My son and drug taking....

[Rod]

Weed isn't a huge deal, it's in the process of legalisation across the USA & Canada and no doubt Europe will follow, given time. Alcohol is a much bigger deal, in public health terms.

I beg to differ with you. As a former Police officer attached to a drug squad, I've seen the consequences of how it affects people from road traffic accidents, to leading to stronger types of weed and other drugs and even the need to fling themselves of buildings.
It horrifies me to think we are legalising drug/driving now and the carnage on our roads it is/may cause A friend who is on Road Traffic in Spennymoor has already dealt with 5 fatals in January, although I haven't asked him the cause of them admittedly.
We never learn.

[wileeeeeey]

We never learn.

I motorbike in from Hertfordshire to the city centre in London daily. At least 3x per week I'll smell weed from people driving on the 40mph 2 and 3 lane A Roads in. Most times it's usually in the morning and Monday morning 7.30am-8am seems to be quite busy for it especially. Absolutely nuts.

[Kingstepper]

I beg to differ with you. As a former Police officer attached to a drug squad, I've seen the consequences of how it affects people from road traffic accidents, to leading to stronger types of weed and other drugs and even the need to fling themselves of buildings.
It horrifies me to think we are legalising drug/driving now and the carnage on our roads it is/may cause A friend who is on Road Traffic in Spennymoor has already dealt with 5 fatals in January, although I haven't asked him the cause of them admittedly.
We never learn.

We’re not legalising drug/driving.

5 Fatals in January irrelevant unless you have evidence they’re drug related.

[Holsterman]

I beg to differ with you. As a former Police officer attached to a drug squad, I've seen the consequences of how it affects people from road traffic accidents, to leading to stronger types of weed and other drugs and even the need to fling themselves of buildings.
It horrifies me to think we are legalising drug/driving now

I think someone's been pulling your leg. Weed doesn't make people jump out of windows. Pink Floyd followed by a Mars Bar is about the size of it.

[wileeeeeey]

I think someone's been pulling your leg. Weed doesn't make people jump out of windows. Pink Floyd followed by a Mars Bar is about the size of it.

In the old days yes but these days with the levels of THC leading to a rise in psychosis is a real issue. I don't work in health but my mum does and she sees a lot of young adults sectioned for it.

The weed today isn't the same as weed from times gone by. That being said yes it's very unlikely someone smoking weed will jump out of a window but of course as mentioned has happened. Times are changing.

[RAFF]

There definitely should be a clear separation as Skunk should stand apart from normal weed or hash.


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[oldoakknives]

Maybe issues present before the cannabis?


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Quite possibly, and quite probably exacerbated by the use of strong high thc cannabis or 'skunk'.

[oldoakknives]

First you quoted my post but did not address the point I was making regarding your logic: How does regulating access makes it easier for kids to access drugs when as things are they have abundant unregulated access?

................

Sorry, yes. If it is regulated as per alcohol then possession would no longer be a crime. So anyone buying it to sell on to under age users would only risk prosecution if actually caught in the act. I would expect the levels of usage to rise dramatically. I hope I am proved wrong.

...................
Second, would you like to compare with the UK (same source):



vs

So according to those figures, a higher percentage of entrants to treatment are cannabis users in the Netherlands, where it is easily accessible. Probably because the levels of usage increased dramatically as a result?

Making it easier to access in the UK could we expect the percentages to rise in a similar fashion perhaps? I hope not for the sake of those affected.

[Holsterman]

Whilst I accept that a small percentage of adolescent cannabis takers develop a psychosis, often reversible, safeguards in terms of age-restrictions should apply. Perhaps restrict it to over-21s.

Otherwise, the health risks posed by cannabis are negligible, and are dwarfed by alcohol/tobacco.

[Saint-Just]

I believe turning your attention to comparing opioids users in both countries is key.

There is merit, I believe, in linking illegal weed and hash supply to upgrading to skunk and opioids, whether voluntarily or not.

I am against a ban, but I am just as opposed to unregulated access. Again, I believe all drugs come with a risk to health, whether established or suspected, or both.

I just think all the evidence points to the fact that making it illegal has completely failed, everywhere it has been implemented, including in countries where it comes with a death penalty. Therefore there is little to lose in trying an approach based on regulated access.

Also, while the percentage of 15-34 yo user of cannabis is higher in NL, it is not drastically higher despite the facility of access, which tends to prove what I was saying earlier about youngsters having no problem in getting supplies. And that before you factor in the cost in policing the ban.

[Hood]

Very sad to read this. It makes me angry when middle class adults trivialise drug use as they are giving signals to young people that it's somehow normal and to be expected. We recently learned that our son's best friend's father has been doing this for at least the last 5 years (son is 22 now). I confronted the father recently and his attitude was "it's just a bit of weed" and "we all did a bit of coke and few pills when we were their age". At first my son refused to believe me when I told him I had not, that Ryan's dad was not normal and that he is (in part) responsible for the very significant problems we all now dealing with. "Some people" are influenced by irresponsible adults who trivialise drug use.

I’m with your son’s friend’s dad on this one.
You seem as if you’re wound a bit tight.

