Not a drug war; a culture war
Five months ago, there was the first rally in support of a reform in drug laws in Malta. Since then there has been the promise of a Drugs Court and an admission by Justice Minister Chris Said that there is a “broad consensus for decriminalisation”. It seems that Lawrence Gonzi, in his reshuffle of the Cabinet, has chosen a more realistic person than the previous Justice Minister, who simply said “no” to any mention of drug law reform.
What I wonder is, when will people finally realise that prohibition simply does not work? It doesn’t! How can it when modern youth culture is inundated with positive references to cannabis? This is no longer just a drug war, it’s a culture war. What prohibition has become is a compound of a war against a plant and a war against what used to be a subculture but is now mainstream culture. What it has become is a ridiculous policy that wastes resources and, worse still, lives.
For years, misinformation was bandied about but it proves harder to do so nowadays in the age of the free flow of information. When some say cannabis kills brain cells, or causes cancer, or is addictive, or is a gateway drug, we know that is for the most part lies and the rest is twisted information.
These people can speak and fight all they want, because we know the truth. These people bring up studies from the 1960s and 1970s, which have since been discredited while we bring up studies made in the last decade, the most comprehensive of their kind, and they say we are just throwing around “opinions”. How insulting!
The Nationalist and Labour parties say they want to listen. I, and with me many more, are saying what we want clearly. The end of prohibition. A complete revision of our country’s drug policy, based on evidence. We want to be able to grow our own cannabis without intervention. We want a regulated market, where money goes to small business owners and into the state’s coffers rather than to organised crime. Where children are protected.
We are here and we’re speaking loud, Dr Gonzi, Joseph Muscat. The question is: Are you listening?
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Carmel Vella
Jul 8th 2012, 21:35
It's not so long ago that all alcohol in America was not only banned but anyone seen drinking it was likened to Belzebub himself. Meantime, people were getting killed daily by the gangsters who became very rich thanks to the law, and so dis many government officials and policemen. The law, did not stop people from drinking, just made it illegal to do so. Everything went underground. Sound familiar?
It is high time to legalize drugs and control them the same way we do with alcohol and medicine. It is high time to grow up. Start by teaching our children the potential hazards in taking ANY drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, hashish, and all else.
maria grech ganado
Jun 24th 2012, 13:58
I am not bothering to read the comments! Let me merely say that years ago I warned at the beginning of the Xarabank series that the pressure of Education would eventually lead to massive drug taking among those who could not cope - the victims of social constraint, NOT criminals. I was laughed at.
I have been battling the stigma of drugs ever since, especially since it has been proven that teenagers imprisoned because of peer pressure at parties, and sometimes driven to despair by the blot on their passports, are more likely to find drugs in prison then elsewhere - and their addiction secured, become the victims of barons when they leave, who should be in prison rather than the other way round.
But this about harmful drugs like heroin, not those even less harmful than tobacco. So I agree with this article because, as a teacher, my heart has been broken several times, and I always encouraged my children to be friendly with those who, needing support, turn to the pressure of drugs rather than to the alcohol which formerly needed a further breaking of the law to condemn a teenager to a prison sentence. Unfortunately, once again, nepotism has taken over and not everyone who needs help is sentence to time in prison instead.
This article is right. Knowledge is moving so fast that those who do not have the time to keep up are stuck in a morass of misinformation which is archaic - even when it comes to science! As for the thinking and compassionate benefits of Art, well, tell that to the Philistines who have ruined our country's environment. I'm afraid that whether it is re the corruption of MEPA or the unjust imprisonment of the young, those who think that progress means a mere show of material comfort should at this stage gracefully bow out and leave our future in the hands of the better informed, if not NECESSARILY the more ethical. Change is inevitable - especially when so much of 'progress' is being revealed across the world right now to be regress rather than what they took it for. Values do not belong to a fixed Religion but to real caring. I think both Jesus and Marx would agree. All those who care for neither need only look at the state of the global economy as WW3 progresses. Thank you.
Robert Louis Fenech
May 26th 2012, 12:51
@ Alex Ellul
Excuse me, did I say it it was legal use and abuse would disappear? No I didn't, please don't put words in my mouth. I stated very clearly, 'theory as to why cannabis is so entrenched in youth culture rather than just being any other thing - it's because it's illegal". Kindly re-read that - I propose the illegality of cannabis as a reason for its 'entrenchment' in youth culture (as you no doubt know, references (mostly positive) about cannabis are widespread in films, songs, comics, television, magazines, and of course on the internet). I am saying that one reason for the popularity of cannabis is due to its taboo nature along with its mildness. Heroin is also taboo, but there is no such great culture around it, since it's a heavy drug.
If murder has increased these last 40 years, we need to find out why and fix that problem. The problem is that you are equating cannabis use, which harms no one but yourself, unless you get into health care costs but that argument is as flimsy as a tissue, with murder, where you are killing someone. Or robbery, where you are robbing someone. See the difference?
Compare cannabis use more to abseiling, or a predilection for 3 or 4 pastizzi every morning, or deep-sea diving. It's risky, but what's better: banning it and having people go abseiling or diving illegally without the proper regulatory framework, or regulating it so as to educate those partaking in cannabis, abseiling or diving, or eating unhealthily, to be aware of their actions and how they may take precautions for their health.
All this while dealing a great blow to organised crime, which commits more robberies and murder than anything else.
As for Portugal, well drug use in all categories except cannabis did in fact decrease. So cannabis use went slightly up, all others decreased (and not just slightly either). Your sentence on a statistic maximum of drug use is greek to me. I don't believe such a thing is possible.
Francis Saliba M.D.
May 26th 2012, 12:21
@ David Caruana, yesterday at 20:30.
