Saturday October 31, 2009, 4:33 am
As Professor David Nutt said at a speech in King's college last night, triggering the latest battle between himself and the Home Office, there has been no marked increase in schizophrenia levels since skunk became prevalent over a decade ago. Most young people know this to be true from personal experience, because their friends smoke this drug with no noticeable psychological damage...

The professor, whose wisdom on the subject is quickly turning him into a mascot for those who value evidence and reason above foolishness and political manoeuvring, is similarly considered in his opinion on ecstasy, which he says is less dangerous than riding a horse. This statement, while provocative, is statistically true. That didn't stop former home secretary Jacqui Smith berating him for it in empty moralistic terms...

The professor's wisdom is becoming significant enough for me to forget the illogical name of the organisation he heads: the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. It's a mad name, because taking ecstasy and dancing, whatever you might think of it, if not a misuse of the drug MDMA, it is in fact the very use it was intended for.

Young Britons know that ecstasy is not as dangerous as the government says it is. They know this because they have friends who take it every weekend, and then go on to lead perfectly normal lives. They know that magic mushroom have no place in the same class as crack cocaine.

As their first instance of personal knowledge contradicting government pronouncements, this is an instructive lesson in political reasoning. Teenagers and students will have heard many statements from the government, but these will be the first which relate to things they have personal experience of. The lesson they will take from this is that either the government has a wilful disregard for the truth, or it is simply incapable of discovering what the truth is.

In actual fact, the government has no particular interest in the truth. As Professor Nutt said yesterday, the Home Office's decision to upgrade cannabis from Class C to Class B had a far more significant political effect than the error of its imposition. With the experts all telling the government this was the wrong move, and all the data pointing to a reduction in use since the drug was downgraded in 2004, Smith, under orders from the prime minister, upgraded it to class B anyway. The precedent was clear: experts and evidence mean nothing. Tabloid headlines mean everything.

There could be no better lesson upon which to start a politically conscious life: the government is not telling you the truth. With that piece of knowledge you can become a fully active citizen, rather than the passive sponge government wishes you to be. The next time a prime minister tells the public that a country can attack us in 45 minutes in order to justify a war, the kids will be suspicious. The next time politicians throw insults at each other as a means of evading debate, they will be suspicious. The next time a politician justifies taking away British freedoms with reference to the threat of terrorism, they will be suspicious.

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UPDATE: Professor Nutt has been sacked for telling the truth! ???

Saturday October 31, 2009, 5:24 am
Let's face it, the same thing happened to my generation. Marijuana is an herb, not a narcotic, and we all knew we were being lied to !

Saturday October 31, 2009, 5:51 am
Thanks David, that's why I homeschool my son, and teach him the truth, the whole truth & nothing but the truth, so help me God...

HA!

In peace,
~Safiyyah~ aka ~FreeSpirit~

Saturday October 31, 2009, 6:35 am
The ridiculous thing about banning drugs is that: a) kids are CURIOUS, and b) 'Forbidden fruits taste sweeter'.

I told my girls NOT to try 'drugs' [including cigs and alcohol] until they were 14...'cuz that's when many of the brain's lobes stop growing...and I didn't want them to have self-induced impediments to their lives...and to RESEARCH b4 trying ANYTHING--& if they didn't find the answers to their questions, to ASK me.

As every brain is unique, 'self-medicating' is a dicey prospect---but with the right information it can be done successfully. Myself, I had temporal lobe epilepsy--and the drugs that were prescribed for me were WORSE than the risk of seizures. So I just controlled it with diet...and a steady low-dose of codeine, to dull my freakishly overeactive brain. [blah blah blah lol]

Thank you, David--and thank you, Free-spirit for your insights--what is missing from the educational system is really an encouragement to research further...and the tools to do so.
Namaste! xo

Saturday October 31, 2009, 8:59 am
Let's face it! they are banning the weeds cause it ,wakes us up, and make us bright, while they push alcohol cause it mess the head, and our life, create aggression, and gets us in big trouble so we can get busy fix the fences! No one got in a fight smoking weeds, and weeds is less than a glass, of wine! and can't get addicted to it, beside! its not tempered with , and they can't tax it! so stupid we remain , cause they have put the shame and stigma on weds, and the elite drink the wine LOL! legalize it, and get bright! :))
I am sorry about Dr Nutt! I keep him in the light! its always the same , kill the messenger! you know that David don't ya!
namaste! peace be with you !

