Where there's smoke - there's propaganda

[mull]

Bravo DownUnderDoper, nice work mate!

[bufo marinus]

Found that Qld Gov discussion paper, I'll start another thread and post a few items,... it was from 1993

[mull]

Ok swallowed it all and it's what I first thought, a grab for funding; also a fleeting attempt to show something for the funds already granted and spent on this.

 

Yeah its a worry Fraz eh. Guess we just have to watch and wait as they 'blame shift' mental illness toward cannabis and increase penalties for cultivation/ possession - nationally.

 

But the plant has trichomes of mass destruction... theyre on it someplace....

 

 

 

 

"(page 11)

11. Communication messages must:

• Recognise that cannabis has been used by a majority of Australians at some point in their life, without longterm

adverse effect

• Accurately reflect the state of knowledge about the relationship between cannabis use and different mental

illnesses including that:

a. Cannabis use increases young people’s risk of mental illness, particularly those with a family history of

psychosis

b. Cannabis makes almost any mental illness worse

c. Cannabis use is associated with other adverse outcomes"

 

 

I guess the idea of these reports is that no one reads them except the board/s making decisions.. 'b' is unfounded, unprovable and not even statistically sound as a statement. Hence it is propaganda.

 

Telling people this statement will add anxiety to whatever reason they seek help from cannabis for. Also adds distrust, for when good quality cannabis taken via a healthy method it is found to aid all symptoms of most mental illness. Oops, it also saves money on pills, pdocs, psycs, and social workers.

 

"1 . That programs be funded and promoted to develop the competence and capacity of GPs to undertake brief and

effective screening and other interventions for problematic cannabis and other drug use. Programs that support

GPs undertaking collaborative care with specialist mental health and alcohol and other drug professionals should

also be promoted."

 

 

Anybody up for some random drug testing?

 

 

"(page 25)• There is still doubt that cannabis causes schizophrenia that would not otherwise have occurred in its

absence, as rates of schizophrenia appear to have remained stable or decreased, despite substantial

increases in cannabis use over the past few decades."

 

 

 

"(page 35)• Young people with relatives with psychosis

Quite a lot is known about the relationship between cannabis and psychosis. It is clearest that young people with

psychosis or a first-degree relative with psychosis are at highest risk of experiencing psychotic symptoms after

using cannabis. Hall ( 004) argues that these people should be advised to avoid using cannabis as well as other

psychosis-inducing drugs, including alcohol and stimulants (e.g. amphetamines)."

 

add nicotine and caffiene but there you go.. the link is, there is no plant of mass destruction!

 

 

Go for the funds COAGulators!

[Jess Stone]

Here's a propaganda "gem" from the "dimwits" at "the Standard" Fairfax country press out of Warrnambool ,Victoria.....

 

Addicts under threat: mother

DRUG dealers are threatening to kneecap young addicts in Warrnambool who want to turn their back on their habit.

 

A lack of entertainment in country areas and parents turning a blind eye to under-age drinking may sound like minor problems, but the mother of a drug addict believed they were symptoms of greater struggles ahead.

 

The Warrnambool woman said drug dealers had threatened to kneecap her son for attempting to turn his back on his habit.

 

Often dealers arrived on the doorstep of an addict the day they got out of jail or hospital wanting to sell drugs, the woman, who did not want to be identified, said.

 

She pleaded for people who saw or had any information to contact CrimeStoppers because it could save a life and possibly the next generation.

`I read about under-age drinking and people say it does not matter, but they don't see the long-term consequences,'' she told The Standard.

 

``They start drinking at 12 or 13 and parents turn a blind eye to the drinking and soon it doesn't satisfy them and not before long they start using other things.

 

``Dealers need a constant stream of people.''

 

She said her son began drinking and using cannabis when he was about 15.

 

He was now 25 and suffering from mental illness and unable to have a long-term relationship, his mother said.

 

``It's just such a tragedy because he had the potential, was bright and very likeable and could have gone far but now it is all wasted,'' she said.

 

``People have to act as a collective ... and call CrimeStoppers and something will be done.

 

``It's not the users the police are after it's the dealers and we don't want another generation of young kids going to waste because they can't work and have mental health issues because of drug use.''

