http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8331038.stm

Cannabis evidence 'was distorted'

The row over the reclassification of cannabis has been reignited after the
government's chief drug adviser accused ministers of "distorting" the
evidence.

Professor David Nutt, who heads the Advisory Council on the Misuse of
Drugs, says it does not cause major health problems.

He accused ex-home secretary Jacqui Smith, who reclassified the drug, of
"devaluing" scientific research.

The Home Office said these opinions "do not reflect the views of
government".

A spokesman said: "Prof Nutt's views are his own."

He added: "The government is clear: we are determined to crack down on all
illegal substances and minimise their harm to health and society as a
whole."

It comes after Prof Nutt used a lecture at King's College in London and
briefing paper to attack what he called the "artificial" separation of
alcohol and tobacco from other, illegal, drugs.

Precautionary measure

The professor said smoking cannabis created only a "relatively small risk"
of psychotic illness, and claimed those who advocated moving ecstasy into
Class B from Class A had "won the intellectual argument".

Public concern over the links between high-strength cannabis, known as
skunk, and mental illness led the government to reclassify cannabis to
Class B from C last year.

The decision was taken despite official advisers recommending against the
change.

Ministers said they wanted to make the move as a precautionary measure.

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) review of cannabis
classification, which was ordered in 2007, was the result of a "skunk
scare", according to the professor.

In his lecture and briefing paper, entitled Estimating Drug Harms: A Risky
Business?, he repeated his claim that the risks of taking ecstasy are no
worse than riding a horse.

Prof Nutt also warned that the reclassification decision may lead to more
people taking the drug.

"It may be that if you move a drug up a class it has a greater cachet" he
said, adding the government's approach "starts to distort the value of
evidence".

He cited research which "estimates that, to prevent one episode of
schizophrenia, we would need to stop about 5,000 men aged 20 to 25 years
from ever using the drug".

He said skunk has been in wide usage for about 10 years but, he claims,
there has been no upswing in schizophrenia.

The professor accepts cannabis can sometimes cause mental illness, but
argues it is safer than tobacco and alcohol and, overall, does not lead to
major health problems.

Prof Nutt said: "We have to accept young people like to experiment - with
drugs and other potentially harmful activities - and what we should be
doing in all of this is to protect them from harm at this stage of their
lives.

"We therefore have to provide more accurate and credible information. If
you think that scaring kids will stop them using, you are probably wrong."

Following these comments, a spokesman for the ACMD said: "The lecture Prof
Nutt gave at King's College was in his academic capacity and was not in
his role as chair of the ACMD.

"We acknowledge that the lecture has prompted further debate on the harms
of drugs."

-- 
John Watson
London

On 29 Oct, 05:54, John Watson  wrote:
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8331038.stm
>
> Cannabis evidence 'was distorted'
>
> The row over the reclassification of cannabis has been reignited after the
> government's chief drug adviser accused ministers of "distorting" the
> evidence.
>
> Professor David Nutt, who heads the Advisory Council on the Misuse of
> Drugs, says it does not cause major health problems.
>
> He accused ex-home secretary Jacqui Smith, who reclassified the drug, of
> "devaluing" scientific research.
>
> The Home Office said these opinions "do not reflect the views of
> government".
>
> A spokesman said: "Prof Nutt's views are his own."
>
> He added: "The government is clear: we are determined to crack down on all
> illegal substances and minimise their harm to health and society as a
> whole."
>
> It comes after Prof Nutt used a lecture at King's College in London and
> briefing paper to attack what he called the "artificial" separation of
> alcohol and tobacco from other, illegal, drugs.
>
> Precautionary measure
>
> The professor said smoking cannabis created only a "relatively small risk"
> of psychotic illness, and claimed those who advocated moving ecstasy into
> Class B from Class A had "won the intellectual argument".
>
> Public concern over the links between high-strength cannabis, known as
> skunk, and mental illness led the government to reclassify cannabis to
> Class B from C last year.
>
> The decision was taken despite official advisers recommending against the
> change.
>
> Ministers said they wanted to make the move as a precautionary measure.
>
> The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) review of cannabis
> classification, which was ordered in 2007, was the result of a "skunk
> scare", according to the professor.
>
> In his lecture and briefing paper, entitled Estimating Drug Harms: A Risky
> Business?, he repeated his claim that the risks of taking ecstasy are no
> worse than riding a horse.
>
> Prof Nutt also warned that the reclassification decision may lead to more
> people taking the drug.
>
> "It may be that if you move a drug up a class it has a greater cachet" he
> said, adding the government's approach "starts to distort the value of
> evidence".
>
> He cited research which "estimates that, to prevent one episode of
> schizophrenia, we would need to stop about 5,000 men aged 20 to 25 years
> from ever using the drug".
>
> He said skunk has been in wide usage for about 10 years but, he claims,
> there has been no upswing in schizophrenia.
>
> The professor accepts cannabis can sometimes cause mental illness, but
> argues it is safer than tobacco and alcohol and, overall, does not lead to
> major health problems.
>
> Prof Nutt said: "We have to accept young people like to experiment - with
> drugs and other potentially harmful activities - and what we should be
> doing in all of this is to protect them from harm at this stage of their
> lives.
>
> "We therefore have to provide more accurate and credible information. If
> you think that scaring kids will stop them using, you are probably wrong."
>
> Following these comments, a spokesman for the ACMD said: "The lecture Prof
> Nutt gave at King's College was in his academic capacity and was not in
> his role as chair of the ACMD.
>
> "We acknowledge that the lecture has prompted further debate on the harms
> of drugs."
>
It is interesting to speculate on the real reason for the damaging war
on drugs, which is responsible for serious shortages of pain
management morphine in many countries, used in the relief of cancer
and dying patients. The usual excuse is that the legislation against
drugs is there to prevent harm to the user, which largely ignores the
harm already being caused by legal alcohol and tobacco.

