Green | October 02, 2008 | 152 comments

Shock: cannabis is 'safer than alcohol and cigarettes'

source: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Health/Cannabis-Is-Safer-Than-Alcohol-And-Cigarettes-Says-A...

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mattbrawn
According to a new report, not from the School of No Brainers, but from the Beckley Foundation's Global Cannabis Commission, smoking fatties is less harmful than drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes.

They claim that the banning the herb has "backfired" and that there needs to be a "serious rethink" of the UK drugs policy.

"Although cannabis can have a negative impact on health, including mental health, in terms of relative harms it is considerably less harmful than alcohol or tobacco," the report claims.

"Historically there have only been two deaths worldwide attributed to cannabis, whereas alcohol and tobacco together are responsible for an estimated 150,000 deaths per annum in the UK alone."

NB. "Shock" is used in the most sarcastic way possible... :D
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152 comments // Shock: cannabis is 'safer than alcohol and cigarettes'

  • unphiltered
    • 0
      unphiltered  

    • And they think this is going to make a difference to P.M. Brown who regurgitates crap facts like cannabis causes psychosis and whose got Bush's hand up his back? The facts for the safer argument are spewed everyday, even here in the U.S., trust me. Obviously lawmakers don't care about the health of their constituents.

    • 3 years ago
  • SHERIFF
    • 0
      SHERIFF  

    • I bet anything that the legalization and taxation on herb would get us on our way out of our deficit in a matter of 10-15 years. In addition, you would have less arrest stemming from possession, and a less overcrowding of the prisons. It's funny we are the ones who get high, but can put 2 and 2 together and come to the above conclusion.

    • 3 years ago
  • globewatcher
    • 0
      globewatcher  
    • SHERIFF:

      of course you are right sheriff. everyone and their mom knows it already is americas #1 cash crop. that would immediately be billions of dollars added to our economy every year. not to mention export of cannabis and industrial hemp goods. when i got weed as a teenager, it was from 5# bricks that came from mexico. how much is that government making off low grade weed?

    • 3 years ago
  • derekexplosion
    • 0
      derekexplosion  

    • Shocking. I wish more people would know the facts about their beloved nicotine and alcohol when compared to cannabis.

      Just Say No programs are ridiculous.

    • 3 years ago
  • ladyinhiding
    • 0
      ladyinhiding  

    • i think it's interesting that after all the time, effort and money put into the legislation of illegalizing a natural herbal supplement, if you will, now all of a sudden somebody is realizing(or admitting) that it really isn't such a bad idea to legalize cannabis. does anybody remember the prohibition? all that did was create a gateway for more crime and corruption, and it didn't last all that long. if the sale, exchange, posession, and use of cannabis were legal, yeah the court system probably wouldn't generate as much revenue for all the violations, but you know damn well they would tax the heck out of it to make up the difference... so, providing that someone may go to the local market, get GOOD marijuana, and enjoy.... this is the best idea since sliced bread.

    • 3 years ago
  • torybart
    • 0
      torybart  
    • ladyinhiding:

      Actually the system would save billions of dollars a year in incarceration costs on marijuana cases so they wouldn't lose profit from violations, they would make money.

      Then again, that's why it's more likely they will decriminalize instead of legalize, so they can still say it's bad and make money off it at the same time.

    • 3 years ago
  • regularrf
    • 0
      regularrf  

    • Everyone knows that but only stupid people buy it.
      Grow your own read the books 1 house plant can supply you for ever free. Its a weed it grows everywhere.The cure all drug ,no but it helps more than it hurts by far.

    • 3 years ago
  • globewatcher
    • 0
      globewatcher  
    • regularrf:

      thats 20 years, and im in oregon. 20 years? 20 f***ing years? no f***ing way! i can wait till 11/2010, when we legalize it, then yes, i will be an avid indoor gardener!

      im not giving YOU sh** here, i have a hard time comprehending the fact that growing cannabis is up there with murder and rape sentences, and those f***ers get out early!

