The terrible truth about marijuana: Expert's devastating 20-year study

[Shlomo]

The terrible truth about cannabis: Expert's devastating 20-year study finally demolishes claims that smoking pot is harmless
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2782906/The-terrible-truth-cannabis-British-expert-s-devastating-20-year-study-finally-demolishes-claims-smoking-pot-harmless.html

• Cannabis doubles the risk of developing psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia
• Cannabis users do worse at school. Heavy use in adolescence appears to impair intellectual development
• Driving after smoking cannabis doubles risk of having a car crash
• Smoking it while pregnant reduces the baby’s birth weight
• One in ten adults who regularly smoke the drug become dependent on it and those who use it are more likely to go on to use harder drugs
• Study's author said: 'If cannabis is not addictive then neither is heroin'

A definitive 20-year study into the effects of long-term cannabis use has demolished the argument that the drug is safe.

Cannabis is highly addictive, causes mental health problems and opens the door to hard drugs, the study found.

Last night Professor Hall, a professor of addiction policy at King’s College London, dismissed the views of those who say that cannabis is harmless.

‘If cannabis is not addictive then neither is heroin or alcohol,’ he said.

‘It is often harder to get people who are dependent on cannabis through withdrawal than for heroin – we just don’t know how to do it.’

Those who try to stop taking cannabis often suffer anxiety, insomnia, appetite disturbance and depression, he found. Even after treatment, less than half can stay off the drug for six months.

The paper states that teenagers and young adults are now as likely to take cannabis as they are to smoke cigarettes.

Professor Hall writes that it is impossible to take a fatal overdose of cannabis, making it less dangerous at first glance than heroin or cocaine. He also states that taking the drug while pregnant can reduce the weight of a baby, and long-term use raises the risk of cancer, bronchitis and heart attack.

But his main finding is that regular use, especially among teenagers, leads to long-term mental health problems and addiction.

‘The important point I am trying to make is that people can get into difficulties with cannabis use, particularly if they get into daily use over a longer period,’ he said. ‘There is no doubt that heavy users experience a withdrawal syndrome as with alcohol and heroin.

‘Rates of recovery from cannabis dependence among those seeking treatment are similar to those for alcohol.’

Mark Winstanley, of the charity Rethink Mental Illness, said: ‘Too often cannabis is wrongly seen as a safe drug, but as this review shows, there is a clear link with psychosis and schizophrenia, especially for teenagers.

‘The common view that smoking cannabis is nothing to get worked up about needs to be challenged more effectively. Instead of classifying and re-classifying, government time and money would be much better spent on educating young people about how smoking cannabis is essentially playing a very real game of Russian roulette with your mental health.’

Cannabis was given a Class B rating when the classification system for illegal drugs was set up in 1971, putting it below Class A substances heroin and cocaine in seriousness but above Class C drugs such as steroids.

The Labour government downgraded the drug to Class C in 2004 – meaning officers did not normally arrest those caught with it – but reversed its decision within five years. Other failed attempts to liberalise the approach to cannabis include that of former Metropolitan Police chief Brian Paddick, who spearheaded a ‘softly, softly’ scheme while borough commander in Lambeth in 2001.

His party leader, Nick Clegg, has previously backed moves to partially decriminalise the sale of cannabis. At the Liberal Democrat conference yesterday, he called for people to be spared jail if they are caught with small amounts of drugs.

To see the videos and for the complete article, click here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2782906/The-terrible-truth-cannabis-British-expert-s-devastating-20-year-study-finally-demolishes-claims-smoking-pot-harmless.html

[fibrogirl]

The terrible truth about cannabis: Expert's devastating 20-year study finally demolishes claims that smoking pot is harmless
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2782906/The-terrible-truth-cannabis-British-expert-s-devastating-20-year-study-finally-demolishes-claims-smoking-pot-harmless.html

• Cannabis doubles the risk of developing psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia

...

• One in ten adults who regularly smoke the drug become dependent on it and those who use it are more likely to go on to use harder drugs
• Study's author said: 'If cannabis is not addictive then neither is heroin'

A definitive 20-year study into the effects of long-term cannabis use has demolished the argument that the drug is safe.

Cannabis is highly addictive, causes mental health problems and opens the door to hard drugs, the study found.

