The Latest in Anti Weed Propaganda

The Latest in Anti Weed Propaganda

What a load of shite. Why don't they do interview people that CAN hold their drugs?

Superskunk me: What happened when one woman smoked dope daily for a month for a BBC documentary
By NATASHA COURTENAY-SMITH - 26th March 2008

Just a few puffs on a rolled-up cigarette containing "skunk" - a strong form of cannabis - was all it took to strip Nicky Taylor of all her capabilities and to induce a terrifying combination of paranoia, fear and anxiety.

As the drug took effect, she was rendered incapable of doing anything save look anxiously around her and try to calm her trembling hands.

But Nicky is not just another of the millions of Britons who smoke cannabis regularly. She chose to experiment with the drug as part of a BBC documentary in which she investigated just how damaging smoking different forms of the drug can be - with herself as a guinea pig.
"I felt absolutely terrified," recalls Nicky, a divorced mother-of-three, thinking back to her first experience just over a month ago.

"Paranoia set in, and I felt as if I was having a panic attack. At one point, I was simply too frightened to get out of my chair.

"I had a feeling the drug had unlocked some sort of paranoia in my head that would never go away again - I suddenly felt everyone hated me. Without doubt, that was one of the worst moments of my life."

It has been well over 20 years since Nicky first smoked cannabis, which she tried as a student.

But for this investigation she has spent the past month in Amsterdam, where she smoked around a joint of cannabis - which two years ago was downgraded from a class B to a class C drug in Britain - every day.

Controversially, she also allowed herself to be injected with pure THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the active ingredient in cannabis.

Her aim was to discover the true effect cannabis had on her mind and body - and conversely on the millions of Britons who now smoke it regularly.

While some will question Nicky's wisdom in committing herself to such an experiment when she is a mother of three young children, there is little doubt that her experiences are both enlightening and cautionary to anyone who might think cannabis is harmless.

At one point during her investigation, scientific tests proved that, thanks to the drug, she had developed a level of psychosis well above that seen in individuals with schizophrenia.

It is estimated that 15 million people in the UK have tried cannabis, and up to 5 million smoke it on a regular basis.

In the UK, cannabis use has increased 1,000 per cent since the Seventies, and according to a recent Unicef report, the UK has the third highest rate of young people smoking cannabis in the Western world.
Yet there is now considerable medical evidence that cannabis causes psychosis. It has also been linked to schizophrenia, and is believed to be behind a string of violent murders.

Even mild short-term use can result in depression and sleep disturbances.

"As a mother, I wanted to find out what is in store for my children if they ever try cannabis," says Nicky, who lives in Kidderminster with her children Freya, nine, Millie, eight, and Harry, six.

"Also, there is no doubt that cannabis has got stronger - over the past few years, home-grown cannabis has been genetically altered so that it contains 10 to 15 per cent THC, whereas naturally-grown cannabis contains only 3 to 5 per cent.

"I wanted to know whether there is any truth to the claim made by dope smokers that you can smoke cannabis and carry on with life as normal. And I wanted to find out if the drug really does drive you into madness."

To conduct her investigation, Nicky spent a month in Amsterdam, working part-time at a coffee shop that sells the drug.

Although she would not be allowed to smoke during her shift, she lit up every day after work.

"The first time I smoked cannabis in Amsterdam it contained one of the strongest forms of 'skunk' on sale, and the result was absolutely horrendous," says Nicky.

"At that moment, I felt like pulling the plug on the investigation, packing my bags and heading home to my children, who'd stayed in the UK with my mother. I ended up having a row with my cameraman, too, because I was so irrational and paranoid.

"It all felt a world away from the feeling of harmless giddiness I'd remembered having from smoking it a little as a student. It hit me that I could be risking my sanity - and it didn't feel worth it."

However, waking the next morning, Nicky's paranoia had dissipated and she decided to carry on. That is not to say she didn't feel any physical and mental after-effects of the drug.

"Although the paranoia had gone, I was left dazed and my mind seemed to be operating much more slowly than it usually does," says Nicky. "I had no motivation and just wanted to go back to bed. I had no idea how anyone could get stoned at night and then function properly the next day."

Over the following week, Nicky smoked different varieties of cannabis on a daily basis. While she did not encounter the same level of paranoia again, her ability to work was nonetheless compromised by the drug's effects.

"At one point, I went to interview the man who runs Amsterdam's hemp museum after smoking cannabis," says Nicky. "I wanted to appear professional - as any reporter from the BBC would. But this proved to be next to impossible. I was giggly and could hardly keep my mind on what he was saying.