[Passenger]

Used to regularly smell and see school kids, mostly lads, having a toke of heavy skunky weed at the bus stops in S. London on my way to work of a morning. Ten years ago this was, likely a factor in the rise in numbers of them stabbing each other and random bystanders. Never going to enhance their performance in class either.

[oldoakknives]

Used to regularly smell and see school kids, mostly lads, having a toke of heavy skunky weed at the bus stops in S. London on my way to work of a morning. Ten years ago this was, likely a factor in the rise in numbers of them stabbing each other and random bystanders. Never going to enhance their performance in class either.

It's called 'dope' for a reason.

[oldoakknives]

Perhaps. The links are still not fully understood but they are very clear to those who have first hand experience. And as for the "chicken and egg" comment, that's a cop-out. What if cannabis use by teenagers causes mental health problems in later life? Surely we need to prove it does not before we make any changes to the law?

https://www.sciencedaily.com/release...0213172307.htm

My beef is with the middle aged recreational users who have their heads in the sand and who perpetuate the problem by seeking to make themselves and drug use look cool or normal.

I am leaving this thread but good luck to anyone who is struggling with this.

I agree with this.

[100thmonkey]

Sorry to be boring. I have heard your line of reasoning from adults who use/have used it and hide behind this argument as justification to themselves. You may want to look at the impact on mental health and suicide rather than overdose.

https://www.nhs.uk/news/mental-healt...on-later-life/

https://www.webmd.com/parenting/news...suicide-risk#1

You’re not boring but cannabis may well contribute to mental health but you are naive if you think a world without cannabis would cure it. It’s a plant. Given by nature. If alcohol was illegal they were considering legalising it you would be outraged having seen the effect so weed is no different. In a world without it they would probably still have the issues associated with mental
Health as social media and society breeds a low self esteem and insecurities.

Quick question. Where’s all those caners from the 60’s and 70’s ? We don’t have a ton of 70- 80 year olds with mental health issues !!

[oldoakknives]

You’re not boring but cannabis may well contribute to mental health but you are naive if you think a world without cannabis would cure it. It’s a plant. Given by nature. If alcohol was illegal they were considering legalising it you would be outraged having seen the effect so weed is no different. In a world without it they would probably still have the issues associated with mental
Health as social media and society breeds a low self esteem and insecurities.

Quick question. Where’s all those caners from the 60’s and 70’s ? We don’t have a ton of 70- 80 year olds with mental health issues !!

The fact that one harmful drug is legal, shouldn't be a reason to legalise others.

[Ivan Drago]

I smoke weed every once in a while. I’m ta fantastic when used like that.

Comparing it to ale is night and day I feel absolutely horrific the day after a session on the ale.

The studies have show it can effect kids brains if smoked at a high enough quantity. But it does nothing to the adult brain in terms of negative impacts.

As for it being a gateway drug, personally think that’s a load of bollocks.

People who want to do coke will do coke, heroin etc

[100thmonkey]

I smoke weed every once in a while. I’m ta fantastic when used like that.

Comparing it to ale is night and day I feel absolutely horrific the day after a session on the ale.

The studies have show it can effect kids brains if smoked at a high enough quantity. But it does nothing to the adult brain in terms of negative impacts.

As for it being a gateway drug, personally think that’s a load of bollocks.

People who want to do coke will do coke, heroin etc

Indeed the nations full of coke heads that have never tried weed, they prefer the coke for confidence, that’s the same confidence social media and reality TV has eroded from them

[learningtofly]

In 2014, 30,722 people died from alcohol-induced causes in the US — and that does not count drinking-related accidents or homicides. If those deaths were included, the number would be closer to 90,000, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Meanwhile, no deaths from marijuana overdoses have been reported.

It’s a boring debate as alcohol is socially acceptable and cannabis is or isn’t depending where you stand on the spinning rock we occupy. But it’s a choice and a path. You make it and take it and live with the consequences

The problem in the US these days is opioids... it's horrific, and not restricted to the major cities either.

[demonloop]

It’s harrowing to read some of the comments from parents on this thread, about the situation they find themselves in with their kids taking drugs. There but for the grace of God go I.

My personal view is that education is key, and the blanket ban War on Drugs has failed miserably, I’m not convinced it was designed to do anything other than fail to be honest.

Personally, I have a large circle of friends (when we go on a stag there will be 20-30 of us) and every single one of us has taken recreational drugs quite heavily at one point or other, mainly in our early 20s. It hasn’t caused anyone any mental issues that have become apparent so far, and we’re all 40+ now holding down jobs/families etc

It’s by firm belief that some people, just as with alcohol, can cope with it and others sadly cannot.

I would never make light of drug use, but I won’t lie to my children if/when I’m asked.

And I’ll know from a mile off if they come home “under the weather”

[Rking]

I'll echo what others have said education around the affects and also consequences in relation to the law if caught in possession.
If peers are also doing it then there is some acceptance within the group.
Thing is with some substances there's no knowing what it's been mixed with or what is in it.
Different times we live in these days. As long as they are safe and away from those that would want to exploit them, hard balance of knowing you care and wanting them to talk to you if anything is wrong to punishing them as a consequence. Suppose that's parenting 101.

[Holsterman]

Thing is with some substances there's no knowing what it's been mixed with or what is in it.

Legalisation would fix that.