Last night Professor Hall, a professor of addiction policy at King’s College London, dismissed the views of those who say that cannabis is harmless.

‘If cannabis is not addictive then neither is heroin or alcohol,’ he said.

‘It is often harder to get people who are dependent on cannabis through withdrawal than for heroin – we just don’t know how to do it.’

...Those who try to stop taking cannabis often suffer anxiety, insomnia, appetite disturbance and depression, he found. Even after treatment, less than half can stay off the drug for six months.

I don't understand.
I applied for medical cannabis for chronic pain on the Israeli health system and took it legally. It did nothing for my pain, but I found it completely non addictive and had no problems stopping.
The people who supervised us told us to not to worry about addiction because it is completely non addictive.
 They said that medical cannabis is a different thing from street cannabis in the same way that medical morphine is different from the street equivalent. Perhaps this research refers to the non medical stuff?

It's true about all that stuff about affecting the brain and schizophrenia

But I am very strongly for greater legalisation for it for the sick and for more of it to be grown medically so that the sick could buy it cheaply. The beuarocratic process to apply legally took me 6 months and it was really unfair to leave me waiting like that, especially when I was paying for it.
I can't imagine what a cancer sufferer who only has a few months to live must feel like to go through that process.

[Lewinsky Stinks, Dr. Brennan Rocks]

Great post Shlomo.

[nessuno]

I don't understand.
I applied for medical cannabis for chronic pain on the Israeli health system and took it legally. It did nothing for my pain, but I found it completely non addictive and had no problems stopping.
The people who supervised us told us to not to worry about addiction because it is completely non addictive.
 They said that medical cannabis is a different thing from street cannabis in the same way that medical morphine is different from the street equivalent. Perhaps this research refers to the non medical stuff?

It's true about all that stuff about affecting the brain and schizophrenia

But I am very strongly for greater legalisation for it for the sick and for more of it to be grown medically so that the sick could buy it cheaply. The beuarocratic process to apply legally took me 6 months and it was really unfair to leave me waiting like that, especially when I was paying for it.
I can't imagine what a cancer sufferer who only has a few months to live must feel like to go through that process.

Medical morphine is just as addictive as the street equivalent.  Its use is controlled by medical professionals though. And still, while the medication is being 'regulated' by medical professionals people become addicted to pain medication all the time.

[Super Mentalita]

Alcohol is a 100 times more dangerous then marijuana.

[Tag-MehirTzedek]

 Mariguana should probably be legal. Their isn't a point in incarcerating many people because of this and wasting all of that $ on the legal system with courts and jails.
 Medical mariguana should definitely be legal. Their are many people in need of it. Its a lot safer and affective then many of the legal drugs that are out their with a lot less side affects. No one can die from it whereas many people die from the legal prescription drugs that are in the market and that are prescribed. 

[Aces High]

I can't  support anyone who is against legalizing  medical marijuana.  There are a lot of people  who have severe chronic physical conditions who need it.  And more and more states are legalizing it.  I will not send a dime to anyone who is against it.

[Kahane-Was-Right BT]

Mariguana should probably be legal. Their isn't a point in incarcerating many people because of this and wasting all of that $ on the legal system with courts and jails.
 Medical mariguana should definitely be legal. Their are many people in need of it. Its a lot safer and affective then many of the legal drugs that are out their with a lot less side affects. No one can die from it whereas many people die from the legal prescription drugs that are in the market and that are prescribed.

You need to run placebo-controlled clinical trials to prove claims like this.   No one has done it.   So people making these claims are simply hucksters.

[Tag-MehirTzedek]

You need to run placebo-controlled clinical trials to prove claims like this.   No one has done it.   So people making these claims are simply hucksters.

  Where has their been a case of.marijuana overdose? Their are.many cases.of legal drug overdose.and. real addiction with.many.deaths each year.

[muman613]

  Where has their been a case of.marijuana overdose? Their are.many cases.of legal drug overdose.and. real addiction with.many.deaths each year.

I agree that nobody has overdosed on MJ while many more die from addiction and overdose of legal perscription drugs. I know that the pharma companies have been pushing the Oxycontin and Narco pain medicines which are very addictive (my doctor tried to get me addicted and I just put up with the pain rather than take these drugs).

And it is true, according to my experience, that alcohol addiction and destruction is much worse than with MJ....

