Marijuana Special Report: The dope
debate
Your
report on cannabis made interesting reading, as yet
another official report failed to find evidence of serious
harm or risk to public health from cannabis use.
However,
I note that many of the findings may be more appropriate
for the US, where herbal cannabis is normally smoked
'neat'-without tobacco. In Britain, cannabis resin is
the dominant form, representing approximately 70 per
cent of the Pounds Sterling 3 billion to Pounds Sterling
5 billion annual market, and is normally smoked with
tobacco.
According
to our surveys, many users smoke around 6 joints a day,
and get through between 1/8 ounce (3.5 grams) and 1/4
ounce (7 grams) per week, with some heavy users smoking
up to 1/4 ounce per day. Our latest survey results suggest
consumption of indoor-grown, higher-potency hybrids
('skunk', for example) have nearly doubled in the past
three years, with growers able to indulge heavier levels
of use without having to pay. By comparison, Donald
Tashkin's smokers got through three 'neat' joints per
day, representing a similar weight of cannabis to typical
British users, but without the tobacco.
The
British Medical Association report on therapeutic uses
of cannabis quoted particular studies from the US from
1982, which involved low-potency marijuana without tobacco,
results that may not be applicable to higher-potency
hybrids or to cannabis resin. The smoking of unfiltered
tobacco joints must increase the cancer risk, and cannabis
smokers in Britain may be lulled into a false sense
of security by these US studies. There is an urgent
need for research into the composition of smoke from
tobacco and cannabis or cannabis resin joints, particularly
of 'skunk' and similar types of cannabis.
Cannabis
has often been accused, falsely, of leading to harder
drugs such as heroin and cocaine. It may instead be
found to lead to the 'hardest' drug of all, nicotine.
In the light of increased government pressure on tobacco
companies and the decline in the number of cigarette
smokers, a significant number of recruits from cannabis
smokers may provide a financial lifeline for the tobacco
companies.
From
Matthew Atha, Independent Drug Monitoring Unit Wigan
From
New Scientist, 14 March 1998
