Should I delete Thread?

[lasto]

Originally Posted by KTBleeding

I think it should be legalized.. aside from people being able to smoke it freely as they please (responsibly), the plant itself is arguably just as renewable as corn, if not more. I think it would do wonders for the down economy, it can be put to use as medicine, recreation, fiber, fuel, food (said to be the "new soy"), etc. etc. etc.

You need to get a new book and study more.Cannabis makes people paranoid (not everyone) but it can happen to anyone,regardless of how much they smoked.



Paranoia. Certainly the least pleasant mental effect of cannabis, though it is one you can learn to counter. Partly it comes about through the increase in heart rate (see below), which can cause a feeling of slight panic and dread if you are not used to the sensation. You will be more likely to jump at loud noises or unexpected bodily contact. Busy places can become difficult and confusing (like Amsterdam Central Station, for one). You may feel as if you are being followed or watched. In extreme cases you can really freak out over this: literally everyone will be watching you, and if asked, you can prove it. I am just trying to be as honest as possible. Paranoia is unpleasant, but is just a temporary thing and can be combatted. If affected too badly by it, just remind yourself that it is an effect of the drug and like all the others, will wear off over time. If possible, get yourself somewhere quiet to chill out; solitude is a good way to combat it. Or find something to concentrate on, like a calming or interesting programme on TV, or a piece of favourite music. It's usually better to acknowledge you are a bit freaked out than to try and brazen it out in front of others, which can often only make you more paranoid.

Some research has suggested that cannabis can cause lung cancer in its own right in heavy users, and this is something all users should be aware of. On the other hand, there has as yet been no connection drawn between cannabis use alone and heart disease. Bear in mind though that cannabis does, at least, produce tar when burnt even without tobacco: investigating the barrel of any given cannabis pipe will prove that.

Case Study 1: Thomas Palmer

This habitual cannabis user murdered two school friends with a hunting knife and was jailed for life in March. The case raised concerns about the mental health risks of the drug.

Palmer was 18 when he killed the boys in an "explosion of anger" which left one of them with his head almost severed. During the incident in September 2005, he cut 16-year-old Steven Bayliss's throat and stabbed Nuttawut Nadauld, 14, on a footpath near their home in Finchampstead, Berks.

Palmer admitted killing the two friends but denied murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility, claiming he was in the early stages of schizophrenia. His claims were rejected by a jury at Reading Crown Court, where he was found guilty of murder.

The case heard from Philip Joseph, an expert witness for the prosecution, who said any psychotic symptoms were likely to have been caused by heavy cannabis use.

Although Palmer was not smoking the drug on the day of the killings, he told doctors that he had been using ''skunk'' regularly in the weeks before the killings and that he had attacked the boys when they tried to comfort him as he suffered a serious panic attack. He confessed to prison doctors that he was smoking cannabis daily by the time he was 15.

Case Study 2: Ezekiel Maxwell

A heavy user of powerful ''skunk'' cannabis, Maxwell was 17 when he launched a frenzied attack on Carmelita Tulloch, 51, as she walked to work in Kennington, south London.

In April, Maxwell was made the subject of an indefinite hospital order after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of the grandmother on the grounds of diminished responsibility. Psychiatric reports stated that at the time of the stabbing, in September last year, he was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia which was exacerbated by heavy use of ''skunk''.

After he handed himself in, Maxwell said he had been planning to stab a woman for several days but she had to be ''a black woman".

In a statement to Croydon Crown Court, he said: "I saw a black woman. I think I stabbed her three times to the front of the neck and ran."

His lawyer, David Hislop, said: "The defendant was trawling the streets armed with a kitchen knife, looking for a woman to stab.

"It was Mrs Tulloch's dreadful misfortune that she was the person he had chosen to be his victim. It was savage and brutal and without mercy.''

Maxwell cannot be released without the authority of the Home Secretary or a mental health tribunal.

Ive yet to hear about anyone murdering someone because they where under the influence of a normal Cigarette.