Professor Nutt

[Essexeddie]

Cannabis may be a comfort to those with arthritis but other than that it has no useful purpose. It's a known fact that it affects the brain causing schizophrenia and psychosis. Anyone who says that cannabis is less harmful than alcoholic drinks is probably already psychotic or a dealer.

I personally have never tried cannabis or any other drug, I've got more sense. Supporters of the free use of cannabis would change their minds if one of their relatives was attacked by someone high on it.

As for Professor "nutty" Nutt, he deserves to be sacked and if his mates resign in protest let them, good riddance. Governments don't need advisory committees to tell them that drugs are dangerous, money will be saved by closing them down.

I would be happy to pay extra income tax if it was put towards building a prison for drug dealers, all automatically serving life sentences.

.

 

[Chris_374413356]

Of course Professor nut was correct, it's just not the answer our government wanted, after all just think of the tax they get.

About 106,000 people in the UK die each year due to smoking. Smoking-related deaths are mainly due to cancers, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and heart disease.

About half of all smokers die from smoking-related diseases. If you are a long-term smoker, on average, your life expectancy is about 10 years less than a non-smoker. Put another way, in the UK about 8 in 10 non-smokers live past the age of 70, but only about half of long-term smokers live past 70. The younger you are when you start smoking, the more likely you are to smoke for longer and to die early from smoking.

Many smoking-related deaths are not 'quick deaths'. For example, if you develop COPD you can expect several years of illness and distressing symptoms before you die.

Smoking increases the risk of developing a number of other diseases (listed below). Many of these may not be fatal, but they can cause years of unpleasant symptoms.

Figures on alcohol-related deaths in 2007 indicate a levelling-off of the trend, following rapid increases since the early 1990s. There were 8,724 alcohol-related deaths in 2007, lower than 2006, but more than double the 4,144 recorded in 1991. The alcohol-related death rate was 13.3 per 100,000 population in 2007, compared with 6.9 per 100,000 population in 1991.

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

sorry chris I do not think your analysis of the figures is correct and that is because COPD and certain types of cancer are automatictly grouped as smoking related wether the individual has ever smoked or not and furthermore any illness like bronchitis emphysema and asthma is automatictly catagorised as smoking related if the patient has ever smoked eventhough there may be other reasons like occupation and life style that could have caused the complaint.

 

[Chrisbee]

In my younger days I went to many music festivals and admit to smoking a bit of "pot". I've also had the occasional smoke since although not in the last 10 years. It had no ill effects on me, certainly less than some nights now when I'm sitting outside my van with a bottle of red wine if the morning headache is anything to go by. Lots of things we do have no purpose, other than pleasure. I doubt if anyone drinks wine because they are thirsty.

 

[Mel]

Gosh Eddie, didn't realise you had a degree in pharmaceuticals and had undertaken a thorough review of the research base into Cannabis use. You clearly have an indepth grasp of the therapeutic benefits versus the contraindications. Tell me, did you start with Cochrane reviews or were there particular medical journals that you found helpful. Perhaps you should apply for the chief scientist job. Very impressed.

mel

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

Like Eddie I never dabbled in drugs and neither did any of my mates. Infact growing up in the 60s, married in 67, I never knew one drug taker. Why would we need to smoke dope to get that happy feeling if we were already happy and enjoying ourselves? Besides, I preferred to be in charge of my own faculties. I suppose not all had good experiences of life and needed a boost and if so those people should be pitied.

Why is it called 'dope', is it named after those daft enough to smoke it. Wacky Baccy probably sums it up :O)

 

[Chrisbee]

Like Eddie I never dabbled in drugs and neither did any of my mates. Infact growing up in the 60s, married in 67, I never knew one drug taker. Why would we need to smoke dope to get that happy feeling if we were already happy and enjoying ourselves? Besides, I preferred to be in charge of my own faculties. I suppose not all had good experiences of life and needed a boost and if so those people should be pitied.

Why is it called 'dope', is it named after those daft enough to smoke it. Wacky Baccy probably sums it up :O)

I found the pleasure of smoking a joint much the same as the feeling I now get after a pleasant couple of glasses of wine. The odd joint doesn't get you "off your head" , it just gives a relaxed mellow feeling. I was always in full control of everything I did and never got into any sort of bother. The same can't be said of today's alcohol fuelled youth, just visit any town on a saturday night.

Don't get me wrong, I am actually very anti-drug. Likewise I am anti-speeding but may occasionally have slipped over the speed limit.

