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Jayelle Farmer
Posted on 13 Jun 2011 3:08 am

It is absolutely preposterous for an MP to admit to a lack of medical qualification concerning cannabis and then to launch into a tirade of biassed medically-unsubstantiated rhetoric.

Here are some authoritative comments and links on medical research results concerning cannabis and any possible connection to schizophrenia.

Page 13: "In addition, all of the schizophrenic subjects had been treated with anti- psychotic drugs, so it is possible that the changes in CB1 receptors we have measured in schizophrenia are due to the effects of such treatment."

http://science.iowamedicalmarijuana.org/pdfs/psych/Dean%2020...

"Conclusions Neither CNR1 nor CHRNA7 variation appears to alter the risk of schizophrenia. Furthermore, our results do not support the presence of different effects of cannabis use on schizophrenia according to variation within COMT."

http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/191/5/402

"Interestingly, they also failed to find a previously reported association between cannabis use and the catechol-O-methyl- transferase (COMT) gene. They suggest that cannabis use is not associated with the ValMet COMT allele, and they do not find evidence of a gene–environment interaction between the COMT genotype and cannabis use exerting an effect on developing schizophrenia."

http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/reprint/191/5/373-a17.pdf

"Causal effects of cannabis cannot be established from this study, and it would not be possible to establish causality from any observational study. However, the re- sults clearly show that cannabis-induced psychoses do not occur randomly. Rather, the degree of hereditary pre- disposition in individuals who receive treatment of can- nabis-induced psychosis closely mirrors that in those who develop schizophrenia with no history of cannabis- induced psychosis. The results agree with those of other studies that show that cannabis predominantly causes psy- chotic symptoms in those persons who are predisposed to develop psychosis or show signs of psychosis in the absence of cannabis use."

2008 American Medical Association http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/65/11/1269.pdf

Instead of spending so much time trying to keep cannabis in prohibition, it might be helpful if MPs would take the stand to expound on all the stories of the tens of thousands of teenage lives that have been ruined - and continue to be ruined - by alcohol abuse - AND WHY ALCOHOL IS NOT CLASSED UNDER THE MoDA 1971.

The British public are sick and tired of excuses for keeping cannabis in prohibition, - excuses that are made on the grounds of unproven "medical statements", on the grounds of the personal morality of MPs and on the so-called "grounds" of the historical and cultural acceptability of alcohol use in society.

When it comes to drugs, there ought to be only ONE criteria in the determination of drug classification - HARM ASSESSMENT THAT IS PERFORMED AND SUBSTANTIATED BY TRUE AND INDEPENDENT MEDICAL RESEARCH.


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