Alcohol as taken by me with a meal is not harmful at all. The same cannot be said for cannabis – with all due respect to you and the link that I do not need to access. A glass of wine with a meal is actually beneficial, nutritionally and digestively. Cannabis abuse is not in the same category. It is taken specifically so as to distort the normal brain function and to produce hallucinations. Those are the true facts, not your FACT {1}
Alex Ellul
May 26th 2012, 00:19
@David Caruana, re your comment >>One simple question - then why do YOU drink alcohol? I know for a fact you both do.<<
Well, perhaps I inject heroin in my veins and it could be that I snort coke and smoke tobacco like a chimney and go bunjee jumping while under the influence and I drive lke a madman too. Who knows, maybe I do things while sleep-walking, that's why I do not know about it, but you keep stalking me and thereore you must know about all my sins.
Your comment is just laughable. ground-rolling laughable.....
L. Schulte
May 27th 2012, 01:15
And you don't find it interesting that you refuse to answer that simple question?
Alex Ellul
May 25th 2012, 15:36
Paul Smith, you must be an embarrasment toall those mostly sensible British people who may happen to stumble upon this commentary.
So let's see the words that you have utilised so far:
Smart ass
smarmy
your tiny little mind
because your Maltese and the Maltese are always right!
utter non stop nonsense
Please continue showing your negative side of your character.
Keep digging..
Mike Abbot
May 25th 2012, 21:29
there's the pot calling the kettle black
Alex Ellul
May 26th 2012, 00:10
@Mike Abbot. Your comment is proof enough that you have not even read my comments. While Mr. Smith has used deragatory expressions nearly continuously in his commets (are these a result of Mr. Smith being under the influence?), I have never ever let myself go down that road. I have referred readers to a multitude of scientific reports which you have the right not to agree with. However you do not have the right to insinuate that I have said deragatory language as Mr. Smith has done here.
Referring to me as the pot that calls the kettle black, I am not a pot while I agree with you that Mr.Smith is a kettle and I presume that you are his best kettle friend.
So you see Mr. Abbot, I have not used one single offensive or deragatory insulting word to reply to you, words such as:
Smart ass
smarmy
your tiny little mind
because your Maltese and the Maltese are always right!
utter non stop nonsense
Because you see, I do not need these and similar language to discuss the subject onhand.
I recommend that before you say anything else just try to read all my and Mr' Smith's comments and you will realise how wrong you have been.
Alex Ellul
May 25th 2012, 14:36
@David Caruana:
Advising your son that Cannabis is safer than alcohol is analgous to advising him that that jumping off a 100 foot high bridge is safer than jumping a 200 foot high bridge. Problem is that we cannot ban bridges, cliffs and the law of gravity, but we can always ban alcohol, tobacco and drugs.
Chris Mercieca
May 25th 2012, 14:45
you continue to make stupid analogies, and no you cannot ban drugs (please note alcohol and tobacco are drugs too). and for your information, alcohol was already banned before and everyone knows what happened.
Paul Smith
May 25th 2012, 15:15
And Drugs?
Alcohol and tobacco are drugs you smarmy smart ass
Paul Smith
May 25th 2012, 15:21
Alex,
Yes, i have told my children about Cannabis and alcohol and i would prefer them when 18 to chose Cannabis
I know that upsets your tiny little mind but i dont care!
Francis Saliba M.D.
May 25th 2012, 17:30
@ Paul Smith, today at 15:21.
Surely a loving caring parent would be more logically responsible to his/her children to advise them, when 18, to choose neither smoking, nor alcohol, nor cannabis, nor any other mind-altering drug. There is no need to indulge in any of those unhealthy pursuits.
Everyone grudgingly admits that evil will never be eradicated in this sinful world, but that is no reason to recommend one kind of evil because there are bigger evils still.
That is what I did as a responsible father and also as a GP doctor who experienced for decades the serious avoidable adverse effects on health from these abuses. I continue to do so inspite of the fact that inevitably I excite the rage of "smarmy smart asses" from the drug subculture who disagree with me and with they denounce as my "tiny little mind" (when compared to theirs).
Who cares as long as I am doing my duty to patients and to society at large, with no personal axe to grind?
David Caruana
May 25th 2012, 20:30
@ Dottor Saliba + Alex Ellul:
One simple question - then why do YOU drink alcohol? I know for a fact you both do.
Alcohol is a more harmful drug than cannabis. FACT [1]
YOU both consume a mind-altering drug.
[1] Study which confirms that cannabis is safer than alcohol and tobacco, done by members of:
*Psychopharmacology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
*Forensic Science Service, London, UK
*Police Foundation, London
* Medical Research Council, London
*Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, Oxford, UK
http://www.tomfeiling.com/archive/reclassification_of_drugs.pdf
Alex Ellul
May 26th 2012, 00:22
@Chris Mercieca, I do think that you need to check the meaning of 'analogy'. Hint: it is not anal-ogy.
Robert Louis Fenech
May 25th 2012, 12:36
@ Alex Ellul
I never claimed that cannabis is harmless. I do believe it is less harmful than tobacco or alcohol, but that is neither here nor there. The fact that something may be harmful has no impact whatsoever on whether it is legal or not in other areas, like pastizzi, over-exposure to TV, power, abseiling.... All potentially much more harmful than cannabis, yet all accepted and endorsed by society.
What I want to know is, why is cannabis illegal, and do the authorities think it can continue? Alex, for all your comments and research, today is Friday, and hundreds of youth all over Malta will be going out, buying some most probably crappy block cannabis (since being an illegal market does wonders for quality control:P), and smoking it with their friends.
And your solution to this is to continue the current policy which says that if police catch them, they're possibly facing jail time. And to what end? As a deterrent? Cannabis use has increased for the last 40 years, and in your wisdom you're sticking to the same policy that has done nothing to help anyone.
I stand by what I say - this is a compound war - an unwinnable war against a plant mixed with an unwinnable war against youth culture. Like it or not, cannabis is part of that.
Hell, I'll even propose a theory as to why cannabis is so entrenched in youth culture rather than just being any other thing - it's because it's illegal. Youths want to rebel in some way, as you no doubt felt yourself to some extent in your younger years. Telling them the most widespread, safest (not necessarily outright safe, but safer than other drugs), cheap and well, happy drug, is illegal, and they will go to prison for it, is a slap to the face. A slap to the face young people have fought against and ridiculed ever since.
