Cannabis makes you like, crazy, man

IOL ^ | July 4, 2003 | Cape Times

[FairOpinion]

London - The increasing use of cannabis by adolescents is threatening the mental health of a generation because of the drug's capacity to trigger psychosis, a leading psychiatrist has warned.

Robin Murray, a professor at the Institute of Psychiatry, said growing evidence linking cannabis with mental disorder had failed to curb use of the drug. One study suggested cannabis users were at seven times higher risk of developing mental problems.

"In the past 18 months, a number of studies have confirmed that cannabis consumption increases later risk of schizophrenia," he told the Royal College of Psychiatrists annual conference in Edinburgh. "This research must not be ignored."

As Murray delivered his warning, doctors at the British Medical Association's annual conference rejected by a large majority calls for cannabis and other recreational drugs to be legalised.

'Prohibition does not work' Connie Fozzard, a retired surgeon, told the conference legalisation would help to cut crime.

"Prohibition does not work," she said. "Just look at the experience of the United States when it tried to ban alcohol. What arose out of that was Al Capone and armed gangs - and that is what happening now in this country."

Speaking at the psychiatrists' conference in Edinburgh, Murray said research suggested cannabis might interact with a genetic vulnerability in some people, sufficient to push them over the edge.

His review of research in Sweden, Holland and New Zealand found that cannabis use was higher among psychotic patients than the broader population. It had been thought that patients took the drug to counter the negative symptoms of the illness, but Murray said this had been ruled out by more recent research.

A Dutch study of 4 000 people found that those taking large amounts of cannabis were almost seven times more likely to have psychotic symptoms three years later.

'Just look at the experience of the United States when it tried to ban alcohol' A study in 1987 of 50 000 Swedish conscripts found that those who admitted at age 18 to having used cannabis on more than 50 occasions were six times more likely to develop schizophrenia in the following 15 years.

Research in New Zealand found that those who used cannabis at age 15 were four-and-a-half times at higher risk of developing psychosis by the age of 26.

Murray said the results held even when initial personality was taken into account. He concluded that the impact of cannabis on the mental health of young people "may not be negligible" and that reducing use among the young "may help to avoid some cases of psychosis".

The findings come as the British government prepares to downgrade cannabis from a Class B to a Class C drug next year so there will be a lesser penalty for possession. Most people caught in possession of a small amount will have it confiscated and receive a reprimand or warning.

A Home Office spokesperson said the intention was to free police time to concentrate on Class A drugs such as heroin.

This article was originally published on page 2 of The Cape Times on July 04, 2003

[Destructor]

We needed a study for this!?! It should be obvious to anyone that is exposed to a pothead!

[Xenalyte]

I might add that you stubbornly refuse to define what you mean by "drug culture," no matter how nicely you are asked.

[MrLeRoy]

I think this "scientist" has rediscovered the "gateway drug" fallacy, and falsely concluded that marijuana is causal of, as opposed to correlated with, mental disorders such as schizophrenia, depression and psychosis.

Hmmmmm.... let's see. Given a choice between a scientist with hard statistical data and your blather

Go read up on correlation versus causation, then wipe the egg off your face.

[jmc813]

Take a look at the folks who post comments to drug threads who are NOT regulars to WOD threads. The majority of them think pot prohibition is a joke.

[MEGoody]

"I would say that at least half of all software developed in the US was developed while "high" on cannabis."

That would explain all the bugs.

[headsonpikes]

"That would explain all the bugs."

LOL!!!

You're really going to have a good laugh if it turns out that cannabinoids are beneficial to users, on balance, as so many successful 'potheads' report.

Of course, we'd need proper research to determine that, and that's unlikely to occur given the political agenda of the ruling socialist elites.

The WOD's not about public health and safety - it never has been. That's just the propaganda smokescreen to hide the actual real-world goal - that of keeping the traffic in drugs profitable for the vested interests concerned.

So yuk it up, MEG, the WOD's a regular laff riot!

[liberallarry]

Sadly, nearly every person that I've encountered who used cannabis habitually was a basket case...

It depends on what you mean by habitual. There are people who drink wine with their dinner...and people who drink their dinner. The same distinction applies to cannabis users.

