A belated happy new year to everyone.


Reclassifying cannabis 'would make no difference to young'

Experts say that the vast majority of teenagers get the drug from their
friends, writes Jonathan Owen Published: 06 January 2008

Reclassifying cannabis would be pointless and therefore unlikely to make
any difference to young users of the drug, according to a new report by
some of the country's top criminal policy experts.

Cannabis has now become such an important part of youth culture that a new
generation of users are supplying each other with the drug, buying and
sharing it with friends and relatives. A team of researchers from the
Institute for Criminal Policy Research (ICPR) led by Professor Mike Hough,
a senior adviser to the Home Office, has concluded that the "social
supply" of cannabis has almost entirely cut out traditional drug dealers
and therefore needs a new approach. Their findings reveal that 90 per cent
of young users can get hold of cannabis in under a day – with the
majority able to get it within an hour.

Almost two-thirds use cannabis at least once a week, spending an average
of £80 a month on the drug. On average, they start taking the drug when
just 13 years old, and almost all are introduced to it by friends or
relatives – with just 1 per cent by dealers. Almost half (45 per cent)
admit to having helped supply cannabis to others; 43 per cent have taken
it at school or college. More than half (54 per cent) say they use
cannabis to relax.

More than 180 cannabis users between 11 and 19 were interviewed by
researchers, whose findings will be published by the Joseph Rowntree
Foundation later this month.

These findings come at a critical point in the debate over how to tackle
Britain's cannabis crisis and will be a blow to medical experts and senior
police officers who have been leading calls for the drug to be
reclassified. As part of a government review of drug strategy, the
Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs is currently considering whether
cannabis should revert to being a class B drug – three years after it
was controversially downgraded to a class C drug by the then Home
Secretary, David Blunkett – and is due to make its recommendation to the
Home Office in the spring.

Despite cannabis being Britain's most widely used illegal drug, the report
is one of the first to have looked at how young people get hold of it, and
highlights the lack of knowledge that surrounds the drug, despite the fact
that more than 2.5 million 16- to 24-year-olds have used it.

"If we are to do anything about cannabis use and the dangers attached to
it, then we have to understand it better. Children are buying it in
groups, often from friends and also older brothers and sisters," says
Charlie Lloyd, principal research manager at the Joseph Rowntree
Foundation. "Many of the young people have supplied the drug to their
friends, not in a drug-dealing sense but more in a not-for-profit way –
almost like an informal cooperative between friends."

Researchers found that almost all young cannabis users are introduced to
the drug by friends, with only 6 per cent saying that they buy from
unknown sellers. Professor Hough, who is director of the ICPR, says:
"While the public stereotype of the drug dealer may be of an adult
stranger 'pushing' drugs to young people, in the case of cannabis this is
very rarely the case.

"Most young people get their cannabis from other young people – often
without a profit being made. Nevertheless, in the eyes of the law such
transactions represent drug supply offences."

An anonymous account in the report by one young user reveals how networks
of friends have edged out dealers: "They [the people who sell cannabis]
are friends from school and also from outside of school. We socialise
together."

Sharing cannabis is commonplace for 70 per cent of users. Anna (her
details have been changed) is a 14-year-old who has regularly used
cannabis for four years. Like many others, she clubs together with friends
to buy the drug, and describes how they divide it out: "Friends were
asking and they had given me some before. [I shared] to be kind and to
give some back."

The report warns that more guidance is needed on dealing with what it
describes as "offences of social supply of cannabis" and says that young
people need to be educated about the health risks.

Researchers conclude that "the findings from this and other studies show
that cannabis use is significantly embedded in the social world of many
young people. It is unlikely a marginal change in the drug's legal status
will have an impact."

This comes just weeks after the Association of Chief Police Officers
(Acpo) announced a U-turn on its previous position, and declared itself in
favour of seeing cannabis go back to being a class B drug. Downgrading
cannabis to a class C drug in 2004 has been blamed for creating a climate
of confusion about the legality of the drug and sending mixed messages to
young people.