Alex Ellul
May 25th 2012, 15:15
Robert, your 'theory', it's more like a supposition, is flawed. If people (ab)use of something because itis illegal and if we make it legal it wouldnot rmain atractive, then, we would not have alcohol and tobacco use and abuse. So, there goes your 'theory'.
Re your "Cannabis use has increased for the last 40 years...". So, if murder has increased these last 40 years should we become lenient on murderers? Heck, if we decriminalise drug trafficking, murder and robbery, we would not have any criminality left in Malta and we would even be able to disband the police force (except for its wonderful orchestral and parade section) and save some millions of euros.
Someone down here was lauding Portugal for decrimalising cannabis use. This came about because Portugal had, and still has, a big drug problem. The only way to relieve the police and the courts of law from the innumerable cases of drug use, the only option they had was to decriminalise it. It's waslike decriminalising theft and robbery because many people were being robbed and the police could not cope. This decriminalisation did not actually reduce drug use. The pro-cannabis lobbyists try to impress by saying that drug use in Portugal did not increase after decriminising it. But the truth is that it could not increase since it was already at the maximum, statistically, that it could ever be. So what the Portugese legistlators did was actually brushign off their repsonsibilities.
Today, Portugal is on the verge of economic collapse for various social reasons. Drug users cannot carry out a good days work, if they actually try to go to work. Imagine what would happen if everyone in Malta woke upwith alcohol hang over every morning, what would our GDP be? Same for rampant drug abuse. Drugs just push a country down the social and economic gutter.
L. Schulte
May 25th 2012, 12:26
Dear Alex Ellul,
as a (fellow?) scientist I find your last few posts slightly disappointing. I strongly doubt that you have read all the studies you just copy/pasted here. Neither have I, and since I have other things to do I cannot afford the luxury to go through all of them at the present time.
However, from most studies I read about the effect of cannabis (pls don't call it Marijuana or Pot when trying to have a scientific debate) on the human body, I have to conclude that sadly, many of them are inherently flawed. If you have a scientific background (which you maybe should when you quote studies to cement your point), then you will know, that only by reading the methods section of a scientific paper, can you make any conclusions about the results of the study it talks about.
What you just did is exactly what created cannabis prohibition years ago. 'Cannabis causes Schizophrenia!' was the outcry of corrupt politicians and lobbyists who quoted a study they never understood (or read) in the first place. I wonder, if only people would read studies instead of quoting their abstracts, just maybe we would reach a consensus.
Laymen need to understand that not every scientific paper that gets published necessarily means that its findings are infallible. And again, I'm not referring to the ones you copy/pasted, since I haven't read them.
Alex Ellul
May 25th 2012, 15:22
Mr. Schulte, being yourself a scientist you must surely know that science is never and can never be done by consensus. If consensus is what makes science, then we would still believe that the sun circles the earth and that the latter is flat, because that was the consensus many centuries ago. But it is those scientists who go against the consensus that make the grade, such as Colobus, Galileo, Einstein,
Alex Ellul
May 25th 2012, 15:24
Mr. Schulte, however I agree with you that politicians generally do not understand any science at all, except for Angela Merkel of Germany who holds a Ph.D. in some branch of Chemistry, I think..
L. Schulte
May 25th 2012, 17:34
While science is based on testing, re-testing, and falsifying theories, I think we can all agree on the consensus that the earth is not flat and that it circles the sun. In the same way as we didn't know cigarettes were bad, and now know better... Or in the same way in which we say yes, evolution is a theory, but i think the CONSENSUS has been clear... (apart from some religious nutters which don't deserve to be mentioned)...
It is not possible that two separate studies find different results if they are conducted in the same way. If they are not and the results show discrepancies, then the methods need to be explored and improved upon.
Alex Ellul
May 26th 2012, 00:32
@L.Schulte. Science is not done by consensus,may I repeat. That the earth circles the sun is a fact that does not require consensus, same as the law of gravity does not require it. Consensus is for committees not scientists. Science is done, as you rightly say, by observation, falsificationand when theory fails to be supported by observation that theory is discarded.
That is the basis of scientiic progress. Consensus is the killing of scientific progress.
As Richard Feynman said: Science is the belief in the ignorance of the expert.
David Caruana
May 25th 2012, 11:22
@ Alex Ellul,
My sources are reputable sources too so it leaves us to hundreds of research papers saying that cannabis is bad and hundreds of others saying that it's not and that it can help a large number of illnesses, including schizophrenia!!
So at this point, we only remain on first hand experience - which evidently, you have none.
Besides, you keep forgetting the crux of the subject here : Neither you, nor GG Debono, nor the state should have authority on what a person does to his or her own body. And if GG Debono wants to pull out the "free healthcare" card, then we should start testing each patient at the entrance of Mater Dei and anyone who does not follow a strict diet and fitness regime or who brought his or her own illness due to 'bad choices' in life (smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol, etc) should not be given free healthcare.
I have NEVER made use of your precious 'free' healthcare and I've had enough of paying NI for all the fatsos and drunk drivers who end up using MY tax money to support their lifestyle.
Let's bring down this myth of 'free' healthcare once we're at it. I earn a good living, I can pay for my own healthcare as I've always done, so in GG Debono's line of thought, I'm OK so not you Jack!
Alain Muscat
May 25th 2012, 12:29
Well balanced Mr. Caruana.
Your thoughts deserve some serious consideration.
Alex Ellul
May 25th 2012, 11:09
SO, IS THERE ANYONE LEFT HERE WHO WOULD READILY RECOMMEND HIS SONS AND DAUGHTERS TO START SMOKING POT?
Hands up anyone who says yes.
Chris Mercieca
May 25th 2012, 11:29
I would educate them and let them make their decisions but I prefer them to smoke cannabis rather than drink alcohol, of course after their 18th birthday :)
David Caruana
May 25th 2012, 11:41
If you recommend you underage kids to have any problematic substance - be it tobacco, cannabis or alcohol, then you should have your children taken away from you by the state!
