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.

[KTBleeding]

Originally Posted by lasto

You need to get a new book and study more.

How so? I ask because what you just posted is pretty much exactly what I have stated.. It's not good for you, and if consumed heavily there can be long term negative effects.

Paranoia, anxiety, panic, fear.. sure, those are all common side effects of a new smoker. The side effects pass, and they certainly don't become permanent. Just like alcohol.. I don't know about anyone else, but when I first started drinking.. I was very paranoid. I still do get paranoia, but for the most part, it has passed.

The "tar" that your quote speaks of is resin and it's... true. When Resin is smoked, it's usually when the smoker is in a desperate state of mind.. which isn't responsible to me, and that's something that I personally don't agree with. From my experience, the desperate smokers are the ones who get called "addicted".. the ones who seem unable to function without it. Addicted or not, they're uncommon too.. compared to say, alcoholics, pill poppers, etc.

Again, I'm not saying it's good for you.. but look at what else is out there that IS legal. Cannabis is just constantly slandered by silly rumors that have spread about to put fear into society.. "It's a gateway drug, it's addictive, etc" (which are both arguable), where as some of the most addicting drugs out there are perfectly legal.. Guess what is 100 times harder on your body, 100 times more addictive, and 100 times more of a gateway drug for Americans? Medical prescribed pain killers.

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Originally Posted by lasto

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

For real? You haven't heard of the millions of people who currently suffer, or have died suffering from second hand smoke? Babies born addicted to nicotine, not fully developed, asthma, lung cancer, etc etc.

So a guy smokes a bowl before he commits a crime, and now that's WHY he did it.. Guess how many people smoked a cigarette before committing murder. I'll guarantee far more.. but I wouldn't blame the cigarette, just as I don't blame cannabis. I blame the person.. there's obviously far more mental issues going on in their head than most people could even fathom.

[lasto]

But the difference is,the person does`nt say `well i killed them because i was under the influence of a benson and hedges cigarette` do they ?

You can legally Drive while smoking a cigarette,the same cant be said for smoking a reef - wonder why that is.

[UKBusinessLive]

Originally Posted by lasto

But the difference is,the person does`nt say `well i killed them because i was under the influence of a benson and hedges cigarette` do they ?

You can legally Drive while smoking a cigarette,the same cant be said for smoking a reef - wonder why that is.

I agree with you Lasto, The Police in the UK take just as serious a people driving under the influance of drugs as they do alcohol, Great thing about cannabis is that it stinks and you can smell it a mile away.

The Mental Health Issue is also a worrying fact, especially since its been proved in the UK that Cannabis is responsible for a good majority of people that have mental health issues and have are still are smokers of cannabis.

Just like alcoholics, they will never admit to having a habit or a problem to them everyone else is at fault not them. Like you lasto, I know people whose lives have been changed by cannabis, One was a good school friend of mine that now i want nothing to do with him, He stole from his grandmother to fund his habit and spend a good portion of the earlly 1990's in and out of prison for such petty things. Such a shame

[KTBleeding]

Originally Posted by lasto

But the difference is,the person does`nt say `well i killed them because i was under the influence of a benson and hedges cigarette` do they ?

You can legally Drive while smoking a cigarette,the same cant be said for smoking a reef - wonder why that is.

You shouldn't drive under the influence. Ever. That's not using it responsibly. Same exact thing with alcohol. There's absolutely no justification for it, ever.

You're entitled to your opinion, and I respect it as yours. I am able to see the millions of lives lost due to commercial cigarette smoke as apposed to the amount of deaths caused by marijuana. I am able to see the millions of lives lost due to drunk drivers as apposed to marijuana. That's what I'm trying to get across as my point.. It's pretty harmless.. when compared to what else is out there, and I think that we should be putting our time and money into something that is a much larger concern to human life.

I would vote to legalize cannabis, and make tobacco illegal. 100%. In a heart beat. No second thoughts. I believe that far less lives would be taken, even considering that not everyone will use it responsibly.

Cannabis smoke should not be legal publicly, and neither should tobacco smoke. People should absolutely not be allowed to smoke in front of their children. That makes me so sick to my stomach, I can't even imagine what is going through their heads when they do it.

[Magnumutz]

Originally Posted by Marco van Herwaarden

It would make more sense to ban alcohol then to ban marihuana.

Amen to that!

[towermatt]

See...people discuss it all the time. Hence this thread.

I feel like the discussion is going to happen no matter what. As a reporter said about Michael Phelps on the TV today...

"if you have never taken a huge bong yourself, you know someone who has"

I'm glad the laws are getting softer in the US...rec pot smokers should not be filling our jails imo.

[KevinL]

It really shouldn't be illegal. I don't smoke it anymore...but I see no real issue with it being controlled..

[Magnumutz]

Originally Posted by towermatt

See...people discuss it all the time. Hence this thread.

I feel like the discussion is going to happen no matter what. As a reporter said about Michael Phelps on the TV today...

"if you have never taken a huge bong yourself, you know someone who has"

I'm glad the laws are getting softer in the US...rec pot smokers should not be filling our jails imo.

Even the Shark smokes pot... why should it be illegal?
Ban pot = ban cigars/cigarettes = ban booze = ban part of fun?


P.S.: I don't smoke cigars/cigarettes.

[Alfa1]

The Netherlands has a much lower prevalence of drug use, than restrictive countries.