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Cannabis Cancer not Considered

A private members bill to ban bongs in Victoria was defeated in the Victorian upper house.

The bill proposed that selling and displaying bongs would be illegal and would bring Victoria into line with other states that had acted similarly.

(Source: Victorian Legislative Council Hansard, 26 May 2010)

DRUG ADVISORY COUNCIL COMMENTS-

The medical research is clear that cancer is caused by smoking tobacco.

The medical research is also clear that smoking cannabis is more likely to cause cancer than smoking tobacco.

Smoking cannabis is known to cause cancer of the mouth, tongue, lungs, upper aero digestive tract and upper airways.

So why are Victorians not protected by laws that outlaw implements to encourage smoking and particularly smoking cannabis.

As well, high cannabis use is having a major impact on the mental health system because of the link between cannabis and psychosis.

Smoking cannabis leads to road deaths and trauma which should be incentive enough to outlaw cannabis smoking implements.

Governments need to take cannabis use seriously because it is the most commonly used illicit drug in Australia.

Removing from display and sale smoking implements like bongs should be part of sound anti drug policy that discourages smoking.

Cannabis users need to be diverted into drug rehabilitation at the first apprehension to get them free of cannabis use and the cancer it causes.

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Cannibis Experts Addiction

An expert in drug addiction has written an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association of his own addiction to cannabis which destroyed his career.

A daily decade long cannabis habit moving onto injecting opioids was exposed and led to his employment being terminated, being evicted from his house, a criminal conviction, deportation and restricted international travel.

The Baltimore biomedical scientist specializing in drug addiction had intellectualized his own drug use and convinced himself that he could not be addicted.

(Source: New York Times, 20 May 2010)

DRUG ADVISORY COUNCIL COMMENTS-

This highlights that cannabis is addictive and its use has implications even for those that have deceived themselves.

This belief of - it wont happen to me- indicates that illicit drug use does lead to other consequences.

Whilst this confession of an expert in drug addiction looks at personal life consequences, the main reason that cannabis use is illegal is its clear impacts on the user's health.

As well, high cannabis use is having a major impact on the mental health system because of the link between cannabis and psychosis.

Governments need to take cannabis use seriously because it is the most commonly used illicit drug in Australia.

Cannabis users need to be diverted into drug rehabilitation at the first apprehension before they get addicted and their health and life spirals out of control.

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Cannabis Leads to Psychotic Episodes

A study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry claims that cannabis with higher THC levels commonly known as skunk is seven times more likely to trigger psychotic illnesses like schizophrenia.

Psychotic episodes like psychosis, schizophrenia, hearing voices and paranoid illusions were part of the effects of the higher THC levels.

Cannabis with a higher THC level contains as much as 18 per cent of THC which is more than 4 times stronger than normal cannabis.

Researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry in London analyzed the cannabis consumption of users with an average age of 25 years who were admitted with the first episode of psychosis as part of the study.

(Source: Guardian newspaper UK, 1 December 2009).

DRUG ADVISORY COUNCIL COMMENTS-

Cannabis must remain an illicit and illegal drug.

The mental illnesses associated with cannabis have been confirmed by other scientific studies

Cannabis use also causes cognitive impairment, car crashes, respiratory disease, depression, suppression of the immune system, suicide and cancer.

Australia needs to reduce the number of cannabis users in order to prevent these impacts in our community.

World's best practice has shown that diversion of identified cannabis users into detoxification and rehabilitation is the most effective way to reduce the number of users.

As cannabis is the most common illicit drug use

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Cannabis Harm to Teenage Brains

The debate about the effect of cannabis on the developing teenage brain on the internet was highlighted in an article published at MercatorNet.com

The harm to the developing adolescent brain, the cannabis impact, the increasing toxicity and the damage of continuing use are all clearly acknowledged.

So is the fact that continuing cannabis use is a gateway to other drug use.

(Source: Teenage brains and the Harm of Cannabis, Moynihan C, at MercatorNet.com).

DRUG ADVISORY COUNCIL COMMENTS-

This article highlights why cannabis must remain an illicit and illegal drug and be separated from other legal drugs and the misuse of prescription drugs.

The adolescent brain is highly impacted by cannabis at a time when brain development is continuing and when short term memory suppression makes teenagers unable to learn or act purposely.

Cannabis use causes cognitive impairment, car crashes, respiratory disease, depression, suicide, cancer and psychosis.

Australia needs to reduce the number of teenage cannabis users in order to prevent these impacts in our community.

World's best practice has shown that to prevent drug use in teenagers leads to illicit drug abstinence later in adulthood.

The teenage years are the most opportune time to educate them on the illegal status, health risks and damage that are involved.