I was watching CNN and their medical specialist has made an about turn on cannabis

http://www.businessinsider.com/sanja...on-weed-2013-8

There are some compelling reasons for using cannabis....

I am not a 'user' but I am all for MEDICINAL use of it....

A few years back, I had a hernia in my back, the pain was intense at times, after much cajoling from a friend and constant pain, I relented and was willing to try anything at that stage.... After a lifetime of being 'anti-drug'.

The pain relief was virtually instantaneous, and significant.

I wont hesitate to take it if in the future I have that level of pain.

Does that mean I am a bad person?

Jon

PS they have even named a new strain of it after the CNN guy who has gone public!!!
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/theres...182122166.html.

No, you are not a bad person - but IMO you wouldn't be if you used it for recreational purposes, either ! (I don't myself, but have no objection to others doing so).

No doubt there are benefits to be had from it for those who really need it.

On the other hand it must not be forgotten that a hell of a lot of addicts end up in the Psyche wards.

I agree and also the evil that comes from the drug trade is awful!

Thats why I say legalise it, put some proper pharmaceutical controls around it, make it safe and take away one source of income from the drug lords and their gangs.

I have no problems with it for recreational purposes either, but I wonder if all the bad press about it, is making us lose a huge medical benefit... Or delaying it too long.

Thats why its good to see CNN investigating it properly, and objectively....

Jon

My view to a tee. I can't believe that these pharmaceutical giants can't harness the innate properties of cannabis to provide a prescription alternative. Perhaps it's too cheap to grow/manufacture? And therefore cannot command the exhorbitant prices they charge the NHS and directly or indirectly the public.

Lots of work has been done in that area and some products have been approved in some countries. There's loads of money to be made from it. The obstacles seem to be prejudice and genuine problems with harmful side effects.

There have always been problems with allowing people to use mind-altering substances, from alcohol to sleeping pills to cocaine and cannabis.

I wouldn't have a tooth extracted without a cocaine injection and the last time I was in hospital I was medically knocked out to take the pain away.

I've tried cannabis and the world looked a much better place after a couple of spliffs, but I've also come across many sad addicts injecting all sorts of shit into their bodies and dying from it.

Iran apparently has the highest percentage of drug use in the world. ...and sex crimes, too... Has perhaps the strictest anti-drug laws in the world.

The UK comes in at #2 (somehow not terribly surprising).

Holland apparently has a remarkably low usage/addiction rate, and very low rate of sex crimes. Doesn't even show up in the top 30.
Isn't that ironic?

Highest drug use countries

The numbers are rather confusing in the way they are displayed.

95,000,00 does that mean there are no decimal parts of a person adicted?

Or 192,9000

It's not even a fraction of the people being treated for psychological problems brought about through alcohol abuse. I've said this time and time again on here, if Alcohol was recently discovered and the inventor was waiting for GMC clearance to begin selling it then it wouldn't even be licensed it's so full of toxins and potential harm.


I have, in my past, been involved with the police in a rather negative aspect and I can tell you now, the Police are sick and tired of the time cannabis takes up compared to other crimes, it's pointless, it serves no purpose, the "War on drugs" is lost, it was lost generations ago, the only sensible course to take is to legalise it and begin taxing it. Just imagine how ludicrous it sounds that we have a system in place whereby something that kills about 100,000 a year (smoking) and something that kills around 20,000 (alcohol) is perfectly legal yet something that has no recorded deaths directly from it is illegal.

I largely agree with the previous post.

So do I.

Did anyone see the recent announcement by the author Lee Child that he has used cannabis daily for more than 40 years?

Yes, use of cannabis by people who already have a genetic predisposition to certain forms of mental illness can increase their risk of developing such illnesses. Excessive use of cannabis by very young people can be harmful to them.

Use of alcohol by those who have a genetic predisposition to alcoholism is a bad idea too. So is binge drinking by young teenagers. And tobacco smoking is potentially harmful not only to those who partake themselves but also to those around them.

Many people who think cannabis users are "addicted" fail to take account of the fact that it's actually nicotine they are addicted to if they smoke it in spliffs with tobacco. I have known people who have found that the "cravings" disappear if they use cannabis/marijuana in other ways eg smoke it in a pipe, with a herbal tobacco substitute,use a vaporiser or eat it in cakes or some other form. That's if they can kick the nicotine habit. Nicotine is actually the most addictive drug there is.

There is no doubt that we would all live longer without smoking, drinking alcohol or taking drugs. But, ever since time began, we've been searching for substances which make us feel good, anything from magic mushrooms to coca leaves on to good old distilled whisky with Highland water.

The search will go on forever until we can invent something like an instant happiness pill without any side effects.

I agree, and would go further in legalising Heroin and cocaine, what is sold/bought on the street is impure and adulterated, in the case of heroin often with very dangerous substances such as cyanide, also brick dust has been used as an adulterant. If it was legal, then you would cut the crime rate, available, so no need to steal to fill an illegal habit, drug barons and dealers would be out of a job, drug wars would disappear from the streets, hopefully at least, and the country would save millions in police time, court cases etc.

Well said HBG!
I personally think the law is an utter ass when it comes to cannabis.
I will openly admit I spent some years of my life smoking a joint with friends.
Unlike with alcohol, I have never seen an aggressive stoned person. Hungry yes, but aggressive or in any way a threat to anyone else or themselves, no!
Unfortunately, for someone to buy cannabis they have to do so illegally which puts them in line of fire of trying other things. This is what you have highlighted in your last comment!
Cannabis itself, I don't believe is addictive. The smoking of the legal aspect of it, namely tobacco is!
I haven't smoked any for some years now and I don't miss it.
I certainly don't hold judgment on those that do