Cannabis 'could kill 30,000 a year'

[christian@hanfjournal]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,...,947688,00.html

 

Cannabis 'could kill 30,000 a year'

 

James Meikle, health correspondent

Friday May 2, 2003

The Guardian

 

Thirty thousand Britons a year might eventually die from cannabis

smoking, doctors claimed last night.

 

They called for a battle against the drug to mirror that belatedly waged

against tobacco, saying that it too could soon pose a major public

health hazard.

 

Their warning, made in an editorial in the British Medical Journal, is

the most high-profile attempt yet to alert authorities to public health

difficulties that might result from an apparently more liberal attitude

to the drug.

 

The authors, from Imperial College London and St Mary's hospital,

London, argued that 120,000 deaths are caused among 13 million tobacco

smokers each year, from cancers, respiratory disorders and heart and

lung disease. If the health effects were the same, the corresponding

figure from 3.2 million cannabis smokers would be 30,000.

 

They conceded their extrapolation could be seen as scaremongering, but

Professor John Henry, one of the authors, said the real message was that

medical authorities must not be caught like they were by the results of

tobacco consumption, which took 50 years of research before any

concerted fightback started.

 

"Even if the number of deaths attributable to cannabis smoking turned

out to be a fraction of the 30,000 we believe could be possible,

cannabis smoking would still be described as a major health hazard. If

we also add in the likely mental health burden to that of medical

illness and premature death, the potential effects of cannabis cannot be

ignored."

 

Dr William Oldfield, a senior registrar at the hospital, said cannabis

and nicotine had very different modes of inhalation, with cannabis

smokers taking in larger volumes and holding smoke down far longer.

"These could all contribute to illnesses of the heart and respiratory

system, particularly as the chemicals in cannabis smoke are retained to

a much higher degree."

 

The doctors argued that the level of active ingredient known as THC was

much higher than 20 years ago. It had a marked effect on heart and blood

vessels and sudden deaths had been attributed to cannabis smoking.

 

Cannabis-based prescription medicines, in spray or lozenge form, are

expected on the market soon, but there have been a number of warnings

recently that many Britons do not understand the risks from cannabis.

The British Lung Foundation for instance said three joints a day might

do as much damage as 20 cigarettes.

 

But there has been scepticism at such claims, including among

anti-smoking campaigners. They say, for instance, that tobacco users

tend to carry on smoking for far longer, whereas cannabis appears far

less addictive.

 

They also question the 3.2 million figure for cannabis use. This is the

estimate for people who have used it in the last year. Regular use would

be far smaller.

 

source

[budsta]

Maybe it's not the cannabis but the shit they mix it with...

 

The quality of hash in the UK is fuckin abismal. The majority of hash sold in the UK is unsaleable anywhere else in Europe. The Britts are renowned for smoking the shittiest hash. The 'puck' Morocan used to have visible lumps of plastic in it & some of the 'Paki' black was really inferior.

 

I grew up in the UK & remember when the pot was good - but in the 80's the good Lebanese stuff disappeared (about the same time as they stopped supplying arms to the Lebanon). We used to get stuff like Nepalese temple balls & Thai sticks but that stopped. All that came in was low commercial grade deisel tasting Morocan's & crap squidgy black which replaced all the decent stuff unless you were really lucky. The imporers got very gready & started re-pressing soap bars & not even taking off the celaphane before remixing hence lumps of plastic in it.

 

This is probably the reason that the Britts are dropping of lung cancer as they smoke henna & plastic & fuck knows what else in their dope.

 

Grow your own & at least ya know what's in it!!!

 

Just my thoughts...

 

Regs,

 

Budsta

Edited May 2, 2003 by budsta