To think cannabis isn't harmless?

[freedom26]

Cannabis seems to be normalised and many people don't even consider it a drug. My brother-in-law is a psychiatrist and he says that he fears legalization in the UK as it would increase

In his 20 years of work, he says that the patients who only used, alcohol, or prescription drugs had a far better outcome for their mental health than those who smoked cannabis regularly (apart from the addiction) who regularly visited after suffering a psychotic break.

Cannabis is obviously far safer in terms of physical health than other drugs and not everyone gets the bad effects, but people seem to downplay the potential harm it can cause if you're predisposed to psychosis/schizophrenia.

If I think back my childhood, I went to a high achieving private school were many people I knew dabble in all sorts of drugs and it seemed that even among the excessive users, those who used cannabis and didn't develop psychosis still fared worse in terms of academic achievement than those dependent on alcohol who usually reduced their drinking as they age.

It is, though medical cannabis is inhaled through a vape with no tobacco and minimal smoke

But the Netherlands where there is a soft approach to drugs is fast heading towards becoming a narco state as it has led to the criminals using it as a base for distributing to everywhere else. It's a terrible idea.

Legalise it ASAP. those who feel they might benefit, or would use it occasionally will know it's approved and safe ingredient wise.

Those who want more than that will probably still source from dealers anyway to get the mix they want or it might be cheaper on the street.

How are things in the cannabis approved States in the US?. That's the last place I expected cannabis to be legalised, but it seems to be working fine.

I dont use it, this is what I heard from people who do.

That’s because it’s grown by gangs in squats and there is zero quality control or disincentive to grow the strongest possible. It’s like saying we should ban alcohol because people die drinking moonshine under prohibition. The illegality is causing the biggest problem.

If you could buy it in a shop the strength could be limited.

You're not being unreasonable. I've seen friends become dependent on cannabis and it contributed to the severe mental health problems of one of my relatives. It's not physically addictive etc etc but people can become psychologically dependent ('I need this to feel good') and seems to worsen mental health problems. People who tell you it's totally harmless tend to be people who smoke a lot of it, in my experience. Legalisation worries me for reasons like this - I only see it working if mental health resources are made more available for users, but we know that won't happen.

This is a long and detailed post with an authoritative tone, yet offers zero evidence of its claims.

There is research evidence of links between cannabis use and violence:

Cannabis use and violent behaviour

Legalise and get rid of the criminality surrounding it, give it a trial for a year and see what happens, decreasing the machete gangs and shoplifting maybe who knows till we try, it can't be worse than what's going on.

my autistic adult daughter has a prescription for medical cannabis to help with her anxiety/low mood, which has always seemed somewhat bizarre to me as I've always read that cannabis can exacerbate low mood and anxiety? But perhaps the prescribed flower is different to the street stuff? My daughter has a full time professional job and functions quite well so I've wondered why she's taking this when there are more natural options available.

I would imagine people who smoke cannabis mixed with tobacco have same issues as ordinary cigarette smokers. Kind of logical.

There are other ways to use cannabis though, that do not involve tobacco smoking.

it's all relative. nothing that impacts the body or mind is harmless.

alcohol also causes mental health problems, anxiety, psychosis etc. And is of course much more potent. I doubt your assessment that alchohol causes fewer problems stands up to controlled scrutiny.

If I had to choose between the two, I'd probably lean to preferring my kids use cannabis vs alcohol.

obviously i'd rather it be neither. And this is purely health. Social stigma changes the balance as well

I know a lot of people who use it and this isn't reality. Unless you're buying shitty stuff from a random street corner dealer which most weed smokers don't. Dealers want discreet repeat customers, not to have to go looking to sell their stuff. Good dealers are picky about who they sell to and have standards about what they sell for that reason. Basic capitalism!

You can't get more natural than a plant.

I'd legalise it in prisons and other places of detention.. and nursing homes and psych wards and anywhere people are stuck, bored and agitated. Free gummies, no need for smokes.

I am prescribed medical cannabis for anxiety and cPTSD and it has been life changing. I no longer take ssris or anti psychotics with all the horrible side effects. I am prescribed oil for sleep, flos (weed to vape) in the day and evening and also edible thc gummies so that I can medicate at work without the anxiety of anyone knowing/smelling cannabis. It’s genuinely made such an impact on my MH it’s unbelievable. All regulated, monitored and prescribed by a consultant.

It would increase the already high amount of drug induced psychosis straining the NHS.
Medical exemption for cancer patients and such would be the only possibly sensible route, not recreation use and definitely not using it when there are existing mental health issues as that increases the risk.

More natural options than cannabis? Like what??

I agree with you. I think it can have negative effects even passively smoking it.
Growing up I had no issues with my MH and was never around anyone smoking it, then when I moved into a badly converted flat my downstairs neighbour smoked it heavily and my flat smelt of it. I started suffering from night terrors. I moved out of there and none of my new neighbours smoked it and I was fine again. One of my neighbours teenagers then started smoking it heavily and the smell in my house was constantly overpowering and I ended up with psychosis and was suffering from night terrors again.
I think if you are susceptible to the effects it can be very damaging.

I worked on reception in a rehab clinic back in the 90s. Every single one of our patients started their drugs journey on weed. Then it wasn't enough so they would move onto the next thing, sometimes the next thing etc.

I don't believe it's harmless.

But legalising cannabis doesn't increase use. So how would it increase mental illness?

also it’s prescribed for vaping, not smoking. So if you were to smoke the weed it would invalidate the prescription.

The problem with any "natural" medicine (plants etc) is that there is no way of controlling the potency/ strength. Same dosage from different plant/ different batch can have different amount of chemicals in it and have different effects.

that's really interesting, glad it's working well for you

An excess of anything is dangerous so it's not surprising the same is true of cannabis. I know a lot of people who have smoked a lot of cannabis and most haven't had any detrimental effects on their life. A few people recognised that smoking made them paranoid so they stopped. I suppose if they had carried on that could have been a problem.

Back in the day, people were often smoking 'solids' and that seemed a lot milder than some of the weed available. So I do think some of the stuff is too strong and that is where problems arise.

One of the things cannabis is often accused of is being a 'gateway drug' ie you start with that and move onto other things. Its certainly not always true - lots of people just smoke weed. But I do believe that it being illegal does expose people to other drugs because you are having to get it from people who supply all sorts. So I do think legalisation could potentially reduce other drug use. It's just a theory though.

I'm not sure the UK would ever legalise. But if they did, I'm sure they would use some stats from other countries that have done it to decide.

Of course it's not harmless, especially in teenagers.

I have a friend who has smoked it since he was 14 and his memory is shot to shit. Luckily he doesn't have psychosis.

I also don't believe the claims is good for mental health. It has a nice impact when consumed, but so does alcohol. You wouldn't recommend a depressed person get and stay drunk to "cure" their depression.

As they say in the JUUL documentary, breathing in anything other than air is bad for you.