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Study claims cannabis use 'less harmful than alcohol'

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Published Date: 02 October 2008
CANNABIS use is less harmful than drinking or smoking cigarettes and should be legalised, according to a report out today.
The Beckley Foundation's Global Cannabis Commission says banning the drug has backfired and calls for a "serious rethink" of drugs policy.

"Although cannabis can have a negative impact on health, including mental health, in terms of relative harms it is considerably less harmful than alcohol or tobacco," the report says.





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  • Last Updated: 02 October 2008 10:24 AM
  • Source: Edinburgh Evening News
  • Location: Edinburgh
 
1

Dragonhead,

Dalian,China 02/10/2008 11:56:49
That's alright then,ban all three!!
2

Alternative (High-Octane) Fuel Head,

Edinburgh 02/10/2008 12:27:53
OK, How do most people take cannibis? They smoke it, usually with tobacco. So how can it be less potentially harmful than smoking cigarettes?

Why do we give a platform to these ridiculous pieces of junk science?
3

hertscot,

02/10/2008 12:43:33
#2 How do you know it's junk science, there isn't any data in the article?
4

Paully80,

Edinburgh 02/10/2008 12:58:13
The previous two comments seem to be written out of ignorance. Nobody has ever overdosed or destroyed their liver using marijuana. Also, marijuana does not contain all the additives that tobacco contains. After a serious car accident about 20 years ago in California, I was prescribed all kinds of liver destroying opium based pain killers to manage the pain. Not only did they not work but the withdrawals were worse than the pain they were trying to stop. Eventually I was prescribed medical marijuana, the results: No pain, no withdrawals. Marijuana is usually smoked in a pipe, bong(water pipe) or all marijuana cigarette with no tobacco. Why people use tobacco, I don't know. Nobody has ever got violent on marijuana, in-fact if you gave a football crowd a marijuana joint each, I could guarantee no violence. In Amsterdam (where it's legal) the only time I ever saw any kind of violence was in an English bar full of Alcohol fuelled tourists. Now that I live back in Edinburgh I have had to get new medication to manage my pain from my accident. Unfortunately all the doctors here try to prescribe me liver destroying, highly addictive opium based pain killers as non addictive, physically harmless medical marijuana is illegal here. I guess it's true what they say "Ignorance is Bliss".
5

Alternative (High-Octane) Fuel Head,

Edinburgh 02/10/2008 13:51:26
#3:

How do I know it's junk science? Unfortunately, years of experience allows me to spot the signs!

#4:

Use whatever you want. I don't care. It's your choice. Go and get blitzed on smack for all I care---just don't pretend its harmless or try to say it's any less harmless than anything else.

I accept that smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol are not particularly healthy things to do but I will defend to the death the rights of people to indulge in them. If you want to smoke cannabis and find it has a beneficial effect on you then fine. I personally feel good drinking a few pints of decent real ale and smoking at the same time.

To be honest, where cannabis is concerned, I sit on the fence. I'm neither for nor against it being legalized. What I do object to are hearing junk stories about how good/bad it is for your health. If you want it legalised, for christs sake fight it on the grounds of personal freedom, not in comparison with the goodness/badness of other currently legalised substances which are deemed by the stupid few to be the work of satan. If you're not careful, such tactics will get alcohol and tobacco banned as well, when the slow and the stupid equate them with an illegal drug.
6

Joe Smith.,

Moscow 02/10/2008 14:07:29

Don't ever try to smoke alcohol.
7

Conan the Librarian™,

02/10/2008 19:46:09
6
Have you ever tried Bamberg Rauchbier?
8

Joe Smith.,

Moscow 03/10/2008 02:19:50

#8 - nope. It looks fockin tremendous though.

 

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