I find that alcohol, extasy and marijuana work too. There have been some really good findings on pain control with cannabis too. Unfortunately narrow-minded cultural conventions on the acceptability of some drugs (nicotine and alcohol) and not others really can stand in the way of medical progress and patient care.
I was going to suggest pot but Nexxo beat me to it. How amazing that a drug can make you relax. I wonder if having a strong rum and coke before bed can help me fall asleep...
The more important point of that article is that two weeks after psilocybin they still feels less anxious/depressed than two weeks after receiving a placebo. The rate of depression was also lower 6 months later. That's from a single mild dose. Slightly different from the short term effects of most happy drugs.
To be fair, alcohol and nicotine aren't perscribed either. I totally agree that Cannabis shoudl be made leagal for certain medicinal purposes though.
Last updated: Saturday, 3 September, 2011 - 13:08 Manchester Hospitals Prescribing "Cannabis" To Cancer Patients Trials are taking place in two Greater Manchester hospitals, where terminally ill cancer patients are treated with cannabis. North Manchester General and Fairfield Hospital have permission to prescribe patients with Sativex. Sativex can relieve a patient’s pain by numbing their muscles but without any of the effects associated with the recreational use of cannabis. This drug, derived from the cannabis plant, has been available from pharmacies since last year, if prescribed by a doctor, to sufferers of MS. Approximately only 30 people will take part in the trial over the next two years but it is hoped that this will go a long way into palliative care research. If the trial goes well more people may be eligible to receive a Sativex prescription. At the moment patients must take 10 sprays of either Sativex or a placebo each day in addition to their other medication. As it is an oral medication it is absorbed too slowly to have any of the other affects associated with cannabis, so it is not possible for a patient to get high
Psilocybin is culturally used to facilitate spiritual and mind expanding experiences. They could have a lasting effect. Some short psychological interventions do. It is all about expanding a person's experience of how it is possible to feel or look at things differently.
It makes me sad to think how many Daily Mail readers will cry outrage at this while happily ignoring the ongoing widespread prescription of other mind-altering but less well-known substances by doctors. I mean, if you look at the effects and side-effects of anti-depressants, anti-psychotics and the like, you start to realise that they're really on a par with class C and B drugs - the only reason they're not well-known is because their immediate effects aren't as enjoyable.
A lot of information has been coming to light recently about the benefits of illegal drugs. It is only a matter of time before governments have to rethink there position on what is legal and what is not. Professor David Nutt and his cohorts have been doing some very interesting research after he was forced to step down for doing his job. Check out this article http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11660210 just a example of how far off the mark things really are. or this http://www.nhs.uk/news/2011/08August/Pages/modified-ecstasy-blood-cancer-study.aspx Hopefully one day modern governments and society's will realize that by the legalization of drugs, damage caused by them can be controlled and production could be done by pharmacy's allowing them to be prescribed just like many other drugs and be taxable (not to forget the fact that they'd be cleaner). In effect the black market for drugs would disappear. It would also encourage research into there effects and progress the medical profession. If Alcohol one of if not the most damaging drug out there (not to yourself but others) is legal, then why would you ban Magic Mushrooms, something that does less damage to oneself than Caffeine. So you can play with the chainsaw, but I dont want you near the scissors... Its a system that like many other aspects of government, hides itself with ignorance and deceit.
was watching a program on this.. a lot of users said it's not a substitute for the real thing.. there's so much in cannabis that treats the symtoms well (cavanoids)- it's just another way for big pharma to push a drug on you that's free in nature and can be grown by anyone
^^^ Word. It's just some Puritan compromise to (God forbid) stop people from getting high! Whereas getting drunk is of course totally normal and acceptable behaviour. And we can't have people growing their own --there's no money in it... In the Netherlands we never had any problems. Portugal has legalised drugs across the board, and it has solved problems, not created them.
Your conclusion is overly simplistic - one must first make a distinction between drug use and drug abuse before concluding that a wholesale legalisation of drugs would actually solve problems; my guess is that whilst it may solve some problems it would certainly create many more. This a common double standard of society: people fail to acknowledge that getting drunk is alcohol abuse in exactly the same way that getting high is drug abuse. People want to tiptoe around the A-word but that's what it is, in stark contrast to the article at the top of the page. Since when was promoting health "puritan"?
