Lib Dems secure the student, artist and 60's love child votes!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/election/article-1269649/General-Election-2010-Lib-Dems-secret-plan-high-street-cannabis-cafes.html?ITO=1490

Can't believe the angle they put on this, it's weed for god sake, Alcohol and fags are legal but weed isn't and that is just ridiculous.

Two words
"Daily"
"Mail"

The Mail's a joke, it astounds me that someone can essentially just print a load of shite and there are people out there who will just lap it all up. I know all papers have a viewpoint to push and a target audience to satisfy but The Daily Mail seems to take it to such extremes, surely people must realise what a pisstake it is

Drivdac wrote:

Can't believe the angle they put on this, it's weed for god sake, Alcohol and fags are legal but weed isn't and that is just ridiculous.

And again,

Bill Hicks wrote:

I think it's interesting the two drugs that are legal, alcohol and cigarettes, two drugs that do absolutely nothing for you at all; and the drugs that might open your mind up to realize how badly you're being fucked every day of your life? … Those drugs are against the law

and one more

Bill Hicks wrote:

There's a guy at a football game being incredibly aggressive and violent, is he drunk or is he high?...I rest my case

However, now that i've said that i'm going to be sensible and put my mental health hat on. I've seen first hand the damage weed can do, and it's pretty much irreversible, and that isn't even from long term use. Regular use over a short period is just as damaging. I know there are studies that have been done and that are being done saying that the link between marijuana use and the development of schizophrenia/psychosis is neglible, but all i'm saying is i've seen too many lads, younger than myself, become revolving door patients because they enjoy smoking weed.

The Mail is no different to any other paper, nor are the people who read it.

ALL the papers are full of shit in equal measure

Yes, they all have a particular viewpoint to push and it's these different viewpoints that provide 'balance' across the board.

How dare you tar The Sport with your brush! shame on you.

Cannonball Taffy O'Jones wrote:

However, now that i've said that i'm going to be sensible and put my mental health hat on. I've seen first hand the damage weed can do, and it's pretty much irreversible, and that isn't even from long term use. Regular use over a short period is just as damaging. I know there are studies that have been done and that are being done saying that the link between marijuana use and the development of schizophrenia/psychosis is neglible, but all i'm saying is i've seen too many lads, younger than myself, become revolving door patients because they enjoy smoking weed.

The plural of anecdote is anecdotes. Not data.

Large-scale, well-executed studies which allow for multiple variables to be taken into account, controlled and assessed, must always given higher respect than one person's viewpoint or experience. In fact, it would seem that the most dangerous three words to progressive scientific understanding, particularly in the arena of health, would be "in my experience".

Not that one person's experience is meaningless, it just shouldn't be trusted as a measure of what is correct. Anecdotal evidence is an excellent starting point for a study: human beings spot patterns which raise questions such as "Hey... I notice some of my friends that smoked a lot of weed ended up with mental health issues", but on such an issue as difficult to understand as this, it is meaningless when it comes to drawing a conclusion.

In my own personal experience, I've known many many people who have been involved in regular use of marijuana who are just fine! Does this mean dope is harmless? No, of course not. My personal viewpoint is very narrow in the big scheme of things and the conclusions I draw from it have to be tentative. It's probably more likely that other factors such as socio-economic conditions and family history are more likely to contribute. But hey, that's only my experience.

As a species, we make mistakes, and scientific studies are the best way to weed out those mistakes of perception. While the best studies available say the link between marijuana use and the development of schizophrenia/psychosis is neglible, then that is what we have to give provisional assent to. But be sure to pay special note to that word "provisional".... because tomorrow a better study could come along with an entirely different conclusion. And we, in our humility, would have to change our minds.

Just to put in my personal opinion on the legal issue though: I'm with the lib dems on this. Legalise it.

Oh, and Bill Hicks... very funny man, loved his comedy, but my God, he was wrong about many, many things.

Fair enough. But i'm not talking from an individual standpoint when i say 'in my experience'. Every other single person who has worked in mental health would say the same thing. People who have been in the setting for 35 odd years like my mum and dad would say the same thing. I'm obviously not saying that smoking weed = guaranteed mental health issues. What i was trying to say is that smoking weed, on a regular basis, CAN cause mental health problems. In the same way that consuming alcohol on a regular basis CAN lead to both physical health and alcohol issues.

Blake wrote:

Oh, and Bill Hicks... very funny man, loved his comedy, but my God, he was wrong about many, many thing

As for this, you may disagree with what he say with regards to drinking, drugs, conspiracy, etc, but it doesn't necessarily mean he's wrong, he had his opinion and you have yours

Blake wrote:

As a species, we make mistakes, and scientific studies are the best way to weed out those mistakes of perception.

lovely stuff.

Sound Foundry wrote:

The Mail is no different to any other paper, nor are the people who read it.

.

They are, they are normally morons and racist

Seen the Mirror lately?

The paper or an actual one? eitheway the answer is no

good move.... on both counts