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Suetaz

Alarm at rising cannabis 'addiction'

Tony Thompson | June 13, 2004 | The Observer

Increasing numbers of people are becoming dependent on cannabis, The Observer has learnt.

Department of Health figures show that drug centres are reporting growing numbers coming to them with problems related to the drug. Nine per cent of all those attending clinics cited cannabis as the main reason they were attending, rather than any of the other drugs they were using, twice as many as a decade ago.

With a separate study by the World Health Organisation showing that one in five 15-year-olds in Britain smokes cannabis - more than twice the world average - there is concern that many are becoming addicted to the drug earlier in life.

Although government experts insist cannabis is non-addictive, there is growing evidence suggesting that regular users of high-strength varieties may develop a chronic dependence.

There is also increasing clinical evidence linking cannabis use to mental illness, particularly schizophrenia, psychosis, anxiety and depression. US research shows that 80 per cent of new cases of psychosis in some hospitals have been triggered by cannabis use.

Someone who starts using cannabis aged 15 is at more than four times the risk of developing schizophrenia over the next 11 years than someone starting smoking the drug at 18. And 18-year-olds who have used cannabis at least 50 times have a seven-fold increased risk of developing psychosis in the next 15 years.

Last month The Priory, one of Britain's leading addiction treat ment centres, responded to an increase in inquiries about cannabis dependency by publishing a new leaflet for users and their relatives.

The group's medical director, Michael Rowlands, said: 'There is no doubt that cannabis is addictive and that we are seeing an increase in dependence, especially among the young and those smoking the stronger varieties of cannabis.

'The reason there is still some debate is that most chemical depen dencies have severe withdrawal symptoms. In cannabis they tend to be quite mild. However, all the other indicators of addictiveness are present.'

Ryan, 19, started smoking cannabis with friends at 14. He quickly became a regular user and now smokes four or five joints every evening, spending £70 a week.

'They say it's not addictive but I don't know about that,' he said. 'At the end of the day I'm clucking for a joint. If that doesn't make me addicted, than what does?

[Suetaznote: The fact that he doesn't want to smoke it all day long and can wait until the end of the day proves he's not addicted.]

'I think if I smoked hash it wouldn't be so bad, but I smoke skunk and that really knocks you out. I'd like to think I could give it up if I wanted to, but the truth is I've never tried and right now I don't want to.

[Suetaznote: Ah, the truth finally comes out. He's never tried to quit and doen't want to. So he likes it, the same as the rest ofcannabis users, they like it! What's wrong with that?]

'I've had to go without it a few times and then I find it almost impossible to go to sleep.'

Research from the US shows that cannabis use is the most common reason for 12- to 17-year-olds to be placed in treatment centres, accounting for 60 per cent of reported cases. It found treatment for cannabis dependence or habitual use among youngsters has risen by 142 per cent in a decade.

[Suetaznote: There lies part of the problem right there, they get their 'facts' from the US.]

Experts in the UK say that, if anything, the situation is even more severe here, because general rates of use are higher.

In January cannabis was downgraded from a Class B to a Class C drug, a move designed to allow police to focus their attention on the trade in heroin and cocaine. Many are concerned this gives young people the impression cannabis is a safe drug and encourages them to experiment.

[Suetaznote: Yes, much better to have them experiment with the legal killer drug alcohol, than to experiment with cannabis that has never killed anyone.]

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Hydrosan

What does? What does? Probably the fact that you mix your skunk with tabacco just like 99.9% of other British Smokers

Lets have the facts straight if we're gonna be producing more ' new leaflets for users and their relatives' Mr. Rowlands eh

Hell yeah, but lets admit that 50% of the smoking material is tabacco, and we already know nicotine is one of THE most addictive substances known to man. If we could pull our collective UK asses out the damn US prohibitionist mentallity, and steer away from their flawed research, we might just be able to EDUCATE our kids about the best ways to consume cannabis without all the nasy shyte assosiated with legal substances like tabacco

How do you go from "experts insist cannabis is non-adictive" to "cannabis MAY cause chronic dependence"? I'll tell you, the experts used cannabis to determine it's level of addictiveness, or lack thereof, and reached a scientific conclusion which can easily be repeated as published, by their scientific peers. The second part is based onassumption, based on hear say, rethoric, and non-scientific analysys of flawed data sets, these assumptions will fail the test of science in any experiment because the assumption is based on a pure cannabis joint, analyze the damn spliff mate, and you will find anywhere from 25% to 50% or more tabacco in a UK joint, which goes a whole lot further if you're trying to prove a link to addiction.

San

xxdr_zombiexx

This is what hapens when people are allowed to get away with using words carelessly.

Addiction is a permanent change in the body's metabolism and chemistry. As in heroin, benzodiazepines, nicotine, and alcohol. Addisction means something very specific.

You are not addicted to chocolate no matter how much you like to say that.

cannabis is NOT addictive.

Dependence is a murkier state, but cannabis can be "habit-forming" - it feels good to do and is thus seslf-rewarding. However, guitar playing and music in general is "habit-forming". And not to mention, something of a spiritual or quality of life need.

Why did people in Afghanistan, under threat of pain and death by the taliban, still play music and hide musical instruments for use when the enforcers weren't around? We they "addicted"? Or did they have a need that simply surpasses the crude human desire to simply control people?

Ooh.. how about that damned TV? Are you addicted to it? Or is it just profoundly habit-forming?

Cannabis is NOT addictive and those who repeat this crap are either ignorant, or have a political agenda (usually both are found hand in hand.).

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Alien Space Signal

There's no money for your issue so long as we're squandering $50 billion a year on the DrugWar. Ben Masel

Fear became the ultimate tool of this government - V.

TimeGuardian

Haha, that last post was almost the same argument I used with my mom when she said it was addictive. She then called me naive , so I then explained to her how she was being naive herself and that she probably didn't even know what it meant...(she's not the sharpest tool in the box)

Anywho.. good thread sir.

Peace

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Consequences dictate a course of action... It doesen't matter what's right, it's only wrong if you get caught. - tool

TANJ3113

They cant prove it was me - well I can prove it - no you cant - yes I can, oops sorry I was just arguing with myself. Now I'm so depressed

And we all know what ASSumptions make

Nice post Suetaz.

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