Weed - should it be legal?

[i-need-a-martini]

Uruguay has just changed its legislation and is now the first country in the wrold to sanction the growing, selling and smoking of marijuana.

They have done it to put the illegal drug trade and drug traffikers out of business.

Personally I think it makes sense. If nicotine is legal than there is very little difference between the 2.

Your thoughts?

http://www.smh.com.au/world/uruguay-becomes-first-country-to-legalise-marijuana-trade-20131211-hv59x...

[acacia_pycnantha]

"One strange guy" . . . and how many strange guys did you see who had bolied their brains in alcohol?

Many drivers of hoon-style V8 rev-mobiles started off on VW beetles. What's your point?

[acacia_pycnantha]

But if pot were legal, there would be less incentive for people to gravitate to harder drugs when their drug dealer tells them "I have no pot today, but here, try this funny white powder".

[colic2bullsgirlore]

mummys little helper

 

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/06/16/1055615705787.html

"So he gave me the pills and I'd have a quarter here and a quarter there, all my friends did, and we felt marvellous and just floated through our lives."

 

When Bev's husband died, she was prescribed more Valium to help her deal with her grief as well as the sleeping tablet Mogadon.

 

The drugs worked for a time, making her almost light-hearted in her despair. But then she had her first panic attack. From there she became agoraphobic, suffered terrible headaches and mysterious cramps,  and ended up in hospital sedated on another tranquilliser.

 

"I realise now of course that I was causing withdrawal because I was increasing and decreasing my dose but at the time I thought I was mad."

 

Finally, Bev decided to get off the drugs altogether, although she describes coming off that last tab of� Valium as a nightmare.

 

"It took months and months and my doctor actually said to me 'You'll never come off those pills, you've been on them too long', but I did."

 

Ask anyone to describe a typical Australian drug addict and almost without exception they will get it wrong.

 

Forget the sad, emaciated, usually young heroin addicts or stumbling, brain-damaged alcoholics.

 

 

Instead, picture your neighbour, your child's school teacher, your mother, or more likely, your grandmother.

 

These addicts score regularly, but legally, across their local pharmacy counter and most have no idea they have a drug problem.

When Bev's husband died, she was prescribed more Valium to help her deal with her grief as well as the sleeping tablet Mogadon.

 

The drugs worked for a time, making her almost light-hearted in her despair.

But then she had her first panic attack.

From there she became agoraphobic, suffered terrible headaches and mysterious cramps,  and ended up in hospital sedated on another tranquilliser.

 

"I realise now of course that I was causing withdrawal because

I was increasing and decreasing my dose but at the time I thought I was mad."

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So how would prohibition help the largest and most hidden group of addicts and the addiction that causes more deaths  than all the illicit drugs combioned??

Which is far and away the fastest growing drug abuse epidemic???

ie. those that are addicted to and abuse prescription medicine

(but do not recognize and in fact deny their addiction)

Anybody???

[colic2bullsgirlore]

http://www.news.com.au/national/dan-drugs/story-fndo4eg9-1226500952645

“We reached the stage a few years ago when we started to see more prescription opioids in our centre than heroin,” she said.

“The most common drug is now prescription opiates – that’s a combination of oxycodone and morphine.”

Killer drugs peddled by pensioners

The rate of doctors prescribing the opiate oxycodone soared by 152 per cent between 2002 and 2008, according to recent study in the Medical Journal of Australia. Prescriptions were particularly high for over 60s.

The increase came after the Federal Government removed restrictions on the availability of pharmaceutical opiates more than a decade ago.

Previously the drugs were mostly prescribed to cancer patients or people with serious medical conditions, but leading drug and alcohol specialists say the softening of restrictions has led to the drugs being “overprescribed”.

James Pitts, CEO of drug rehabilitation service Odyssey House says doctor shopping - where patients go from doctor to doctor with their symptoms and sell surplus oxycodone to dealers - has also become a serious issue.

“There’s a big financial incentive in this,” Mr Pitts said. “You can get a prescription of 20 to 30 tablets for about $50 or $70 a piece.”

Medical authorities told the ABC in 2009 that elderly people were selling OxyContin for $100 on the black market.

Professor Richard Mattick from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre said opiate therapy for treatment of

chronic pain was now widespread but was “questionable” largely due to the addictive properties of the drugs.

