The link between cannabis smoking and mental health problems.

[daffy654]

We have probably all seen and heard the reports of the link between the smoking of cannabis and mental illness.
I have always been of the opinion that there is very likely a link but mainly in people who were already 'predisposed' to suffer mental health problems anyway.
I tried smoking the stuff a few times in my teens but had a really strange reaction to it...it made me violent due to paranoia,so I have never touched it since.lol

I do know many people that smoke it regularly,only one of them has any mental health problems and they are quite severe.This young man is now in a crisis situation and I spent all of last night talking him out of committing suicide. He suffered a brain injury as a child after falling off the back of a moving transit van at speed,he was brought up by an alcoholic,wife-beating father and has mild learning difficulties,so the chances are he would have been depressed from all of that anyway.

What do other ABers think about this subject?

[ummmm]

I use to smoke it but not socially. I used it to help me sleep. But if I didn't go to bed in time I'd get the munchies so bad that I'd eat the crumbs from the toaster.

[daffy654]

Lol @ ummm,i'm actually picturing that now! pmsl

[sn�gs]

Chuck makes a valid point about the different strains available... today's 'super skunk' is generally much more potent than the weed available 10 years ago... and cheaper...

[ummmm]

I use to smoke it but not socially. I used it to help me sleep. But if I didn't go to bed in time I'd get the munchies so bad that I'd eat the crumbs from the toaster.

[daffy654]

I find that quite baffling! How can stronger cannabis be cheaper than the weaker stuff of 10 years ago (rhetorical question)! I suppose it must be that it wouldn't sell at all if they outpriced the normal customers.

[sn�gs]

Supply and demand: previously most of the weed available was imported, whereas nowadays a high percentage for sale is homegrown hydroponically... cross cultivating for maximum potency...

[daffy654]

In the last year or so I have read of many cannabis farms being discovered in my local(ish) area.They were usually worth (street value) several hundred thousand pounds o_o
I know when I was a teen most of the stuff I heard about came in via The Netherlands or sometimes smuggled in from the West Indies.I grew up in inner city Leicester and it was freely available and openly discussed.lol
I used to love going to 'Blues Parties' but always had to stand outside because of the thick haze of cannabis smoke indoors.

[blackietwo]

After a chat with my son, he says that cannibis known as skunk is very potent, and a lot stronger than weed that was available years ago. I do hope , he is not an expert however

[daffy654]

I think most young people are 'experts' on the subject these days blackietwo,it doesn't necessarily mean they are users though.My 11 year old son has had several school lessons already about illegal drugs!

[sn�gs]

There are numerous 'weed houses' in my vicinity... regularly busted... usually run 'hydroponically' via a laptop some distance away so none of the owners/growers can be caught... they employ people to 'house sit' and maintain the crop instead... sometimes these people never leave the house, food/supplies etc. being brought in to them...

[daffy654]

The ones found in our area always seem to be manned by Vietnamese (sometimes Chinese) nationals,mostly here illegally.

[sn�gs]

Yep... Many Cambodians too... you can understand from their point of view why they do it too... free accomodation, food etc... and well paid compared to what they'd get elsewhere...

[cazzz1975]

can your friend be referred for psychological help? maybe the cannabis has had a negative affect but he was probably depressed anyway and it has exacerbated the situation.

[daffy654]

Very true snags,they are just the 'hired help'. They often end up taking the whole weight of the charges upon themselves too for fear of what may happen to their families and loved ones.They are really in a no-win situation a lot of the time.Because they are here illegally it is very easy for the unscrupulous 'drug lords' to manipulate and control them.

[sn�gs]

I fancy a spliff now...

[daffy654]

I made him phone his GP this morning cazzz,he really is a troubled young man and only medical help will work now,it just took me many months to convince him of that! He was ashamed that he would be seen as weak :( It hasn't helped that he 'came out' late last year and his dad didn't take the news well.

[daffy654]

Charliechan,I wouldn't judge you,none of us are perfect no matter what we may say! I hope you manage to sort out your mental health problems too.x

[Ice.Maiden]

If I didn't know otherwise Daffy, I'd think you were someone I know very well. She also was brought up in childrens' homes and suffered the same type of abuse as yourself. She was kicked out onto the streets when she was 16, and was very soon pregnant by some waster who left her immediately. The pattern continued, and she now has 5 children by different fathers, but she's now turned her life around, and is studying for a uni degree as a mature student.
She tried cannabis a few times, to try & calm down after getting angry and self-harming. Luckily it hasn't affected her or increased her desire to go down that path again, but from what I've seen of another long-term user, it HAS. I can remember him as being a pleasant, happy guy, but he's now fearful and sometimes withdrawn. He forgets easily, and he can't hold down a job. He's been smoking weed every day for 25 or more years, and there's definitely a change in him from when he didn't.

[steg]

this may be helpful to some, and even surprise others

http://www.drbenkim.com/ten-most-dangerous-dru gs.html