Yuku free message boards

Hunterash, while I agree with much of your sentiment, I can't agree with the mental illness issue.

Prolonged "moderate to heavy" use of the drug most definitely can lead to mental disorders.
As a previous user myself (in the 80's), I ended up suffering agoraphobia (panic attacks) thanks to cannabis, which continued for a further 2 years after giving it up. Friends of mine, from that period, also suffered various afflictions, one of whom was sectioned for a year and the other ended up on a prescribed drug programme, concurrent with psychotherapy, after both endured nervous breakdowns. Whilst not the only factor involved, heavy cannabis use certainly played a major role.
A friend of my brother, who worked for a time in an infirmary in Bristol, told me that of the admitted drug-related disorders and illnesses to the institution, roughly 90% were directly attributable to cannabis (mis)use.

My feeling is that many of these cases (including mine) go unreported, thus there is a far greater problem than figures or surveys show.

My understanding of some of the physical damage inflicted over time (apart from high residue levels in the lungs) is that it kills off cells in certain areas of the brain.

Most of the stuff we got back then was resin, occasionally we'd get "lucky" and get something "opiated".

I have (mostly) fond memories of these times and experiences and, with hindsight, am glad I gave it up when I did. Like alcohol, it's basically a panacea for people, but unlike alcohol it doesn't bring out violent tendencies.

Given the choice, I'd like to see it government produced (they can tax it then) and regulated use (as per Holland), where people can be educated about it's use and abuse, thereby taking it out of the hands of the dealers who're also peddling harder, more dangerous drugs. The ones that are addictive, the ones which kill. And lead to crime to fund the habit.
Unfortunately, the UK's "national psyche" isn't like the dutch, so it aint going to happen. As you rightly point out, the likes of the Mail/Express etc have seen to that.

I don't think re-criminalising it will make the slightest dent in its use, or do any other good for that matter. I seem to recall that most of the police forces were rather grateful when it was down-graded, since it took some of their "arrest-burden" away?

The biggest surprise I had, as an Every Day user, was how easy it was to stop. There were no physical problems, just the will power involved to say "enough". Of course it was easier knowing that every time I smoked, something unpleasant was going to happen?