Q: Is cannabis harmful to health?
A: No, not pure cannabis. See The Lancet and Judge Young, The
Merck Manual, LaGuardia, Wootton, Shafer, Jamaican
Studies, Costa Rica Studies.
Q: Is cannabis poisonous? / Is there a fatal
dose? A: No. It has been established that there is no conceivable toxic amount
of cannabis for human beings. Medicinal substances frequently have a dosage
above which death may follow after consumption. This quantity is known as the
LD-50 rating - that is the dose above which 50 per cent of animals tested have
dies. It has never been possible to give enough cannabis to an animal to kill
it. It is estimated that the LD-50 for cannabis is around 1:20,000, which means
that an average human would have to be given at least 20,000 times as much
cannabis as is contained in the average joint or spliff.
Based upon the dosage supplied to patients on the NIDA program in the
The figure of 20,000, sometimes quoted as 40,000, was based upon research
carried out in the laboratory on mice using concentrated THC.
Q: Does cannabis intoxicate?
A: Not in the sense of losing control, which is what
intoxication does. Toxins produce intoxication; cannabis is not toxic.
The word "intoxicate" is semantically incorrectly applied to
cannabis.
Q: Is cannabis THC?
A: Tetrahydrocannabinol is one of hundreds of cannabinoids in cannabis. THC is not cannabis, cannabis is not
THC.
Q: What are the effects of cannabis?
A: We'd like to simply say 'take it and see' but that would be a crime!
Cannabis relaxes alpha waves produced by the brain. The effect is usually mild,
relaxing and pleasant. Any undesirable or unpleasant effects or high dosed or
in the novice wears off as the cannabis wears off. It can produce giggles,
increase concentration, stimulate appetite, help sleep etc. Many artists and
sportsmen use cannabis. We must be careful to distinguish between the effects
of pure cannabis and those of the dubious quality substances often sold on the
street, which may contain drugs.
Q: Does cannabis damage the reproductive
system?
A: No. This false claim was based on the work of Dr Gabriel Nahas
who experimented with cells in Petri dishes. The scientific community has
rejected Nahas' generalisation from the laboratory
dish to human beings. Studies of humans have failed to reveal any damage.
Moreover we all know plenty of people who have used cannabis for years and they
all have plenty of normal, healthy children. See also Greek Studies.
Q: Does cannabis damage the immune system?
A: No. Again there is no evidence. Two studies in 1978 and one in 1988 showed
that cannabis actually stimulates the immune system.
Q: Does cannabis impair short-term memory?
A: No. Some people may find themselves distracted whilst others find cannabis
aids concentration and improves memory. That is why so many
good musicians smoke cannabis and are able to remember complex series of
notes and words.
Q: Is today's cannabis more potent than in the
past?
No. It is about the same. In the past delays in analysis effected
results. Potency cannot be determined by the amount of THC alone. The most
potent form of cannabis that was probably that sold as 'American Cannabis' in
the 1920's.
Q: What does cannabis smoke contain?
A: Over two thousand different chemicals, none of which produces harm. Compared
with coffee, which contains over 800 volatile chemicals, only 21 of which have
ever been tested on animals and 16 of those caused cancers in rats.
Q: How many convicted annually?
A: In 1994 there were over 72,000 convictions in the
Q: How many people die as a result of cannabis
use?
A: None. Ever. It is not toxic, there is no overdose.
Q: Is cannabis addictive?
A: No. It is habit-forming only in the sense that it is natural to wish to
repeat a pleasant experience. There is no withdrawal. One simply returns to
whatever state one was in before consumption. See LaGuardia, Shafer.. But we must remember that those people with addictive
personalities can come to psychologically depend on anything, and those using
cannabis to ease their suffering may depend upon it as a medicine. This does not
mean that the hundreds of millions of people worldwide are cannabis addicts.
Q: Does Marijuana Use
Cause Long-Term Cognitive Deficits?: Four letters in the Journal of the
American Medical Association,
Q: Is cannabis a 'gateway drug'?