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/legal/article3312834.ece

-- 
Dr John Watson
Baker Street

<uk.rec.drugs.cannabis>
<Dr John Watson>
<Sun, 06 Jan 2008 12:16:36 +0000>


> Reclassifying cannabis 'would make no difference to young'
> 

Yeah - the government would just find some other way to give teenagers a 
criminal record .

ho ho ho ladies and gentlemen :-))


-- 
www.krustov.co.uk

"Dr John Watson"  wrote in message 
news:5ubv54F1h7s2hU1@mid.individual.net...
>A belated happy new year to everyone.
>
>
> Reclassifying cannabis 'would make no difference to young'
>
> Experts say that the vast majority of teenagers get the drug from their
> friends, writes Jonathan Owen Published: 06 January 2008
>
> Reclassifying cannabis would be pointless and therefore unlikely to make
> any difference to young users of the drug, according to a new report by
> some of the country's top criminal policy experts.
>
> Cannabis has now become such an important part of youth culture that a new
> generation of users are supplying each other with the drug, buying and
> sharing it with friends and relatives. A team of researchers from the
> Institute for Criminal Policy Research (ICPR) led by Professor Mike Hough,
> a senior adviser to the Home Office, has concluded that the "social
> supply" of cannabis has almost entirely cut out traditional drug dealers
> and therefore needs a new approach. Their findings reveal that 90 per cent
> of young users can get hold of cannabis in under a day – with the
> majority able to get it within an hour.
>
> Almost two-thirds use cannabis at least once a week, spending an average
> of £80 a month on the drug. On average, they start taking the drug when
> just 13 years old, and almost all are introduced to it by friends or
> relatives – with just 1 per cent by dealers. Almost half (45 per cent)
> admit to having helped supply cannabis to others; 43 per cent have taken
> it at school or college. More than half (54 per cent) say they use
> cannabis to relax.
>
> More than 180 cannabis users between 11 and 19 were interviewed by
> researchers, whose findings will be published by the Joseph Rowntree
> Foundation later this month.
>
> These findings come at a critical point in the debate over how to tackle
> Britain's cannabis crisis and will be a blow to medical experts and senior
> police officers who have been leading calls for the drug to be
> reclassified. As part of a government review of drug strategy, the
> Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs is currently considering whether
> cannabis should revert to being a class B drug – three years after it
> was controversially downgraded to a class C drug by the then Home
> Secretary, David Blunkett – and is due to make its recommendation to the
> Home Office in the spring.
>
> Despite cannabis being Britain's most widely used illegal drug, the report
> is one of the first to have looked at how young people get hold of it, and
> highlights the lack of knowledge that surrounds the drug, despite the fact
> that more than 2.5 million 16- to 24-year-olds have used it.
>
> "If we are to do anything about cannabis use and the dangers attached to
> it, then we have to understand it better. Children are buying it in
> groups, often from friends and also older brothers and sisters," says
> Charlie Lloyd, principal research manager at the Joseph Rowntree
> Foundation. "Many of the young people have supplied the drug to their
> friends, not in a drug-dealing sense but more in a not-for-profit way –
> almost like an informal cooperative between friends."
>
> Researchers found that almost all young cannabis users are introduced to
> the drug by friends, with only 6 per cent saying that they buy from
> unknown sellers. Professor Hough, who is director of the ICPR, says:
> "While the public stereotype of the drug dealer may be of an adult
> stranger 'pushing' drugs to young people, in the case of cannabis this is
> very rarely the case.
>
> "Most young people get their cannabis from other young people – often
> without a profit being made. Nevertheless, in the eyes of the law such
> transactions represent drug supply offences."
>
> An anonymous account in the report by one young user reveals how networks
> of friends have edged out dealers: "They [the people who sell cannabis]
> are friends from school and also from outside of school. We socialise
> together."
>
> Sharing cannabis is commonplace for 70 per cent of users. Anna (her
> details have been changed) is a 14-year-old who has regularly used
> cannabis for four years. Like many others, she clubs together with friends
> to buy the drug, and describes how they divide it out: "Friends were
> asking and they had given me some before. [I shared] to be kind and to
> give some back."
>
> The report warns that more guidance is needed on dealing with what it
> describes as "offences of social supply of cannabis" and says that young
> people need to be educated about the health risks.
>
> Researchers conclude that "the findings from this and other studies show
> that cannabis use is significantly embedded in the social world of many
> young people. It is unlikely a marginal change in the drug's legal status
> will have an impact."
>
> This comes just weeks after the Association of Chief Police Officers
> (Acpo) announced a U-turn on its previous position, and declared itself in
> favour of seeing cannabis go back to being a class B drug. Downgrading
> cannabis to a class C drug in 2004 has been blamed for creating a climate
> of confusion about the legality of the drug and sending mixed messages to
> young people.
>
> http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/legal/article3312834.ece
>

I was sorry to see you forgot to post the BBC story "Cannabis smoke 'has 
more toxins'" just before Xmas.