In my view the real reason is that drugs promote altered consciousness
and therefore non-compliance with authoritarian norms. All that State
conditioning painstakingly imposed during school years and later on in
a standard working environment can be quickly stripped away by drugs
and cause widespread rebelliousness, which might ultimately lead to
the overthrow of repressive governments by outraged citizenry.

--
UK Radical Campaigns
www.zing.icom43.net
One man's democracy is another man's regime.

Check out the comments to the Daily Mail's article on Prof Nutt. It's very
encouraging.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1223708/Alcohol-worse-Ecstasy-says-drugs-tsar.html

-- 
John Watson
London

"John Watson"  wrote in message 
news:7ksp17F3bdc9lU1@mid.individual.net...
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8331038.stm
>
> Cannabis evidence 'was distorted'
>
> The row over the reclassification of cannabis has been reignited after the
> government's chief drug adviser accused ministers of "distorting" the
> evidence.
>
> Professor David Nutt, who heads the Advisory Council on the Misuse of
> Drugs, says it does not cause major health problems.
>
> He accused ex-home secretary Jacqui Smith, who reclassified the drug, of
> "devaluing" scientific research.
>
> The Home Office said these opinions "do not reflect the views of
> government".
>
> A spokesman said: "Prof Nutt's views are his own."
>
> He added: "The government is clear: we are determined to crack down on all
> illegal substances and minimise their harm to health and society as a
> whole."
>
> It comes after Prof Nutt used a lecture at King's College in London and
> briefing paper to attack what he called the "artificial" separation of
> alcohol and tobacco from other, illegal, drugs.
>

He hasn't got the most convincing of names has he?

On BBC 5 Live they just had Debra Bell on to give the counterpoint
to common sense. She said her son suffered from 'cannabis psychosis',
but that he is fine now "THANK GOD".

Don't thank God, thank cannabis for being as harmless as it is.

Obviously, there is no correlation between alleged increases
in cannabis strength and an increase in psychosis.

But this story is evidence how policy is driven by superstition
and the unchecked lies told by prohibitionists. But of course
the bottom line is, that action is only taken when, politicians
think it is good politics to ban drugs.

Which is what is really driving 'the debate'.

