Should cannabis be legal

[Phanerothyme]

Originally posted by "Sidla"

 

Any drug is addictive if taken often enough.

That depends on what you mean by addictive, enough and drug.

 

some drugs are anti-addictive, i.e the last thing you feel like doing after taking it, is taking it again. They can be taken repeatedly without any addiction forming (psychological or physiological).

Point taken. I meant recreational drugs.

 

So did I

 

In fact of all the recreational drugs that I do use, Cannabis is the only addictive one, and that is a psychological addiction. The others tend to develop into a pattern of once every 3 months or so, depending on availablility.

 

Now if I were to take these stubstances 'enough', i.e as soon as tolerance permits, say every 2 days with LSD and every hour with DMT, or every 2 days with mushrooms, I would quickly become exhausted, confused, sleep deprived and overstimulated (not to mention losing my job).

 

My point being is that these are recreational drugs, that if you take them enough you will find the whole experience unpleasant enough to stop you overdoing it. Unlike cocaine, alcohol no physical dependence develops and unlike cannabis, these substances (chiefly tryptamine psychedelics (or entheogens to be precise)) are anti-addictive in the psychological sense.

 

This does not account for the ridiculous practice of drug machismo, where a person will swallow far mor drugs than they know to be advisable simply to 'impress' their peers.

[Foxxx]

With cannabis being mentioned again in some more recent threads, I thought I'd try bring this old thread back to the top to get some more votes from all these new members we have now!

 

Happy voting

[gloworm]

Originally posted by tymr

Marijuana, Psylocibin, Flygaric toadstools, Peyote, poisonous toads(!), LSD, MDMA... far less dangerous than tobacco and alcohol.

 

what is the point of making totally ****e untrue statements like you just have above...which is obviously completely disengenuous or you dont know anything about illegal drugs.

Maybe having a word with someone who works with the mentally ill/homeless would be a good place for you to start if the latter is true...

[gloworm]

Originally posted by Moon Maiden

Well from a proffessional POV GP's are actually suggesting to people who suffer from depression to find themselves a good dealer???

 

I kid you not - I know of 4 cases where different GP's have suggested this to help relieve the problems of depression. One of whom refused the suggestion as she has never wanted to try drugs.

 

What an irresponsible comment...when depression is so varied and due to so many reasons Im sure a blanket sugestion of smoking some dope is "just what the doctor ordered".

How about the far more people who have depression (or far worse-total mental breakdown etc)because of dabbling in drugs?

[Phanerothyme]

Originally posted by gloworm

How about the far more people who have depression (or far worse-total mental breakdown etc)because of dabbling in drugs?

Just so we can get an idea of numbers - how many people are we talking about every year?

[cosywolf]

If you're unaware of the ins and outs of depression and other mental illnesses (i.e. haven't studied the subject to at least degree level, lived five years or more with a sufferer, or haven't actually suffered through any and I don't mean just feeling a bit down) then IMO it isn't really a subject you can have an informed opinion on. Add a purely anecdotal knowledge of the chemical makeup and side effect of various drugs to the list, and you're getting yourself into deep water. Time to start adding 'I believe' and 'I reckon' and 'it seems to me' to your vocabulary.

 

Gloworm, your friends are most likely hyping up their experiences with GPs because they were taken aback by being asked about it in the first place. Generally it goes: are you taking anything else to control your symptoms, or for recreation? I am obliged to keep this information confidential and it may help in deciding upon a treatment. (if you say yes, I take this or that) they will generally warn you about the side effects and in the case of most drugs will suggest you cut them out. If you take cannabis, they will generally say well if you genuinely feel it helps then go ahead. If they're really up with it, they may suggest you ensure you have a reliable dealer as things like opiated cannabis can be a...surprise.

This is my experience of how this works, based on many sufferers, and many doctors.

[gloworm]

look pal im not saying i know anyone whos been told to take dope by their doctor i was replying to someone who said she knows of doctors who have said "find yourself a dealer".

As someone whos worked for quite a time voluntarily with addicts/homeless and who has in the past had serious problems associated with drugs myself i think im probably more entitled to talk about this then someone whos obviously lived the cosy (good name their cose) little middle class life i suspect you have...

[Phanerothyme]

Gloworm, your opinion is as valid as anyone else's on here.

 

You are not entitled to talk about this any more than anyone else, even if you are Keith Richards, Mother Theresa and Princess Di all rolled into one.

 

Cosywolf should perhaps been directing her comments at Moon Maided who first ventured the info that GPs sometimes advise patients to try cannabis.

 

But that is no reason to try and imply she knows nothing about the subject. I suspect (after reading her many posts on the subject (Cosy is a her isn't she, I'm not imagining this?)) that she knows a considerable amount.

 

GPs are not ignorant of the effects and side effects of cannabis. My mums consultant has said to my mum that she might like to use it to suppress nausea and stimulate the appetite. Also she finds it a useful analgesic in addition to morphine.

 

I think what this discussion shows, if anything, is that not only does Cannabis have many varied medical uses, in its plant form, but it can also be enjoyed moderately by recreational users.

 

The fact that you have had a bad time with some drugs really only serves to highlight the fact that some of us are not really suited to take mind altering drugs as they seem to have a mostly negative effect or create destructive habitual behaviour. This is not true of all drug users, only some drug users.

 

So far only 10% of voters opposed to legalisation...

 

[edit spelling punctuation etc]

[cosywolf]

I'm a she:wave:

Sorry Gloworm if I got my threads mixed up. All the quotey things are looking a bit messy and untranslatable. I tried to follow the thread back to it's original source, but must have got stuck in the maze . Apologies for misrepresentation.

Middle class stuff: see 'inverted snobbery' link.

My own experiences? Safer if you don't make assumptions really.

[gloworm]

werent assumptions being made when you said i didnt know anything about (proper as in clinical) depression?

 

what i have said is that im as libertarian as the next person about what responsible adults do with their own bodies. What I am opposed to however is the kind of talk that sends out positive messages about drugs while brushing under the carpets all the negative issues.

Leeds NA (NA being as you probably know not restricted to heroin) run a stall (I'm not sure Sheffield NA have one at present) which travels round trying to spread their message and which provides plenty of examples of personal testimonies of people who became effected negatively.