"Inhaled cannabis smoke has more harmful toxins than tobacco, scientists 
have discovered. The Canadian government research found 20 times as much 
ammonia, a chemical linked to cancer, New Scientist said. The Health Canada 
team also found five times as much hydrogen cyanide and nitrogen oxides, 
which are linked to heart and lung damage respectively. "

Maybe it was just an oversight on your part...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7150274.stm

"mentalguy2004"  wrote in message 
news:Bd4gj.39493$h35.34206@newsfe2-gui.ntli.net...
>
> "Dr John Watson"  wrote in message 
> news:5ubv54F1h7s2hU1@mid.individual.net...
>>A belated happy new year to everyone.
>>
>>
>> Reclassifying cannabis 'would make no difference to young'
>>
>> Experts say that the vast majority of teenagers get the drug from their
>> friends, writes Jonathan Owen Published: 06 January 2008
>>
>> Reclassifying cannabis would be pointless and therefore unlikely to make
>> any difference to young users of the drug, according to a new report by
>> some of the country's top criminal policy experts.
>>
>> Cannabis has now become such an important part of youth culture that a 
>> new
>> generation of users are supplying each other with the drug, buying and
>> sharing it with friends and relatives. A team of researchers from the
>> Institute for Criminal Policy Research (ICPR) led by Professor Mike 
>> Hough,
>> a senior adviser to the Home Office, has concluded that the "social
>> supply" of cannabis has almost entirely cut out traditional drug dealers
>> and therefore needs a new approach. Their findings reveal that 90 per 
>> cent
>> of young users can get hold of cannabis in under a day - with the
>> majority able to get it within an hour.
>>
>> Almost two-thirds use cannabis at least once a week, spending an average
>> of £80 a month on the drug. On average, they start taking the drug when
>> just 13 years old, and almost all are introduced to it by friends or
>> relatives - with just 1 per cent by dealers. Almost half (45 per cent)
>> admit to having helped supply cannabis to others; 43 per cent have taken
>> it at school or college. More than half (54 per cent) say they use
>> cannabis to relax.
>>
>> More than 180 cannabis users between 11 and 19 were interviewed by
>> researchers, whose findings will be published by the Joseph Rowntree
>> Foundation later this month.
>>
>> These findings come at a critical point in the debate over how to tackle
>> Britain's cannabis crisis and will be a blow to medical experts and 
>> senior
>> police officers who have been leading calls for the drug to be
>> reclassified. As part of a government review of drug strategy, the
>> Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs is currently considering whether
>> cannabis should revert to being a class B drug - three years after it
>> was controversially downgraded to a class C drug by the then Home
>> Secretary, David Blunkett - and is due to make its recommendation to the
>> Home Office in the spring.
>>
>> Despite cannabis being Britain's most widely used illegal drug, the 
>> report
>> is one of the first to have looked at how young people get hold of it, 
>> and
>> highlights the lack of knowledge that surrounds the drug, despite the 
>> fact
>> that more than 2.5 million 16- to 24-year-olds have used it.
>>
>> "If we are to do anything about cannabis use and the dangers attached to
>> it, then we have to understand it better. Children are buying it in
>> groups, often from friends and also older brothers and sisters," says
>> Charlie Lloyd, principal research manager at the Joseph Rowntree
>> Foundation. "Many of the young people have supplied the drug to their
>> friends, not in a drug-dealing sense but more in a not-for-profit way -
>> almost like an informal cooperative between friends."
>>
>> Researchers found that almost all young cannabis users are introduced to
>> the drug by friends, with only 6 per cent saying that they buy from
>> unknown sellers. Professor Hough, who is director of the ICPR, says:
>> "While the public stereotype of the drug dealer may be of an adult
>> stranger 'pushing' drugs to young people, in the case of cannabis this is
>> very rarely the case.
>>
>> "Most young people get their cannabis from other young people - often
>> without a profit being made. Nevertheless, in the eyes of the law such
>> transactions represent drug supply offences."
>>
>> An anonymous account in the report by one young user reveals how networks
>> of friends have edged out dealers: "They [the people who sell cannabis]
>> are friends from school and also from outside of school. We socialise
>> together."
>>
>> Sharing cannabis is commonplace for 70 per cent of users. Anna (her
>> details have been changed) is a 14-year-old who has regularly used
>> cannabis for four years. Like many others, she clubs together with 
>> friends
>> to buy the drug, and describes how they divide it out: "Friends were
>> asking and they had given me some before. [I shared] to be kind and to
>> give some back."
>>
>> The report warns that more guidance is needed on dealing with what it
>> describes as "offences of social supply of cannabis" and says that young
>> people need to be educated about the health risks.
>>
>> Researchers conclude that "the findings from this and other studies show
>> that cannabis use is significantly embedded in the social world of many
>> young people. It is unlikely a marginal change in the drug's legal status
>> will have an impact."
>>
>> This comes just weeks after the Association of Chief Police Officers
>> (Acpo) announced a U-turn on its previous position, and declared itself 
>> in
>> favour of seeing cannabis go back to being a class B drug. Downgrading
>> cannabis to a class C drug in 2004 has been blamed for creating a climate
>> of confusion about the legality of the drug and sending mixed messages to
>> young people.
>>
>> http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/legal/article3312834.ece
>>
>
> I was sorry to see you forgot to post the BBC story "Cannabis smoke 'has 
> more toxins'" just before Xmas.
>
> "Inhaled cannabis smoke has more harmful toxins than tobacco, scientists 
> have discovered. The Canadian government research found 20 times as much 
> ammonia, a chemical linked to cancer, New Scientist said. The Health 
> Canada team also found five times as much hydrogen cyanide and nitrogen 
> oxides, which are linked to heart and lung damage respectively. "
>
> Maybe it was just an oversight on your part...
>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7150274.stm
>

