabe intellectuals who think a scoob at a party makes them a veteran cannabis expert and fighter 'for the cause'. He may also prefer a night on the piss in the pub, watching football with his mates rather than a few bongs around the lounge. However, he does make the point that the government should get off their arses, give up the 'class' argument and start teaching young people about the negative effects of cannabis abuse.

In my opinion, the education campaign should also point out the many medical benefits of marijuana, and the many uses for industrial hemp. Then we will be able to get away from the politicking and get some facts into kids' heads, rather than have them influenced by hysteria and propaganda from both sides of the pot argument.

Cheers,
Indica Man
http://itsmedicinejim.blogspot.com

Reclassification Not The Answer in UK

Colin Blakemore writes in Comment is Free...

'Hysteria Over Cannabis is Getting in the Way of the Truth'

...The classification was changed in 2004. Ever since, the government has seemed uncomfortable. Successive Home Secretaries - Charles Clarke in 2005 and Jacqui Smith last year - have gone through the ritual of asking the ACMD if they are really sure.

What, then, are the concerns? First, cannabis remains the most commonly used illegal drug. But its use has been falling steadily since 2000, with no hint that this decline was affected by reclassification. Home Office statistics show that cannabis use by 16- to 24-year-olds has fallen by about 20 per cent since 2004. So, if we naively argue from correlations (the basis of so much of the evidence about harm), returning cannabis to B would be expected to increase its use.

Second, there is concern about the message that reclassification has sent. But there is no evidence that classification influences the attitude of young people to drugs. Amphetamines, cocaine and ecstasy are all runners-up to cannabis in the league table of popularity in this country - and they are all class A. Usage of cocaine has grown over the past eight years, as that of cannabis has declined. Third, there is, quite rightly, a particular worry about young people. Yet the the government's own figures show that only one 11-year-old in 150 has tried cannabis in the last year, while 4 per cent have sniffed glue and fully 21 per cent have drunk alcohol.

Indeed, glue-sniffing and drinking (neither of which is regulated under the Misuse of Drugs Act) are the dominant drug problems among school children. About 5 per cent of 11- and 12-year-olds admit to having been drunk at least once in the past month. And among all boys under the age of 16 who said that they had drunk alcohol in the past month, 11 per cent reported being involved in a fight and 2 per cent had ended up in hospital!

Finally, there is the issue of a possible link between cannabis use, especially the stronger varieties now on the street, and mental health problems. Parents are now more worried that their children will become schizophrenic than they were five years ago, that they would get a criminal record.

We should take very seriously the growing evidence of a link between cannabis smoking and psychosis. But this is still in the realm of correlation rather than causation. Cigarette-smoking and drinking are also very high among young people heading for schizophrenia, but no one has suggested that they cause psychosis. And what of the alarming stories of horrifyingly powerful 'skunk'? Some newspapers have told us that the level of THC, the active ingredient, in street cannabis today is 20 or 30 times higher than 10 years ago. That would be rather surprising, given that THC content was 7 per cent on average in 1995...

Read more here

Comment is Free

The Guardian

The Observer

Cannabis Legalization: Australia Should Look at The Netherlands

Following on from my previous post about Dr. Alex Wodak's thoughts on cannabis in Australia, we should take a good look at the latest financial figures in respect to cannabis in the netherlands.

The 'Crossroads' blog pointed me to this page on the NIS News Bulletin site. The NIS is a paper focussed towards Westerners in The Netherlands who only speak English.

They've reported on tax figures for the Dutch Government through the sale of cannabis in 'CoffeeShops'.

AMSTERDAM, 03/05/08 - The Dutch state earns 400 million euros annually in tax revenues from 'coffee shops,' as the Dutch cannabis cafes are called. Sales in the sector total around 2 billion euros, according to conservative estimates by TV programme Reporter.

Reporter calculates that the some 730 coffee shops in the Netherlands sell around 265,000 kilos of hashish and cannabis annually. The bulk of this is grown in the Netherlands. Although coffee-shop owners do not have to pay VAT, the tax service does calculate income tax at the highest rate of around 52 percent.