It is crazy to suggest that anyone under 18 should be exposed to any of the above. But if my son has come of age, he's 18 and he asks me which is the healthier option between alcohol and cannabis, I will surely tell him the truth, the one which I have tried and tested for myself - CANNABIS IS SAFER THAN ALCOHOL
A Bonello
May 25th 2012, 11:45
Alex Ellul...would you recommend that your sons or daughters drink alcohol, eat junk food, smoke tabacco or take up a dangerous sport for that matter?
If anyone is not sure about cannabis all they have to do is type in cannabis + science into google and do their own research....simple
Chris Mercieca
May 25th 2012, 11:56
Oh and the one left is you not us, people like you are becoming the minority, you just wait and see :)
Tim Vella
May 25th 2012, 13:19
Yes Alex. i would rather see them smoke pot then drink alcohol.
I mean it!
Mike Abbot
May 25th 2012, 21:28
I teach my kids to think, learn & be critical. when they are old enough to make their own decisions, they'll know how to tell the difference between mis-information from hysterical people like you and actual facts. If they choose to smoke pot then that's ok.
Alex Ellul
May 25th 2012, 11:08
This report out just a TWO WEEKS AGO:
How Cannabis Use During Adolescence Affects Brain Regions Associated With Schizophrenia
ScienceDaily (May 8, 2012) — New research from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) published in Nature's Neuropsychopharmacology has shown physical changes to exist in specific brain areas implicated in schizophrenia following the use of cannabis during adolescence. The research has shown how cannabis use during adolescence can interact with a gene, called the COMT gene, to cause physical changes in the brain.
David Caruana
May 25th 2012, 11:53
We are pushing for legal REGULATION exactly to take it away from drug dealers who do NOT ask for ID card.
Only a legally regulated market can offer better protection to the vulnerable members of society (under-age, those prone to psychotic illnesses). Prohibition never offered any protection and it never will - it's a failed system which is bound to be thrown away in the bin of history.
Alex Ellul
May 25th 2012, 11:05
Regular Marijuana Use Increases Risk Of Hepatitis C-Related Liver Damage
ScienceDaily (Jan. 28, 2008) — Patients with chronic hepatitis C (HCV) infection should not use marijuana (cannabis) daily, according to a study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute. Researchers found that HCV patients who used cannabis daily were at significantly higher risk of moderate to severe liver fibrosis, or tissue scarring. Additionally, patients with moderate to heavy alcohol use combined with regular cannabis use experienced an even greater risk of liver fibrosis. The recommendation to avoid cannabis is especially important in patients who are coinfected with HCV/HIV since the progression of fibrosis is already greater in these patients.
Alex Ellul
May 25th 2012, 10:00
June 25, 2008 — Oral cannabis (a form of medical marijuana) not only failed to alleviate certain types of pain in human volunteers but, surprisingly, it instead caused increased sensitivity to some forms of pain. ... > full story
September 22, 2011 — A new research study recommends a public health approach to cannabis -- including evidence-based guidelines for lower-risk use -- to reduce the health harms that result from the use of ... > full story
November 26, 2010 — Immunologists studying the effects of cannabis have discovered how smoking marijuana can trigger a suppression of the body's immune functions. The research reveals why cannabis users are more prone to cancer ... > full story
ScienceDaily (Nov. 24, 2010) — An international team of immunologists studying the effects of cannabis have discovered how smoking marijuana can trigger a suppression of the body's immune functions. The research, published in the European Journal of Immunology, reveals why cannabis users are more susceptible to certain types of cancers and infections.
Paul Smith
May 25th 2012, 10:35
See the studies done by GW Pharma Alex. And i can personally tell you that as soon as Delta 9 thc and CBD hits my blood stream my pain goes instantly. Thank god i live in a country where i can get this wonder herb from the NHS for free and thank god their is a far more liberal attitude to people whom suffer in pain growing their own medicine, but Alex you must be right because your Maltese and the Maltese are always right!
I am living proof that Cannabis kills extreme pain and so are many Cancer suffers and MS suffers and thats why it's a licensed product now called sativex.
Thank god nobody in the real world gets to hear your utter non stop nonsense weather about climate change to now being an expert in Cannabis lol
Alex Ellul
May 25th 2012, 09:57
February 8, 2011 — Cannabis use appears to be associated with an earlier onset of psychotic illness, according to a meta-analysis of previously published ... > full story
June 29, 2008 — The growing body of evidence that marijuana (cannabis) may be effective as a pain reliever has been expanded with publication of a new study in The Journal of Pain reporting that patients with nerve ... > full story
August 2, 2007 — A single cannabis joint has the same effect on the lungs as smoking up to five cigarettes in one go, indicates new research. Cannabis smokers complained of wheeze, cough, chest tightness and phlegm. ... > full story
November 3, 2007 — New research carried out with psychology students suggests a possible relation between what some call "emotional intelligence" and the use of tobacco and cannabis. According to the research, students who had started smoking either tobacco or cannabis at a younger age and who regularly smoked these substances obtained lower scores in questions related to emotional regulation. Thus students who are less able to regulate their emotional state are more prone to consume tobacco and/or cannabis and regular consumption of these substances is a way of making up for this emotional shortage.