Could the toxins be due to badly flushed samples, after all there's no 
regulation or quality control.....

mentalguy2004 wrote:
> I was sorry to see you forgot to post the BBC story "Cannabis smoke 'has 
> more toxins'" just before Xmas.
> 
> "Inhaled cannabis smoke has more harmful toxins than tobacco, scientists 
> have discovered. The Canadian government research found 20 times as much 
> ammonia, a chemical linked to cancer, New Scientist said. The Health Canada 
> team also found five times as much hydrogen cyanide and nitrogen oxides, 
> which are linked to heart and lung damage respectively. "
> 
> Maybe it was just an oversight on your part...
> 
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7150274.stm 

Beer probably has more toxins than filtered vodka as well.  Means nothing.

The truth is that people who smoke only tobacco have a significantly 
shorter life expectancy than those who don't smoke, and have a much 
higher incidence of emphysema, lung cancer, heart disease and other 
illnesses than those who don't smoke.

On the other hand, those who smoke only cannabis have the same life 
expectancy as those who don't smoke, and have no increased risk of any 
disease other than bronchitis.  Cannabis-only smokers do not get 
emphysema, lung cancer, heart disease or other tobacco-related illnesses 
(other than bronchitis) at a higher rate than non-smokers.

Of course, in the UK and other European countries a lot of users mix 
tobacco into their cannabis -- which does create a health risk.  A much 
better strategy for improving health would be a compaign to inform 
people about the dangers of tobacco -- since tobacco is demonstrably 
much more harmful than cannabis.

-Pete Zakel

On Sun, 06 Jan 2008 12:38:48 +0000, Krustov wrote:

> <uk.rec.drugs.cannabis>
> <Dr John Watson>
> <Sun, 06 Jan 2008 12:16:36 +0000>
> 
> 
>> Reclassifying cannabis 'would make no difference to young'
>> 
>> 
> Yeah - the government would just find some other way to give teenagers a
> criminal record .

They've got to have someway to populate the DNA database. Until DNA
records at birth become compulsory. Then we'll all need to worry about LCN
techniques.