[colic2bullsgirlore]

A non psychtropic non habit forming alternative to Hillbilly heroin taken orally in liquid form

http://mullawaysmedicalcannabis.com.au/

Data were available for 128 participants. Long term and regular medical cannabis use was frequently reported for multiple medical conditions including chronic pain (57%), depression (56%), arthritis (35%), persistent nausea (27%) and weight loss (26%). Cannabis was perceived to provide "great relief" overall (86%), and substantial relief of specific symptoms such as pain, nausea and insomnia. It was also typically perceived as superior to other medications in terms of undesirable effects, and the extent of relief provided.

However, nearly one half (41%) experienced conditions or symptoms that were not helped by its use. The most prevalent concerns related to its illegality.

Participants reported strong support for their use from clinicians and family.

There was almost universal interest (89%) in participating in a clinical trial of medical cannabis, and strong support (79%) for investigating alternative delivery methods.

Conclusion

Australian medical cannabis users are risking legal ramifications, but consistent with users elsewhere, claim moderate to substantial benefits from its use in the management of their medical condition.

In addition to strong public support, medical cannabis users show strong interest in clinical cannabis research, including the investigation of alternative delivery methods.

[colic2bullsgirlore]

So in my opinion whether a drug is legal or illicit is irrelevant it is still open to abuse.

I think it grossly unfair that those whose choice drug of abuse is illicit are criminalized.

Those that argue that legalizing pot would lead to legalizing heroin have their head in the sand it is already legal

................ much more powerful opiates are already legally obtainable at a shop in your main street, have been

available for years and in fact the legal drug companies have made the drug more accessable by providing it in pill

form

In Ireland prescription pills offences far outstrip those for heroin, cocaine and cannabis. 

Of 1,500 arrests for drug-dealing in Dublin city centre between September and December 2011 just 60 were for selling

drugs such as heroin and cocaine.

• Celebrities who have died of overdose include Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger and Jimi Hendrix.

Recognition, awarenees and education is the key,,, not prohibition

[colic2bullsgirlore]

So what does the ADF say now about the pot schizo link??

Wow.........Exactly the same advice as they give for the alcohol prescription drug link  ie they are all grouped together

under "comorbidity"

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People who have problems with alcohol and other drugs (AOD) may also have mental health issues.

This is called 'dual diagnosis'. It is also sometimes called 'comorbidity', 'comorbid disorders' or 'co-occurring disorders'.

A dual diagnosis could involve misuse of legal drugs (e.g. alcohol or prescription drugs) or illegal drugs (such as cannabis or methamphetamines).

Mental health issues may include conditions such as anxiety, depression or psychosis.

Which comes first: problematic drug use or mental illness?

It can be difficult to tell which comes first as there are many reasons for a dual diagnosis. There may also be other issues that increase the risk, for example:

• A person with a mental illness may use AOD to cope with their symptoms.
• Just like anyone else, they may use AOD out of curiosity, boredom or for social reasons.
• Sometimes AOD may 'trigger' a mental health problem.
• There might be a range of other risk factors (such as family or financial problems) that contribute to both AOD and mental health problems.

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Who would have thought the drugs that a Doctor prescribes can and does trigger mental illness ???

You will not see many legal drug companies doing research into that area.... I wonder why??

[joz*garage]

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@acacia_pycnantha wrote:

But if pot were legal, there would be less incentive for people to gravitate to harder drugs when their drug dealer tells them "I have no pot today, but here, try this funny white powder".

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yep, thats the conculsion ive drawn

pot doesnt neccessarily led to harder drugs or pot addiction doesnt neccessarily progress into harder drugs

people who generally want to get bent will want and use pot, if pot is not freely available they might get tempted into using more harmful addictive carp to get bent

so for that reason alone, legalizing pot.. making it more easily available, would be a postive

this topic has been done to death 

[polksaladallie]

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@paintsew007 wrote:

Also, many hard drug users start off on marihuana......gravitating eventually to heroin and or cocaine.

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And many alcoholics start off on milk.

[imastawka]

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@joz*garage wrote:

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@acacia_pycnantha wrote:

But if pot were legal, there would be less incentive for people to gravitate to harder drugs when their drug dealer tells them "I have no pot today, but here, try this funny white powder".

---

yep, thats the conculsion ive drawn

pot doesnt neccessarily led to harder drugs or pot addiction doesnt neccessarily progress into harder drugs

people who generally want to get bent will want and use pot, if pot is not freely available they might get tempted into using more harmful addictive carp to get bent

so for that reason alone, legalizing pot.. making it more easily available, would be a postive

this topic has been done to death 

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has it ever!  My brain's fried just trying to read all of that. I agree with everything joz

has said above