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The ins and outs of surviving prohibition - risks summary |
When you get stoned:
Don't drive or do anything that requires alertness or fast reactions.
If
you don't like what cannabis does, don't keep getting stoned in the hope
it will get better. Accept that cannabis isn't for you.
Getting stoned quickly
- especially after drinking alcohol - is a good way to whitey. You won't
enjoy it and it's a warning that you're abusing cananbis. Always treat
cannabis with respect, if you do, it won't happen.
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Health stuff
Cannabis can help asthma,
but smoking it can make the condition worse. Prohibition is preventing
the production of many useful medicines that can be made from cannabis.
If you feel cannabis
is becoming too important in your life, break your routine, do other things
that don't involve getting stoned .
Don't use cannabis
when you're studying or doing anything that requires learning - save it
for after.
Don't get stoned or
use any drugs when you're pregnant unless you really have to for medical
reasons and then always do so with the advice of your doctor
Everyday
stuff
Young
people under 18 are best advised not to get stoned - at least not very
often - because their minds are still developing. This is good advice
not only for cannabis but also for any drug. Getting stoned is an adult
thing, don't give it to children.
Learn about cannabis and the different types. If possible buy cannabis
from people you know who grow their own and take a pride in what they
grow. Stronger doesn't mean better.
Most cannabis users have the occasional "session" - when a lot gets smoked and everyone gets very stoned. But if you know someone - especially someone young - who's doing this a lot, perhaps to the exclusion of most other things it might be an idea to check out what's going on.
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Brain care
If you suffer from
schizophrenia, cannabis is extremely likely to make your illness worse
or delay your recovery
Cannabis is not for
everybody - be supportive of people with schizophrenia for whom it can
do harm.
Cannabis contains psychoactive
drugs and its role in mental illness can be complicated. Many people can
have many different takes on the subject
Never try to talk someone
into getting stoned who doesn't want to. Cannabis isn't for kids.
Young people under
18 are best advised not to get stoned - at least not very often - because
their minds are still developing. This is good advice not only for cannabis
but also for any drug. Getting stoned is an adult thing, don't give it
to kids.
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Safer smoking
If you're going to
smoke cannabis - breathe in as little smoke as possible and allow the
smoke to cool..
If you smoke cannabis
- don't mix it with tobacco. Use a pipe or some other device to toke pure.
Getting stoned too
fast can lead to a whitey - you won't enjoy that. Don't burn cannabis
in plastic or rubber, acrid foul tasting smoke is a sign that this is
happening. Never smoke with an aluminum pipe.
Goverment imposed dangers
Because of prohibition,
there is the additional risk of contamination, this is a serious problem
and the best advice is only to cook with cannabis grown by yourself or
someone you know.
At the very least,
NEVER eat street cannabis which hasn't been cooked, e.g., hash which has
just been crumbled up and sprinkled on a sandwich; you'll probably be
OK, but you might just end up with the runs - you could conceivably end
up with hepatitis.
It's generally good
advice not to buy cannabis supplied by organised crime, so get to know
someone who grows at home or grow yourself - but be aware that it's illegal
to do so and the law can be very harsh.
Be warned that the
British government seems to want to encourage people to have dealings
with the illegal market - the law is sometimes used against small time
growers in a very severe way.
Prohibition means cannabis sales are unregulated and that dealers may be more interested in their profit than your well-being. Because of the law, cannabis users may come into contact with a range of other substances, including dangerous addictive drugs
The way forward
The problems surrounding cannabis are social and medical, so we need to encourage social changes to deal with them. The legal system is not an effective way to do this. Social change is created by education and familiarisation, not by repression and the creation of a police state.
The aims of prohibition are to restrict the trade by disrupting it, leading to polluted, uncertain supplies, chaotic use and ignorance about the nature of the substance and the culture surrounding it. Because of the government policy of prohibition there is no recourse under law if you get into trouble with dealers or buy something fake or contaminated. Cannabis is not a controlled drug, whatever politicians think.
If public health and safety are the main aim of policy, the present policy makes no sense.
Be careful - cannabis prohibition is more dangerous than the plant could ever be..
