We must protect our teens from dangers of cannabis

maamom · 16-09-2014 01:42PM #1

Did anyone else come across this in the Sindo on Sunday last. I've read a lot of shoddy journalism but this sort of crap really pees me off. Absolute nobodies writing about something they have absolutely no knowledge about.

I think Emer O'Kelly may have gone "mentally soft" already. God knows what she would be writing if she did smoke some cannabis.

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/we-must-protect-our-teens-from-dangers-of-cannabis-30585181.html

Some quotes from the article:

"research found that young people who smoke cannabis daily in their teen years are 18 times more likely to become dependent on the drug than those who have never smoked it. They are also eight times more likely to use other illicit drugs than those who never smoked cannabis."

"But the most startling and disturbing finding was that daily users of cannabis in the teen years are seven times more likely to take their own lives than others in their peer group, with the risks increasing according to the level of dosage."

Firstly this study is dealing with daily use. In other words chronic use. Take any substance daily and it is not going to be good for you. If you took alcohol as an example I'm sure results would be similar if not worse.

Secondly is it so hard for what I presume is an educated person like Emer to put 2+2 together and not get 10. Has it ever occurred to her that someone, a young person, who smokes cannabis daily probably has serious underlying issues at home, may already be depressed and may already be suicidal before smoking any cannabis.

That's without getting into the issue of the fact it is illegal making it more accessible for young people.

Shoddy journalism and shoddy journalists, when will the scaremongering stop.

Lenin Skynard · 16-09-2014 01:44PM

Ah the classic "Won't somebody please think of the children" argument. It really works a treat in this country.

DLMA23 · 16-09-2014 01:44PM

ZZZzzz

qo2cj1dsne8y4k · 16-09-2014 01:45PM

I am balls deep in boredom

kneemos · 16-09-2014 01:47PM

maamom wrote: »

Did anyone else come across this in the Sindo on Sunday last. I've read a lot of shoddy journalism but this sort of crap really pees me off. Absolute nobodies writing about something they have absolutely no knowledge about.

I think Emer O'Kelly may have gone "mentally soft" already. God knows what she would be writing if she did smoke some cannabis.

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/we-must-protect-our-teens-from-dangers-of-cannabis-30585181.html

Some quotes from the article:

"research found that young people who smoke cannabis daily in their teen years are 18 times more likely to become dependent on the drug than those who have never smoked it. They are also eight times more likely to use other illicit drugs than those who never smoked cannabis."

"But the most startling and disturbing finding was that daily users of cannabis in the teen years are seven times more likely to take their own lives than others in their peer group, with the risks increasing according to the level of dosage."

Firstly this study is dealing with daily use. In other words chronic use. Take any substance daily and it is not going to be good for you. If you took alcohol as an example I'm sure results would be similar if not worse.

Secondly is it so hard for what I presume is an educated person like Emer to put 2+2 together and not get 10. Has it ever occurred to her that someone, a young person, who smokes cannabis daily probably has serious underlying issues at home, may already be depressed and may already be suicidal before smoking any cannabis.

That's without getting into the issue of the fact it is illegal making it more accessible for young people.

Shoddy journalism and shoddy journalists, when will the scaremongering stop.

She said "daily,"there in the first line of the quote.

crazygeryy · 16-09-2014 01:49PM

LexieOnRale wrote: »

I am balls deep in boredom

Id love to be balls deep in something. Lucky sob.

Bipolar Joe · 16-09-2014 01:49PM

I once had a Marijuana Cigarette, then my legs fell off and I give blow jobs to Taiwanese business men to support my habit. Not even once, you guys.

AnonoBoy · 16-09-2014 01:50PM

We must protect our teens from dangers of cannibals.

That's an article that I would bother to read.

maamom · 16-09-2014 01:50PM

kneemos wrote: »

She said "daily,"there in the first line of the quote.

Yes indeed she did and she is still shocked and horrified. :rolleyes:

Just so other posters are aware I know cannabis has been discussed numerous times. This was more about the quality of journalism in this country.

AnonoBoy · 16-09-2014 01:52PM

young people who smoke cannabis daily in their teen years are 18 times more likely to become dependent on the drug than those who have never smoked it

So she's saying that someone who has smoked the drug is more likely to become addicted to it than someone who has never smoked it?

HOLY SH*T - why has this research been buried for so long?

caolfx · 16-09-2014 01:54PM

I think they should be more worried about alcohol to be honest.

gesler · 16-09-2014 01:58PM

everyone should get high,

thomas anderson. · 16-09-2014 02:04PM

I'm high write know

qo2cj1dsne8y4k · 16-09-2014 02:05PM

I was going to write this post but then I got high

Drakares · 16-09-2014 02:06PM

AnonoBoy wrote: »

So she's saying that someone who has smoked the drug is more likely to become addicted to it than someone who has never smoked it?

HOLY SH*T - why has this research been buried for so long?

Yeah what the feck is that for reporting.... Like saying "Guy who eats cake 18 times more likely to get addicted than he who has never eaten cake."

How the feck can you get addicted to something if you have never tried it?

Rag paper. PS: I don't smoke.

ScumLord · 16-09-2014 02:27PM

More alarming points for this article.

The Lancet research found that young people who smoke cannabis daily in their teen years are 18 times more likely to become dependent on the drug than those who have never smoked it.

Saying more likely implies to me that even people that never smoke cannabis could end up dependant on cannabis.

