XPost: uk.legal, uk.politics.drugs   
   From: bliss@sfo.com   
      
   Blah wrote:   
   > agnon wrote:   
   >> On Tue, 28 Jul 2009 21:58:38 -0800, Pete nospam Zakel wrote:   
   >>   
   >>> In article  agnon    
   >>> writes:   
   >>>   
   >>>> Fair enough.  I know many mentals, and many cannabis users, and I   
   >>>> firmly   
   >>>> think that there is a clear link.   
   >>> The link may be that they are self-treating.   
   >>   
   >> For most people that is probably the case.   
   >>   
   >> There's a few people who have existing, known, mental health problems   
   >> whose problems are probably made worse by cannabis   
   >>   
   >> There might be a few people with underlying mh problems whose   
   >> condition is brought to the surface by cannabis use, especially heavy   
   >> cannabis use.   
   >>   
   >> There's a possibility that people with no underlying mh problem have a   
   >> mh problem that's caused by cannabis use, especially if that use is   
   >> heavy, and especially if they are young when they start, but the   
   >> evidence is far from clear about this.   
   >>   
   >> Note that even though I think cannabis may cause mh problems I'm still   
   >> strongly in support of legalizing all drugs.  I'm very much against piss-   
   >> poor reporting like that in the Mail, which makes common sense harm   
   >> reduction harder.   
   >>   
   >>   
   > My gf has bipolar syndrome, and her pshycologist is quite insistant that   
   > it was caused by her canabis abuse during her teens. There is no other   
   > bipolar history in her extensive family.   
   >   
   > The psychologist also tells us that a growing number of mental health   
   > problems he sees are cannabis related.   
      
   	That means he sees mentally ill people who happen to use cannabis.  I   
   don't know if early cannabis abuse can cause bi-polar   
   syndrome but I am convinced that bi-polar syndrome can cause cannabis   
   abuse in the undisciplined.  They try it and get relief from symptoms   
   and then think in the old human manner that if a little is good   
   more will be better.   
      
   	But I don't think people under 21 should have anything to   
   do with recreational drugs as the brain is still immature and   
   levels of important brain chemicals can be changed by some drugs   
   especially if they have to be taken often,  But tobacco is the   
   real danger in youth.   
      
   >   
   > Perhaps the Mail reporting might come across as sensationalist, but   
   > don't shoot the messanger just because you don't like the tone,   
   > legalising something with many outstanding questions about what it   
   > really can do to the mind is just plain foolish.   
      
   	There are no outstanding questions about the effect of   
   alcohol but it is still legal and we had the same problems with the   
   Prohibition of Alcohol as we have with the prohibition of cannabis   
   or the other illegalized drugs.   
      
   	later   
   	bliss   
      
   	   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)