> 
> ho ho ho ladies and gentlemen :-))
-- 
Phil Stovell, Hampshire, UK

Noticed at Sun, 06 Jan 2008 12:56:01 +0000: mentalguy2004 informed us:

> I was sorry to see you forgot to post the BBC story "Cannabis smoke 'has
> more toxins'" just before Xmas.

Actually, I published it on 28/12/2007 (a link to the actual research
document):

Message-ID: 

http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/crtoec/asap/html/tx700275p.html

> "Inhaled cannabis smoke has more harmful toxins than tobacco, scientists
> have discovered. The Canadian government research found 20 times as much
> ammonia, a chemical linked to cancer, New Scientist said. The Health
> Canada team also found five times as much hydrogen cyanide and nitrogen
> oxides, which are linked to heart and lung damage respectively. "

The research was so well done that they managed to find nicotine in smoke
that was supposedly from marijuana only:

"It was surprising to find nicotine in the mainstream and sidestream
marijuana smoke (Tables 3 and 4). For mainstream smoke, of the 20
marijuana cigarettes examined under ISO conditions, 16 showed no nicotine
and none of those examined under extreme smoking conditions had any
evidence of nicotine. As nicotine is present in high concentrations in
tobacco, in the range of mg per cigarette, it was concluded that the
source of nicotine was cross-contamination from tobacco smoking. The level
in mainstream represents about 0.2% of that found in tobacco smoke. This
could be problematic for compounds present in very high concentrations in
tobacco and known to be present in low concentrations in marijuana. Such
cross-contamination could then result in exaggerated results. However,
there seems to be no such compound, at least not in these analyses. With
the exception of nicotine, and the cannabinoids of course, the two
matrices have compounds present in the same order of magnitude, so a
contamination of 0.2% would not cause an exaggeration of the determined
residue."

> Maybe it was just an oversight on your part...

Perhaps it was contamination on their part.

> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7150274.stm


There is no evidence that use of cannabis causes cancer:

Large Study Finds No Link between Marijuana and Lung Cancer
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=0002491F-755F-1473-B55F83414B7F0000&modsrc=related_links

Even if it does caused cancer and does contain all those evil chemicals,
does it justify giving somebody a criminal record and a jail sentence
*after* they've used it?

-- 
Dr John Watson
Baker Street

Noticed at Sun, 06 Jan 2008 10:50:03 -0800: Pete Zakel informed us:

> Cannabis-only smokers do not get 
> emphysema, lung cancer, heart disease or other tobacco-related illnesses 
> (other than bronchitis) at a higher rate than non-smokers.

I've just read research that shows it may increase the risk of some liver
diseases, but the results aren't clear enough to publish here (yet).

-- 
Dr John Watson
Baker Street

On Jan 7, 2:33 pm, Dr John Watson 
wrote:
> Noticed at Sun, 06 Jan 2008 10:50:03 -0800: Pete Zakel informed us:
>
> > Cannabis-only smokers do not get
> > emphysema, lung cancer, heart disease or other tobacco-related illnesses
> > (other than bronchitis) at a higher rate than non-smokers.
>
> I've just read research that shows it may increase the risk of some liver
> diseases, but the results aren't clear enough to publish here (yet).
>
> --
> Dr John Watson
> Baker Street

Thought for the day:

Obsessive compartmentalisation

Dr John Watson wrote:
> Noticed at Sun, 06 Jan 2008 10:50:03 -0800: Pete Zakel informed us:
> 
>>Cannabis-only smokers do not get 
>>emphysema, lung cancer, heart disease or other tobacco-related illnesses 
>>(other than bronchitis) at a higher rate than non-smokers.
> 
> I've just read research that shows it may increase the risk of some liver
> diseases, but the results aren't clear enough to publish here (yet).

Yes, I've read a study that indicates that cannabis use may increase 
liver damage for those who have the HCV virus.  But that was with daily 
use, IIRC.