November 26, 2007 — A compound found in cannabis may prove to be effective at helping stop the spread of breast cancer cells throughout the body. The study is raising hope that CBD, a compound found in Cannabis sativa, ... > full story
December 20, 2009 — The damaging effects of the illicit drug Cannabis on young brains are worse than originally thought, according to a psychiatric researcher. A new study suggests that daily consumption of cannabis in ... > full story
February 9, 2012 — Drivers who consume cannabis within three hours of driving are nearly twice as likely to cause a vehicle collision as those who are not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, according to a new ... > full story
April 24, 2009 — When legal therapies let them down, some teens turn to cannabis. A new study suggests that around a third of teens who smoke cannabis on a regular basis use it as a medication, rather than as a means ... > full story
August 30, 2010 — The medicinal use of cannabis has been debated by clinicians, researchers, legislators and the public at large for many years as an alternative to standard pharmaceutical treatments for pain, which ... > full story
Young adults who have used cannabis or marijuana for a longer period of time appear more likely to have hallucinations or delusions or to meet criteria for psychosis, according to a new ... > full story
Alex Ellul
May 25th 2012, 09:55
February 23, 2011 — New evidence suggests that cannabis may have an even greater negative effect on sexual health than previously ... > full story
October 22, 2009 — Last year the UK government reclassified cannabis from a class C to a class B drug, partly out of concerns that cannabis, especially the more potent varieties, may increase the risk of schizophrenia ... > full story
March 3, 2011 — Cannabis use during adolescence and young adulthood increases the risk of psychotic symptoms, while continued cannabis use may increase the risk for psychotic disorder in later life, concludes a new ... > full story
October 13, 2011 — Young people who are genetically vulnerable to depression should be extra careful about using cannabis: smoking cannabis leads to an increased risk of developing depressive symptoms, according to a ... > full story
June 3, 2008 — Long-term, heavy cannabis use may be associated with structural abnormalities in areas of the brain known as the hippocampus and amygdala, according to a new article in the Archives of General ... > full story
August 1, 2007 — Cannabis could increase risk of psychotic illness later in life by 40 per cent. There is now enough evidence to warn young people that using cannabis could increase their risk of developing a ... > full story
Alex Ellul
May 25th 2012, 09:54
Chris Mercieca, here is your much sought after unbiased truth. This will take a few posts since the list is soooo looooong to post it all in one single comment.It just toohttp://www.sciencedaily.com/k me a few seconds to get this list from the scientific on-line Science Daily found here:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/
I made a simple search for reports on Cannabis on this website's internal search engine and the following came up in a split of a second:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/search/index.php?type=news&total=13543&keyword=cannabis+cancer&section=all&period=1825&sort=relevance&total=13543&page=1
Not one single report is older than five years since I limited my search to the last five years. These are ALL serious scientific reports and not quackery as your sources of pro-cannabis reports are. So here goes:
June 15, 2009 — Using a highly sensitive new test, scientists are reporting "convincing evidence" that marijuana smoke damages the genetic material DNA in ways that could increase the risk of cancer ... > full story
more on the next comments
Chris Mercieca
May 25th 2012, 00:49
Ok so lets be a bit realistic here;
GG Debono & Alex Ellul, people like you are afraid and please i want you to give proper and supported unbiased proof of what you claim on the comments below.
2. Don't act like drugs are not being used and abused and that's the main point why we want to decrim, not to use more but to stop spending money on cannabis users (because cannabis is not only smoked) and all drug users alike, so don't you come blabbering sarcastically that we should be giving cannabis to young children, that's very immature of you.
3. You have no idea on how beneficial can the hemp plant be, do your research and apologize for such a stupid statement! Hemp is food, clothing, oil, building material, rope, paper and more! Just a bit of google now and then will do the trick ;)
4. Please please shut up with your stupid questions and assimilation to other drugs, cannabis is not cocaine and cocaine is not heroin that's why they have different names, let alone that cannabis is divided into sativas and indicas but that's strange language for you.
Finally 5. Stop living in your own bubble of opinions and thoughts and connect to the whole world, look for the truth and stop all the small talk you claim is knowledge because it's not.
Paul Smith
May 24th 2012, 22:19
G G Debono
Today, 20:42
to Paul. Smith
To mr smith......
Nothing wrong with using opiates as cannabis as a pain killer ,,,,,, except that if used too long you will get addicts !
Hmm, nothing wrong with using cannabis for pain relief after kicking addiction to legal opiates given to me by the NHS!
Don't take opiates for pain people, they are seriously addictive and dangerous - i Know i had a year of opiates for pain relief
Use cannabis for pain it works like a treat and harms no body organ when vaporized
Paul Smith
May 24th 2012, 21:48
G G Debono
Today, 20:42
to Paul. Smith
To mr smith......
Nothing wrong with using opiates as cannabis as a pain killer ,,,,,, except that if used too long you will get addicts !
So the university of Bristol " just did a study " .....well, one doesn't, "just do studies ". ....the studies which have generated the real information on the harm from cannabis have taken years and years of observation...can you provide the reference ? I,d like to see this report ....if it is scientifically sound I will be the first to change my view a little bit.
Google it, i'm not hear to do the work for you, i dont even know why i waste my time, it's not my country living in the stone age
David Caruana
May 24th 2012, 20:23
@ G G Debono
"Cannabis causes cancer twice as often as tobacco"
Dr.Donald Tashkin used to support this claim, he used to theorised that "Marijuana is packed more loosely than tobacco, so there's less filtration through the rod of the cigarette, so more particles will be inhaled," Tashkin says. "And marijuana smokers typically smoke differently than tobacco smokers; they hold their breath about four times longer allowing more time for extra fine particles to deposit in the lungs." [1]
When he tried to find evidence to support his theory, he conducted a population based study on cannabis use and its possible link to lung cancer. What he found out was, what the evidence said, was very different from what he expected.
"They found that 80 percent of those with lung cancer and 70 percent of those with other cancers had smoked tobacco while only roughly half of both groups had smoked marijuana. The more tobacco a person smoked, the greater the risk of developing cancer, as other studies have shown.
But after controlling for tobacco, alcohol and other drug use as well as matching patients and controls by age, gender and neighborhood, marijuana did not seem to have an effect"
"The study does not reveal how marijuana avoids causing cancer. Tashkin speculates that perhaps the THC chemical in marijuana smoke prompts aging cells to die before becoming cancerous. Tashkin and his colleagues presented the findings yesterday at a meeting of the American Thoracic Society in San Diego."
And here I have to agree again with Robert that "These people bring up studies from the 1960s and 1970s, which have since been discredited while we bring up studies made in the last decade"[1]
Donald Tashkin's study was done in 2006 and discredits his own past claims that cannabis causes lung cancer. What's even more funny (or sad) is that there is also evidence that THC, one of the active ingredients of cannabis, can also cure cancer. [2]
***
"It also increases the risk of death in people with heart disease"
It increases the heart rate for some minutes so yes, people with a heart problem have to take precautions when taking ANY kind of drug, legal or not and even of what food they eat. So no, I wouldn't suggest it to someone who suffers from heart problems but for a healthy person it's safe for the heart.
