New Australian Anti-Cannabis study and pamphlet

[Bubble Bags Australia]

I saw on the news today they had an interview with this old far named John Herron from the Australian National Council on Drugs. He has written a new booklet on cannabis that "proves" that it has dangerous long term physical and mental health effects and destroys relationships.

 

The booklet can be downloaded at:

http://www.ancd.org.au/

[SukonmiSkunk]

mmmm and with the last name HERRON.. I am sure he has no alteria motives... hey...

 

what a crock....thats like GW putting out a book stating the dangerousness (is that even a word) of biofuel...

 

yeah actually a good read...., still a few things I would say is crap, like I know a lot of pot smokers that dont smoke tabacco... and would NEVER consider mixing pot with tabacco...

but all in all not such a bad read...

 

and I still see no reason for it to be illegal

[Frazz]

On reading the above mentioned pamphlet, i found it to be one of the more accurate papers on cannabis

 

Rather than proving inherent dangers of pot, it gives a balanced summary and even de-bunks many

of the perceived dangers of marijuana which are spread about by politicians on a regular basis

 

[Pa-uul]

Which paper is it specifically -- there are many on the site.

 

It's okay, I found it myself. It's called: Cannabis - Answers to Your Questions

 

The tone of this material is certainly less hysterical than the bigotry-motivated hate-speech we hear all the time from Prime Minister John Howard and Morris Iemma towards cannabis use. I read a lot of stuff in this report from the council I didn't agree on, such as about addiction or driver impairment, however, the tone of the document is disarming. It sounds like it was written by a doctor. When it describes addiction it talks about "tolerance" and "withdrawal" in fairly neutral, clinical terms, which make the drug sound like just one of any number of drugs with such effects, such as tobacco (with its withdrawal/dependency syndrome. I truly believe that such a thing doesn't exist for marijuana.)

 

The document doesn't have the usual hate speech or vitriol we hear from politicians whenever they go on about advocating an increase in the penalties, which is a very hateful thing to do – put someone in jail for it. Family First have it as their written policy that marijuana is public enemy number one. They explicitly denounce a harm-reduction policy when it comes to dealing with illicit substances, which is political pseudo-speak for: "put them in jail" in their policy which is titled: "Illegal Drugs including Marijuana" . What a farce. (They will be the first against the wall when the revolution comes .)

 

To be honest, I don't care what they say about its properties as long they stop saying that its users should be punished or coerced in any way.

[nugget]

Quite an interesting read, it definitely didnt have an anti-cannabis angle to it from my judgement.

 

Here is a direct link to the file if anyone likes:

 

RIGHT-CLICK > SAVE AS

 

[buggz]

I really liked reading the new pamplet !!!

 

when they present it in such an unbiased way you know that you are getting the real deal from the medical community instead of scare campaigns like www.freevibe.com

 

I was especially impressed how they wrote the cannabis and driving section

[naturalmystic]

Interesting read , cant help wondering whats its purpose?? we dont need to cross examine our own states of mind like am i sane yep ok thats good il check again in 6 months time to make sure as far as pots concerned im sure where all well aware of its health affects , i smoke pot yeh but i wont touch greasy food or maccas unless im on the road and desperate , i dont take panadol cause thats bad for me , but i smoke pot .

 

I like what it said about how the 30 fold increase in thc was arguable at best , where do all the great strains of today come from anyway ?? afgani and stheast asian strains that were smoked long before blue berry delights was in vogue . Id like to see a cannabis study on the positive health uses and effects , in the short time ive been a member on this site ive seen obvious evidence that its used by people with chronic pain and illnesses where other drugs havnt worked or just dont come close , i myself use it for chronic pain . The point is if you walk out your front door in a major capital city your bombarded with toxic fumes , greasy food, ciggerette smoke, stress, roadragers ,hong kong fucking flues , i can ramble on and on but the funny thing is is that cannabis is probably the best defence against all these things and the best way to stay sane , without id be in a loonie bin

[Tom]

Alarm over cannabis use

 

ONE-THIRD of Australians have used cannabis and nearly 300,000 people are using it on a daily basis, the national drug council says.

 

Concerned by misinformation about cannabis and its reputation as a soft drug, the Australian National Council on Drugs yesterday launched a new booklet to educate users and their families.

 

The council said the booklet, Cannabis - Answers to Your Questions , provided hard facts about the drug from more than 700 recent studies.

 

The most serious problem was the 295,200 people who smoked cannabis every day, ANCD chief executive Gino Vumbaca said. "When people talk about links to mental health problems and other problems, they are talking about people who smoke daily," he said.

 

"What we're seeing in studies is that those who use it long-term seem more likely to suffer high levels of anxiety, depression and mental illness."

 

The booklet was available through the ANCD and could be downloaded from their website, www.ancd.org.au

 

Author:NICK RALSTON

Date:06may06

Source:Advertiser Newspapers Pty Limited

Copyright:Advertiser Newspapers Pty Limited

 

The most serious problem was the 295,200 people who smoked cannabis every day,

I think that they are playing down those figures a bit, the truth would probably show how much of a failure prohibition really is, mj is about lifestyles and medicine and it is only a "most serious problem" because our lawmakers have made it so.

 

The council said the booklet, Cannabis - Answers to Your Questions , provided hard facts about the drug from more than 700 recent studies.

Yeah, probably part of a kit downloaded from the DEA site.

