This week on ISMOKE we’ll be looking at the etymology, the origins of the word Marijuana and why this antiquated and racist term should be removed from our vocabulary.
Cannabis,…
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Few things in this world could ever match up to a mother's love, and I am in no doubt that prohibition isn’t one of them.
This week on ISMOKE we meet the warrior women - the mothers of mercy desperately fighting to treat their children using cannabis and cannabis-derived medicinal products.
Too often these women who are not only having to fight against the odds, but their doctors, the law and even the very services that have been established to help heal and treat their offspring’s ailments and to protect their health.28
- Hundreds of people turned up for the first official Durham Cannabis Club 420 event
- The successful event was a collaboration effort by Wear Valley Cannabis club, Durham City Cannabis Club, Tyneside Cannabis club and Durham Cannabis collective
- There were speakers, stalls and cannabis information available for event attendees
- There was no police presence
- Professor Mike Barnes and Trev Coleman gave speeches on the importance of medicinal cannabis
While the national media’s attention may have been exclusively focused on London’s Hyde Park 420 event, which attracted thousands of cannabis enthusiasts and campaigners, hundreds of people attended another 420 event (yes, there are other 420 events outside London).
Tucked away behind the city’s cricket club, next to an idyllic canal, the cannabis clubs of the North East gathered on 420, the world-famous day where everyone stops to take a toke and chill.25
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Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses in the UK. According to mentalhealth.org, depression is the predominant mental health problem worldwide. Nearly 20% of the UK population, aged 16 and over, showed some evidence of anxiety or depression, according to the 2014 General Health Questionnaire.
Following on from our feature by Simpa Carter last week about consuming cannabis for depression, today we want to take a detailed look at the cannabis vs depression argument, incorporating some UK patient stories as well as more studies in this area. The growing amount of people suffering from some form of depression is evident in the fact that, according to a report from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), 61 million antidepressants were prescribed in the UK in 2015. That’s 31.6 million more than were prescribed in 2005, and up 3.9m, or 6.8%, on 2014. The symptoms of depression can often be debilitating. The common mental disorder causes people to experience depressed mood, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, a loss of interest or pleasure, low energy, disturbed appetite or sleeping patterns and poor concentration. If antidepressants worked, then why are prescription figures rising year after year? Surely there must be something which can better treat the symptoms of depression than pharmaceutical medications.30
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health disorder that can affect anyone at any time and can develop after a person is exposed to highly stressful and traumatic events.
In the majority of cases, the symptoms develop during the first month after a traumatic event. However, in a minority of cases, there may be a delay of months or even years before symptoms start to appear. The length of time varies from case to case as to how long a person may have PTSD. In some cases, especially when not treated, PTSD can last a very long time, perhaps the remainder of one's life.28
- Canada is set to fully legalise cannabis, including for recreational use.
- Cannabis will become a federally controlled, legal, substance on ‘Canada Day,’ July 1 2018
- Minimum age for purchase will be 18, as with alcohol
- Canadians will be allowed to grow four plants per household.
There is some glorious news coming out of Canada this week! The North American state is set to take a historic step and legalise cannabis for recreational use, on a federal level, next year.
From the 1st July 2018, which is also Canada Day, cannabis will be available for legal purchase for everyone, over the age of 18, in Canada. This includes tourists, which could make Canada the new mecca of cannabis!23
Now that we have explored the links between smoking and schizophrenia, we can talk about using Cannabis as an antidepressant.
With mental health issues becoming ever more of a concern to public health, and at a time of severe austerity in the UK, wouldn’t it make lots of sense to conduct some clinical studies to test the efficacy of using cannabis for depression and the potential savings for the NHS this could bring?15