World Drug Report...

Just been perusing the UNODC World Drug Report for 2006, and as usual contains some nonsensical info on cannabis, particularly on the production estimates and potency issues:

http://www.unodc.org/unodc/index.html

Antonio Maria Costa, UN Drugs Chief, has this little nugget in his intro, and it doesn't get much dafter IMHO - for the head of the world's drug control centre, he seems curiously misinformed:

The UNODC Executive Director warned that cannabis was now considerably more potent than a few decades ago and said it was a mistake to dismiss it as a "soft" and relatively harmless drug. Evidence that cannabis use can cause serious mental illness is mounting.

"Today, the harmful characteristics of cannabis are no longer that different from those of other plant-based drugs such as cocaine and heroin," Mr Costa said.

"National policies on cannabis vary and sometimes change from one year to the next," he added.

"With cannabis-related health damage increasing, it is fundamentally wrong for countries to make cannabis control dependent on which party is in government. Policy reversals leave young people confused as to just how dangerous cannabis is. The cannabis pandemic, like other challenges to public health, requires consensus, a consistent commitment across the political spectrum and by society at large."

Sounds like big business is starting to get scared and pulling the strings of their puppets.

Using words like 'pandemic' to describe something taken up by choice is not only irresponsible, it's just plain stupid - for someone in his position it's nothing short of ludicrous. Even worse, they peddle the myth of cannabis' potency as 'drastically higher than decades ago' as fact, despite that 'fact' being a total falsehood. Realistically though, it doesn't change much in the long term, as they concede that use is increasing all over the world. Whilst not wishing to celebrate any potential health hazards to anyone, it does appear that their message is falling on deaf ears.

Also I guess their 'statistics' are provided by and aimed at governments, and therefore are hardly reliable. Given the prevalence of home cultivation in Britain, can they really produce a reliable statistic? Most figures have traditionally been based on illicit cash-based smuggling. Trying to account for the change in consumption and production to a personal non-crime scenario will take them years, by which point it will be largely academic...

With ya, Elevator Man

The fact that someone in his position can be so clueless, irresponsible and downright inane is a bit frightening, really.

I checked up his CV on their site: He is, of course, Italian, but his main education was in Russia at the height of the Cold War, so he is probably a hard-core Commie at heart. Funny how these old school Reds are slightly to the right of Anslinger when it comes to cannabis.

It is even more dispiriting when you realise that he was a personal appointment of the Secretary-General. WTF was he thinking? He must be an even bigger fool than I thought. Mind you Costa is a bit of an old fart, I reckon he blnded old Coffee Anan with "culture"!

So there you have it:
A sixty-five year old, CLUELESS, reactionary, ex-Commie old fart in charge of UN drugs policy!

Mmmm... progress.

How can we get this guy to be accountable for his drivel? He should apologise and resign.

===

PS. I don't think it's got anything to do with big business, GMT, these UN old-boy cliques, are in it for their own power kicks. Sad fucks that they are.

The whole UN demonising a beneficial herb: It's like Swift's Lilliput, or Laputa, FFS! Disgraceful.

Don't get me started...

They will, not unlike the people in charge here in the USA, say anything to protect thier cash cow.

Reading crap like that actually makes me feel physically sick I can't understand how they can still carry on with this BS seeing that all evidence goes against them.

But yet alcohol is perfectly legal in most places but look what it does to "normal sane" people:

hxxp://www.ntnews.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,19619320%5E421,00.html

Where's the outcry to kick off prohobition efforts against alcohol? Oh yeah alcohol companies are big business so it's okay. By "their" reasoning this drug "ethanol" must be eradicated at once because it is more dangerous than doing speedballs of coke mixed with heroin while freebasing meteor dust. I'll give them just as good as argument as they cite, "Because it'd bad and people shouldn't do it." How many times do people use the defense "Oh well you see I was really really drunk so... .. I shouldn't be held accountable." People get really really drunk and kill / rape / murder /etc. People get really really high and they... eat a sammich and passout. wtf!?

Wtf is going on it's never going to get better only worse these bastards will never see the light. I find this depressing.


HM

Phew - just got back from a few days abroad, so I was pleased a friend of mine just sent me this link from the Independent (GB) online edition in response to the report:

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/article1114412.ece

Whoops, sorry, you have to log in for that one - luckily my friend just mailed me the text, so here it is:

The Big Question: So how dangerous is cannabis?
By Steve Connor, Science Editor
Published: 28 June 2006
Why are we asking this question now?

The head of the UN's anti-drugs office has said that cannabis use has turned into a major pandemic which is causing as much harm as cocaine and heroin. Antonio Maria Costa also implicitly criticised countries such as Britain for relaxing the law on the possession of cannabis.

"Policy reversals leave young people confused as to just how dangerous cannabis is," Mr Costa said. "With cannabis-related health damage increasing, it is fundamentally wrong for countries to make cannabis control dependent on which party is in government. Today, the harmful characteristics of cannabis are no longer that different from those of other plant-based drugs such as cocaine and heroin."

What is cannabis?

The most commonly used illicit drug in Britain, if not the world, also called marijuana, it is produced from certain parts of the Cannabis sativa plant and comes in various forms - dried leaves, concentrated resin known as hashish, or distilled oil. The strongest parts of the plant are the female flowering tops, which are prevented from going to seed by growing them in a pollen-free environment. Sensemillia, as this form of cannabis is sometimes called, is strong because none of the plant's energy goes into making seeds, but instead produces the psychoactive substances which cause the desired effect.

