The
new government anti-drugs campaign is called "Talk to Frank". The stated
idea is to give honest believable information about drugs. We are told that the
old "just say no" approach has been dropped and Frank will give honest
information which people can believe.
So
how good is Frank? This is what Frank has to say about cannabis and what UKCIA
has to say about the information.:
Frank
says |
UKCIA
comments |
| The
most widely used illegal drug in Britain. It's a naturally occurring drug made
from parts of the cannabis plant. It's a sedative and mild hallucinogen that makes
some people feel chilled out and others feel sick. It's not very expensive and
widely available. | Actually
it is widely available, which is what they meant to say! |
Appearance
and use
Cannabis
comes in different forms.
Hash
is a blacky-brown lump made from the resin of the plant. It's quite often squidgey.
Grass or weed is the dried chopped leaves of the plant. It looks like tightly
packed dried garden herbs.
Less
common is sensimilla which a form of Jamaican weed famous for being all bud and
no seed. And cannabis oil which is dark and sticky and comes in a small jar.
Most
people mix cannabis up with tobacco and smoke it as a spliff or a joint. Some
people put it in a pipe. Others make tea with it or stick it in food like cakes.
|
| Grass
or weed is the flowering heads of the female cannabis plant, if you get sold leaves
you've been ripped off |
| Sensimilla
is female weed which isn't fertalised by male plants - hence the buds don't contain
seeds. It's what skunk weed should be. It's certainly not something special to
Jamacia anymore. |
| Frank
is right to say that most people roll joints, mixed with tobacco. Making tea with
cannabis won't work though as THC (the active compound) isn't water soluable. |
|
ID
Bhang,
black, blast, blow, blunts. Bob Hope, bush, dope, draw, ganja, grass, hash, hashish,
hemp, herb, marijuana, pot, puff, Northern Lights, resin, sensi, sensemilla, shit,
skunk, smoke, soap, spliff, wacky backy, weed, zero. Some names are based on where
it comes from... Afghan, homegrown, Moroccan etc | Of
course, weed is also known by the types or strains, such as White Widow, purple
haze and so on |
Cost
About
£7.50 for a "teenth" or sixteenth of an ounce
About
£15 for an "eight" of an ounce. And about £25 for a "quarter" | Which
is true enough for most people, but if you buy the far superior home grown stuff
(which now forms the majority of cannabis in the UK) things are changing. Expect
to pay around £5 per gram of hyroponic skunk weed. UKCIA hasn't heard of
dealers actually weighing in ounces for a long time, and increasingly a "teenth"
means 2grms. A 1p coin is often used to weigh an "eighth", in fact a
1p coin is 3.5 gms which is close to but not exactly an eighth of an ounce, likewise
a 2p coin (7grms) is often used to weigh a "quarter". |
Purity
Cannabis
is not something that dealers mix anything with, But some unsuspecting people
have been known to buy blocks of mud, stock cubes and garden herbs from people
pretending to be dealers. |
Actually,
Frank is seriously wrong here. So-called "soap bar" is well known for
being badly contaminated with all sorts of nasty stuff as UKCIA has been warning
about for some time (click here). Of
course, if Frank were being honest here, he's warn that because cannabis is illegal,
there are no controls over the supply side. On occasion dealers do rip you off
and sometimes also offer other drugs to people intending to buy cannabis, this
is a danger caused by the law, not cannabis.
Frank
has this to say about Alcohol
Because
it's legal and sold only in licensed premises, most alcohol is unadulterated by
anything very nasty.