In fixing the tax rate, the tax service assumes that the selling price of grass is twice the purchasing price. In Amsterdam, where coffee shops often have non-price-conscious foreign tourists as customers, the tax man actually applies gross profit margins of 150 to 180 percent.

The Australian Government could do worse than at least consider a similar model to the Netherlands. Perhaps the revenue could be used for further medicinal research and education campaigns as Dr. Wodak suggested at Nimbin during Mardi Grass.

About Crossroads (from their site)

Crossroads is an English-language web magazine for expatriates in the Maastricht area. First launched in print form in December 2001, Crossroads caters to the many international institutes and the expatriate community in Maastricht.

Readers will find a fresh selection of local and national news, as well as a variety of exclusive in-depth articles about living and working in Maastricht.

In its online format, Crossroads aims at becoming a platform for dialogue and exchange of ideas by inviting readers to post in their own comments to the various news stories.

Crossroads is published by the Maastricht-based European Journalism Centre.

About the NIS News Bulletin (from their site):

Serving the Foreign Community
To non-Dutch speakers, understanding the Netherlands can be challenging. English-language news sources are scarce. And virtually without exception, they focus on ‘the expat’. But who is he?
Do non-Dutch speakers in the Netherlands really want to learn ‘what’s on’ and where to dine out?
Perhaps. But what about the diplomats, businesspeople and other international decision-makers who require accurate, reliable and timely information on political, social and economic developments? They read NIS News Bulletin.

Water More Addictive than Marijuana

I love this comment! In a news article about South Australia banning bongs, some comments were posted. This one provides a perfect example of how facts and statistics can be manipulated; something that mainstream media and anti-pot propagandists do all the time.

'Matt' from Melbourne in Victoria (Australia) showed us how to do it:

In the 47 years since Cannabis Prohibition was formally established Billions of dollars have been spent trying to find a scientific basis for the lies of prohibition and the most they can come up with is that high level abuse of Cannabis "may" trigger schizophrenic symptoms in some of those people the have a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia. er deh and peanuts cause anaphylaxis in people with a genetic predisposition to peanut allergy! If you get a bad response to something you take DON'T USE IT. Just because a small number of people have a bad response to a substance, should we ban it for all? No, or we would have to ban just about everything in the world including water. According to strict scientific classification Water is an highly addictive psychoactive substance. Withdrawal symptoms include headache, nausea, delirium, hallucinations, coma and death. Overdose causes delirium intoxication and heart failure. We are all addicted and must keep up our habit daily to survive. the ratio between the medical effective dose (MED), I.e. a glass of water (200ml) and the fatal overdose (FD) (approx. 8 litres) is around 1:40. Most "pharmaceuticals" have a ratio of 1:15, Cannabis has a MED-FD Ratio of greater than 1:10000 So in fact Cannabis is actually "Safer" than water in that it is virtually impossible to overdose on it.

Thanks Matt, you've made me smile :o)

UK Prime Minister Shows Political Arrogance

Despite recommendations to keep cannabis a Class C drug in the UK, Gordon Brown will apparently be upgrading the plant to a Class B drug. One wonders why he bothered asking the advisory council to review the policy in the first place.

If this man refuses to accept the findings of a panel of 23 experts in their field, does he deserve the position he holds as leader of a country? But then, that's politics isn't it? Once in power, it doesn't matter what the People or the experts say, they, as in political leaders of most nations, will do as they please, so long as they stay on the side of the corporate giants.

I tend to think that the pharmaceutical industry is behind Brown's decision on cannabis. What other industry stands to lose the more money if cannabis laws are changed to a point where medicinal users can obtain or grow their own medicine without having to worry about being arrested? There are plenty of blogs and sites out there that have reported on the 'money trail' when it comes to cannabis illegality. I may expand that list in the near future. But then, maybe I'm just paranoid or mentally ill from smoking too much wacky weed. Maybe I should have listened to the Daily Mail.

Links to news about the Brown decision here:

Google News