Smoking weed - what’s your take on it...

[Notcontent]

I don’t know much about it but on balance think it should probably be decriminalised. However, it is addictive and it obviously can have a negative impact on people’s lives and mental health. It does seem very prevalent around my part of London - I feel like I can smell it in the street all the time when I am out and about.

Sonatuni, I'm really sorry about what happened to your son. This is way more common than a lot of people realise. Is he having treatment for his anxiety? And if so, has he told his therapist what triggered it? Only when someone has gone through the trauma of a huge anxiety attack with a definite trigger some targeted approaches incorporating elements of PTSD therapy can be really helpful. He's definitely doing the right thing staying off the booze and any other mind altering substances.

Talk to any mh professional and they will tell you it is far more common than popularly perceived for someone to have an adverse psychiatric reaction to cannabis. It's a psychotropic substance.

But then again so is alcohol. And any host of prescription medications.

If people want to talk about addiction, then benzodiazepines need to be mentioned. Quite aside from a true physical addiction where withdrawal can lead to seizures and death, is the fact they physically alter the brain chemistry forever. (Incidentally, cannabis can help alleviate some of the nastier effects of withdrawal if people decide to wean themselves off benzos)

The narrative for the continued illegality of cannabis in the UK bears a remarkable resemblance to the script controlling spouses use with their victims. Loads of pseudo reasoning with a healthy backstop of "because I say so".

I smell it all the time. My DD18 says its prevalent in secondary school circles and not just by 'druggies'. She doesn't , quite simply 'because she doesn't smoke cigarettes so why would she smoke weed?' I like the simplicity in that.

I'm not sure anyone on this thread has said that cannabis is harmless.

Breathing isn't harmless ...

I never have and wouldn't.

PTSD therapy also includes SSRI medication, which is also a mind-altering substance… to form a coherent argument you can't pick and choose your substances to support your theory

Psychiatric treatment for PTSD can involve medication, yes. Therapy doesn't as therapists can't prescribe. Not sure why you want to persist in your tedious point scoring when I'm giving someone helpful information - maybe you'd be better off going and getting stoned? (Again.)

My DD18 says its prevalent in secondary school circles and not just by 'druggies'. She doesn't , quite simply 'because she doesn't smoke cigarettes so why would she smoke weed?' I like the simplicity in that

which rather busts the myth that access it it encourages use ...

probably too soon to tell on a generational level, but there were a few reports from the legal US states that usage fell amongst the younger population. Whether this was due to and effect of it no longer being cool once legal is unknown.

Generally, if the aim of drug policy is to minimise overall harm, then it's hard to defend the UKs stance. Much more harm comes from cannabis being illegal than would come from it being legal. However, as noted before, most UK anything policy is really about enforcing the morality of the state. The same way the bedroom tax wasn't intended to free up spare rooms, but (as with US drug laws) more a stick with which to beat people for daring to be poor.

In a world where drug policy "success" is measured in arrests and seizures, it's hardly surprising that police forced are motivated to arrest and seize, and damn the harm done.

I love it. Keeps me relaxed. Yet able to do what I have to do.

I'm 63.

Go to my GP maybe twice a year for minor stuff and can't remember the last time I had to go to the chemist for a prescription.

It should be legalized. Would cut out the criminal elements.

Like I said, theuser, I think all drugs should be legalized so not sure why you're berating me on that score. I'm also very well aware of the addictive properties of medication and alcohol, but we're not talking about them. Also, as a pp said, setting the bar for harm caused by putative legal cannabis consumption at the point where booze and benzos are is setting it pretty damn low. We need to do a lot better than that.

maybe you'd be better off going and getting stoned? (Again.)

Give it a rest.

i would not wish to be in an atmosphere where its noxious fumes are present.

No, I don't like walking down a heavily traffic-laden street either.

I agree that access doesn't encourage use. Cannabis and every other drug are all freely available throughout the UK and most people don't take drugs most days because they've got things to do - work, school, caring etc - and don't want to experience impaired mental functioning. Illegality has nothing to do with that.

I didn't say that I was a user so that's another cul de sac, and it's funny to accuse someone of point scoring while erm, scoring points

Boring.