Modified versions of ecstasy appear to be effective at treating some blood cancers too. It's not quite that simple. We have a big problem right now with counterfeit alcohol, cigarettes and medicines. Also on the subject of shrooms I have taken them in my younger days as they are pretty abundant here in autumn and although it was an enjoyable experience it gave me a very healthy respect for them and its not something I would likely take again. If you had a bad experience with them I do beleive it could seriously effect your mental health. That is a very good point but a lot of drug problems are more related to the quality of the drug and how its taken. Scotland has a heroin problem but pure heroin taken correctly is pretty much harmless. It's all the crap that's cut with it and the dirty needles etc that cause a lot of the issues. Trials have shown prescribing heroin to addicts and weaning them off it with smaller does is more effective than our current treatments but its not a publicly acceptable treatment.
Depends on your definition of harmless - diamorphine exposes users/abusers to a litany of complications, eg it is highly addictive, it impairs the cough reflex, can cause gangrene, tissue infections etc (even with a sterile needle), and the risk of overdose is especially high if it's taken with alcohol or other drugs. I think if it was harmless, it wouldn't be a Class A drug - 7 years for possession, life for dealing
it would certainly allow for these abuse problems to be addressed in the correct context: as a (mental) health issue rather than a criminal one. Basically, drug (ab)use is not a drug problem; it's a problem in the person. The solution, likewise lies with the person. Not everybody drinks to excess, or even at all. Not everybody smokes. This is despite these drugs being widely, cheaply and legally available. So how does legalising other drugs create problems? Since health "choices" were forced onto people rather than left at their own discretion. I think it is funny that countries with private health care, i.e. where the responsibility to provide for it is left to the individual regardless of their means to do so, have the strongest laws against drugs (and abortion, interestingly enough).
It classified so highly because of the social problems it causes. High dependency can lead to crime to fulfil the habit. Pure heroin itself has surprisingly little adverse effects on the human body with the exception of addiction. Compare chronic constipation to the effects of alcohol and nicotine addiction. As I said previously it is what the drug is cut with and the method of taking it which causes most of the health problems. From the Wikipedia entry.
@ Da_Rude_Baboon "It's not quite that simple. We have a big problem right now with counterfeit alcohol, cigarettes and medicines." I agree it wont actually wipe out the black market, it will hit it hard and it would be forced to change form. No longer would you have small time gangs and kids risking there life selling illegal drugs for some extra cash. Just think of the benefits for places such as Central America, where its almost as if a culture around gang wars and smuggling has formed, thousands upon thousands of people die each year relating to gang war stemming from the drugs trade. Imagine if these illegal drugs where legalized. Those family's forced into gangs to make a living could legitimately sell there drugs and be taxed for it too. Ofc the transition would be rough and we might not see results for years to come, however it would certainly be worth it. "Also on the subject of shrooms I have taken them in my younger days as they are pretty abundant here in autumn and although it was an enjoyable experience it gave me a very healthy respect for them and its not something I would likely take again. If you had a bad experience with them I do beleive it could seriously effect your mental health." Although this can be the case for many people, it can also be the total opposite. For thousands of years they have been used for spiritual and emotional growth. As with any substance its about the persons mind frame, a good comfortable setting is likely to lead to a good trip. As opposed to a unfamiliar and unfriendly setting. If they where to be legalized, instructions and health warnings could be given regarding them, there are many ways to change your 'trip' just as there are many ways to change what you dream about. You also bring up a interesting point. You where able to find Psilocybin mushrooms, growing in nature as they do. Why should anyone be able to tell you that you cannot consume them by law. Sure they can say 'hey man don't try those' but to imprison you for choosing to put something that causes no one but yourself harm is ridiculous (as some countries such as Spain have recognized).
I agree with your first point. However, we are trying to get people to smoke and drink less to save lives/health bills, in the UK you can't smoke in pubs or work any more. Legalizing more drugs might make things worse? I don't know anything about medicine or the health service and so I obviously bow to your superior knowledge Nexxo. Although alcohol and nicotine being bad aren't excuses to legalise anything else. I may be being facetious but isn't that like saying shotguns are already legal and you could kill someone with one so we may as well legalise owing automatic rifles (in the UK)? Again, I don't really know that much about this. I do find it an interesting discussion though.
they've legalized it here in cali.. mexico is right here so you don't have to tell me about it you can grow it now in your own home.. they had to put a stop to growing it outside though.. there was too many issues with dealers going on the only people against it are brainwashed and easily led.. legalizing it for medicinal purposes gives people another way of getting it without the middle man the drug companies of course want in on it.. it's big money, so they will use the whole argument you've been waging to try and have it make sense.. it doesn't make sense you have something that works and is all natural.. it's legal to use now and you can grow it yourself if you wanted to.. the only people that have a problem with it is drug companies and people invested in the drug companies