 

She said there were services for addicts, but often it took a while for people to realise they had a problem.

 

She there were no services specifically for the parents of addicts.

 

``You are looked down upon even though you are a law-abiding citizen and it is through no fault of your own that you have a bad name.''

 

Acting Sergeant Stuart Poulton, of Warrnambool police, said he had not heard of threats of bodily harm.

 

``If people are being threatened they need to come forward to the police,'' Acting Sergeant Poulton said.

 

Hahaha, what a gem ,I think SARAH SCOPELIANOS and LAURA BANKS the "authors" of this outstanding piece of journalism are,how should I put this ,LIARS,writers of FICTION. There is nothing in this disgusting piece of written diarrhoea to indicate or prove validity for the story,no names,no mention of what their addicted to,the implication that because the net result was "mental disease" is that it is cannabis that was the persons addiction! SHAMEFUL

source the Standard (obviously a very LOW standard of journalism)

[free choice]

hi Friends .. I hate to be a wet blanket here...

but I know people who have suicided ...because pot drove them mad ... & I have friends who ended up freaked out wrecks from heavy pot smoking ... imagining their flatmate was an alien sent to study him ... it's actually tru to say that pot modifies your behaviour & I have seen first hand several friends coming off the stuff having phsychotic episodes... some serious anger management problems & irrational behaviour ...

I smoked pot in my teens .. it freaked me out & gave me a heavy dose of Depression with all the apathy & brain dead symptoms ...

recovery is usually slow ...

why some people don't go off their tree is a mystery to me ...

I know some other folks , who especially when they drink beer & smoke pot , have great big delusions & turn into pariahs , becoming something they would never be if not indulging ..

 

I left off pot for 25 years ... then I got interested in it again with some muso friends ..

I have a fun time but then got a tolerance to it ..

so I puffed away morning noon & night ... when it tripped more psychotic episodes & total nervous breakdown ...no shit .. I do not lie.. I ended up in the emeregency ward seriously delerious & afraid for my life ..

it took me 6 months to get out of the mental fog ...

2 years later I was bouyant & postiive about life & a go ahead person again ..

then I though .. what teh hey .. lets see if it fucks my head up again .. yep .. I started sliding back into phsychosis & mental illness again .. only after 5 weeks .. then I quit it again ..

now after 4 weeks off . I'm feeling at peace & stable again ...

 

now , I'm one of thsoe folks who is suseptable to illness on this stuff... & I have to learn to use it moderately or not at all...

that's been the hardest lesson .. I love the aroma .. I like the buzz ..

but the payback of recovery is just too much punishing head mess to deal with ..

the key to pot use is moderation .. & for me .. once a week or not at all...

this is the honest truth folks .. pot has a wonderful euphoric & relaxing effect especially the creative mind expansion I get from it .. .. but the withdrawal is awful .. & because it messes with your own mind , it's with you 24 / 7 impossible to escape from ..

untill you detox..

I've had , paranoia , anxiety , & some pretty whacked out ideas on it .. poor sleep & other ailments aches & pains..

but that's just me ..

 

 

 

if you will try to stay off pot for a week .. see what happens. I think you'll find there's truth in what I say here..

 

wish you all safe & happy new year ..

Edited December 29, 2006 by free choice

[Jess Stone]

Hmm, free choice, I thought quite a bit about my answer to your posting, I have smoked for 36 years most of it daily 24/7 and have met a hell of a lot of smokers throughout this period (maybe at least thousands)

 

1]I have never ,ever met any one who claimed cannabis sent them crazy in this time that could prove it ,usually theres other factors, most I have heard this from I have known a long time and guess what ?they were loopy before they ever used pot ,they just didn't realise and maybe pot enlightened them to this fact!

 

2] I have never,ever observed anyone who in my limited ability to estimate mental disorder to have come to the conclusion that one of these multitudes of smokers have been turned crazy from cannabis.