 

[Allen774]

Its about time the use of Cannabis was decriminalised,the government should follow the lead of the Dutch government and licence the sale of the drug to certain outlets.In my 25 yrs as a prison officer I have NEVER been attacked or had to restrain anyone who was high on cannabis,I have had to on other occasions fight inmates who were high on Hooch (homemade alcohol).

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

It's a well known medical fact that smoking cannabis causes paranoia. It also leads to crime by those who need to fund their habit. This in turn leads to further experimentation with harder drugs, again a well known fact. It's a vicious spiral and that's probably why they ended up in prison in the first place, from burgalies, muggings etc.

It doesn't surprise me to hear that they smoke it in prison though, they do say it's like a holiday camp now.

Here's a link for you to read ....

http://www.nhs.uk/LiveWell/drugs/Pages/Cannabiscasestudy.aspx
I admit I have no problem with people who smoke it for medical reasons like MS if on prescription.

 

[Chrisbee]

LB, you seem to have missed some words out of your last post. Surely you mean "may cause paranoia" "may lead to crime" "may lead to further experimentation"

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

"May"?

Just a play on words Chrisbee or maybe nitpicking. Now you'll be telling me that the Netherlands are the only progressive country and all other countries have got it wrong LMAO.

 

[ValA.]

I think one of the potential problems is that the sort of cannabis that is smoked these days is much stronger than the stuff we may (or may not) have smoked years ago. The 'skunk' around now has a much larger percentage of THC than used to be present.

A friend of my son's has been hospitalised several times with diagnosed cannabis-induced psychosis - and there's no history of mental illness in his family. I worked in Mental Health until quite recently and there were a number of similar admissions of young lads with psychotic symptoms. Who's to say whether it was 'cause' or 'effect' - ie did they smoke cannabis because they had a pre-disposition to mental illness, or did they become mentally ill because they smoked cannabis. My son has recognised that cannabis 'does his head in' - and stopped smoking it!

It's a hard call - re-classify it or make it legal and 'quality-controlled' so the strength can be moderated?

 

[Dustydog]

Surely the issue here is who knows best? How can a politician know more about medical things than a Professor of medicine and his fellow medical team?

If I'm unwell do I now go to my MP or GP?

Cheers

Dustydog

 

[Chrisbee]

LB, you seem to have missed some words out of your last post. Surely you mean "may cause paranoia" "may lead to crime" "may lead to further experimentation"

In that case, as I've already admitted to having the occasional smoke in my younger days, I must be a paranoid crimal crack head!

 

[Lord Braykewynde]

Dusty it's not a case of listening to your MP, it's a case of looking at the overall picture.

Professor Nutt is just another quango who have given their findings. Are eminent people in this field from other countries like France, Germany, U.S.A. etc. to be ignored because they are wrong and Nutt is right?

Again nearly all hard drug users started off on soft drugs. These people cost the country

 

[Dustydog]

Mindblowing.

I gave up smoking a few years ago. My GP said it was harder to quit the fags than heroine. With patches and help I quit. So for me any non prescription drug for pure "pleasure" can't be good.

A lot of the thefts today are by druggies trying to feed their habit. So yes I have to say Nutt can't be right in my book. However as an aside you do wonder who the heck you can believe anymore!!

Cheers

Dustdyog

 

[Thorpedo]

I've never indulged in any drug other fags which I gave up when I was 25 and Alcohol which I abuse whilst cooking, during a meal and socially.

I'm sure that the Nutty proffessor and his mates are scientifically correct in suggesting that Booze and Fags are more dangerous.

What I can't understand is why an apparently intelegent individual would advocate adding another substance to fags and booze. He can't realistically think that fags could be banned and replaced by weed.

Surely the issue of progression must be taken into consideration. If you try dope, then next to try (just once of course)is a pill, then presumably you think it ok to try just one line of coke.

Nutty was advising his employer, I don't see that gave him a right to criticise his paymaster publicly, If I ran down my CEO in public I would also expect to be sacked promtly.

He should have passed on his learned opinion to his paymasters in Westminster, and left it at that. Or he could have resigned and gone public which has effectively happend.

It seems his title was 'advisor'. I can't see anything in the dictionary to suggest that advisor means policy maker. Of course niether was he voted into office by the great unwashed, so why does he think he should be making policy.

Yet another example of highly paid people doing multiple jobs and getting too big for their boots.