[serbian army]

I am reading book right now about positive side of mj. According to this author mj can cure 600 different deceases. He claims that Ford made vehicle shell from mj...addicted smokers are, in my opinion, very strange people but it should be up to them to decide on quitting..war on drugs is lost..

[muman613]

I am reading book right now about positive side of mj. According to this author mj can cure 600 different deceases. He claims that Ford made vehicle shell from mj...addicted smokers are, in my opinion, very strange people but it should be up to them to decide on quitting..war on drugs is lost..

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/07/29/1227509/-Henry-Ford-s-Car-Made-From-Hemp-and-those-Responsible-for-the-Prohibition-of-Hemp-and-Marijuana

Never knew about the Ford car... But apparently that story is true:

[nessuno]

http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/marijuana-addictive
(from the NIH)
Is marijuana addictive?

Long-term marijuana use can lead to addiction; that is, people have difficulty controlling their drug use and cannot stop even though it interferes with many aspects of their lives. It is estimated that 9 percent of people who use marijuana will become dependent on it. The number goes up to about 1 in 6 in those who start using young (in their teens) and to 25-50 percent among daily users. Moreover, a study of over 300 fraternal and identical twin pairs found that the twin who had used marijuana before the age of 17 had elevated rates of other drug use and drug problems later on, compared with their twin who did not use before age 17.

I think it isn't right to make marijuana out to be a wonder drug.
Like any drug there are risks and benefits.  The benefits may far outweigh the risks for anyone with chronic, constant or severe pain.
But, I know many people who have their lives derailed by chronic marijuana use.  So, as a parent.  I would like to err on the side of safety.
No recreational drug use is the best option for a long and healthy life.

[muman613]

My position has, and remains, that it is a medicine which should be used as such.

I am against a legalization for 'recreational' use..

[Sparky]

My position has, and remains, that it is a medicine which should be used as such.

The only proven medical use for marijuana that I'm aware of is for increasing appetite, and that can be prescribed in pill form (Marinol).  But marijuana users will say it cures every disease.  I'm waiting to hear them claim it cures Ebola, if they haven't already. 

[cjd]

My position has, and remains, that it is a medicine which should be used as such.

I am against a legalization for 'recreational' use..

I have never really  dabbled with the stuff myself however I am very skeptical that it is the cure all that it being touted up to be... I think a lot of old pot smokers who are now reaching middle and old age who's bones are just not what they use to be are using that excuse to legally use pot to take some of the edge off their aching bones and to continue an old pot habit to boot... After all who want's to track down the local drug pusher each time the weed supply runs down... I am all for giving it to people with grave illnesses and even to some folks who it helps in dealing with pain however the program  is developing now is making it available to almost anyone that wants it sick or not... The government see's a cash cow here and in the long run I think the overall population will suffer for the liberalizing sales of this substance.

[Lewinsky Stinks, Dr. Brennan Rocks]

It has to be worse than tobacco. Just smell it for crying out loud. It smells like a combination of skunk and dog turd.

[cjd]

It has to be worse than tobacco. Just smell it for crying out loud. It smells like a combination of skunk and dog turd.

Quite true... One of the neighboring homes here where I live have some young high school age kids living there... Each afternoon they get home from school and have a pot happy hour session out on their patio  The entire neighborhood smells of the stuff when they are puffing away... The properties here are not the size of a postage stamp but even at the distance of a hundred feet or so I am getting a little buzz from the second hand smoke if I am out doing something in my yard... This garbage smells bad enough out in the open... I can't even start to think what it would be like if they smoked indoors... The smell would be around forever... The kids must be wrecked for the entire afternoon after smoking this stuff... Whatever they are smoking now days it smells ten times more powerful then the stuff sold  years ago... I wonder if they are smoking it for medical reasons 

[Irish Zionist]

It's a destructive drug that ruins peoples lives & I'm unconvinced that it helps people medically. So I'm 100% against this poison!

[Zelhar]

Me too, which is why I don't do drugs.

It's a destructive drug that ruins peoples lives & I'm unconvinced that it helps people medically. So I'm 100% against this poison!

[Israel Chai]

It's a destructive drug that ruins peoples lives & I'm unconvinced that it helps people medically. So I'm 100% against this poison!