"John Watson"  wrote in message
news:7ksp17F3bdc9lU1@mid.individual.net...
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8331038.stm
>
> Cannabis evidence 'was distorted'
>
> The row over the reclassification of cannabis has been reignited after the
> government's chief drug adviser accused ministers of "distorting" the
> evidence.
>
> Professor David Nutt, who heads the Advisory Council on the Misuse of
> Drugs, says it does not cause major health problems.
>
> He accused ex-home secretary Jacqui Smith, who reclassified the drug, of
> "devaluing" scientific research.
>
> The Home Office said these opinions "do not reflect the views of
> government".
>
> A spokesman said: "Prof Nutt's views are his own."
>
> He added: "The government is clear: we are determined to crack down on all
> illegal substances and minimise their harm to health and society as a
> whole."
>
> It comes after Prof Nutt used a lecture at King's College in London and
> briefing paper to attack what he called the "artificial" separation of
> alcohol and tobacco from other, illegal, drugs.
>
> Precautionary measure
>
> The professor said smoking cannabis created only a "relatively small risk"
> of psychotic illness, and claimed those who advocated moving ecstasy into
> Class B from Class A had "won the intellectual argument".
>
> Public concern over the links between high-strength cannabis, known as
> skunk, and mental illness led the government to reclassify cannabis to
> Class B from C last year.
>
> The decision was taken despite official advisers recommending against the
> change.
>
> Ministers said they wanted to make the move as a precautionary measure.
>
> The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) review of cannabis
> classification, which was ordered in 2007, was the result of a "skunk
> scare", according to the professor.
>
> In his lecture and briefing paper, entitled Estimating Drug Harms: A Risky
> Business?, he repeated his claim that the risks of taking ecstasy are no
> worse than riding a horse.
>
> Prof Nutt also warned that the reclassification decision may lead to more
> people taking the drug.
>
> "It may be that if you move a drug up a class it has a greater cachet" he
> said, adding the government's approach "starts to distort the value of
> evidence".
>
> He cited research which "estimates that, to prevent one episode of
> schizophrenia, we would need to stop about 5,000 men aged 20 to 25 years
> from ever using the drug".
>
> He said skunk has been in wide usage for about 10 years but, he claims,
> there has been no upswing in schizophrenia.
>
> The professor accepts cannabis can sometimes cause mental illness, but
> argues it is safer than tobacco and alcohol and, overall, does not lead to
> major health problems.
>
> Prof Nutt said: "We have to accept young people like to experiment - with
> drugs and other potentially harmful activities - and what we should be
> doing in all of this is to protect them from harm at this stage of their
> lives.
>
> "We therefore have to provide more accurate and credible information. If
> you think that scaring kids will stop them using, you are probably wrong."
>
> Following these comments, a spokesman for the ACMD said: "The lecture Prof
> Nutt gave at King's College was in his academic capacity and was not in
> his role as chair of the ACMD.
>
> "We acknowledge that the lecture has prompted further debate on the harms
> of drugs."
>
> -- 
> John Watson
> London
>

Noticed at Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:53:34 +0100: 5trfg6h7 informed us:

> On BBC 5 Live they just had Debra Bell on to give the counterpoint to
> common sense. She said her son suffered from 'cannabis psychosis', but
> that he is fine now "THANK GOD".

I wish somebody would be given the opportunity to take her on.

On BBC News last year she admitted that her brother (or brother in law)
had schizophrenia. Somebody should take her up on this, the most likely
cause of psychosis in a case like this is genetic.

I'd also like to know how keeping cannabis as it was when her son took it
will prevent anyone else from taking it and what a possible 5 year prison
sentence would have done to his mental health.

-- 
John Watson
London

Noticed at Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:53:34 +0100: 5trfg6h7 informed us:

> On BBC 5 Live they just had Debra Bell on to give the counterpoint to
> common sense. She said her son suffered from 'cannabis psychosis', but
> that he is fine now "THANK GOD".

Read this:

http://johnnyvoid.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/talking-about-cannabis-the-racket-continues/
(That's not my website).

Bell is now offering consultation - for £100.

http://www.talkingaboutcannabis.com/supportforfamilies.htm
(and nor is that!).

-- 
John Watson
London

"John Watson"  wrote in message
news:7ktoapF3afs00U1@mid.individual.net...
> Noticed at Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:53:34 +0100: 5trfg6h7 informed us:
>
> > On BBC 5 Live they just had Debra Bell on to give the counterpoint to
> > common sense. She said her son suffered from 'cannabis psychosis', but
> > that he is fine now "THANK GOD".
>
> Read this:
>
> http://johnnyvoid.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/talking-about-cannabis-the-racket-continues/
> (That's not my website).
>
> Bell is now offering consultation - for £100.
>
> http://www.talkingaboutcannabis.com/supportforfamilies.htm
> (and nor is that!).
>
> -- 
> John Watson
> London

Could they simply be con artists? That would be too good. :)

According to blogger Johnny Void:

http://johnnyvoid.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/talking-about-cannabis-the-racket-continues/

Debra's been using a pseudonym, although fuck knows why when she gives away enough to make it
perfectly obvious who he is to anyone who knows him

Her son's real name is Oliver Woodbridge and that's his facebook page linked.

