The funny thing about is that the police have already said that the reclassification won't alter the confiscate-and-slap-on-the-wrist approach they've taken since it was originally downgraded to class C a few years back. And that the government's own Misuse of Drugs advisory panel recommended it should remain class C and that there is no medical case to the contrary - in reality, the number of schizophrenia cases referred by doctors in the UK has decreased rather than increased over the past 10 years, as has the proportion of teenagers who smoke it.

It's just one part of a transparent policy grab by a beleagured and terminally wounded government desperate to curry favour with the all-important electoral demographic of concerned Daily Mail-reading Middle-England parents.

But don't let reality puncture these anecdotal tales of idiots turning into tree-stumps now, will ya...

a) thank you for your sympathy, its amazing how many people think cannabis consumers are akin to crackheads and heroin addicts.

b) in the united states upwards of 50% of all homicides have alcohol in some way involved. further, a significant proportion of traffic fatalities are also alcohol related. on other words, it is clear that at least in america alcohol is definitely a police problem however, I must say,

"no! I dont believe in the police, when police brutality isn't a dream.."

and further..

"i'd throw a molotov cocktail at the precinct , you know how we think.."

Heh. Ya must've read my mind as I was typing my above response ;)

choose yr death!


sonic life!

I don't care for the ill-informed horse dookey that is the drug "policy" in the UK, but I do believe that cannabis can certainly have a very strong negative effects on those predicated towards mental health issues, and with the strains of skunk that are present in the UK at present, this can cause serious damage to those with MH issues. I speak from personal experience, and so can't honestly recommend a "legalise cannabis" position personally - sorry...

they would have been dead mental cases anyway. you don't have any proof it was cannabis. it could have been toxins in the cannabis. have you seen the pipe screens they're selling now? They vaporize after a few uses. I believe its a form of chemical warfare against the cannabis using population, and then when users get weird cancers and toxicity problems the Spectacle will claim its the cannabis and not the real issue. there's actually research showing some schizophrenics have been helped by using cannabis. Perhaps more useful to preventing your friends mental illness would be living in a scoiety a society that doesn't rape and kill and pimp children and then celebrate it as a victory. Funny 50 thousand people a year die in auto accidents while no one dies from cannabis but there's no call to ban vehicles.

get off your high horse and bake me meatloaf.

A rather insensitive and bigoted view of those with MH problems, my good person. Could you please explain why those with MH issues should be treated so dismissively? This is a serious question to you, so please don't respond with an ad hominem attack.

Well, I really couldn't care less if someone smokes it unless it affects their personality. But smoking it all the time can't be good for you, too much of anything is bad for you really.

All the legislators currently opposed to legalizing marijuana should try smoking it twice. Not once, because usually the first time is just confusing. The second time, it's like, "Oh, I get it."

And then of course afterwards you forget exactly why you "got it" or what "it" was that you "got," but at least you're feeling more inclined to the notion there is something of value to "get," if you know what I mean.

I beg your pardon? Could you please point me in the direction of this research?

http://www.drugpolicy.org/docUploads...herapeutic.pdf [from the UK no less!]

http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retri...06322304013101
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/conten...00004/art00008

Instead of strengething the laws they should provide more information and educate the audience more.
Bla bla bla

they should just let everyone chill.

Thanks for the links. The Lancet article definitely does not advocate cannabis as being condusive as being helpful with schizophrenia, and the "Elsevier" test is wildy inconclusive - it can/can't help, or be positive/negative with those with SZ patients. The third link seems to not work, alas.

Once again, I feel that cannabis (especially the modified-for-high-THC-content type) is NOT positive for schizophrenia, or for those with mental health problems.

ok, but i'm not pro-weed, i'm anti-weed... i'm for its legalization, but i don't think people should smoke it chronically, just as they shouldn't drink or smoke cigarettes in excess.

I think as long as you are not actively hurting someone else, you as a HUMAN BEING, have the right to do what you want when you want, regrdless of the outcome on YOU. you are free to hurt yourself, make yourself sick, run stupid risks to entertain yoruself, and imbibe as many and all drugs as you feel like imbibing. any trouble you get into you brought on yourself. that is being an ADULT.
too many cry baby druggies have fucked it all up.

It is called LIBERTY

I agree with !@#$% on this one.

People should have the choice to do what they want. Using the grounds that weed can cause schizophrenia is stupid unless you go after cigarettes, alcohol, and junk food all at the same time because they too cause illness, and pose a public safety hazard (second hand smoke, domestic violence/drunk driving, and ugly fat asses, respectively). Harsher punishment will in no way prevent people from developing schizophrenia either.

If you even wanted to bring that up, it should be when there is some legislation that is there to educate about the schizo-cases/marijuana risks.

any study worth its salt would be based on a double-blind experiment where neither researcher nor subject knows if the subject was given a placebo. only then can you prove the substance to have a real effect.

so if the placebo doesn't cause paranoia and the synthetic thc does, well, it is what it is, and tough titty, no amount of denial is going to change that.

fine. so one of the 300 compounds in marijuana makes you paranoid. check.

similarly, there are hundreds of compounds in beer but one of them (alcohol) makes you plastered. what's so hard about that?

yes but you're a CRAAAAASSSSSSSSSY pothead!

crrrrAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSsssssyyyy!!!

I like when Atari is here there is always drama.

It's an endless discussion...

he just can't stand it when someone points out he's spewing fritterbrained ideas

I also like how he deletes his posts.

Whew!!!

I think I need a joint after reading all this....

I reckon dope's fifth in line of 'drugs that are fucking up our society'. Yeah, okay - something must be done about the availability of that super-skunky mutant shit, but geez - I don't fear cannabis (or people who use it) as much as people who abuse alcohol or heroin or crystal meth.

But hey - be smart, be well-informed and be objective. That's all anyone can ask in drugs debate...

well, it would be weird to ban glue and airconditioner gas, just because it can alter your perception and make you high, wouldn't it?
the only thing you can do with pot is to smoke it.
just sayin'.

nothing should be done about that super skunky mutant shit...

that shit is AWESOME!

He can't stand it being called out for talking shit, therefore he gets his claws out and becomes all aggressive and he gets personal (pfft) with people. Tough shit, this is the internet, cruelty is acceptable.

Some of you guys always try to one-up on whatever atari or others post, and it gets tiring.
Carry on dreaming, know-it-alls.

Not really. He's the one who makes it a habit to go on the internet to insult or offend people who disagree with him, therefore I am sure the dreaming would be shattered by the sudden realization that he talks a lot of crap just like a lot of other people, wether it's written in correct english or not.

this place on most days does seem like those blazing rows you see people having in the street were the person who thinks they are right is the one who shouts their version of events louder than the other.

on the subject in hand, i dont really see what re classifying it will do, people will smoke it no matter what. all it will do is fill up police cells etc. as far as the links between drugs and mental illness, i think that there might be some case there as i have known a few people who did go very mad due to drugs but then again there may have also been other contributing factors which leads me to think that there needs to be more studies into said topic.

he's an ex-genius, and gets extra sensitive about being wrong

wow, his thread has turned nasty.

ha ha ha-- nobody said stop it.

i can vouch for myself, i was having a good laugh in this silly episode-- and i suspect synth & porky too.

we're not the ones who said "oh, stop or i'll put you on ignore" when someone disagreed with us, did we?

anyway, nothing wrong with a little conflict-- it helps to clarify things.

ha ha ha-- you're a total sweetie. but i'm married you know :D

Indeed.