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Extra-high cannabis theory goes up in smoke

Alan Travis | The Guardian | June 26, 2004


The effective strength of cannabis consumed in Britain has remained stable for the past 30 years, according to a European Union study published today.
The research says there is no evidence for claims that most cannabis consumed in Britain and the rest of Europe is now 10 times or more stronger than it was in the 70s.

The US drugs "tsar" John Walters and toxicologist John Henry of St Mary's hospital in Paddington, west London, are among those who have warned that the cannabis available now bears little resemblance to that on the market 30 years ago, with serious health dangers for regular users.

The EU study says that the strength of the active ingredient - THC - has remained unchanged at about 6% for most of the cannabis smoked in Britain. It says the amount of cannabis put in the typical British joint has also remained constant for 20 years at about 200mg for marijuana and 150mg for resin.

The results are based on analysis by the Forensic Science Service of cannabis seized by the police between 1995 and 2002. The study acknowledges that there has been an unknown increase in home-grown cannabis, which can be two to three times more potent, but says that more than 70% of the market is taken by the "traditional" imported Moroccan cannabis resin.

Imported resin typically has a strength of 6% THC against 30% in the "skunk" and other super-strong strains that Professor Henry and others have warned against. Sinsemilla, the unpollinated plant which produces a powerful strain, has doubled in potency since 1995, but only from 6% to 12%.

The research, published by the European monitoring centre for drugs and drug addiction, is the first European review of the potency of cannabis. "There has been much speculation on the strength of cannabis available today, but little in the way of hard evidence," said its director, Georges Estievenart. He said the concerns that had been raised were worrying as cannabis was the most commonly used illicit drug in the EU, with many countries reporting that more than 20% of people had used it at some time in their lives.

The study was complicated by the fact that not only do different types of cannabis such as resin or hash have different strengths, but potency also depends on the individual plant and on how and where it was grown.

The vintage can also have an impact on its strength with THC breaking down at a rate of 17% a year if it is kept at room temperature.

The report shows that the effective potency of cannabis in nearly all EU countries, including Britain, has remained at about 6%-8% THC in the last 30 years, with the only exception being the Netherlands, where by two years ago the strength of the average cannabis consumed had reached 16%.

This is mainly due to the increasing availability of intensively produced home-grown cannabis in Holland.

The EU report says that while herbal cannabis is most common in the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium and the Czech Republic, Britain remains in a group with Germany, Ireland and Portugal where the market is still dominated by imported cannabis resin mainly from Morocco.

The authors say that they are concerned about the growth of higher potency intensively cultivated home-grown cannabis appearing in Europe. The report concludes it is possible that regular use of such higher potency cannabis could lead to health problems such as panic attacks and minor psychological problems, but as yet this kind of cannabis remains relatively rare.

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Dennis

How can you tell when John Walters is lying? His lips are moving. What great representation we have in government when they have no honor and stoop to lying to the American public.

Marijuana users know that pot potency has not increased significantly in their lifetimes. For me personally, when I happen to obtain higher potency marijuana, I tend to smoke a little less, and my supply lasts a little longer. A boon for my health (less smoking) and economically beneficial too!

John Walters, I know you're out there, you sir are a liar and a disgrace. Please do one honorable thing in your miserable and distorted life, resign. Afterall, there have been more marijuana reforms under your tenure than all that came before you.


Dennis

TiKiTiKi

That is so freaking gay. I just cant believe how he lies out of his ass like that. Seriously john, resign! it will make all out lives easier if someone that actually has facts replaced you.



In other words, You are the

StewScum

First of, what kind of minor physchological problems are we talking about. I find it suspicious that these "health" are not outlined more fully. Last time i checked having a panic attack or getting a little bit depressed after smoking marijuana is not a public health issue. My dad gets panic attacks when he pays his bills, and i don't see the goverment regulating that. Dennis is right, the more powerful the bud is, the less you smoke, you don't want to over do it because anyone who has smoked enormous amounts of weed knows that it doesn't even get you higher after a while.

John Walters is certainly wasting his time with all of this, "It's more potent and therefore more dangerous now" crap. Orange Juice is more potent now, i saw some Orange Juice with calcium and other vitamins added, and i don't see OJ "the actual juice" on his hit list.

Honostly, did they hide the robot in his ass or something, because i think they need to tune it up.

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Higher Logic

I would have taken a more cynical approach: Please do one honorable thing in your miserable and distorted life, DIE.


Oh, and take Bush & Co. with you...

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AlucardOrange3

If it weren't for my profound level of empathy (thank you psychadelic drugs...), I think I might be inclined to assassinate the entire Bush family and administration as well as all of their business contacts. Those bastards rule too much of the world as it is, and they keep thirsting for more.

About the article, I find it interesting that Moroccan resin/hash is the most prominent type of cannabis in England (did I read that right?). Being from the west coast of the USA, I've never ever seen any type of hash or resin, in fact the only thing other than straight cannabis that I've come across are some extracts that I personally made. I also didn't know that Netherlands Ganja was so much more potent than the rest of Europe (and probably the US as well). It said that 16% was the *average* potency of cannabis there, and judging from what I've come into contact with you'd be pretty damn lucky to find some skunk of that grade in the States. I really don't need to point out that more potent cannabis = smoking less, because all of you understand that, but I have a question: does any real member of the civilian public actually believe Johnny Walters' little fantasy that more potent marijuana is somehow more dangerous?

A03

solutions

Click here for the study by the EMCDDA the article mentions. Or click here for the EMCDDA news release section.

I love how they take Walters shirt off. On Page 59:

"Statements in the popular media that the potency of cannabis has increased by 10 times or more in recent decades are not supported by the data from either the USA or Europe"

The study also questions the numbers from the USA, also on p. 59:

"The greatest long-term changes in potency appear to have occured in the USA. It should be noted here that before 1980 herbal cannabis in the USA was, according to the available data, very low by European standards. A caveat here is that there is some question to how far the historical data provide a true representation of the situation"

Sounds like a statement in diplomatic language to US 'policy-makers': "those numbers are wrong and you know it". Maybe it's me but that is the same message I read in this part from the press-release:

"Does high-potency cannabis present additional health worries?

If intensively grown cannabis does take a larger market share in the future, what impact will this have on users’ health? In answering this question the following issues need to be considered.

Most of the research in this area originates in the US and is of questionable relevance to Europe as consumption patterns differ (see above)."

Questionable relevance because of 'consumption patterns' or because this research is of questionable scientific quality?

I'm beginning to appreciate the EMCDDA. Seems like they are able to keep a less biased perspective. More fact-based than faith-based research....

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discussing things as they are set to be
Said one to the other, now listen you two
there's a strange rumor that can't be true
they say man was descended from our noble race
but the very idea is a big disgrace
no monkey ever deserted his wife
or her baby to ruin their lives.
Damian Marley - Educated Fools

Cassius

Hallelujah!

Good to have another lie debunked.

And here's an argument that makes the whole "potency" discussion moot anyway:

If THC were 100 times more potent now than thirty years ago, guess what? We'd all be smoking 100 times less!

I don't know about the rest of you, but I smoke to get high. If it only takes 0.1 grams to get as high as 10 grams used to (ha!), that would be all I'd need or want to smoke.

PotShot

That is interesting, 16% in the netherlands?!? Good Deal! Well, I guess that is another ailment of prohibition, lower grade pot