"Embarrassingly, my attention suddenly wandered to a pile of guinea pig bedding which was sitting in the corner of his office, clearly intended for someone's pet.

"I rushed over to it and kept picking it up. I felt as if I'd just discovered the Holy Grail, but the poor man clearly thought I was incredibly odd. He was obviously uncomfortable in my presence, and I was clearly unable to be professional while on the drug."

To find out how much her concentration had been compromised, Nicky set herself the task of assembling a flat pack cabinet, first free from and then under the influence of cannabis.

Without having smoked the drug, she found the job straightforward. While stoned however, it was a different matter.

"I took only two puffs of cannabis, but was totally hopeless when it came to assembling the cabinet," she says. I felt so spaced out that I ended up passing out on the sofa with the cabinet still in bits around me. The drug totally destroyed my ability to think."

Over the course of the four-week investigation, this "mental oblivion", as Nicky describes it, was to become a familiar feeling.

On a daily basis, depending on the strength of cannabis she had smoked, she either spiralled into depression and paranoia or simply passed out and had to go to bed.

"I noticed very quickly that the stronger the variety of cannabis, the more paranoia and depression I experienced," she says.

"Some nights, particularly after smoking 'skunk', which is high in THC, I couldn't sleep at all and would be pacing my room, becoming more and more paranoid and thinking everyone I'd met at the cafe, as well as the BBC crew, was talking about me.

"But even the weaker varieties rendered me completely useless. I'd often go to bed at 8pm and be totally crashed out until morning. I felt constantly groggy and unmotivated, I couldn't wake up in the mornings and I'd find myself longing to go back to bed all day.

"My motivation was reduced to zero and I felt totally slowed down.

"I'm a very active person, with a mind that normally works at a million miles an hour. I thrive on multi-tasking and getting through my daily 'To do' lists. Yet, with cannabis in my life, I reached the end of every day feeling frustrated that I'd achieved so little.

"By the end of a month of smoking cannabis every day, I felt as if my mind had been turned into treacle and nothing made much sense to me any more.

"Even basic things like trying to send emails or talk to people on the phone became a real effort of will and brain power. There is no way I could carry on with the life I lead now, looking after my children, at the same time as smoking cannabis, even if it was just occasionally."

If Nicky's mind seemed to be getting smaller, her waistline was expanding. Over the course of her investigation, she gained half a stone, due to the drug's tendency to bring on cravings for junk food.

"Cannabis triggers a chemical surge in the brain which stimulates the appetite, and in particular makes you crave sweet and salty snacks while you are stoned," says Nicky.

"I could easily get through a couple of packets of biscuits and a huge bag of crisps, and the result was I quickly gained weight.

"I usually go running every day, but the effect of the drug on my lungs meant this was no longer possible either, because cannabis compromises lung function three times as much as ordinary cigarettes.

"And I not only felt groggy - I looked groggy, too. I woke up every morning with puffy eyes and sallow skin. It was as though the drug had destroyed my ability to refresh my body as well as my mind."

Once back in the UK, Nicky visited the Institute of Psychiatry, where, for the final stage of her investigation, she took part in a unique experiment.

Scientists there are interested in the effect of the ratio between the drug's two main components - THC and cannabanoid - and the levels of psychosis induced in the user, and are undertaking trials in which volunteers are injected with both pure THC and THC mixed with cannabanoid.

Nicky agreed to do this, too, and following each injection, she underwent a series of psychological tests designed to assess her state of mind.

Even though injecting the drug means it reaches the bloodstream more quickly than if it's smoked, the results were shocking.

"With the mixture of THC and cannabanoid - which is roughly equivalent to the sort of 'grass' people smoked in the Sixties, I felt very giggly and silly," says Nicky.

"I felt groggy afterwards and wouldn't want to feel that way all the time, but there wasn't anything too troubling about the experience.

"The psychological tests indicated that while I was flippant and had lost any sense of care and responsibility, I had not become psychotic."

However, Nicky's experience with pure THC - more akin to the strong "skunk" favoured by cannabis users today - was far more sinister.

Within minutes of receiving the injection, she was overcome by morbid thoughts.

"I was suddenly gripped by the idea that the scientists conducting the experiment were characters from a horror film who were somehow out to get me," she says.

"I later found myself fantasising about jumping out of a window and crawling away somewhere that I would never be found. I was increasingly agitated and convinced they were trying to trick me in everything they said to me."