***
"Cannabis also impairs mental function so that cannabis users usually exhibit reduced academic achievement."
Here we need to distinguish between short term effect and long term. In the short term, yes, the 'high' which interests recreational users by definition induces momentary mental impairment, distortion of time, bursts of laughter, change in sensory perception. These effects last from few minutes to few hours. But you seem to be referring to a long term effect of cannabis use on the brain, implying that it 'reduces academic achievement.'
It didn't reduce any of these guys' achievements - [3]
***
"Taken during pregnancy it can result in birth defects and deformities"
A pregnant woman cannot even smell essential oils made from lavander because as a relaxer it increases the possibility of miscarriage - LAVANDER!! Why should a pregnant woman be smoking anything?!
***
"It also depresses immunity and fertility."
It's given to HIV patients in many States in the US and Canada for many years and it's given very good results. How could a herb that as you're saying 'depresses immunity' help those who have a condition of a failed immune system?
***
"Cannabis also has serious mental health effects. It can precipitate schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders"
Wrong again! Studies like those of Dr.Grech are not population based studies - his research method is flawed because his test subjects are patients from a mental hospital - these make part of the 1% that are at risk schizophrenia in a population. His studies say NOTHING about a link in cannabis use and schizophrenia on healthy adults - the other 99%. Besides, a legally regulated market would protect even this vulnerable 1% since instead of smoking anything they get from a dealer, they would be buying it from a regulated and licensed outlets which among all other regulations, they would need to show the THC:CBD content of each strain. THC is the part that 'harms' those prone to schizophrenia while CBD is an anti-psychotic and therefore can help in their condition. One has to understand that if one of these individuals knows which cannabis strain makes him feel better and which one makes him feel 'funny' he would go for the better option.
You might want to check what Professor David Nutt has to say about the link of cannabis use to psychosis:
"The other paradox is that schizophrenia seems to be disappearing (from the general population) even though cannabis use has increased markedly in the last 30 years. When we were reviewing the general practice research database in the UK from the University of Keele, research consistently and clearly showed that psychosis and schizophrenia are still on the decline. So, even though skunk has been around
now for ten years, there has been no upswing in schizophrenia. In fact, where people have looked, they haven’t found any evidence linking cannabis use in a population and schizophrenia." [4]
***
"Cannabis is being increasingly recognized as a cause of vehicle accidents"
Wrong again!
"States that legalize medical marijuana see fewer fatal car accidents, according to a new study, in part because people may be substituting marijuana smoking for drinking alcohol." [5]
***
THERE IS ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO CONFIRM THAT ALL OF YOUR CLAIMS ARE WRONG.
[1] http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=large-study-finds-no-link
[2] http://www.jci.org/articles/view/37948
[3] http://valetudocafe.wordpress.com/2011/07/24/the-10-smartest-pot-smokers-on-the-planet%E2%80%A6-cool-enough-to-admit-it/
[4] http://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/opus1714/Estimating_drug_harms.pdf
[5] http://healthland.time.com/2011/12/02/why-medical-marijuana-laws-reduce-traffic-deaths/
Johnathan Cilia
May 25th 2012, 11:05
At least someone is talking sense and backing up their info
Paul Smith
May 24th 2012, 19:36
Alex stick to climate change and buggering up our planet with your blind ignorance of that fatality coming at you like a hurricane
Some of the comments about imprisoning people are absurd - how much would that cost? You already have a debt which is 80% of GDP and a real estate bubble that makes Spain look good and your worried about a few peaceful tax paying voters having a puff and staying home driving nowhere apart from heading for the fridge for some Doritos and a soft drink? Wake up guys it's 2012 and i saw the Olympic torch today
G G Debono
May 24th 2012, 19:12
To …………………….Mr Duncan Scerri
Re your comment “………Far from being carcinogenic, cannabis actually *cures* cancer. Again, do the research.---"and this is proven fact"
Eh ? - yes Mr Scerri opiates (like heroin and Morphine – and sometimes cannabis – are used to treat the PAIN of cancer – that’s all…
Paul Smith
May 24th 2012, 19:54
In research in Israel and the USA Delta 9 THC has been seen to kill or DE-activate Cancer Cells
Kill Cancer cells - get it?
Also is wonderful for pain relief i can testify to that!
Johnathan Cilia
May 25th 2012, 11:01
Cannabis is not an opiate....please stop spreading misinformation you uninformed propaganda machine.
G G Debono
May 24th 2012, 18:53
TO ………………………………….Robert Callus Today, 17:51
Sorry Mr Callus
You say "But what a person does with his own body is his business. "
Rubbish !
This is just not on - the health costs of treating the consequences of drug abuse runs to billions..
Those billions come out of taxpayers money. I don’t feeling like supporting your drug habit with my money.
Cannabis is NOT softer than alcohol. It is more addictive and causes more mental and physical harm.
Things are not so bad in some countries as Japan, Sweden and Portugal because they a very clear societal focus on drug abuse prevention and so have a very low rates of substance misuse and good health and societal outcomes; Sweden has among the lowest rates of drug use in Europe
Michael Pace
May 24th 2012, 19:49
I cannot but "lol" to this comment. You have done research on Cannabis? No wonder the illogical prohibition persists.
G G Debono
May 24th 2012, 18:23
To Ramon Casha …………….Today, 15:39
RE your comment “ Just like it was a well known fact that the world was flat, and sailing past the edge you would fall into oblivion”.
Spot on Mr Casha, You say “Just like it WAS a well known fact that the world was flat……..” we now know that the earth is NOT flat and we also now know that cannabis is bad news...
....................... so get with it – the data from modern scientific studies in very large numbers of cannabis users studied over 10 – 20 years all show that cannabis is dangerous in the long term. As you suggest: this was not known in the earlier flat-earth times. So please, get serious, and don’t give us nonsense about your phoney “Medical experts” …….and others................... “who actually know what they're saying” – they don’t. !
