Should cannabis be legal

[t020]

Originally posted by onedizzybird

whats netheredge and hippies got to do with anything??? if your a hippy, it does not necessarily mean that you smoke weed and surely you can't make the same assumption about nethedge. i am confused t020????

 

It was a private joke.

[Rich]

Originally posted by t020

Indeed, and let's hope they do.

 

I personally don't think a thread that seemingly promotes the undertaking of an illegal activity should be allowed, especially on a so-called "family forum". Nether Edge seems to be hippy capital of the world.

 

Like Eccleshall is the stuck up toff capital of the world?

[kirky]

Originally posted by Rich

Like Eccleshall is the stuck up toff capital of the world?

 

never heard of it :confused: :confused:

[t020]

Originally posted by Rich

Like Eccleshall is the stuck up toff capital of the world?

 

I don't know of anywhere by that name. Stannington must be the capital of 'people with chips on their shoulder who repeat the same thing monotonously again and again and again for the rest of their lives' though. Or, at least a *certain* patch of Stannington anyway.

[Phanerothyme]

cannabis is pretty much like any other substance than effects a change in your perception.

 

Its physiological effects are not as well understood as other, non-prohibited, drugs; but for the most part, those effects are benign.

 

Its effects on the mind are much harder to describe and vary widely - factors affecting the experience: dose, surroundings, user's mental state, user's physical state etc etc. Commonly reported effects include "euphoria, confusion, uncontrollable laughter, feelings of profundity, relaxation, synaesthesia, ability to concentrate, inability to concentrate etc."

 

Users use and abuse for a wide variety of reasons.

 

It is addictive, psychologically, but no physical dependence occurs, and withdrawal is often not problematic because of the half life of the drug in the body (as much as a week).

 

Most of the ill effects associated with cannabis are respiratory problems as a result of smoking it with or without tobacco.

 

Research on the mental health risks of using Cannabis are inconclusive, largely because prohibition makes it impossible to come up with a base rate against which deviations in cannabis smokers can be shown.

 

Any chronic cannabis user is an addict - and will tell you that there are reversible effects on short term memory and concentration - but that in time these effects are minimized simply by habituation to the effects.

 

The ancient epithet "the great revealer" was used when talking about cannabis in persia and arabia pre-christ.

 

No drug is good or bad, it's what you do with it. Cannabis is no exception.

 

If a drug is illegal and useful/enjoyable, then you can make a great deal of tax free income from it. Ergo...

 

(Rich - t020 - I may not be a mod any more but will you two sad jobs please cut it out or take it to PMs? The grown ups are trying to talk here....)

[evildrneil]

Originally posted by t020

"I think it's great I'm a hardcore stoner" isn't a form of promotion? Imagine a thread "What do you think of murder?" with one option being "I love to kill people it's great".

 

No - it's soliciting for an oppinion not saying that "it is great"...

[Ousetunes]

I always liked Weed. It broke the monotony of Bill and Ben's constant flobbadobbing.

 

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed.

[Phanerothyme]

Originally posted by kirky

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz oops i think i must have nodded off

 

 

Yes of course, I forgot to mention, one of the effects can be tiredness....

 

However, in a direct comparison with other drugs, cannabis is safe, benign, and beneficial drug.

 

In certain individuals it can certainly preciptate mental problems, contribute and exarcebate to existing problems, and become chronically addictive.

 

Some smaller studies have shown clear predispositions in individuals with mental health problems, particularly schizophrenia, end up self medicating with cannabis - which whilst it may provide them with some initial comfort for their symptoms, is frequently very damaging. But the alternative medical treatments can be pretty harsh.

 

Negatively affected individuals are not uncommon - but on a per capita basis, cannabis is still less harmful (in mental health terms) than alcohol, which has all the same characteristics with the additional reinforcement of physiological dependency - and of course the damage that the drug does to the body - in the case of alchohol, irreparable damage to liver and brain.

 

And of course there are plenty of people who simply drink to much at one sitting and die of alcohol poisoning - something not yet encountered in cannabis addicts.

 

Of course the most compelling argument against cannabis is its preferred method of ingestion - pyrolysis i.e smoking.

 

When smoked with tobacco, the dangers are multiplied.

 

COPD is a virtual certainty for any smoker, and lung cancer, throat cancer and heart disease are all very high risks. For this reason, cannabis users are taking to alternative methods of ingestion that do not involve smoking it, namely eating it and vapourising it.

 

Eating cannabis has radically different effects to inhaling it. Firstly, the active ingredient is absorbed into the bloodstream via the gut, and being fat soluble a lot of it ends up in the liver, where it is converted by a normal bodily process into a much stronger substance (tetrahydrocannivarin) that is more 'psychedelic' than the inhaled active ingredient (tetrahydrocannabinol)

 

Secondly the length of the experience is much longer when eaten.

 

This adds up to a dangerous mix for a novice user. Longer experience, stronger drug.

 

I haven't voted in this poll because the options are utterly pointless. You can't ask an open question and then supply four of your own answers for us to choose....

[kirky]

stop being borin phan you aint a mod anymore:)

[Tracie]

Originally posted by kirky

stop being borin phan you aint a mod anymore:)

 

Yeah Phan, don't you know you're not entitled to have an opinion anymore?