Which
is true, so why not warn of the dangers of the unlicenced, unregulated cannabis
market caused by the fact that cannabis isn't legal? |
|
|
The
Effects
The
effects of any drug have a lot to do with who the users with, what mood they're
in and how much of the drug they take. Cannabis is no exception. | Actually,
that is more true for cannabis than with most other drugs. What used to be called
'set and setting' - who you are with and where you are - is very important when
you get stoned. That isn't true for all drugs as Frank should know. |
| Much
like a cigarette, the effects are immediate and last about an hour | Not
true. When smoked the effects are pretty fast acting, but not immediate. For a
total nonsmoker having a first puff on a tobacco spliff, the head-spinning hit
which happens at once is the tobacco. The cannabis high will come along some time
later, maybe as long as 10 - 20 mins later. How long it lasts depends on how much
is smoked. Bongs etc are faster acting but still not immediate. |
| Smoking
a spliff makes most people happy, relaxed and at peace with the world but the
effects vary from person to person. Some people have one puff and feel sick. Others
get the giggles until the muscles in their faces hurt. | Where
do they get this from? The last bit about face muscles is just stupid. Smoking
with tobacco is the easiest way to make people feel sick. To be honest, most people
just feel stoned when they smoke cannabis, which is much more than just "feeling
happy, relaxed and at peace with the world" |
| Cannabis
is quite an introspective drug. Once stoned, users can find hidden depths in daytime
television/ the most unlikely song lyrics. | Being
stoned is an introspective experience, true. It certainly does allow people to
listen deeply to music, experiencing layers of complexity in the composition.
Similar things can happen with images. This is why artists use cannabis to great
effect in making music and works of art. Indeed, it's probably the reason most
people use cannabis, sad then that Frank tells people to watch daytime TV when
stoned, but then it is an anti drug site remember, the message has to be a negative
one... |
| It's
a mild hallucinogen. Colour and sounds appear brighter and sharper | Indeed,
which is partly why "site and setting" mentioned above are important. |
| It
affects coordination. So it can make people a bit unsteady on their feet. Doing
complicated things like operating machinery is not a good idea. | Stoned
people do not stagger around like drunks although being very stoned can make movement
difficult. In some ways cannabis can improve concentration and may even help with
certain complex tasks, particularly with artistic composition. But it is good
advice not to work dangerous machinery when stoned - including driving. |
| Some
people use it to relieve muscle pain associated with illnesses like MS (Multiple
Sclerosis). | True
- others use it for other reasons such as stress relief as well, indeed cannabis
seems to have a very wide range of medical applications, something long denied
by the drug warriors. |
| Someone
who's been smoking a lot will have bloodshot eyes, a dry mouth and may well have
their head in the fridge. Hunger pangs are known as 'getting the munchies'. | Near
enough |
| There
is a flip side | All
the above was supposed to be the positive information? |
| Some
people get so chilled they lose their inhibitions altogether. | Sorry
Frank, that is utter rubbish. That is probably the one thing cannabis does not
do, indeed, it's quite the opposite. Some people, when they get very stoned, become
introverted and can dwell on personal problems. Perhaps Frank is talking about
sexual encounters here, if so, why not say it? |
| Even
hardcore smokers can get anxious, panicky and suspicious. | Which
is what can happen if you become too inward looking when stoned. |
| Cannabis
screws with short-term memory. | When
stoned, yes. Not permanently though. |
| Eating
or drinking the drug delays the effects and can make them stronger and longer
lasting. | That's
not a flip side! Eating or drinking cannabis also avoids the dangers associated
with smoking. However, given the unregulated supply side - caused by the law -
it is hard to judge the strength of your hash cake. Again though, Frank fails
to warn of the actual cause of the problem. |
| Chances
of getting hooked | |
| Unlikely.
There is a minimal risk of physical dependence. Psychological dependency occurs
very occasionally. | True |
| Users
are more likely to get addicted to nicotine if they roll their spliffs with tobacco.
There are no physical withdrawal symptoms if you've only been using for a short
while and there should be no problem stopping (unless you get addicted to the
tobacco). | So
why doesn't Frank advise people to use cannabis pure, without the tobacco? Why
not give this obvious and clear bit of harm reduction advice? See UKCIA Tokepure
- click here |
| If
you have been using for a long time, worth you might want to think about counselling.
