Ecstacy No More Dangerous Than Horse Riding

[Peter Parka]

Taking ecstasy is no more dangerous than riding a horse, a top Government drug adviser has said.
Professor David Nutt, chairman of the Home Office's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, said in a medical journal that taking the drug was no more harmful than an addiction to riding.
Professor David Nutt, chairman of the Home Office's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs said in a medical journal that taking the drug was no more harmful than an addiction to riding
The council is expected next week to recommend that ecstasy is downgraded from class A to the less dangerous class B classification. Ministers have outlined their opposition to such a move.
Prof Nutt's article in Journal of Psychopharmacology is entitled "Equasy - An overlooked addiction with implications for the current debate on drug harms".
He writes: "The point was to get people to understand that drug harm can be equal to harms in other parts of life. There is not much difference between horse riding and ecstasy."
The professor said equasy - short for equine addiction syndrome - caused more than 100 deaths a year.
He added: "This attitude raises the critical question of why society tolerates - indeed encourages - certain forms of potentially harmful behaviour but not others such as drug use."
Ecstasy use is linked to around 30 deaths a year, up from ten a year in the early 1990s. Fatalities are caused by massive organ failure from overheating or the effects of drinking too much water.
David Raynes, of the National Drug Prevention Alliance, said: "He is entitled to his personal opinion, but if his personal view conflicts so very strongly with his public duties, it would be honourable to consider his position. If he does not, the Home Secretary should do it for him."
© Independent Television News Limited 2009. All rights reserved.




Thank fuck for someone with some common sense who isn't pandering to all the governments unintelligent scaremongering! :clap:clap:clap

 

[Ryder]

Well that's something.

 

[DoctorDisco]

Why would the government have reason to discourage drugs if they weren't bad?

 

[flipx]

Read and heard about this a couple of weeks ago. Ecstasy is a completely random drug, you never know what the effects could be with certain people. I agree that it should be at a class 'B', but then again, I don't think marijuana should be illegal. When has marijuana ever killed anyone? Never.

 

[Dana]

This guy probably takes ecstacy

 

[motorbyclist]

He writes: "The point was to get people to understand that drug harm can be equal to harms in other parts of life.

Of course it is, and so are many, many other things.

I don't think comparing drugs to horse riding is appropriate and I don't think its reason to downgrade the drug.

 

[DoctorDisco]

I agree that it should be at a class 'B', but then again, I don't think marijuana should be illegal. When has marijuana ever killed anyone? Never.

The thing is.. when you eat food, get sick, and interact with the world all of the germs and nutrients stay in your body. Nothing ever interacts with the brain. Marijuana is one of the few substances that lets foreign chemicals in. The symptoms and reactions are unpredictable with every person.

But what about the number of criminal acts/ murders done by people who do smoke marijuana? Or the people with anxiety problems.

Even though its illegal.. everyone in my college smokes marijuana. People prefer to stay inside and do nothing than experience life. Students are dropping out at alarming rates.

The concern isn't death of the user. Because there never is.

Many people react to marijuana differently and some become dependent on the drug to cope. When they don't get their fix they go irate. Because they developed a hate for the sober frame of mind due to chronic anxiety attributed by marijuana

Also, many people experience 30-40% or more psychosis while taking marijuana. Making them more likely to be brainwashed and manipulated by 3rd parties. With weed people gain new perspectives at the drop of a hat. They change into hippies, activists, cult members, criminals, introverts, and government/world haters.

Marijuana can even for some people alter their brain so much they exist in a fate worse than death. A degree of insanity. And for some people.. nothing happens.

Its just too risky to be made legal.

In the states we can't test it to the extent we want. We can only take 10 people who did smoke weed and 10 people who didn't and compare their skills/thinking speed.

We know nothing about it. Modern medicine just claims to know everything to give us a sense of security.

Wow.. that was long.:surrender

 

[Dana]

Of course it is, and so are many, many other things.

I don't think comparing drugs to horse riding is appropriate and I don't think its reason to downgrade the drug.

right! you're more likely to use if your a druggie, than one who constantly rides is to fall off a freaking horse!

 

[sierrabravo]

lol david nutt

 

[scott75]

Government doesn't legalize drugs because it can't regulate their supply or be able to affectivly tax them. Believe if the government could get rich off of them they would be legal.

 

[DoctorDisco]

Government doesn't legalize drugs because it can't regulate their supply or be able to affectivly tax them. Believe if the government could get rich off of them they would be legal.

What about legal marijuana?

They already manufacture it.

I don't understand. Because if a drug dealer could go public.. and believe me they have the money to.. I would think they would want to.. to expand their business commercially instead of word of mouth.

I am open to being wrong. But that doesn't seem right to me. Sounds like something the guys who are selling the stuff made up to make their product seem more legit.

Just like how they tell us its "natural" stuff.... lol

 

[Peter Parka]

Just because people can abuse something is no reason to keep it illegal. McDonalds probably does more damage to our health than ecstacy but I dont see anyone calling for that to be banned. There's been too much scaremongering about ecstacy since the Leah Betts thing. The thing is, she didn't die of the effects of ecstacy, she died of dehydration, a fact the government and media like to conveniently forget. Maybe if there was more education about drugs she would have known to take in plenty of water when she popped a pill, but no, the drugs are bad, lets bury our head in the sand, is the usual drug advice given to kids.

 

[Dana]

Just because people can abuse something is no reason to keep it illegal. McDonalds probably does more damage to our health than ecstacy but I dont see anyone calling for that to be banned. There's been too much scaremongering about ecstacy since the Leah Betts thing. The thing is, she didn't die of the effects of ecstacy, she died of dehydration, a fact the government and media like to conveniently forget. Maybe if there was more education about drugs she would have known to take in plenty of water when she popped a pill, but no, the drugs are bad, lets bury our head in the sand, is the usual drug advice given to kids.