G G Debono
May 24th 2012, 17:56
TO ...................................Ramon Casha
RE “……………Sorry but every one of your "facts" is in fact an untruth…….”.
Now that is truly rich !
And for you to to say that “Medical experts” …….and others................... “who actually know what they're saying” are “pretty much united in their calls for decriminalisation or legalisation of cannabis” ..............
is even richer !!!
Of course I am quoting medical, scientifically proven facts in my letter - I didn’t just think up what I wrote.
For example :
A study from Sweden: the incidence of schizophrenia was studied and followed in more than 50 000 subjects (fifty thousand – please note!) ............. It showed that use of marijuana during adolescence increased the risk of schizophrenia.
A similar study in Holland (the home of cannabis!) also showed a strong association between use of cannabis and schizophrenia .
In a New Zealand study individuals who had used cannabis three times or more by age 15 or 18 were young people who had used cannabis even for as little as three times before age 18 were more likely to have a depressive disorder at age 26, (Arseneault L, Cannon M, Poulton R, Murray R, Caspi A, Moffit TE. Cannabis use in adolescence and risk for adult psychosis: longitudinal prospective study. BMJ 2002)
Another 15 year follow up of an adult community sample in the United States showed that use of cannabis showed a four-times increased the risk of major depression.
If you want references to these scientific studies I can send them.
Now, Mr Casha, there are dozens of such studies – and these were conducted by “medical expert” - I have personally done research work – and I will sooner believe scientifically proven facts that those who you have mistakenly called “Medical experts, social workers and others” because you actually don’t know what you are saying.
One final point – if you have children - or intend having children – would you be pleased if they used cannabis.
Give me an honest answer.
Paul Smith
May 24th 2012, 19:27
You Sir should take your opinions and your nonsense somewhere else. I have been under the supervision of a number of Doctors at a leading orthopedic hospital for the past 2 years here in the UK. All of my Doctors are in favor of my use of Cannabis as a pain relief drug, so much so that i have been given Cannabis in a spray form.
It is a skunk Cannabis with level Delta 9 THC and CBD levels.
Cannabis use in the United Kingdom has more than quadrupled in the last 30 years in the UK whilst levels of schizophrenia have fallen. The University of Bristol just did a lengthy study into Cannabis and schizophrenia and their conclusions were that there is no link
G G Debono
May 24th 2012, 20:42
to Paul. Smith
To mr smith......
Nothing wrong with using opiates as cannabis as a pain killer ,,,,,, except that if used too long you will get addicts !
So the university of Bristol " just did a study " .....well, one doesn't, "just do studies ". ....the studies which have generated the real information on the harm from cannabis have taken years and years of observation...can you provide the reference ? I,d like to see this report ....if it is scientifically sound I will be the first to change my view a little bit.
Paul Smith
May 24th 2012, 23:02
See Below how confused and unstudied you are when you confuse Cannabis with opiates - you really are lost in a world of boredom aren't you?
Robert Callus
May 24th 2012, 17:51
@Alex Ellul
No Alex, prisons should remain there to serve their function: To act as a deterrent for people who harm others. The murderers, the thieves, the rapists and the corrupt.
But what a person does with his own body is his business. I believe the personal use of all drugs should be decriminalized. Like in Portugal did in 2001. Guess what, the sky hasn't fall it. In fact there is consensus by nearly all politicians (except for the far right) that the country is better off since the 2001 drug reforms.
But if government is not willing to take such a bold move, he should at least try with a drug that is softer than alcohol: cannabis.
Alex Ellul
May 24th 2012, 16:20
We already have irresponsible people driving un der the influence of alcohol, a legal drug, and tobacco, another one. Now, this self-declared expert on cannabis wants to make it legal to grow it, out it in his pipe and smoke it. I'd say: Robert Louis Fenech. roll up your letter to the editor, put it in your pipe and smoke it. It's the only thing it is worthy of.
We have children to take care, educate and teach how to get out of harms way especially how to avoid drugs and pushers. We already have a drug ddiction problem and cannabis IS a gateway to hard drugs for some if not all. So, if the risk of cannabis users being prone to hard drugs is small, it is reason enough to ban cannabis, a plant which is good for nothing, it fills your lungs with crcinogens and this is proven fact, and numbs the brain putting its users in risks of injury and death while driving or working.
Suffice it to say that drug pushers deal in cannabis same as they deal in heroin and other drugs as long as they can make a fast buck.
We, the maistream people who live in the mainstream life of mainstream Malta must strive and be eternally vigilant so as to be free from evil. Others are hell bent on putting us all on the road to social hades.
Mr Duncan Scerri
May 24th 2012, 18:21
Your display of ignorance is quite astonishing.
"We already have a drug addiction problem"
Not least of all due to the effects of prohibition. Look at countries where there has been decriminalisation and you will see a reduction in addiction and crime rates.
"cannabis IS a gateway to hard drugs"
No it is not. No evidence at all.
"cannabis, a plant which is good for nothing"
Really? I have not the time right now to point you in the direction of all the many beneficial uses this plant has. JFGI.
"it fills your lungs with crcinogens"
Far from being carcinogenic, cannabis actually *cures* cancer. Again, do the research.
"and this is proven fact"
G G Debono
May 24th 2012, 18:57
To Mr Duncan Scerri
RE "...............Your display of ignorance is quite astonishing......" .
erm... (no I must resist saying 'join the club...)
"We already have a drug addiction problem" - exactly - and we cannot make it worse.
In any case, it is the LONG-TERM consequence of cannabis that are serious.
Joe Mallia
May 24th 2012, 15:18
The link below is ample proof of the danger that cannabis users cause while driving: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16961112
Ramon Casha
May 24th 2012, 15:44
People should not drive after drinking, while very tired or sleepy, after taking certain medications, or while under the influence of any substance that can impair reaction time or driving ability.
None of this is a good enough reason to place people in jail for having a drink, being tired or sleepy, taking medications or being under an influence while NOT driving.
