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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Should we relax cannabis laws?
North-West Eveing Mail Thursday 04 Jul 2013 Professor Les Iversen, the government’s chief drugs advisor says: “Cannabis is a safer drug than aspirin and can be used long-term without serious side effects.” The popular scare story about cannabis is mental illness, but if you look at the actual NHS records for people in treatment, anyone in the UK is six times more likely to suffer mental health problems as a result of using alcohol rather than cannabis. The people most vulnerable to harm from cannabis are children, yet we have abandoned them to organised crime. What we need to do is get the dealers off the streets and make cannabis available to adults only through licensed outlets. This will also virtually wipe out the problem of dangerous and illegal cannabis farms and create thousands of jobs in new, legitimate businesses. Remember, we spend £6 billion every year on cannabis in Britain and it is not going away so far better to take responsibility, regulate and tax it for everyone’s benefit. For most adults, in moderation, cannabis is actually good for you. Endocannabinoid deficiency is the cause of many modern illnesses, particularly auto immune conditions such as MS, Crohn's, cancer and diabetes. Cannabis is a natural supplement to the endocannabinoid system and can help protect against these conditions. It is also now known to be helpful in preventing disorders such as Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases. The reason that cannabis remains prohibited is the power of the alcohol industry which is terrified of a healthier alternative to its products and our political leaders are weak and cowardly in the face of such large businesses. WE recognise that there has been a lot of confusion over the laws around cannabis possession recently, writes HELEN DAVIES, North West service manager for Cumbria Alcohol and Drug Advisory Service. The recent change in the law (when cannabis was changed from a class C drug to a class B) has not been publicised as much as it could have. A lot of young people think it is legal, which can cause problems – and perhaps the main problem with cannabis is the fact that it is illegal. We think that any more changes in the law could add to this confusion. A conviction could have far reaching effects on a young person’s life, career choice and travel opportunities as well as other aspects of their life in the long term – this is the area that cannabis is most dangerous. In terms of the effects of cannabis, no drug is completely safe and you never know entirely how a person is going to respond to drug use. Some of the negative effects people have reported include feeling very paranoid or anxious, and feeling demotivated or having a lack of interest in employment. This is often when people are using large amounts of cannabis. There are no doubt young people who have used cannabis themselves or who have friends who use the drug in the short term and who have not felt any of these effects. They might not believe these effects can result from cannabis use but they have not experienced the long-term impact of the drug. There have been a lot of arguments linking long-term cannabis use to mental health issues, but the evidence is unclear. There’s an ongoing debate about whether long-term use can cause mental health issues, but either way, no drug will help if you have an underlying mental health condition. In the short term, it may feel like cannabis can help you, but longer term use could be more problematic. http://www.nwemail.co.uk/should-we-relax-cannabis-laws-1.1067761?referrerPath=home
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