-Pete Zakel
  (phz@seeheader.nospam)

On Jan 6, 4:56 am, "mentalguy2004"  wrote:
> "Dr John Watson"  wrote in messagenews:5ubv54F1h7s2hU1@mid.individual.net...
>
>
>
>
>
> >A belated happy new year to everyone.
>
> > Reclassifying cannabis 'would make no difference to young'
>
> > Experts say that the vast majority of teenagers get the drug from their
> > friends, writes Jonathan Owen Published: 06 January 2008
>
> > Reclassifying cannabis would be pointless and therefore unlikely to make> > any difference to young users of the drug, according to a new report by
> > some of the country's top criminal policy experts.
>
> > Cannabis has now become such an important part of youth culture that a new
> > generation of users are supplying each other with the drug, buying and
> > sharing it with friends and relatives. A team of researchers from the
> > Institute for Criminal Policy Research (ICPR) led by Professor Mike Hough,
> > a senior adviser to the Home Office, has concluded that the "social
> > supply" of cannabis has almost entirely cut out traditional drug dealers> > and therefore needs a new approach. Their findings reveal that 90 per cent
> > of young users can get hold of cannabis in under a day - with the
> > majority able to get it within an hour.
>
> > Almost two-thirds use cannabis at least once a week, spending an average> > of £80 a month on the drug. On average, they start taking the drug when
> > just 13 years old, and almost all are introduced to it by friends or
> > relatives - with just 1 per cent by dealers. Almost half (45 per cent)
> > admit to having helped supply cannabis to others; 43 per cent have taken> > it at school or college. More than half (54 per cent) say they use
> > cannabis to relax.
>
> > More than 180 cannabis users between 11 and 19 were interviewed by
> > researchers, whose findings will be published by the Joseph Rowntree
> > Foundation later this month.
>
> > These findings come at a critical point in the debate over how to tackle> > Britain's cannabis crisis and will be a blow to medical experts and senior
> > police officers who have been leading calls for the drug to be
> > reclassified. As part of a government review of drug strategy, the
> > Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs is currently considering whether> > cannabis should revert to being a class B drug - three years after it
> > was controversially downgraded to a class C drug by the then Home
> > Secretary, David Blunkett - and is due to make its recommendation to the> > Home Office in the spring.
>
> > Despite cannabis being Britain's most widely used illegal drug, the report
> > is one of the first to have looked at how young people get hold of it, and
> > highlights the lack of knowledge that surrounds the drug, despite the fact
> > that more than 2.5 million 16- to 24-year-olds have used it.
>
> > "If we are to do anything about cannabis use and the dangers attached to> > it, then we have to understand it better. Children are buying it in
> > groups, often from friends and also older brothers and sisters," says
> > Charlie Lloyd, principal research manager at the Joseph Rowntree
> > Foundation. "Many of the young people have supplied the drug to their
> > friends, not in a drug-dealing sense but more in a not-for-profit way -
> > almost like an informal cooperative between friends."
>
> > Researchers found that almost all young cannabis users are introduced to> > the drug by friends, with only 6 per cent saying that they buy from
> > unknown sellers. Professor Hough, who is director of the ICPR, says:
> > "While the public stereotype of the drug dealer may be of an adult
> > stranger 'pushing' drugs to young people, in the case of cannabis this is
> > very rarely the case.
>
> > "Most young people get their cannabis from other young people - often
> > without a profit being made. Nevertheless, in the eyes of the law such
> > transactions represent drug supply offences."
>
> > An anonymous account in the report by one young user reveals how networks
> > of friends have edged out dealers: "They [the people who sell cannabis]
> > are friends from school and also from outside of school. We socialise
> > together."
>
> > Sharing cannabis is commonplace for 70 per cent of users. Anna (her
> > details have been changed) is a 14-year-old who has regularly used
> > cannabis for four years. Like many others, she clubs together with friends
> > to buy the drug, and describes how they divide it out: "Friends were
> > asking and they had given me some before. [I shared] to be kind and to
> > give some back."
>
> > The report warns that more guidance is needed on dealing with what it
> > describes as "offences of social supply of cannabis" and says that young> > people need to be educated about the health risks.
>
> > Researchers conclude that "the findings from this and other studies show> > that cannabis use is significantly embedded in the social world of many
> > young people. It is unlikely a marginal change in the drug's legal status
> > will have an impact."
>
> > This comes just weeks after the Association of Chief Police Officers
> > (Acpo) announced a U-turn on its previous position, and declared itself in
> > favour of seeing cannabis go back to being a class B drug. Downgrading
> > cannabis to a class C drug in 2004 has been blamed for creating a climate
> > of confusion about the legality of the drug and sending mixed messages to
> > young people.
>
> >http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/legal/article3312834.ece
>
> I was sorry to see you forgot to post the BBC story "Cannabis smoke 'has
> more toxins'" just before Xmas.
>
> "Inhaled cannabis smoke has more harmful toxins than tobacco, scientists
> have discovered. The Canadian government research found 20 times as much
> ammonia, a chemical linked to cancer, New Scientist said. The Health Canada
> team also found five times as much hydrogen cyanide and nitrogen oxides,
> which are linked to heart and lung damage respectively. "
>
> Maybe it was just an oversight on your part...
>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7150274.stm- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Nothing new. The difference is that tobacco smoke does't impair the
user like marijauana.