G G Debono
May 24th 2012, 12:11
I am sorry Mr Fenech , I couldn't disagree more
This sort of argument has been heard again and again, for instance in favour of legalization of guns on the basis that “… few are harmed by its use and only a minority gives responsible users a bad name by association..”
All arguments in favopur of cannabis conveniently overlook the proven serious health effects of cannabis. Comparing it to tobacco and alcohol – and even other illicit and legal drugs - is no argument.
It Can be claimed that cannabis rarely causes death – of course, it is relatively safe in overdose compared with heroin, but it is very harmful in long term use especially in heavy users.
Cannabis causes cancer twice as often as tobacco as well as other lung diseases, and this cancer appears earlier than with tobacco smoking. It also increases the risk of death in people with heart disease. Cannabis also impairs mental function so that cannabis users usually exhibit reduced academic achievement. Taken during pregnancy it can result in birth defects and deformities. It also depresses immunity and fertility. It has increased sexual promiscuity and sexually transmitted diseases in regular users
Cannabis also has serious mental health effects. It can precipitate schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders and/or make them worse – this includes suicide in schizophrenics, There are other clear adverse psychological effects of cannabis such as depression or anxiety. It can induce violent behaviour.
The risk of addiction is higher than with alcohol and smoking - dependence occurs in about 10% of occasional users and in 50-90% of regular users.
Cannabis is being increasingly recognized as a cause of vehicle accidents, in many instances evidence of cannabis use has been foung at autopsies of drivers who died at the site of accidents; When no alcohol was detected in the bodies of drivers, 80% were positive for cannabis at post-mortem To make matters worse the effect of alcohol on driving is intensified by cannabis and pure forms are potentially more dangerous than previously recognized.
Legalising cannabis may also result in more criminal activity. The experience in Holland, where cannabis is virtually de-criminalised, has shown that the price of cannabis is lower outside the regulated coffee shop market. What is particularly frightening is that the tobacco industry, which is under pressure from health authorities with measures against smoking, is waiting in the wings to pounce on another addictive substance to make enormous profits.
And it would anyway be difficult if not impossible to have a legal, regulated, and taxed market to undercut the illegal drugs pushers. There is a similar problem with “bootleg” alcohol and tobacco imported outside Europe. Legalisisng cannabis would also open the sale to vulnerable children.
The bottom line is that attempts are bing made to cut down on tobacco use – so do we need to make access to a more dangerous version easier ? This would be insanity.
Ramon Casha
May 24th 2012, 15:40
Sorry but every one of your "facts" is in fact an untruth. Medical experts, social workers and others who actually know what they're saying are pretty much united in their calls for decriminalisation or legalisation of cannabis.
Alex Ellul
May 24th 2012, 16:24
Prosit G. 100% with you. May the authorities take note of the scientific points you mention in a very serious manner and throw political correctness and the new philsophies and Robert Louis Fenech's letter to the dogs where this deserves to be.
A Bonello
May 24th 2012, 21:44
G G Debono...i have never read such rubbish in ages!!!
I don´t know if i should laugh or cry!!
Remeber MISINFORMATION is VERY DANGEROUS!!
Thomas Aquilina
May 25th 2012, 02:26
G.G. and Alex Ellul, I'm sorry but the authorities cannot take these claims seriously (or at least I hope not) unless backed by scientific evidence!
Eric Soames
May 25th 2012, 02:53
G G Debono: 'Cannabis also has serious mental health effects. It can precipitate schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders and/or make them worse – this includes suicide in schizophrenics,' Sounds like you're talking about Abilify, a drug administered to people suffering from psychotic disorders and bi-polarity/schizophrenia; many times against their will.
Johnathan Cilia
May 25th 2012, 10:47
Good Lord man, with maniacs like you on the streets spouting misinformation and lies no wonder divorce just came in last year...
John Azzopoardi
May 24th 2012, 11:27
It a well known fact that marijuana is a drug and damages the brain.
Ramon Casha
May 24th 2012, 15:39
Just like it was a well known fact that the world was flat, and sailing past the edge you would fall into oblivion.
Thomas Aquilina
May 25th 2012, 02:22
Mr. Azzopardi, please back your argument with evidence, for the sake of the other readers. Science actually proves you wrong...and here is my evidence.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn8155-marijuana-might-cause-new-cell-growth-in-the-brain.html
http://budfacts.com/243/new-study-proves-that-marijuana-increases-brain-cell-formation/
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/highdose-cannabis-stimulates-growth-of-brain-cells-in-rats-510869.html
Richard Caruana
May 24th 2012, 11:09
Why don't we give cannabis to school children instead of milk and bread?
Come on please. Would you let your son smoke cannabis in your house?
How about we legalize cannabis for medical uses only (no home growth) and increase ten fold the punishments for every other cannabis user, would you agree to that? Of course not as people like you only want to have fun and forget the harm it can do.
Robert Callus
May 24th 2012, 13:46
I don't smoke cannabis and recognize the harm it can do (though that's less than legal drugs like alcohol and tranquilizers, but we don't throw drinkers in jail do we?)
What I'm sure it that the law is not serving as a deterrent at all. It only serves to send people who harm no one to prison. It's inhumane but if you don't care about that, keep in mind that it's you and I who are financing their arrest and detention.
At a time when our prisons are full and the courts have a horrible backlog. At a time when people accused with crimes that actually hurt someone like rape and murder are out on bail because they can't be detained for a long time until found guilty. While we prosecute young people for nurturing a plant.
Ramon Casha
May 24th 2012, 15:45
"Why don't we give cannabis to school children instead of milk and bread?"
For the same reason we don't give them wine or beer, while still allowing adults to use these.
Alex Ellul
May 24th 2012, 16:38
Robert Callus, if one were to stretch your argument a bit, we would find enough excuse to let every one free out of the prisons. Yours is nothing but a bad excuse to let evil run amok. Evil must be rooted out early before it destroys you. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. The price of appeasement is anarchy.
Please choose the reason of your report below: