‘Go on, have a chooff, it’s harmless!’ Well so has been the mantra of the pro-drug lobby. However, can one play Russian Roulette ‘safely? The answer is NO you can’t! The mounting and irrefutable scientific evidence against Cannabis remains conclusive – This illicit drug will damage you!
Researchers from the UK’s Bristol University have broken new ground in tracking THC (the psychoactive compound in Cannabis) impact in the brain of laboratory rats, by using electrodes connected directly into ‘the grey matter’ – not something that can be done on humans.
The results were not only disturbing, but reinforced many other studies, including one major break-through study carried out in Australian earlier this year; that is that Cannabis and the potential for mental illness are inseparable.
Two parts of their brain were shown to be affected – the hippocampus which is essential for forming new memories and prefrontal cortex which integrates those memories and uses them for future behaviour and decision-making…Disruption of the brain waves which allow these two areas to communicate is what happens in schizophrenia, a mental disorder.
The lead author of the study, Dr Matt Jones stated: ‘Cannabis is making normal people behave more like schizophrenia patients when they take it and that’s something they should bear in mind…Previous studies have shown a link but we didn’t have this level of detail.’
The Dutch Professor van Os and his team in conjunction with the Institute of Psychiatry in London and other researchers in Germany, conducting follow-up studies have verified that cannabis users are potentially doubling their risk of developing schizo-affective states or other psychotic manifestations such as paranoia and audio-hallucinations.3 The Dalgarno Institute continues to advocate for…
- Continued illicit status of cannabis
- Compulsory seizure of all assets of Drug traffickers and tougher sentences for same.
- More thorough Demand Reduction strategies for young people
- Recovery focused rehabilitation for drug
References:
1 www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2053486/One-cannabis-joint-bring-schizophrenia.html
2 Ibid
3 http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.d738
Source: Press Release from dalgarnoinstitute.org.au October 2011