Most alarmingly, she also took a test, in the form of a series of questions about her state of mind, in which a score of four points and above indicates significant psychosis of the level seen in people with schizophrenia - she scored 14.

"I couldn't believe it when I saw my result - it was terrifying to think I was experiencing greater psychosis than someone with schizophrenia," says Nicky.

"It proved without doubt that the drug was playing havoc with my mind, and inducing a psychotic state that I would never have reached without it.

"I was reassured that once the effect of the drug had worn off after a few hours, I would return to normal, but it might be a different case for individuals with a family history of mental illness."

With her investigation now behind her, Nicky is adamant that she will never touch cannabis again. Thankfully, she appears not to have experienced any long-term effects from using the drug.

"I do feel extremely worried for my children's future and will certainly do all I can to ensure that they stay away from the drug," says Nicky.

"Until now, I hadn't really considered cannabis had that much more effect than a bottle of wine might do, but now I know that's far from the truth.

"The drug took me to some dark and frightening places, to which I hope I never return."

"Controversially, she also allowed herself to be injected with pure THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the active ingredient in cannabis"

Surely that would fuck you up pretty bad, it also says she was smoking some of the strongest stuff first time, to be fair thats bound to send you on a monster whitey. Its like testing the effects of alcohol by necking a litre bottle of whiskey.

i cant hack skunk like, its horrible

Proper Amble lingo

saw this last night. utter bollox.
at the end of the programme she said 'I'm going to stick to alcohol from now on'
as if that is a safe thing to do. It was a shameful bit of propaganda passed off as journalism. Wouldn't be surprised if it was sponsored by the home office.

Being injected with pure THC is like drinking pure alcohol and complaining that it proves that a pint of black sheep will send you mental.

Her 3 kids were blatently just doing her head in, so she decided to get off her face in the 'dam for a month!

Experiment my arse....

"I had a feeling the drug had unlocked some sort of paranoia in my head that would never go away again - I suddenly felt everyone hated me. Without doubt, that was one of the worst moments of my life."

fuck off

I believe that.. I remember when I had my first ever bucket and I got pretty paranoid although I didn't think everyone hated me, I just didn't want people to know how fucked I was and wished I'd just had a few off a joint as usual.

To say this is in any way accurate of real life effects is stupid. It's simple really, doing too much of anything is gonna have bad results. Eating, exercising, drinking..

Trust it to be on the British Brainwashing Channel.

i,ve been a smoker scince i was 14/15 right to 5 weeks ago im now 29(i've packed it in in the past but ended back on it)and when i smoke it i don't work as i wake to 3 to 4 buckckets and thats before 12 noon.
and my mother smoked from the same age till she was in her mid fortys
belive me it's for fucking muppets thats me saying it and my mam(her mate even had a cafe in amsterdam and even won the cannabis cup) and she smoked in to her fiftys and she says it's even fucked with her head big time. when you smoke like i did about an ounce aweek

you do get paranoid you cant talk to people with out stuttering or going red in the face you avoid any sort a confrintation even going to the local shop for the paper is a mission, talking to taxi drivers dose ya head in, ya confidence is shit you have no motivation to do anything your up and down with your moods one day happy as larry and the next sick of ya fucking life you sit in the house more often than not you never have no money in your pocket i could go on

so theres no why not talk to people who can handle it, in the long run it fucks you up

most of the people i know round mine who smoke it have had kids and a wife or girlfriend and now there on there own and sepparated

theres a bloke i know well a few there sound as, but even they say stay on that shit mate and you'll end up like me(in a flat which stinks or badly furnished as i,ve had smokes with them) on the dole or permanent sick no prospects and wasted there so called life

NO THANKS

Its horses for courses but ive smoked for years heavily, i hold down a good job, have a long term girlfriend, own several properties and generally work hard. i certainly dont have any problems going to the shops or talking to people.

I think some people are far too quick to blame their lack of 'get up & go' on something, in fact anything they can at times.
If you decide to have several buckets when you get up so that you dont go to work and end up on the dole then that is a problem with YOU not the drug. simple solution would be to wait until you finish work before you smoke if you cant handle it. I find most people who are on the long term dole when they dont have an illness or something stopping them from working are generally just lazy twats and would be with or without the drug.