    • 3 years ago
  • rebot
  • jonny2times
    • 0
      jonny2times  

    • im not shocked a bit, and actually ive been standing on that soapbox for years. cigarette's and their addatives and frequent intake, alcohol's massive motor-skill and judgement depletion and liver errosion. pot's buzz is controllable and unless you have the sole intention of smoking your entire bag, you dont do it that often. of course theres the side effects of short-term memory and motivation loss. Some say that pot intensifies depression symptoms, but this symptom i believe is different from person to person, i know its not true in my case, but for others it may be true. Legalize and tax it so i can grow it and fix the deficit!

    • 3 years ago
  • sleepnomore
  • jenm742
  • Vierotchka
    • 0
      Vierotchka  
    • Image
    • sleepnomore:

      I hate to have to burst your bubble, but all weeds are plants. Cannabis is not really a weed - it can grow to the height of 12 feet, depending on the type, and it can even grow to the size of a small tree, not exactly a weed, eh?

    • 3 years ago
  • jenm742
    • 0
      jenm742  
    • sleepnomore:

      I do apologize it seams you are right just wondering now where the name weed came from. i like to see that you have put me right on that one not many people would Thank you the the lesson in Botany. Maybe i should do my research next time i usually do oh well first time for everything lol

    • 3 years ago
  • m3coupe4me
    • 0
      m3coupe4me  
    • sleepnomore:

      State governments ban invasive, noxious plants deemed harmful to the environment. For instance, plants that reproduce too quickly and destroy habitat for native plants have been banned in the New England states.

    • 3 years ago
  • Raven7
  • torybart
    • 0
      torybart  
    • sleepnomore:

      Now I'm not positive, but I believe the name weed simply comes from the fact that many strains grow like weeds. They grow anywhere at any time and pop up without anyone having to take care of them. Sounds like an easy crop to grow, huh?

    • 3 years ago
  • jeffreyak
  • dean_is_rad
    • 0
      dean_is_rad  

    • it doesnt matter how "safe" something is said to be... it is still putting toxins in your body, not that i am a saint by any means... people just need to be smart about what ever they are putting in themselves.

    • 3 years ago
  • jeffreyak
  • cantucwearebrothers
  • Vierotchka
  • dimethyltryptamine
    • 0
      dimethyltryptamine  
    • dean_is_rad:

      the toxins your getting from cannabis are drastically less from the toxins you get from cigs or alchohol and then on top of that you can just buy a vaporizer and reduce those toxins down below what you get out of just taking a deep breath of our horribly polluted air

    • 3 years ago
  • torybart
    • 0
      torybart  
    • dean_is_rad:

      His point is valid though. I'm not saying that marijuana is as harmful as any other "drug" because it's obviously not.

      But the main problem with drug prohibition is that people are not educated. People still think that pot and cocaine and acid are all one level. If we increase awareness we can stop all this bull shit.

      I may have twisted your point a little bit, but that's what came to mind when I read it.

    • 3 years ago
  • dreadage
    • 0
      dreadage  
    • dean_is_rad:

      definition of a toxin "A toxin (Greek: , toxikon) is a poisonous substance produced by living cells or organisms."

      Tobacco is toxic.

      Cannabis is not toxic nor does it contain anything that is bad for you. The only thing that is slightly bad for you is inhaling heated plant matter into your lungs but thats not the only way.

      People have been brainwashed for long enough!

    • 2 years ago
  • khromadjo
  • MrKASADY
    • 0
      MrKASADY  

    • Hmm, while I agree it may be safer in moderation, the four people that I know that smoke weed really heavily, pretty much constantly all ended up with mental health issues. This wasn't "a few joints a day" material, though, this was constant bongs/buckets all day long for years. Some of those guys ended up in worse shape than most of the hard drinkers I know.

    • 3 years ago
  • KillerQueen6628
    • 0
      KillerQueen6628  
    • MrKASADY:

      Anyone that does ANYTHING compulsively like that has addiction and mental health issues, so in your friends' case, weed just happened to be the vessel through which that aspect of their personality manifested itself. It is unfortunate, but there are no doubt much worse they could have formed addictions to.