Saturday October 31, 2009, 11:16 am
I heard this on the radio yesterday as the story broke and have followed it since. I find it difficult to believe that Brow's govt would deny scientific research in favour of propaganda concerning drugs/alcohol. Well on second thought... perhaps not!
Alcohol is a huge issue in the UK; city centres on the weekend are a 'no go' areas due to the drunken actions of those who file out of the clubs at closing and binge drinking is a way of life for too many young people. But, to propose pot, lsd and ecstasy are far more dangerous?? To whom, the makers and merchants of alcohol???
I think Brown & Co have shown their true colours, they'll embrace a lie to enforce the laws which benefit the rich. S'pose not much different from his predecessor.

Saturday October 31, 2009, 12:37 pm
In NZ Ecstasy has killed two people indirectly by over consumption of water out of the millions of doses ingested since it's inception and is therefore wicked and illegal; alcohol on the other hand leads directly to the deaths of 4000 NZers/year and severe health problems for others; alcohol however is still legal. I would hasten to add I am opposed to neither just to the total hipocrisy that still exists today. 45 years ago we were told if we smoked pot we would all be junkies in a fortnight it was a lie just like the "reefer madness" of the 20's and 30's in the US. Anyone who has had children should know if you lie to young people to reinforce your prejudices about their lifestyles and they catch you out confidence and trust has gone and they won't believe good advice either should you have any to offer.

Saturday October 31, 2009, 8:12 pm
The only downside I know of regarding Ecstasy is that
it dumps all the brain's serotonin into the body at once,
which gives the drug it's name. This can (and does) lead to terrible
"blues" for a day or so afterwards, but this is overcome.
All things in moderation, ya know!
As to marijuana, anyone who knows me at Care2 knows my stand
on that. It needs to be legal, NOW!
As to LSD, some of my most life-changing experiences were on acid
in the early 80's, and I'm very glad I did those trips.
Bottom line, the lawmakers and powers-that-be need to remove their
heads from their backsides and come into the 21st century regarding
recreational drugs.
Marijuana is not a drug, it is medicine, and needs to be regarded as such.
Ecstasy and LSD have their place, and also need to be removed from
the "forbidden fruit" category.
A great post, Grigori,
and thank you kindly!
noted.

Sunday November 1, 2009, 1:11 am
Socialist and Greens politics are not about lying to people. They are about people particpating in politics, and people and nature above corporate profits.

Only CAPITALIST politics are about lying to people. Why? Because capitalist politics is about the capitalist class funding capitalist political parties to enact the capitalist class agenda (profits above people and nature), at the expense of us, the working class - and this requires the capitalist politicians to LIE to us, the working class, so that we support their B.S..

Sunday November 1, 2009, 11:27 pm
HURRAY, for Pastor Tim!!!!!

Monday November 2, 2009, 5:37 am
Thannxxx.. Dave... drugs all have their side effects... perhaps I am from old school.. I do not agree with drug taking... have just lost a church memeber from an overdose... she leaves behind a eight month old baby and a young daughter of about three... it causes depression, mania and all sorts of other problems.. we have kids that break into homes and steal to feed these addictions... just getting off cigarettes, gave me panic attacks, and major depression... that was seven years back... lung cancer, and all other cancers assocaited with smoking weed are well known... so this will cause major medical problems down the line.. when some people are taking this for medicinal purposes they will eventually land up being in a worse position... I know that there are people who would not agree with me.. but this is just my opinion and would not like to offend anyone... I have done counselling with drug addicts and have seen way to much.... not pleasant.. lives are destroyed and these drugs can also lead girls into prostition so that they look to feed their addictions.. I certainly would not want my daughter out there doing this type of thing