 

[Tom]

Transcript

 

This is a transcript from PM. The program is broadcast around Australia at 5:10pm on Radio National and 6:10pm on ABC Local Radio.

 

Evidence cannabis use more harmful than thought

 

PM - Friday, 5 May , 2006 18:32:00

Reporter: Jean Kennedy

 

 

MARK COLVIN: Marijuana has been dismissed for a long time as a "soft" drug, compared with the likes of heroin or speed. But more evidence is coming to light of the harm, both mental and physical, that cannabis can cause, especially with long-term use.

 

Now the National Council on Drugs has put together a handbook about cannabis. It might come in handy for someone you know, given the estimates that close to 300,000 Australians smoke pot every day.

 

Jean Kennedy has been talking to the experts, and filed this report for PM.

 

SALLY: You can see your life slipping away. It just has a hold of you in such a way where you just can't stop it and it just robs you of everything as well as yourself.

 

JEAN KENNEDY: Sally has been a marijuana smoker, or more accurately an addict, for more than half of her 46 years.

 

SALLY: I first got introduced to cannabis when I was in my early 20s. I was about 22-23 and the first time I tried it was just a joint and I can just remember the very first time I tried cannabis the way it made me feel. It just gave me a relaxed, mellow feeling and I thought this is okay. I couldn't see it as a harmful drug.

 

JEAN KENNEDY: But before long she was hooked and smoking a large amount of cannabis daily.

 

SALLY: I liked the sound the smell and everything of the bong and that was the way I took it.

 

JEAN KENNEDY: So how quickly did you become dependent on it and how heavily dependent do you think you were?

 

SALLY: I'd say instantly because growing up I never, ever felt like a part of society. I had drug and alcohol parents. I wasn't raised up by them and I just felt like I didn't fit in anywhere, even at school, and I didn't like myself very much at all and once I started smoking pot it just made me feel like I belonged somewhere.

 

JEAN KENNEDY: According to the National Council on Drugs, around 300,000 Australians use cannabis every day and just shy of two million have smoked it in the last year alone. It's one of many facts about the drug which might surprise you.

 

The Council's Professor Margaret Hamilton says there's a lot of misinformation about cannabis use which needs to be cleared up.

 

MARGARET HAMILTON: One of the misconceptions is that it's harmless. Another misconception is at the other end of that spectrum, which is that it causes schizophrenia. Another misconception is that it's very different now to what it used to be in the 60s, 70s and 80s. All of those have aspects of them that have truth but on their own are not truthful.

 

JEAN KENNEDY: If we can just run through some of those issues, is it an addictive drug?

 

MARGARET HAMILTON: It certainly is and that's one of the reasons that people like to use it because it does actually influence how we think, how we feel and how we behave.

 

JEAN KENNEDY: Is it psychologically addictive or physically addictive, or both?

 

MARGARET HAMILTON: It's both, so people develop a dependency syndrome on it, particularly psychological and they find themselves needing it and then not able to do their daily, usual activities.

 

JEAN KENNEDY: Well what sort of harm is it causing? How dangerous a drug is it in your opinion?

 

MARGARET HAMILTON: Some people, even at early use, can get into trouble with it on an acute basis. So, it certainly is associated with an increased likelihood of mental health problems, especially anxiety and depression. Those are the two common conditions that are most associated with its use.

 

For a very small proportion of people who may have a predisposition to a psychotic illness, such as schizophrenia, it may well be that it triggers the appearance of that psychosis.

 

JEAN KENNEDY: But she says that while people who use cannabis now use more than they used to, overall cannabis use in Australia is actually decreasing.

 

It's a fact that the Prime Minister John Howard highlighted yesterday, while suggesting that the Australian community has come to back the Government's tough-on-drugs policy, and its principle of zero tolerance.

 

But the Council says there needs to be more emphasis on diverting addicts into education and treatment.

 

Like Sally, 34-year-old Gary has been taking part in a rehabilitation program at the WHO's clinic in inner Sydney, which stands for "We Help Ourselves".

 

It's not the first time either of them have been through the process.

 

Gary says he started smoking dope from the age of 14 but became increasingly addicted. For the past 15 years he's been heavily addicted and feels life has just passed him by.

 

GARY: The insidious and nasty thing about cannabis use is that it's got such a soft, harmless reputation and it takes a long, long time for people to get, for people to become aware.

 

JEAN KENNEDY: How dangerous a drug do you think it is?

 

GARY: Very dangerous and it's reputation for being soft and harmless makes it so dangerous.

 

MARK COLVIN: Cannabis user Gary ending Jean Kennedy's report.

 

Sounds like a well scripted "interview" to me.

 

[tony2wheelsgood]

JEAN KENNEDY: How dangerous a drug do you think it is?

 

GARY: Very dangerous and it's reputation for being soft and harmless makes it so dangerous.

 

 

i read the report (took a while) and it didn't say anything like that to me. all the usual spin was put down as unproven or anecdotal. no truth that it's getting stronger. no definite evidence of causing mental illness and some interesting comparisons to alcohol.

as usual, the politicians and the news media will take selective quotes to "prove" what we all suspect is bollox.

 

i'm expecting john howard to resurrect the old stories of "gateway drug" and ronny regans favourite "brain damage" theory soon.

"just say yes - 300,000 australians can't be wrong."

 

the only people suffering harm from cannabis are the booze and pharmaceutical industries and their shareholders. bless 'em. let's get it legalised and stuff the petrochem, lumber, & cotton industries too.

Edited May 7, 2006 by tony2wheelsgood