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UK: Plymouth cannabis user says the drug helps him deal with pain Sam Blackledge Plymouth Herald Wednesday 24 Jun 2015 ADVERTISING DARYL Sullivan works as an assistant manager of a mail order company, and in his spare time does some freelance writing and runs a website. Daryl also smokes cannabis every day and is chairman of the Devon Cannabis Club – but he does not see his habit as a problem, and is ready to debunk some misconceptions. “Contrary to popular belief I do not spend my life constantly stoned,” the 25-year-old says. “I am a functioning member of society with a full-time job. “I am not a criminal or a scourge on society as some would have you believe. “On the contrary, I am a law abiding taxpayer who happens to use an arbitrarily illegal medicine to treat my illnesses.” Born in Plymouth and raised in Ivybridge, Daryl has lived and worked in Totnes for the last two years. He uses cannabis as a recreational drug, but also as a way of dealing with a checklist of medical complaints. “I have suffered for years from crippling anxiety and bouts of severe depression,” he says. “Ingesting cannabis, which is high in cannabidiol, allows me to effectively manage my panic attacks and other symptoms, which in turn means I can live a relatively normal life as a functioning member of society. “Without it I quite quickly spiral downwards, to the point that I can no longer communicate effectively or leave the house without becoming overwhelmed by anxiety.” Daryl also uses the drug to dull the pain of compacted vertebrae in his lower spine and to help treat the symptoms of chronic urticaria, otherwise known as hives. “The alternative to cannabis use would be to take the Tramadol prescribed by my GP, a drug with some pretty serious side effects and a high potential to cause dependency,” he says. “Despite its inherent dangers, Tramadol is regularly prescribed to people with chronic pain for extended periods of time; it is frankly outrageous that a drug like cannabis, which is a highly effective painkiller with few if any side effects, is denied to patients who could benefit greatly from its use, on purely ideological grounds.” Daryl believes that without cannabis he would be suffering much greater pain and discomfort and would be a drain on the health service. He also says the drug is much safer for recreational users than alcohol and tobacco. “These two most popular recreational drugs cause thousands of deaths and injuries every year and are a huge strain on the NHS, and yet they are perfectly legal and regulated,” he says. “Indeed, Professor David Nutt has claimed that if cannabis were to be legalised it would result in a significant reduction in the number of people consuming dangerous quantities of alcohol.” Daryl believes the drug should be decriminalised, legalised and regulated for medicinal and recreational use. “Decriminalisation would be a step in the right direction, as it would end the hugely damaging process of slapping anyone caught using or growing the plant with a criminal record, which is far more damaging than cannabis itself could ever be and which clearly does not act as a deterrent,” he says. “However it would not go far enough in my eyes, as the production and supply of cannabis would still be left in the hands of organised crime. “This is a major issue for many reasons – firstly, drug dealers don’t ask for ID. “If you want to stop young people from using drugs, which is something everyone can agree would be a good thing, then prohibition is just about the worst method possible of doing this. “By removing all regulations you effectively guarantee that kids will be more likely to come into contact with drugs and remove all safeguards for them should that situation arise.” In his role with the Devon Cannabis Club, Daryl wrote to his MP Sarah Wollaston last year calling for the Government to take action. “It is quite obvious that cannabis users are unfairly victimised by prohibition,” he says. “Their so-called crime is a victimless one, and arrests and convictions only serve to waste police time, ruin people’s lives and contribute to a lack of trust and respect for the police force. “In addition, cannabis users are often seen as ‘low-hanging fruit’ by the police. “By this I mean that police forces up and down the country have to hit targets for arrests, and one of the easiest ways of doing that is to go after non-violent drug users, rather than more serious and dangerous criminals who actually pose a threat to society but who take a lot more effort to catch and bring to justice.” As for the argument that cannabis use can lead young people into the world of harder and more dangerous drugs, Daryl is unconvinced. “This is a claim which has long been debunked,” he says. “There is nothing in cannabis which makes people use other drugs. “The only sense in which this claim has any legitimacy is in the fact that the dealers who supply cannabis will often also supply ‘harder’ drugs, leading to a possibly greater chance of people trying those substances too.” He will admit that some people may move on to other drugs having started with cannabis, but puts this down to misinformation. “If someone is told all through their life that cannabis is dangerous and harmful and must be avoided, then what happens when that person tries cannabis and discovers for themselves that these claims are completely false?” he says. “Naturally that individual is more likely to then conclude that if the police and Government have lied to them about the dangers of one drug, then it is quite likely that they have lied about others as well.” http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Plymouth-cannabis-user-says-drug-helps-deal-pain/story-26760238-detail/story.html
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