On 19 Jan, 20:02, Steady Eddy  wrote:
> On Jan 6, 4:56 am, "mentalguy2004"  wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > "Dr John Watson"  wrote in messagenews:5ubv54F1h7s2hU1@mid.individual.net...
>
> > >A belated happy new year to everyone.
>
> > > Reclassifying cannabis 'would make no difference to young'
>
> > > Experts say that the vast majority of teenagers get the drug from their
> > > friends, writes Jonathan Owen Published: 06 January 2008
>
> > > Reclassifying cannabis would be pointless and therefore unlikely to make
> > > any difference to young users of the drug, according to a new report by
> > > some of the country's top criminal policy experts.
>
> > > Cannabis has now become such an important part of youth culture that a new
> > > generation of users are supplying each other with the drug, buying and> > > sharing it with friends and relatives. A team of researchers from the
> > > Institute for Criminal Policy Research (ICPR) led by Professor Mike Hough,
> > > a senior adviser to the Home Office, has concluded that the "social
> > > supply" of cannabis has almost entirely cut out traditional drug dealers
> > > and therefore needs a new approach. Their findings reveal that 90 per cent
> > > of young users can get hold of cannabis in under a day - with the
> > > majority able to get it within an hour.
>
> > > Almost two-thirds use cannabis at least once a week, spending an average
> > > of £80 a month on the drug. On average, they start taking the drug when
> > > just 13 years old, and almost all are introduced to it by friends or
> > > relatives - with just 1 per cent by dealers. Almost half (45 per cent)> > > admit to having helped supply cannabis to others; 43 per cent have taken
> > > it at school or college. More than half (54 per cent) say they use
> > > cannabis to relax.
>
> > > More than 180 cannabis users between 11 and 19 were interviewed by
> > > researchers, whose findings will be published by the Joseph Rowntree
> > > Foundation later this month.
>
> > > These findings come at a critical point in the debate over how to tackle
> > > Britain's cannabis crisis and will be a blow to medical experts and senior
> > > police officers who have been leading calls for the drug to be
> > > reclassified. As part of a government review of drug strategy, the
> > > Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs is currently considering whether
> > > cannabis should revert to being a class B drug - three years after it
> > > was controversially downgraded to a class C drug by the then Home
> > > Secretary, David Blunkett - and is due to make its recommendation to the
> > > Home Office in the spring.
>
> > > Despite cannabis being Britain's most widely used illegal drug, the report
> > > is one of the first to have looked at how young people get hold of it, and
> > > highlights the lack of knowledge that surrounds the drug, despite the fact
> > > that more than 2.5 million 16- to 24-year-olds have used it.
>
> > > "If we are to do anything about cannabis use and the dangers attached to
> > > it, then we have to understand it better. Children are buying it in
> > > groups, often from friends and also older brothers and sisters," says
> > > Charlie Lloyd, principal research manager at the Joseph Rowntree
> > > Foundation. "Many of the young people have supplied the drug to their
> > > friends, not in a drug-dealing sense but more in a not-for-profit way > > > almost like an informal cooperative between friends."
>
> > > Researchers found that almost all young cannabis users are introduced to
> > > the drug by friends, with only 6 per cent saying that they buy from
> > > unknown sellers. Professor Hough, who is director of the ICPR, says:
> > > "While the public stereotype of the drug dealer may be of an adult
> > > stranger 'pushing' drugs to young people, in the case of cannabis this is
> > > very rarely the case.
>
> > > "Most young people get their cannabis from other young people - often
> > > without a profit being made. Nevertheless, in the eyes of the law such> > > transactions represent drug supply offences."
>
> > > An anonymous account in the report by one young user reveals how networks
> > > of friends have edged out dealers: "They [the people who sell cannabis> > > are friends from school and also from outside of school. We socialise
> > > together."
>
> > > Sharing cannabis is commonplace for 70 per cent of users. Anna (her
> > > details have been changed) is a 14-year-old who has regularly used
> > > cannabis for four years. Like many others, she clubs together with friends
> > > to buy the drug, and describes how they divide it out: "Friends were
> > > asking and they had given me some before. [I shared] to be kind and to> > > give some back."
>
> > > The report warns that more guidance is needed on dealing with what it
> > > describes as "offences of social supply of cannabis" and says that young
> > > people need to be educated about the health risks.
>
> > > Researchers conclude that "the findings from this and other studies show
> > > that cannabis use is significantly embedded in the social world of many
> > > young people. It is unlikely a marginal change in the drug's legal status
> > > will have an impact."
>
> > > This comes just weeks after the Association of Chief Police Officers
> > > (Acpo) announced a U-turn on its previous position, and declared itself in
> > > favour of seeing cannabis go back to being a class B drug. Downgrading> > > cannabis to a class C drug in 2004 has been blamed for creating a climate
> > > of confusion about the legality of the drug and sending mixed messages to
> > > young people.
>
> > >http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/legal/article3312834.ece
>
> > I was sorry to see you forgot to post the BBC story "Cannabis smoke 'has> > more toxins'" just before Xmas.
>
> > "Inhaled cannabis smoke has more harmful toxins than tobacco, scientists> > have discovered. The Canadian government research found 20 times as much> > ammonia, a chemical linked to cancer, New Scientist said. The Health Canada
> > team also found five times as much hydrogen cyanide and nitrogen oxides,> > which are linked to heart and lung damage respectively. "
>
> > Maybe it was just an oversight on your part...
>
> >http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7150274.stm-