 

3] I have observed some smokers over the years who acted in ways that indicated they were a bit loopy or even stark raving mad however upon talking to these smokers one often finds out interesting facts about their lives that are so traumatic that its not surprising they have gone mad. eg. served in Vietnam

 

4] there is a huge propensity in our flawed society to need to blame others or other things for our behaviours to justify why we acted in certain socially unacceptable ways rather than admitting blame.(think here of the rabbit fucker/killer of Sydney his defense "the cannabis and ice made me fuck and kill rabbits" when the truth is this fuck knew this was unacceptable behaviour but he is a sicko deviant fucker that likes it so when he gets caught he lies to make himself look less of a deviant pervert and create the illusion he was the victim to get less time in gaol which he deserves as he is a sexual deviant of a dangerous type, drugs did not make him do this,he would do it straight ,he likes it thats why he does it)

 

5] our society seems to fear mental disease ,families seem ashamed of family members who are mentally disturbed and want to blame the mental disorder on something ,something inparticular that excludes it being hereditary ,"there's no crazies on my side of the family" and then the other parent/spouse says "well there's no mental illness on my side of the family either ,thank you very much" to the next comment " but what about your old uncle Charlie your family called him crazy Charlie?" the reply " no he just drank to much" etc etc so they look for something to blame but despite the medical fact alcohol is a HUGE factor in mental disease its miraculously morphed into cannabis.

 

6] many people who claim its cannabis are afraid to admit to condemning and critical "loved ones" (eg parents") of their total drug use so admitting to cannabis use is often less traumatic than admitting poly drug or dangerous drug use " hey Mum&Dad I take LSD and mushrooms , speed and XTC , smack and coke,booze and pills but my new found mental disorder that you both deny being genetically resposible for is caused by cannabis which I use to handle coming down off the cocktail smorgasbord of drugs that are powerful individually but that I regularly use in combination but cannabis is usually the last thing I've had before flipping out so it caused it"

 

So you got any other admissions that might be a factor like aspartame addiction or bad divorce or sexually assaulted as a child or other drug use including the legal ones and prescription drugs etc ???

Edited December 29, 2006 by Jess Stone

[bufo marinus]

Thanks to Oz Stoners we can have these discussions

freechoice your views and descriptions of how cannabis affects you are interesting.

Obviously over the years we meet people who don't like cannabis, but most just say 'I don't like it' and that is all we hear.

Your story reminds me of one I heard from a 50 year old ex BIG TIME muso I did a bit of work for recently. This guy had been around

So when the conversation gravitated to cannabis, he like you, said he used to love smoking it up big,... for years, partied like a champion, ran with the best of them, he had cash after all and didn't even need to work any more.

Then mid 40's depression hit big time, and he had to swear off the evil weed as it was sending him crazy.

... thing is though, as he's telling me all this I'm thinking, well yes I know that bar you talk of, it was infamous where I live, drinking till your blind rotten drunk 3-4 nights a week with those rat bags for years on end can't have helped, the ciggies he's chewing through at a staggering rate of knots can't have helped, the fact he is a fat lazy little thing that does nil exercise and has forgotten how to socialise with normal people can't have helped.

But he blamed the cannabis??

So yeah, being an ex party animal myself, I'm always a little sceptical of peoples reasons for their own problems too.

[pipeman]

A lot of people develop mental and social disorders irrespective of their drug use. Since so many people smoke cannabis it stands to reason that a % of us will have some form of disorder. Therefore pointing out examples of pot smokers with mental disorders does not support the idea that one caused the other. You need to look at the % of pot smokers that develop mental disorders and compare that to the % of mental disorders in the population as a whole. And since cannabis is illegal, that comparison is virtually impossible to make accurately. Edited December 29, 2006 by pipeman

[mull]

Great work Jess!

 

“Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is it vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose so let me simply add that it’s my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V.”

 

 

 

 

 

free choice - sorry to hear about your illness mate.

It concerns me to hear it linked to cannabis also.

Do you mind if I ask; have you tried cannabis alone, vaporized?

Do you smoke cannabis with tobacco?

Do you use any other drugs including anti psychotics meds and alcohol, whilst using cannabis?

Do you know the strain you smoke?

Do you grow it yourself?

 

Be well mate

[Jess Stone]

Wow mullaway are you on drugs or something? that was the worst case of alliteration I have seen in quite a while , well done.

So freechoice any Oprah or better still Springer style confessions to tell us?