It ruins people's lives? Give me a break. I know a chemist, a doctor and a contractor, to name 3, that smoke and/or grow the stuff, and they have no problems, and the contractor uses it for increased sexual stamina. If you live in a crazy country where they put you in jail for it, and promote and/or allow homosexual rape in their prisons, it still didn't ruin your life, the government did, although I don't recommend smoking it in such a place, or living there.

You're not a doctor, so it's completely irrelevant what medical facts convince you or not. By saying poison, by the way, you prove that you know nothing whatsoever about it. Alcohol, any drug or chemical, which includes half the garbage they call food in the States, along with all the rest of poisons are recognized by the body as poison, and the body immediately works to expel it as fast as physically possible. THC, however, is recognized, stored immediately, and used by the body at a regular rate, and it makes no attempt to remove it, because the body can use it. Poison is defined by destroying the body, and having no use for the body (alcohol in itself won't make you healthy, but a glass of wine has positive elements in it, and in very limited quantities does have beneficial health effects, but we're not debating the prohibition right now). THC neither causes damage to the body, nor does the body treat it as waste.

[Kahane-Was-Right BT]

I agree that nobody has overdosed on MJ while many more die from addiction and overdose of legal perscription drugs. I know that the pharma companies have been pushing the Oxycontin and Narco pain medicines which are very addictive (my doctor tried to get me addicted and I just put up with the pain rather than take these drugs).

They are pushing them?  LOL, people demand those medications because of their pain!  Doctors prescribe them. Dpctors are not stupid; they understand the benefits and risks involved with medications they prescribe.  Some people have pain which cannot be tolerated without meds.    Now many pain drugs are being redesigned to include tamper-resistant and abuse-deterrent formulations that make abuse and addiction more difficult and less likely.   Who is doing it?  Pharma, of course.  Because mom and pop can't just invent drugs in their basements.

No, your doctor was not trying to "get you addicted."  He was trying to relieve your pain that you reported to him, using available medication.     

[Kahane-Was-Right BT]

  Where has their been a case of.marijuana overdose? Their are.many cases.of legal drug overdose.and. real addiction with.many.deaths each year.

How does this relate in any way to what I wrote in response to your unfounded comments?    You are commenting on a thread whose introductory post explains the dangers of marijuana usage, studied over a 20 year period.   The fact that you are not aware of a "marijuana overdose" or that people do overdose and die on other drugs, has nothing to do with whether marijuana is dangerous.  It does not contradict the findings of the study cited by Shlomo.

You said: 

Medical mariguana should definitely be legal. Their are many people in need of it. Its a lot safer and affective[/u] then many of the legal drugs that are out their with a lot less side affects. 

These are unfounded assertions that require a placebo-controlled study to prove.  Which drug are you saying it's more effective than and with less side effects?   Whichever one you have in mind, you have to test it head-to-head in a large double-blinded phase 3 clinical trial in order to make assertions like this and prove it.

No one can die from it whereas many people die from the legal prescription drugs that are in the market and that are prescribed. 

No one can die from it?    Prove that.  (That requires a clinical study).

By the way, exactly what medical condition does it treat?   And if it does treat one, go ahead and prove it has a statistically significant benefit in a clinical trial.   No one has done that yet.   So you cannot claim it has a medical benefit.

[Kahane-Was-Right BT]

I think it isn't right to make marijuana out to be a wonder drug.
Like any drug there are risks and benefits.  The benefits may far outweigh the risks for anyone with chronic, constant or severe pain.

I say, before we make it out to be a wonder drug, let's not even make it out to be a medical drug at all until it's proven to work in clinical trials and then we can judge the risk/benefit (if any benefit) profile.    Anything else is just speculation and pseudoscience which potheads love to promote because it gives credence to legalizing their favorite drug.

[Kahane-Was-Right BT]

My position has, and remains, that it is a medicine which should be used as such.

I am against a legalization for 'recreational' use..

It's a medicine?  What does it treat?

Point me to the published clinical trial which proved that it provides benefit for a medical ailment.


Snakeoil salesmen make claims like this about the "healing powers" of their voodoo treatments.  Many of them end up in jail.   If you applied the same lack of scrutiny to marijuana medical claims to all other preclinical or otherwise untested potential drugs, there would literally be snakeoil salesmen on every street corner.