Is Marijuana a dangerous drug?

[CraigD]

Marijuana and Driving Film

My web link is not fast enough for this

D'Alliance

Don't worry about people smoking marijuana and driving.

From my observations, human beings under the influence of marijuana are generally paranoid, and very accute to their surroundings.

The linked-to UK video appears to come to the same conclusion, though they’re much more careful to note that their short test was “in no way scientific”. IMHO, the test was not innately unscientific, but entirely empirical, making no theoretical prediction, and too small to be statistically significant. Like similar print articles (to the best of my knowledge, the maker of the video’s claim that such a test has never been published as video in the UK is true), the video appears to be an appeal for legitimate, government sanctioned study of the effects of Marijuana on human performance, especially driving.

 

I think this is a well-founded appeal. I fear, however, that Marijuana and other US Schedule I substances are too politically volatile for such studies to be sanctioned in any country with drug laws similar to the US, a political climate has existed for at least half a century. Without such sanctions, legitimate scientific study can’t be done, as legitimate scientists and scientific institutions will not, by definition of the term “legitimate”, violate laws. Compounding this bad situation are various “government studies” which are not well controlled, peer reviewed, often not performed by qualified scientists, or even involving actual experimentation.

 

Though these political obstacles are clearly an impediment to science, their social impact is, I think worse. In the US, a generation of drug laws unsupported by a large community of scientists has resulted in a significant fraction of our society mistrusting our government in general, and government-provided information about the drug-related risks in particular, impairing both the governments’ and non-government health care organizations’ ability to effectively warn people of about these risks.

[Michaelangelica]

the video appears to be an appeal for legitimate, government sanctioned study of the effects of Marijuana on human performance, especially driving.

 

I think this is a well-founded appeal.

Compounding this bad situation are various “government studies” which are not well controlled, peer reviewed, often not performed by qualified scientists, or even involving actual experimentation.

 

Though these political obstacles are clearly an impediment to science, their social impact is, I think worse.

In the US, a generation of drug laws unsupported by a large community of scientists has resulted in a significant fraction of our society mistrusting our government in general, and government-provided information about the drug-related risks in particular, impairing both the governments’ and non-government health care organizations’ ability to effectively warn people of about these risks.

 

It is tragic that many herbs are not made available to scientists for research. Recently Salvia divinorum was banned here and a student had to abandon his Phd examining the herb and its effects on depression.

The drug Ecstasy may help Parkinson's disease.

Banning legitimate research is a Government Crime against science,research and knowledge;fueled by ignorance and fear-herbal Witch Trials

I am told that the USA intends to ban Catnip (Nepeta cateria -a mint) next; but I think that MUST be a hoax?

 

Re your other point about trust:-

The NSW Health Department realised early in the anti-drug war that they had to be honest otherwise kids would distrust everything they said. Consequently Marijuana was much lower on the list of dangerous drugs that many wowsers in the Government wanted. Cigarettes and alcohol came first and second.

 

Now The NSW Health Department see the transmission of aids and hepatitis as major problems so they have a needle exchange programme and have set up a trial supervised "shooting gallery" despite much oppostion.

(Two billion people have hepatitis B !)