> Nothing new. The difference is that tobacco smoke does't impair the
> user like marijauana.

I would say that ending up stone cold dead is pretty much of an
impairment.

Svenne

On Sat, 19 Jan 2008 10:02:54 -0800, Steady Eddy wrote:

> Nothing new. The difference is that tobacco smoke does't impair the user
> like marijauana.

Eddy! Not seen you for years! Have you just sobered up?

-- 
Phil Stovell, Hampshire, UK

Phil Stovell wrote:
> On Sat, 19 Jan 2008 10:02:54 -0800, Steady Eddy wrote:
> 
>> Nothing new. The difference is that tobacco smoke does't impair the user
>> like marijauana.
> 
> Eddy! Not seen you for years! Have you just sobered up?
> 

	Going by the content of his remark you have no reason to assume
sobriety but at least intoxication on misinformation.

    later
    bliss -- C  O C O A  Powered... (at california dot com)

--
bobbie sellers - a retired nurse in San Francisco

     "It is by will alone I set my mind in motion.
     It is by the beans of cocoa that the thoughts acquire speed,
     the thighs acquire girth, the girth become a warning.
     It is by theobromine alone I set my mind in motion."
        --from Someone else's Dune spoof ripped to my taste.

On Sat, 19 Jan 2008 17:23:57 -0800, bobbie sellers wrote:

> Phil Stovell wrote:
>> On Sat, 19 Jan 2008 10:02:54 -0800, Steady Eddy wrote:
>> 
>>> Nothing new. The difference is that tobacco smoke does't impair the
>>> user like marijauana.
>> 
>> Eddy! Not seen you for years! Have you just sobered up?
>> 
>> 
> 	Going by the content of his remark you have no reason to assume
> sobriety but at least intoxication on misinformation.

Eddy's a troll.

> 
>     later
>     bliss -- C  O C O A  Powered... (at california dot com)
> 
> --
> bobbie sellers - a retired nurse in San Francisco
> 
>      "It is by will alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the beans of
>      cocoa that the thoughts acquire speed, the thighs acquire girth, the
>      girth become a warning. It is by theobromine alone I set my mind in
>      motion."
>         --from Someone else's Dune spoof ripped to my taste.
-- 
Phil Stovell, Hampshire, UK