A: No, otherwise the 5 million smokers of 1991 would be addicts of other drugs
by now. The situation in
Q: Do you advocate the use of cannabis?
A: We would like to be able to advocate the medicinal use of cannabis in
preference to many prescribed drugs, as well as advocate the preferred use of
cannabis for hard drug users. Unfortunately if we did this we would be subject
to arrest for incitement.
Q: Some doctors, nurses and drug workers
frequently tell us that they see people, especially young ones, who suffer from
mental problems due to cannabis. Surely legalisation
would increase the numbers?
A: These problems do not seem to occur in the East where cannabis has been used
for centuries. Nobody would deny that a certain percentage of society suffers
mental problems, understandable maybe under the pressures that western society
often puts people under, and specifically applied to cannabis users under a
legal system which threatens them with arrest. It is more likely that these
cases are mentally nor ill people who use cannabis, rather than the case of
cannabis causing the illness. We must remember of course that all of these
cases apply to banned cannabis - how sure are we that it is pure cannabis that
has been used, and can we be sure that no dangerous illicit drugs have been
used
But the essential question is: should the law punish people who suffer mental
illnesses if they consume cannabis? Should it punish those who use cannabis at all. Surely ill people need help, not fines and prison.
It also appears true that cannabis may help bring some of these problems to the
surface where they can be recognised and dealt with.
Q: When was cannabis made illegal?
A: In the
Q: How many cannabis users in the world?
A:: An estimated 600 million - probably far too low.
Q: Is cannabis fat-soluble? Does it stay in
your system?
A: Yes, for from 14 to 40 days. But this is long after any effect has worn off
and it causes no harm.
Q: What are the other uses of cannabis?
A: Besides social use and medicinal use, as a fibre
for paper, rope and cloth, as a building material and board for furniture,
packing material, animal bedding, foodstuff, prevents land erosion, to make
plastic, paints, varnish, and sealant, as a fuel, as a lubricant etc. See here.
Q: What are the penalties for cannabis?
A: For possession, ion the
In
Q:: What are the
dangers of smoking cannabis?
A: Mixing it with tobacco.
Getting arrested.
Health hazards from impurities.
Being offered drugs.
Becoming a social outcast = persecution.
Conviction = criminal record, banned from USA, Australia etc.
All prohibition created problems.
Q: Is cannabis at all dangerous?
A: Of course, everything has some danger. You can drown in water, air starts
fires, and you can choke on a sweet. Cannabis is about as dangerous as the same
sized piece of wood. You could hit somebody with a large lump. However,
cannabis was described, by DEA Administrator Judge Francis Young, as one of the
safest of substances.
Q: Is decriminalisation a step in the right
direction? A: No. Decriminalisation is simple turning a blind eye to small time
users or growers. It simply avoids the real issues of control. Cannabis quality
could not be tested. We want the weed to be free. We want it sold by reputable
dealers with their profits taxed. We do not want limits on the amount possessed
or amount of plants cultivated.
Q: What about synthetic cannabis?
A: Research is continuing to produce medicinal cannabis substances that do not give
a high when consumed. Cannabis is a holistic plant - the whole plant is
necessary. Synthetic 'drugs' such as Nabilone are
considered virtually useless compared with natural cannabis and can have
unpleasant side effects such as depression. Cannabis usually alleviates
depression.
Q: In third world
countries the poor and unemployed are seen sitting smoking cannabis, they never
seem to get anything together and remain poor. Isn't this an effect of
cannabis? That is, does the use of cannabis a-motivate?
A: No. The reverse is true. Because they are poor and unemployed they have time
to sit and smoke. Cannabis grows wild in many of these countries. They smoke it
because it helps them stay happy in their positions. In the same countries many
working people smoke cannabis. You do not see them on the streets because they
work and smoke at home. The same is true in
It would
take a million wise men to answer all the questions one fool can ask.