But the most startling and disturbing finding was that daily users of cannabis in the teen years are seven times more likely to take their own lives than others in their peer group, with the risks increasing according to the level of dosage.

So the more cannabis you smoke the more likely you are to commit suicide. Obviously ending up at some point where you get so stoned you're completely unable to stop yourself from committing suicide.

Teenagers who smoke cannabis regularly before the age of 17 are 60 times less likely to finish school than those who don't.

...Smoke cannabis regularly?

What follows after these statements is some deductive reasoning that would make Sherlock vomit into his hat and murder Watson just to stop the noise in his head.

rubadub · 16-09-2014 02:31PM

SuperOito wrote: »

I think they should be more worried about alcohol to be honest.

+1. Most people would agree that if alcohol was discovered today it would be made illegal.

So I would hope people who are opposed to other recreational drugs being relegalised would view the current legality of alcohol as an odd loophole and would abstain themselves -to set a good example and to "denormalise" the drug. So young people do not just similarly shrug their shoulders and say "its legal and ingrained in society, it would be very difficult to make it illegal" -yes, making it illegal would be very hard, abstaining would not. It would be hard to make laws against farting in lifts, you don't just go farting in lifts since it happens to be legal, just because alcohol is legal doesn't mean you have to drink it, esp. if you are totally against other drugs being made legal.

smash · 16-09-2014 03:29PM

The study was carried out by researchers in Australia and New Zealand by an academic team who followed nearly four thousand participants. All the participants had begun using cannabis before the age of 17 and they were monitored to the age of 30.

There's no denying that it's a pretty comprehensive study!

BeerWolf · 16-09-2014 03:38PM

There was an exact same thread of this last week...

gesler · 16-09-2014 03:46PM

BeerWolf wrote: »

There was an exact same thread of this last week...

Cannabis thread are bit like prostitutes, been around since the beginning of boards, every week, same for and against.

Fratton Fred · 16-09-2014 03:48PM

Cannabis meh, completely harmless compared to the scum that sell it, that's who kids need protection from.

ScumLord · 16-09-2014 03:53PM

BeerWolf wrote: »

There was an exact same thread of this last week...

That was just when the story came out. Now that the Irish media have come out of their horrified shock coma (it takes about a week) they're beginning their misinformed rants where they completely exaggerate the facts and drive everyone into a blind panic about how the world is falling apart today because someone said something somewhere.

BlibBlab · 16-09-2014 03:55PM

Do people here defending cannabis actually have kids? I don't and am all for fixing our current problem with legislation, but I'd imagine actually having kids could change your view of what is safe and what isn't

Barely There · 16-09-2014 03:57PM

Anyone who doesn't believe cannabis use affects short-term memory, should examine the number of AH threads that get started on the subject with such regularity.

ScumLord · 16-09-2014 04:00PM

BlibBlab wrote: »

Do people here defending cannabis actually have kids? I don't and am all for fixing our current problem with legislation, but I'd imagine actually having kids could change your view of what is safe and what isn't

Of course it does, most people become afraid of their own shadow when they have kids. But they have to realise the world doesn't revolve around their fears for their children. Just because an adult wants the right to use cannabis doesn't mean their children are going to be force feed heroin in school.

maamom · 16-09-2014 04:58PM

ScumLord wrote: »

That was just when the story came out. Now that the Irish media have come out of their horrified shock coma (it takes about a week) they're beginning their misinformed rants where they completely exaggerate the facts and drive everyone into a blind panic about how the world is falling apart today because someone said something somewhere.

My point exactly.

It is unbelievable that any excuse for a journalist can spout this nonsense on a national forum and the problem is there are people that will believe it because they trust that journalists and people in certain positions know what they are talking about.

God knows if my mother had read that on Sunday and then I'd told her I'd smoked a few joints in my time I'd probably be kicked out and be sitting in some form of rehab right now.

maamom · 16-09-2014 05:04PM

Barely There wrote: »

Anyone who doesn't believe cannabis use affects short-term memory, should examine the number of AH threads that get started on the subject with such regularity.

While I did chuckle, I have already stressed that I wanted to use this article as an example of journalism standards or lack of.

The media is full of cackling biddys with very little and some with no clue what they are talking about.

ScumLord · 16-09-2014 05:09PM

maamom wrote: »

My point exactly.

It is unbelievable that any excuse for a journalist can spout this nonsense on a national forum and the problem is there are people that will believe it because they trust that journalists and people in certain positions know what they are talking about.

I don't see how anyone can have any faith in journalists anymore. Maybe it's just through familiarity but the modern media can't give an unbiased account of the news anymore, they always sensationalize everything to the point they might as well be lying.

We don't get news anymore, we get gossip.

Billy86 · 16-09-2014 11:53PM

kneemos wrote: »

She said "daily,"there in the first line of the quote.

That is true, but they really could have done a better job in that case, then titling the article "We must protect our teens from dangers of cannabis: New research that links cannabis with depression and suicide in teens is nothing short of alarming"

Billy86 · 16-09-2014 11:54PM

LexieOnRale wrote: »

I was going to write this post but then I got high

I was going to report you to the mods, but then I got high.

17-09-2014 01:00AM

I think it should be legal but I don't think she far off with her general argument.. But too much scare mongering to take it seriously.

Some people are fine with it, others get lazy. And it is a gateway drug.. I know it was very easy for me to move onto bigger and better things since "they're all illegal so they must be the same".

We must protect our teens from dangers of cannabis

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