Cannabis use and mental health

[Tom]

Regular cannabis use can have "real and significant" mental health effects but is unlikely to cause schizophrenia, according to a report from Government drugs advisers published yesterday.

 

The drug can impair psychological and psychomotor performance, cause acute intoxication reactions and lead to relapses of individuals with mental illnesses.

 

Charles Clarke

Charles Clarke proposes to keep cannabis as a Class C drug

 

But the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs said that on current evidence smoking cannabis was likely to increase the chances of developing schizophrenia by just one per cent.

 

The council, which was asked to reconsider the Government's decision to downgrade cannabis from a Class B to a Class C substance, recommended that it should not be reversed.

 

It had been asked by ministers to look afresh at medical evidence suggesting that more powerfully psychoactive varieties of the drug were posing an increased danger to mental health.

 

But the committee concluded: "For individuals, the current evidence suggests, at worst, that using cannabis increases the lifetime risk of developing schizophrenia by one per cent.

 

Some individuals are at higher risk than others for developing schizophrenia from the use of cannabis, but there is currently no means by which these individuals can be identified.

 

"The evidence for the existence of an association between frequency of cannabis use and the development of psychosis is, on the available evidence, weak. The council does not advise the reclassification of cannabis products to Class B; it recommends they remain within Class C.

 

"While cannabis can, unquestionably, produce harms, these are not of the same order as those of substances within Class B."

 

The council said that since it recommended in 2003 that cannabis should be downgraded, "further evidence has emerged about the possible link between the use of cannabis and the subsequent development of psychotic symptoms.

 

"While these studies do not of themselves prove beyond reasonable doubt that such a link exists, the accumulating evidence suggests that there is a causal association.

 

However, the consumption of cannabis is neither a necessary, nor a sufficient, cause for the development of schizophrenia.

 

"In the last year, over three million people appear to have used cannabis but very few will ever develop this distressing and disabling condition. And many people who develop schizophrenia have never consumed cannabis.

 

Based on the available data the use of cannabis makes (at worst) only a small contribution to an individual's risk for developing schizophrenia."

 

However, the council emphasised that cannabis use was harmful - it can also cause bronchitis and cancer - and should be discouraged. To that end, it wanted to see "a sustained education and information strategy" and more research into the links with mental health problems.

 

In the Commons yesterday, Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, confirmed that he proposed to keep cannabis as a Class C drug, which means police generally take a more lenient line with personal possession and penalties are lower.

 

He said guidelines to police setting out the amount of cannabis that would be assumed to be for personal consumption would be lower than the four ounces proposed in a consultation paper last year. Such an amount would be enough to roll about 512 light joints or about 256 strong ones.

 

Mr Clarke said that although he was not proposing to reclassify cannabis, the message had to go out that it was harmful and that "its use can lead to a wide range of physical and psychological hazards".

 

He ordered a review of the classifications system which dates to 1971 and which critics say is confusing and misleading. Mr Clarke also asked the council to look again at the classification of the so-called "date-rape" drugs Rohypnol and GHB, which are currently Class C substances.

 

David Davis, the shadow home secretary, condemned the decision to reclassify cannabis as a confused message that would lead some "to continue thinking cannabis is a safe, 'soft' drug".

 

However, Mark Oaten, the Liberal Democrat spokesman, said: "Charles Clarke is right to base his decision on the best available evidence, and not on hysteria or political pressure. Cannabis is not harmless, but it is less harmful than many other illegal drugs."

 

Author:Telegraph Group Limited.

Date:23/01/2006

Source:Telegraph Group Limited.

Copyright:© Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2006.

 

[Pickle]

, they get a "report from Government drugs advisers" and they want to bitch about it because it didn't turn out the way they wanted.

[dsyfer]

Such an amount would be enough to roll about 512 light joints or about 256 strong ones

:: people gonna be going to their dealers now saying, "I think I'll have an ounce of lights today, yeah trying to cut down"

[naturalmystic]

As long as politics is ever involved itl never change , therel always be some straight ass do gooder calling the shots . Its up to us to free the weed thats being oppressed . Its a known and proven fact that alcohol and pharmecuticals are far more damaging both mentally and physically and socailly than the weed could ever be , but here we are , the holy weeds been crucified condemned . Fukin bastards !!

[Pa-uul]

What does a 1% increase in the chance of getting schizophrenia mean? How could they possibly measure that? In every sample there must be an error; it is surely greater than 1%. Come on, who are they kidding? The truest part is when they say that the evidence showing that schizophrenia is caused is weak. What a bodgy job at an attempted link.

 

How can they conclude that the "available evidence" that greater cannabis use increases the chance of getting schizophrenia "is…weak" but, then suggest that stronger marijuana is more dangerous than weaker marijuana? It either harms you proportionately or it harms you not at all, surely? If the marijuana is stronger people will smoke less of it, anyway. The report says that it gives you bronchitis and cancer. Yeah, everyone knows about the link between those two things. :lame: Just a peppering of miscellaneous ills I suppose. I doubt it would cause much more cancer than smoking the same amount of parsley would. Nope, long term smoking of cannabis needn't be unhealthy. There are healthy amounts of cannabis smoke you can take. At least it doesn't cause emphysema. It's not like tobacco smoke, you know? :hang:

 

In the United Kingdom "Class C" is still illegal. I suppose it really refers to the level of enforcement required of the police. So, this keeps the downgrade from "Class B". Both classes can still have jail time for their punishments, though. Having any law of any classes on the book enables the police to search you, to arrest you, and to do anything at all they feel like doing to you, on their whim.

[WantDaChronic]

What does a 1% increase in the chance of getting schizophrenia mean? How could they possibly measure that? In every sample there must be an error; it is surely greater than 1%. Come on, who are they kidding? The truest part is when they say that the evidence showing that schizophrenia is caused is weak. What a bodgy job at an attempted link.

 

How can they conclude that the "available evidence" that greater cannabis use increases the chance of getting schizophrenia "is…weak" but, then suggest that stronger marijuana is more dangerous than weaker marijuana? It either harms you proportionately or it harms you not at all, surely? If the marijuana is stronger people will smoke less of it, anyway. The report says that it gives you bronchitis and cancer. Yeah, everyone knows about the link between those two things.

 

i'd like to know how they measured that 1% too, sounds suspect to me :scratchin

 

i think the mention of bronchitis and cancer was to instill fear so people would think the stronger the buds, the higher the chance you'll get mentally and physically fucked :thumbdown basically, as its common knowledge that pot smokers get bronchitis and cancer, they'll keep putting the schizophrenia link in the same breath in the hope the public will start thinking that the stronger the buds, the higher the chance of them gettings it :thumbdown