Are you reading what the hell you type?

 

[Dana]

and who the hell is Leah Betts?

 

[Peter Parka]

Yes, thats rich coming from you. Seriously, you dont have to post in every fucking thread you know, especially when you have jack shit to say.

 

[Peter Parka]

and who the hell is Leah Betts?

Haha! You're trying to critisise what I'm saying and you dont even understand it. How about look up about her and then post when you actually know what the fuck you are talking about.

 

[ConTRo13R]

This is old news! was on the bbc a few days back

 

[flipx]

The thing is.. when you eat food, get sick, and interact with the world all of the germs and nutrients stay in your body. Nothing ever interacts with the brain. Marijuana is one of the few substances that lets foreign chemicals in. The symptoms and reactions are unpredictable with every person.

But what about the number of criminal acts/ murders done by people who do smoke marijuana? Or the people with anxiety problems.

Even though its illegal.. everyone in my college smokes marijuana. People prefer to stay inside and do nothing than experience life. Students are dropping out at alarming rates.

The concern isn't death of the user. Because there never is.

Many people react to marijuana differently and some become dependent on the drug to cope. When they don't get their fix they go irate. Because they developed a hate for the sober frame of mind due to chronic anxiety attributed by marijuana

Also, many people experience 30-40% or more psychosis while taking marijuana. Making them more likely to be brainwashed and manipulated by 3rd parties. With weed people gain new perspectives at the drop of a hat. They change into hippies, activists, cult members, criminals, introverts, and government/world haters.

Marijuana can even for some people alter their brain so much they exist in a fate worse than death. A degree of insanity. And for some people.. nothing happens.

Its just too risky to be made legal.

In the states we can't test it to the extent we want. We can only take 10 people who did smoke weed and 10 people who didn't and compare their skills/thinking speed.

We know nothing about it. Modern medicine just claims to know everything to give us a sense of security.

Wow.. that was long.:surrender

It's not really being made "legal", it's being made "tolerable", like it is in Holland, Amsterdam. It isn't actually legal there, it is tolerable. The symptoms and reactions may be different, but none are ever life threatening or harmful towards you. Everybody reacts differently to everything.

I haven't heard of anyone committing criminal acts under the influence of marijuana. I have heard of PLENTY of criminal acts, murders, rapes etc. committed under the influence of man made alcohol, which is legal to buy and consume whenever you wish. Plus, as I said, you can die from many li9ver, and heart related illnesses caused by alcohol where you cannot from marijuana. Alcohol causes people to become loud, aggressive, violent, marijuana does not.

Yes, I know it does cause 'chronic anxiety', and people become dependent upon it, I have several mates that are exactly that way. That though, is from an obsession, and addiction to the drug. You will not become a schizophrenic, or have a chronic anxiety disorder from having an occassional smoke. I myself, smoke it occasionally and there is nothing wrong with me. I used to smoke it a lot more, but then I decided to stop the bad habit. It's just like being an alcoholic, yet I would say being an alcoholic is worse, and most definitely worse for your health in the short term and long term.

All is talk about "brainwashing" people, is ridiculous, in my opinion. I have smoked it, for almost 6 years now, and I have never felt brainwashed, or anything you have suggested. Neither have most of my friends that have smoked it for even longer than this. Are all these people in Holland that smoke it legally brainwashed, and going out committing more crimes? No, most definitely not. In fact, the crime rate (murders, rapes, burglary's, thefts etc.) in Holland compared to here in the UK, and the US, is much lower.

Plus, you say "In the States, we", remember.. I am not from the States, so a lot of what you might say and talk about may be a lot different to what I say, and so on.

I can understand where you are coming from in certain points you make, but in all honesty. The whole thing about weed and it causing chronic anxiety, and psychosis etc. is only when someone over does, and indulges too much in the drug. Which, with everything, is very harmful. Food, alcohol... the list goes on.

What about legal marijuana?

They already manufacture it.

I don't understand. Because if a drug dealer could go public.. and believe me they have the money to.. I would think they would want to.. to expand their business commercially instead of word of mouth.

I am open to being wrong. But that doesn't seem right to me. Sounds like something the guys who are selling the stuff made up to make their product seem more legit.

Just like how they tell us its "natural" stuff.... lol

That's herbal highs, these don't contain thc, you're talking about something completely different.

What do you mean if a drug dealer could go public? They are selling it publically... Just not legally.

Don't think you know what you're talking about here. My mate grows his own, it's all natural, I can guarantee you that.

Yes, thats rich coming from you. Seriously, you dont have to post in every fucking thread you know, especially when you have jack shit to say.

Haha! You're trying to critisise what I'm saying and you dont even understand it. How about look up about her and then post when you actually know what the fuck you are talking about.

Well said!

This is old news! was on the bbc a few days back

A few days is old news? This thread was created a couple of days ago, talk about being picky.

 

[FIERCEDISCO]

I think that guy was on ecstasy when he said that.

Because ecstasy has only been about for about 20-25 years, nobody really knows everything about it yet. Like flip said, it's completely unpredictable what the effects of XTC can have on people, some may be unharmed from it, some people can react badly and die within hours of taking it.

Plus, comparing it to horse riding is ridiculous, that's like comparing heroin addiction to playing with barbie dolls :wtf:

 

[Peter Parka]

Not really, people dont die in barbie doll accidents. Well maybe some do but the're probably perverts who we're best off not hearing about, lol.