And given that he's already appeared on gmtv and he's now attempting to charge people for
consultations on behalf of an anti-cannabis organisation then i would say its in the public interest
that he has pictures on his facebook profile of him in the same frame as people who appear to be
holding spliffs

Doug wrote:

> In my view the real reason is that drugs promote altered consciousness
> and therefore non-compliance with authoritarian norms. All that State
> conditioning painstakingly imposed during school years and later on in
> a standard working environment can be quickly stripped away by drugs
> and cause widespread rebelliousness, which might ultimately lead to
> the overthrow of repressive governments by outraged citizenry.
> 
well, I think your onto something here doug.  but if one were to just 
push your line of thought a little further, "they" are afraid of changes 
in the status quo which see's them getting all the money and control 
over the resources and the labour pool, while the rest of us lives from 
hand to mouth.  What stops someone from seeing the truth about anything 
...well it is MONEY!!!!!  This is why they want to keep things the way 
they are which see's us and the whole planet heading straight to HELL!!
Strip them of their wealth and it will also strip them of their greed, 
and then and ONLY THEN, will they see how really fucked up they are.

Noticed at Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:31:44 +0100: 5trfg6h7 informed us:

> "John Watson"  wrote in message
> news:7ktoapF3afs00U1@mid.individual.net...
>> Noticed at Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:53:34 +0100: 5trfg6h7 informed us:
>>
>> > On BBC 5 Live they just had Debra Bell on to give the counterpoint to
>> > common sense. She said her son suffered from 'cannabis psychosis', but
>> > that he is fine now "THANK GOD".
>>
>> Read this:
>>
>> http://johnnyvoid.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/talking-about-cannabis-the-racket-continues/
>> (That's not my website).
>>
>> Bell is now offering consultation - for £100.
>>
>> http://www.talkingaboutcannabis.com/supportforfamilies.htm (and nor is
>> that!).
>>
>> --
>> John Watson
>> London
> 
> Could they simply be con artists? That would be too good. :)
> 
> According to blogger Johnny Void:
> 
> http://johnnyvoid.wordpress.com/2009/10/28/talking-about-cannabis-the-racket-continues/
> 
> Debra's been using a pseudonym, although fuck knows why when she gives
> away enough to make it perfectly obvious who he is to anyone who knows him

Is her real name "Debra" Woodbridge?

> Her son's real name is Oliver Woodbridge and that's his facebook page
> linked.
> 
> And given that he's already appeared on gmtv and he's now attempting to
> charge people for consultations on behalf of an anti-cannabis organisation
> then i would say its in the public interest that he has pictures on his
> facebook profile of him in the same frame as people who appear to be
> holding spliffs

Ha ha!

Doesn't David "Claude" Raynes advise Debs?

-- 
John Watson
London

Noticed at Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:46:42 +0000: Bob Ferguson informed us:

> 
> "John Watson"  wrote in message
> news:7ksp17F3bdc9lU1@mid.individual.net...
>> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8331038.stm
>>
>> Cannabis evidence 'was distorted'
>>
>> The row over the reclassification of cannabis has been reignited after
>> the government's chief drug adviser accused ministers of "distorting"
>> the evidence.
>>
>> Professor David Nutt, who heads the Advisory Council on the Misuse of
>> Drugs, says it does not cause major health problems.
>>
>> He accused ex-home secretary Jacqui Smith, who reclassified the drug, of
>> "devaluing" scientific research.
>>
>> The Home Office said these opinions "do not reflect the views of
>> government".
>>
>> A spokesman said: "Prof Nutt's views are his own."
>>
>> He added: "The government is clear: we are determined to crack down on
>> all illegal substances and minimise their harm to health and society as
>> a whole."
>>
>> It comes after Prof Nutt used a lecture at King's College in London and
>> briefing paper to attack what he called the "artificial" separation of
>> alcohol and tobacco from other, illegal, drugs.
>>
>>
> He hasn't got the most convincing of names has he?

Making fun of his name is about the level of the intellect of the postman.

-- 
John Watson
London