As important are the other qualities the people bring to the table. Do they have good work habits, a job, a family, kids? Are they intelligent, educated, well-read?...

This is not idle supposition. I speak from extensive personal experience.

[Ignatz]

GEEZ! That Chante Mallard comeback has to be the lamest comeback I have ever seen on FR.
Dane, please tell us that your entire argument against pot is NOT comprised of the Chante Mallard incident?
And, are you trying to state that Xenalyte WILL try extasy and WILL kill someone with her windshield?
C'mon, Dane.....I come here for honest, intellectual debate, not straw men.

[vin-one]

You're contradicting yourself now. Your side doesn't consider the use of drugs to be criminal...

the only reason it is criminal is the stupid, wasteful WOD
sounds like many WOD supporters, you can't smoke pot because it's against the law.......

Hmmmmm.... let's see. Given a choice between a scientist with hard statistical data and your blather ... so difficult to choose... Oh, what the Hell. I'll go out on a limb and choose the scientist's supported facts...

what hard data this idiot looked at other studies some of them more than 10 years old, to come up with this conclusion.
So for you it is absolute proof.....what did you do during the 60's

[E Rocc]

I don't think any responsible person advocates legalizing marijuana for teenagers.

Exactly, though of course its a favorite red herring of the prohibition crowd.

I believe it was Heinlein who said that banning things for adults because they can be bad for kids is like requiring grownups to subsist on skim milk because the baby can't handle solid food.

-Eric

[Xenalyte]

And, are you trying to state that Xenalyte WILL try extasy and WILL kill someone with her windshield?

Part A, too late. I came of age in the '80s when it was still legal. Part B, I won't kill someone with a windshield, and the only way I'd actually wield a windshield is if it's combat-approved.

Beyond that, Ig, you're wasting breath and bandwidth. Dane doesn't like to answer questions. He "doesn't deal in hypotheticals."

[vin-one]

if you are looking for reasonable debate don't bother looking for it to come from a WOD supporter, they can't and won't........

[liberallarry]

You're really going to have a good laugh if it turns out that cannabinoids are beneficial to users, on balance, as so many successful 'potheads' report

There was a world-class mathematician - Erdelyi, I believe - who was addicted to hard drugs (stimulants?). His friends worried about him so he stopped. But quickly resumed. His reason? He found he was much more productive while on drugs and - for him - that was the most important thing in life.

[Ignatz]

Xena, Dane just won't admit he deals with hypotheticals.
His entire reply to you was a hypothetical!
He assumes, hypothetically, that because Chante Mallard used pot, then one day used Extasy and killed someone with her car, YOU will do the same! GEEZ!!

[William Terrell]

Good. Actually legal drugs may clean up the gene pool. That's mean, nasty and insensitive, but true.

[jmc813]

Dane, please tell us that your entire argument against pot is NOT comprised of the Chante Mallard incident?

No, Eric Robert Rudolph's pot use is part of it too.

[Pahuanui]

Garcia died from Heroin complications yet he was a poster boy for Clinton era baby boomers. Must be ok to be a highly paid junkie making music for liberals.

Notwithstanding the fact that I can't stand his music, that is patently dishonest of you. One could easily say that he died of cheeseburger and ice cream complications, since he was chronically overweight and smoked.

Given the fact that he donated millions to charities and founded non-profit organizations that still are very active in helping children, etc... summarizing his life as that of a 'highly paid junky' is rather inadequate.

[headsonpikes]

To me, the best argument against the WOD is that it diminishes the dignity of the State to be seen unsuccessfully waging a war against a plant.

To me, that argument is incontestable.

[Bush2000]

Bush2000, meet Xenalyte. I'm quite successful in my day job, I have a part-time performance job to provide an outlet for my performer's urge, and my IQ is higher than I like to say 'cause I don't enjoy embarrassing others.

Thanks for confirming what I already knew...

[Bush2000]

And you believe these people would be productive members of society if not for their use of marijuana?

Perhaps. But since none of those losers shows any interest in stopping, we'll never know...

You may have the correlation and causation reversed; people who are naturally lazy and unmotivated are probably more likely to use drugs.

Feeding a drug habit does take some ambition -- but a counterproductive kind of ambition...