Cannabis grows wild in many parts of the world, from Poland and Hungary to Afghanistan, India and China. Its dried leaves or resin have been smoked by varied cultures over many thousands of years. Cannabis has been used in societies ranging from the Hindus of India, the Thracians of southern Europe and the ancient Scythians, who liked to smoke it in a steam room. Indeed the charred seeds of cannabis have been found at a Stone Age burial site in Romania, and cannabis was first documented as a herbal remedy in a Chinese pharmacy text of the first century AD.

Why do people take it?

Cannabis is a psychoactive substance; in other words, it affects the brain. But it also affects other parts of the body. It increases pulse rate, decreases blood pressure, causes bloodshot eyes and increases appetite. However, it is the effects on the brain that cause the feelings of calm euphoria and gentle elation that many users enjoy.

The drug has a mild sedative effect but the experience depends greatly on individual mood and the social environment at the time it is taken. Some people get the giggles and become talkative, others become subdued and quiet - the classic symptoms of being "stoned". Many people feel less inhibited while under the influence of cannabis, in much the same way as drinking alcohol, which is why it is a common party drug.

What does it do to the brain?

The most active ingredient of cannabis is a chemical called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). It can pass across the biological barrier that separates the brain from the bloodstream, and in doing so penetrates the central nervous system. Here, it acts on the natural proteins or receptors that control nerve impulses passed from one part of the brain to another.

Cannabinoids such as THC act on a specific protein receptor that is widely distributed in the brain. As a result it interferes with concentration and thought, memory, pain perception and muscle co-ordination. THC particularly interferes with the cerebellum - the "autopilot" of the brain - which is important for balance, posture, and co-ordination of movement. The drug also affects the hippocampus, which is important for the formation of memory.

These influences on the brain help to explain why cannabis intensifies ordinary sensory experiences, such as eating, watching films or listening to music. They also explain why users get a false sense of how time passes, and why they suffer from various problems with short-term memory, poor reaction time and general unsteadiness.

Are there any more dangerous side-effects?

This is a hotly disputed topic. Cannabis does not produce physical dependency, as does heroin, but some people who use it regularly can become psychologically dependent. Cannabis smoke is carcinogenic, and so can contribute to lung cancer, just like tobacco smoke. And regular smoking can exacerbate existing respiratory problems, such as asthma, bronchitis and wheezing.

A few studies have suggested that regular users may also have impaired immune systems, and there is little doubt that driving while stoned is dangerous - one study found that smoking cannabis doubles the risk of fatal car crashes. According to a study in The Lancet, large doses of THC produce confusion, amnesia, delusions, hallucinations, anxiety and agitation. "Such reactions are rare, occurring after unusually heavy cannabis use; in most cases they remit rapidly after abstinence from cannabis," it says.

The really important issue is whether cannabis can cause serious, long-term problems for a person's mental health. Earlier this year the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs concluded that there may be a link between cannabis use and the onset of psychotic illnesses, although there was insufficient evidence to state that frequent users were more likely to develop schizophrenia. Nevertheless, several studies have suggested that there may well be an association between smoking cannabis in adolescence and mental illness in later life - including schizophrenia.

What does the stronger version do to you?

It has been suggested that the smoking of more potent forms of cannabis, known as "skunk", can result in something called cannabis psychosis, although this has not been conclusively proved. Skunk is a generic name used to describe the 100 or so varieties of cannabis plant that have higher-than-average levels of THC. Skunk may also contain higher levels of the 40 other substances in cannabis that are thought to be capable of having an effect on the body.

Traditional varieties of cannabis have a THC content of between 2 and 4 per cent, while some varieties of skunk can have THC levels of up to 20 per cent. Some users say the immediate effect of smoking skunk is that they get stoned more quickly. They also report higher levels of transient hallucinations, which are particularly common in people who have already taken LSD, a known hallucinogenic drug.

Skunk's potency can sometimes catch people out if they have been used to more dilute forms of cannabis. As a result they can suffer from anxiety attacks and feelings of mild paranoia. However, there is no evidence to suggest that smoking skunk poses any new risks compared with the heavy smoking of weaker forms of cannabis.

Is cannabis medicinal?

Cannabis has a long history as a folk remedy, and some of its natural constituents are reported to have therapeutic value for illnesses such as asthma, glaucoma, mild to severe muscle spasms and pain, as well as anorexia and mood disorders.

Is smoking cannabis really that bad for you?

Yes...

* There is convincing evidence to suggest a link between heavy use and serious mental illness

* Cannabis smoke is just as dangerous as cigarette smoke in causing lung disease

* Driving while even mildly stoned significantly increases the risk of fatal accidents

No...

* There is no evidence that cannabis causes physical dependency in the manner of heroin or cocaine

* Mild users of cannabis are not more likely to become addicted to 'harder drugs'

* Many long-term users of cannabis lead normal, healthy lives which they find enhanced by recreational use of the drug

EU LAWS - LONG ARMS OF USA (+their fucking WAR ON DRUGS)
didnt found a better thread to put in but i think this one is ok
was searching for the plans due to europen drug laws that will come up when europe will get one comun goverment in the following years...
i think everbody should notice and be intersted in cause the future we build it today
www.tni.org and then open: The UNGASS Evaluation Process Evaluated
sorrily i didnt found exact tinfo about the bad laws they have in store-
but they are existing i reat them a year ago somewhere
some years prison by owning just little cuantities and shit like this, maybe someone can find a link telling about; the eu websides doesnt...