Your local drug agency can offer help and advice. | If
you can understand that sentence, maybe you do need counselling. Just because
you've been using cannabis for a long time doesn't mean you have a problem, it
might mean you enjoy it. If you do want to stop and find it hard though counselling
may help, "psychological dependency" can seem very
real to some people. You may have similar problems with gambling, it's not a problem
specific to cannabis. |
| The
risks | |
| Most
of the risks associated with cannabis are linked to regular, heavy use. | Most
problems associated to anything are linked to regular, heavy use, cannabis is
no exception to that rule. Notice how Frank is careful not to say there are few
if any risks with moderate use, again, he can't, it's an anti drugs site. This
is an example of "spin". |
| Smoking
cannabis may be more harmful than smoking tobacco. Cannabis has a higher concentration
of chemical 'nasties' that cause cancer. | Note
the use of the words "may be", this is very open to debate and not proven.
However, another simple bit of harm reduction advice is to breath in as little
smoke as possible and to filter the smoke. Use a water pipe and smoke small amounts
of strong weed for example. |
| Smoking
anything can give you heart problems, bronchitis and cancer. Smoking it with tobacco
can get you hooked on tobacco. | Probably
true - don't smoke it with tobacco and breath in as little smoke as possible -
see above. |
| Cannabis
can make asthma worse. And it's not a good idea with heart disease, high blood
pressure or at risk from strokes. | Frank
is on very shaky ground here. UKCIA has heard a lot of evidence that cannabis
is actually good for asthma, although smoking tobacco laden spliffs is going to
reduce any potential benefits |
| Regular,
heavy use makes it harder to learn and concentrate. Being stoned all the time
isn't going to win anyone 'Employee Of The Month' | Regular,
heavy use of anything won't make you employee of the month, that's not advice
particular to cannabis. |
| Frequent
use of cannabis can cut a man's sperm count and suppress ovulation in women. |
Really?
Cannabis users don't seem to have problems breeding!
| Someone
asked Frank this question: " I was interested to read on your website that
cannabis decreases sperm count in men and fertility in women. This is great news
as me and my girlfriend can now get stoned and make love without bothering with
condoms. How long does the contraceptive effect of cannabis last and how many
joints will we have to smoke to get the best contraceptive effect?
Despite
the urgent need to rectify such a potentially disastrous belief, Frank waited
3 days to reply and then did not answer the question. Here is his reply Click here (not really worth it). |
|
| Some
people begin to feel tired all the time and can't seem to get motivated. | Don't
be stoned all the time! |
| Some
research has made a link between cannabis and mental illnesses like schizophrenia.
If you've got a history of mental illness in the family you should think very
carefully about getting stoned. | Some
research, it's not proof by a long way. However, if you find cannabis has unpleasant
effects - and some people certainly do - don't use it.
The
vast majority of people will not suffer in this way of course. |
| Cannabis
psychosis is rare but happens when someone's literally smoked themselves into
oblivion. It can continue for some time but is treatable with prescription drugs. | It's
also treatable by simply stopping the cannabis use in the vast majority of cases |
| Smoking
cannabis when pregnant can harm the baby. There's an increased risk of birth defects,
miscarriage and sudden infant death syndrome. Babies also tend to be lower in
birth weight. | Don't
smoke when pregnant, that's well known advice. UKCIA received this feedback from
a reader:
"I
don't think its advisable to take any drug including alcohol or caffeine when
pregnant, surely you shouldn't really be encouraging people to get stoned when
they are pregnant if it involves smoking or not"? |
Frank
then goes onto explain the legal position of cannabis. We won't repeat this here
because, as Frank says, the law is changing. What Frank doesn't explain of course,
is why the law is as it is and what can people do to avoid the dangers caused
by the law, but then Frank is a government campaign, it wouldn't, would it?