    • 3 years ago
  • globewatcher
  • WorldPeaceTV
  • smice
  • jade_azul16
  • purplefox
    • 0
      purplefox  

    • Finally they're figuring out what everyone's been saying all along... *sigh* it'll probably still take a while for governments to understand this though.

    • 3 years ago
  • homunculus_14
  • timmytucker
  • think_free
  • chillwillNJ
  • SweetRainy
    • 0
      SweetRainy  
    • homunculus_14:

      I agree with most of these comments - but this one made me chuckle - I like the way it was put. Its what was running through my mind - so what's new about this - and yet - its still illegal - fyi - I was born at the end of 1934 - nearly 74 years ago - and still its illegal - I'm wondering now if it was legal the day I was born - or not - like when my mother was born, 1912, there was no income tax on wages - no vote for women - was it legal then - possibly. Also, I've heard the name Axel Rose - but I don't know who that is - I feel he is connected to music in some way - interesting name - of course, maybe it isn't just one person but a group - can someone help me out with this?

    • 3 years ago
  • melynda
  • BuddyP
  • pwnagenuss
  • liveBK
    • 0
      liveBK  

    • a duh. the only reason weed is illegal is because our racist forefathers found it a nifty way to pick on their mexican neighbors. not too much has changed either...

      and for you nay-sayers, this is coming from someone who stopped smoking years ago.

    • 3 years ago
  • rainbowryan420
  • bimmer_man
    • 0
      bimmer_man  
    • liveBK:

      mostly the beginning of prohibition can be contribute to blatant racism against blacks and mexicans who were associated with the "drug". Calling it a drug is kinda misleading, it's a plant with psychedelic effects. Hard drugs are the ones they sell in drug stores to counteract things such as bipolar disorder or other problems. And those can be very dangerous.

    • 3 years ago
  • dreadage
    • 0
      dreadage  
    • liveBK:

      Even more recent than that Nixon started the "War on Drugs" as a way of diverting attention from the Vietnam war. the Vietnam war protesters also generally loved smokin' weed and as you probably know people who smoke weed don't like war so Nixon thought to himself "how can I stop the protests from going on? I know! I'll arrest them for smoking weed" and thats how the war on drugs started up again.

    • 2 years ago
  • Enjoy_Cannabis
    • 0
      Enjoy_Cannabis  

    • They've known this for years, the problem is that it won't pay their stockholders dividends...all they care about is separating you from your money and freedom. Marijuana prohibition...It's a lovely excuse for enforcing laws that protect no one.

    • 3 years ago
  • rainbowryan420
  • Alanisnotcool
  • lifestudentno83
    • 0
      lifestudentno83  

    • Been saying this for YEARS. I didn't know there were 2 deaths directly contributed to cannabis though. I thought there weren't any recorded deaths in relation to cannabis use.

      I'll wait for the naysayers of legalizing weed to come in here and say this is "bullshit" and that weed is a "dangerous gateway drug" that must be kept illegal to "keep our children safe". Or whatever insane reasoning they come up with.

    • 3 years ago
  • rainbowryan420
  • GatorMonkey
    • 0
      GatorMonkey  
    • lifestudentno83:

      Yea, and its actually NOT that detrimental to mental health - I don't want to quote anything directly because I can't remember (HAHAHA) the exact stats but there were studied done that showed there was minimal, if any damage done and it was all reversible.

      AND as far as lung capacity - it just all depends on how you smoke it. Shoot- use a vaporizor and the damage to your respiratory system is next to nill. In a 30 day period where a guy HAD to smoke nonstop I believe her had a 1 or 2% difference from when he didn't smoke anything (he was at 92% efficiency after smoking nonstop for 30 days).

      Go rent SuperHigh Me. Good movie.

    • 3 years ago
  • justwannafindmytrue
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