Cannabis haul! This is a Joke, Wake Up Smell the Beans

[JCSkinner]

Wouldn't it be nice if people could read the damn thread?
We've already dealt comprehensively with the issue of cannabis and links alleged between it and schizophrenia.
I'm not going over it again for people to lazy to follow the debate.
Go back and read the thread in its entirety.

[Elvis Parsley]

Its the weekend so ...........................

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol920-6VBVc"]YouTube - Bob Dylan-Rainy Day Women #12 & 35[/ame]

[sarahj]

Just before I sign off for the weekend myself
Sarahj I will apologise now if I took you up wrong but It looked to me that you were demanding that scratchnsniff prove that cannabis caused the brother to become a bad person etc. This is an unfair request - is scratchnsniff a medical or mental health professional. Was there documetned scientific study of the brothers case over the last 20 years and even if there was can it be posted to a public discussion forum. Asking for causation in this case looks to me like the religious asking athiests to prove there is no God.

scratchnsniff formed, from observation, the opinion that cannabis caused the brothers personality change. Whether this observation is correct or not is a moot point with regard to the wider debate. But I provided you some links that show that there is some medical opinion that cannabis use can cause mental health problems. So scratchnsniffs opinion is a least a plausible one. That is why you are going down a dead end with the causation demand. In my opinion anyway.

And thanks to truthisfree for your post. I welcome a hard headed debate on cannabis legalisation. I think the debate needs to focus mostly on on medical and a little bit on the societal benefit of legalisation for recreational use. If the benefits of legalisation can be demonstrated to sufficiently outweigh the drawbacks then I will fully support it. Otherwise it's the status quo for me I'm afraid.

I WAS asking scratchnsniff to demonstrate the relationship as one of causation. Of course I was, it is not unfair to do so. If this connection is so obvious to him/her, he/she should be able to produce irrefutable evidence. Otherwise this observation is irrelevant.

Simple as. It's not unfair. It is common practice in debate.

[Wakeupcall]

Where is this causation then?

[Cato]

Where is this causation then?

It most likely doesn't exist outside the prejudice of the prohibitionists.

[BrianH]

Anyone else going to the Marc Emery rally?

Just seen this thread on politics - http://www.politics.ie/current-affai...overnment.html

[i.m.o]

I hope to travel up from kilkenny to show my support, just tryin to convince one of my friends to join me on the trip. Do you think there will be many there?

[femmefatale]

Where do those you favour decriminalization stand on the issue of skunk vis à vis cannabis?

On the whole, do you hope to see Ireland adopt a similar approach to the Dutch? The only problem with this is that the two societies are extremely different. Ireland has had and still does have a severe problem with the overuse and abuse of intoxicating substances, i.e. alcohol. Dutch society for whatever reason does not share the same problem. They seem to have a much more responsible and disciplined approach to such things. Perhaps this is why their society can cope with extremely lax drug laws. I don't know if Ireland can do the same.

[sarahj]

Where do those you favour decriminalization stand on the issue of skunk vis à vis cannabis?

On the whole, do you hope to see Ireland adopt a similar approach to the Dutch? The only problem with this is that the two societies are extremely different. Ireland has had and still does have a severe problem with the overuse and abuse of intoxicating substances, i.e. alcohol. Dutch society for whatever reason does not share the same problem. They seem to have a much more responsible and disciplined approach to such things. Perhaps this is why their society can cope with extremely lax drug laws. I don't know if Ireland can do the same.

I have seen figures that show Ireland's drink problems have only really emerged over the last few decades, so that point is irrelevant. It could have to do with many factors.

The Dutch smoke tobacco an awful lot - they have a "problem" with tobacco. Should they criminalise marijuana because of that

And re: skunk, I am all for it. Breeding marijuana for particular purposes is fine. Were cannabis decriminalised, a large variety of types would be available for consumption - those who wanted to try weaker smoke could do so and seasoned smokers could smoke the stronger stuff.

Skunk is just cannabis bred for greater THC content - it's not a devil breed. It has its uses as do the weaker strains.

Problem is, when you have unregulated control of cannabis supply, noone knows what strength they get.

[JCSkinner]

Skunk is just a breeders' brand name. It's become part of the prohibitionist mythos as well - the whole Tory scaremongering that a single puff of 'superskunk' will drive you mad. No change from the Reefer Madness nonsense of decades ago.
The bottom line is that THC levels vary as to the maturity of the plant and to a lesser degree to the relative hybridity between sativa and indica genetics within the strain.
If a particular plant matures beyond a certain point, the THC degrades into a different cannabinoid - CBD, which is the compound responsible for the 'couchlock' phenomenon of smokers feeling disinclined to move for hours on end.
Personally, it seems self-evident to me that a product higher in THC, which is psychoactive and facilitates more physical activity is more beneficial than something that glues people to their couch.
Furthermore, studies have shown that when cropped at optimal THC content time, the levels of THC in Skunk or any modern strain of cannabis is no different to what it was forty years ago.
What is different now is YIELD, ie the amount of cannabis harvested from a single plant. It's simple science really. THC can be found only on the nodule-like crystals that develop in a flowering plant.
There is no way to increase the prevalence of those nodules or their size. All a breeder can do is cross-breed strains to create higher yielding plants, or better tasting plants.