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| Katena |
on Tue 19 Feb 08, 5:21 PM to Katena's blog.
As you may know i work with young people...and the issue of illicit drugs crops up often.
Today my mind seems full of questions...of what ifs...of chicken & eggs!
The Medical Research Council have recently produced a 'Dangerous drugs List 2007' and it brings up many questions over what 'we' use to classify a drug and the harm it causes.
Cannabis was roughly half way down...below alcohol and way above Ecstacy. My view on cannabis fluctuate..sometimes i think it is relativly harmless..and others i think it may affect a persons mental health.
But then...a spanner gets thrown into the works and maybe there is a genetic factor!?!
To explain briefly...there is a gene known as COMT which helps break down dopamine in the body/mind. Now..there are basically 2 types of this gene...for ease lets call them good and bad!
Now..everyone as 2 of this gene and what you have may mean your more susecptable to having mental health issues and even a good or bad time on drugs such as cannabis.
So if you have 2 good COMT - Your ok..more likely not to suffer any ill affects
If you have 1 of each - your chances of mental health issues are sightly raised
However if you ahve 2 bad ones - well..there is a 25% higher risk of psychosis
So maybe its a genetic thing?!?!
Who knows!
Now the Government are looking into reclassifying Cannabis back to a B..i doubt it will happen!
But the other new bit of legislation coming in that all you cannabis users may need to know. Is that Under The Road Safety Act 2007...they will be bringing in road side tests for drugs such as cannabis/cocaine. If you test postive for this...you face being banned/fine etc.
Now one thing to note...is that cannabis stays in your system a long time! So you may have smoked over the weekend with mates...but on wednesday when your driving to work/home etc and you get stopped...you probably wil test positive!!!!!!
Not good eh?!
Ah well....food for thought!
k
| 19 Feb 08, 6:26 PM kisses_for_me UK, 5 yrs |
On the contrary, its potentially very good. At the moment driving whilst unfit through drink or drugs (specific offence, not drink driving) is only subjective. There are case studies that have claimed a very high number of RTCs where at least one driver has possibly taken some drug other than alcohol, be it some weed, some ecstacy or even a little too much cough syrup. Hampshire police have been doing roadside testing using swabs from vehicles and people for a few years, and I understand because of the difficulty of proving unfit, tend to go straight to a possesion charge. The driving test has supposedly got tougher, younger people are supposedly taking more drugs, the rate of young drivers involved in collisions is increasing despite tougher tests and safer cars. Could there be some co-relation? I think I saw a puddytat | |
| 19 Feb 08, 10:20 PM Katena UK(M), 8 yrs |
All good and valid points....however you didnt touch upon the point about the test just showing positive or negative...which shows nothing about if the person is under the influence whilst driving..just that they have it in their system. I agree that people should not DUI....but i feel that the test is rather unfair! k I've ran out of sick days...so i'm calling in dead |