It's not quite like the odd glass of wine you might have. People tend to smoke weed until they feel high, or "relaxed". Most people don't drink to get drunk on a regular basis.

Harolds thank you for that - yes I had wondered about some PTSD treatment. (It’s the ‘memory’ of the huge panic attack like symptoms that is particular issue at the moment.)

He is v upset at the moment because it was all over a year ago and he had been doing really well. But then got very tired and felt quite dizzy which then seemed to trigger memories of the post weed panic attacks :-(

Just to add to what I wrote initially. This all happened after using it three times. I had always tried the DC’s away from it but it’s use is v v widespread in all of the local schools (across both excellent state plus private schools.)

The only thing I’m hoping is that because he had the negative experience relatively early - and then hasn’t touched any since - that eventually he will be able to put it behind him.

Sonatuni, that all sounds very difficult and yes it does also sound like the experience has left him with trauma-type problems, especially given that it's the similar feeling physical sensation that has given rise to his anxiety about experiencing the same thing again. Your poor ds. A good therapist should be able to help him - the good news is that at least he's not going to get triggered by actual cannabis use again so if someone can sensitively take him through the talking treatment it would last and he'd be better equipped to deal with any of the "this feels like ..." triggers.

I don't mind it, but it doesn't agree with me at all, it now makes me extremely paranoid. The most annoying thing is weed smokers telling me I'm smoking the wrong strain and need to try this and that. Try leaving me alone.

Harolds because the nhs waiting lists are so long we are thinking of looking for someone privately. I’m not an expert in anyway so was thinking of looking at cbt therapist but is there something else we should look at. Thanks !

I live in Canada where it recently was decriminalised, and i really don't see any difference.

However, I abhor the smell of it.

Sonatuni can I PM you later?

Thanks Harolds

I began smoking it again to alleviate peri meno symptoms, and I must say it's been fab. I do like something to relax in the evenings and alcohol and menopause don't mix terribly well.

It is much stronger than the solids I used to smoke as a young adult, which is why I'd like to see legalisation, then I could buy something with a more balanced THC/CBD ratio, rather than the super strong cheese etc. that the dealer churns out. I don't like the heavy body/brain disconnect feeling from the Indica types.

These THC heavy super strains often have very little CBD, (an anti-psychotic amongst other things), so are not balanced. Like PPs have said, it's the old bang for buck thing that becomes apparent under prohibition.

I have never heard of anyone testing positive for breathing in fumes. It's often used as an excuse by the smoker once they've tested positive for the substance though.

It's not quite like the odd glass of wine you might have. People tend to smoke weed until they feel high, or "relaxed".

I know enough people who want a "hit" from their wine/beer/gin - otherwise what's the point ? Vaguely reminds me of back in the day, when people (men) bought Playboy "for the articles"

Besides, one phenomena which is unlikely to be researched in any reasonable depth, is that in terms of analgesia and as an anti-spasmodic, it seems the therapeutic dose is below the dose that creates a noticeable psychoactive effect. Quite a few people that use it for the pain and spasms in MS (my hobby horse) actively dislike getting "high".

The medical whole-plant preparation (a tacit admission that you can grow your own medicine) "SativeX" achieves the same effect. If it were actually available via the NHS, quite a few people who have to rely on dealers would use it. But given the experiences in my neck of the woods, you'd be more likely to get a prescription for unicorn wee as SativeX.

All this talk of smoking should be balanced by noting that there are other ways to consume cannabis. Vaping aside, it's quite amenable to dissolving in fat, like butter. Which makes it possible to ingest it rather than smoke it, thus better for the lungs, and neighbours. In fact people who have access to a consistent source (generally by growing it themselves) can experiment towards making a titrated dose-per-bite medicine ... butter being useful for brownies and cakes. Although absorption via ingestion creates a different metabolic route which lasts longer, and leads to more CBD products.

Touching on recent events, the passing of Paul Flynn MP recently was a sad loss to those desperately seeking a change in the law to allow them legal access to a medicine they know works. He was a great supporter in a humanitarian way.