New research is still no reason for cannabis crackdown

Jock — Mon, 20 Feb 2006 16:11:03 +0000

More evidence came in yesterday's Observer newspaper that in some cases continual use of cannabis by adolescents can lead to psychosis.

SocietyGuardian.co.uk | Society | Focus: Cannabis psychosis:

Off your head?

As a series of new studies proves the link between cannabis dependency and mental illness, an Observer investigation reveals the plight of young users struggling to find help to deal with the disturbing effects of a drug once considered 'safe'.

Yvonne Roberts
Sunday February 19, 2006
The Observer

The article highlights the plight of several young cannabis users who have since suffered from mental illness and makes the point that there's been...

an alarming 40 per cent rise in hospital admissions for mental ill-health prompted by cannabis use since 2001, when it was first proposed to downgrade it from a Class B to Class C drug.

It turns out that this means 710 total hospital admissions for cannabis related incidents or conditions, compared with 490 in 2001 when the drug was classified Class C. By contrast 2,700 11-15 year olds alone were admitted just with drink related mental health problems, and a further 500+ for other effects of alcohol in 2003.

This despite, the article says, fully 26% of 15 years olds using cannabis in the past year. And a very tiny budget for informing people, especially young people, of the potential dangers, and no way of them finding out how much they are taking, unlike with alcohol's regulated market. Skunk is, apparently, ten times as strong as the stuff Clinton or Chris Huhne might have smoked in the sixties and seventies. They say resin is less so, but I'm not so sure... :) So it's kind of like the equivalent of those who were downing a few pints of beer regularly in 1968 now drinking the same amount or more of full strength gin!

Now, I don't want to play down the seriousness of mental health issues, and if external factors such as cannabis use cause or exacerbate some conditions it clearly warrants caution on the part of health education authorities and users themselves. And some of the tales in the article are truly tragic. But surely the best way to deal with this would be to have measurable, regulated, legal dosages together with little "Portman Group" style fliers about how much is bad for you and how much "sensible"?

Just as the consumption of alcohol by minors is restricted (even if many bars seem to flout the law) and the education message plugged very hard, so it should be with cannabis. Let's not take this new evidence as an indication that adults should not be able to choose ultimately for themselves what we put into our bodies. I wonder how many hospital admissions for early onset type 2 diabetes there are in a year amongst children hooked on the white stuff, yet nobody actually talks about criminalising sugar, yet.

The article concludes with the priceless:

Bans and busts

· Cannabis was banned in 1928 after a Chinese musician was accused of giving hashish to three women found near-naked in his flat in Cardiff.

Which is no reason at all for keeping it banned - racist moral panic nonsense. Such sentiments do not belong in twenty-first century lawmaking, I hope. Being in favour of libertarian drugs policies does not automatically mean one forgets the libertarians' other central tenet of protection of minors and others who cannot protect themselves and personal responsibility for one's own actions.

Jock's Place - New research is still no reason for cannabis crackdown - Comments

New research is still no reason for cannabis crackdown