I think putting across that smoking the odd joint is going to send you mental is rather one sided. Fair enough if you have a history of mental illness then steer clear, but suggesting that im going to suddenly get so paranoid i curl up into myself and do nothing with my life makes me laugh.

im not lazy far from it i train at the qym every day do ju-jitsu and love physical exercise, i also work but when you fall out of work and are on the dole and smoke your motovation is none exsistant you don't feel like doing fuck all going for interviews plays on ya mind. your always hessitant and you seem to say il do it tomorrow with loads of things i,ve been skiving ju-jitsu and the gym last few months through it see with me i just can't smoke when i finish work when im on it im on it so it's all or nothing

funny you mention you have properties and hold down a job

my cousin owns two bars in town a co owner of a pizza shop and also as several properties and he smokes the odd joint through the week on a night to relax of the pressures of it all and even he says even if he had just one joint or bong at the start of the day he would'nt be able to consider talking to the staff or people in meetings and so on and would end up just staying in the house as people are'nt going to take you seriously when ya stoned out your face and it makes him feel childish

i also know a gym instructor and she holds down a permanent job but when she get's stoned she can't even go to the local video shop for a rental, she's smoked before work and found it hard to talk to the same people she talks to every day through being stoned

my mate had to go to a new site the other week on a new job
still the same company but had to see the site manager and also have a talk
with the health and safety man as he is a chargehand for the company he works for and he had to stop smoking more or less a week in advance because he knew he had to see the top men on the job and if he was stoned the day before even,
he knew it would be hard to explain stuff and get is points views accross

and as i've said my mams mate sandra smoked till she was fifty odd and belive me she was a smoker(cafe in the dam cannabiss cup winner) and she swears keep smoking and it fucks your head

at the end of the day it's a drug and all drugs fuck with your head
with constant use
no matter what kind it is. look at that bloke who killed 4 of his family and was a heavy smoker and more or less lived in his room
i bet the smoke deteriated his mind in some way or other

so i think it's bullshit when people say they can hadle it and it does'nt effect them in any way shape or form

i can handle it if im with smokers or just sitting in on my own i can easy take 20 buckets in one day

im not getting at you personally but thats my veiw and also the view of quite a few people i know

It does fuck with peoples heads if you go over the top to the point where you rely on it. My brother smoked it non stop for four years (we are talking 40 plus buckets a day, though mixed with baccy). He became a total introvert, lost all his friends and in the end had psychotic episodes where he thought the CIA were after him, that the world was gonna end etc. The doctors eventually sent him to hospital for two weeks, where he at least got some of THC out of his system. He's back on it now though

My Dad used to smoke it a lot, and occasionally does now, and he is a total workaholic. My Mum's boyfriend grows the stuff and smokes constantly and is a chemist (he used to make hash oil back in the day in Zimbabwe, was sent down for six months), so I think it just depends on the person and any underlying issues they may have. They just smoke bush though, none of this hydro stuff (skunk) or resin, which is what my Brother likes.

Fuck off.... If your straight headed then dope is sweet, i couldn't live without it to be honest, hard day at work come home have a smoke and chill to some good music(preferably bob marley/neil young/john lennon), nothing better imo...thats what its all about tbf!

Freedom
"Our programme is cultural revolution thorugh a total assault on culture, which makes use of every tool, every energy and every media we can get our collective hands on... our culture, our art, our music, our books, our posters, our clothing, the way our hair grows long, the way we smoke dope and fuck and eat and sleep-it's all one message-the message is freedom"
-John Sinclair (1969)

Andrew Gibson: The problems you list aren't because of the drug, they're because of the person. Waking up to have 3 or 4 buckets in the morning is stupid.. that's bordering on being a drug addict. Any normal 'casual' weed smoker is someone who has a few joints (usually shared between friends/partner etc) at times that are suitable.

It's like arguing that one of the reasons alcohol is bad is because when you wake up in the morning and polish off 50cl of vodka you end up getting sacked from your job. Or how having a line of ket on your lunch break before going to a meeting with your boss landed you on the dole the following day. There's a time and a place.

Use drugs by all means, but have the common sense to realise what is appropriate and stay well clear if you can't understand why you're ability to hold down a job seems hindered when you're waking up and having buckets for breakfast. It's pretty common knowledge that smoking weed before you have to do anything more than relax isn't a great idea.

I'm pretty shocked at your posts tbh because it seems like you and your friends/relatives are all oblivious to the amount of weed that you smoke. :s

Take the hubby and I.

He smokes on an almost daily basis. Is totally fine with that apart from it making him a bit more lazy than he already is lol. It doesn't affect his ability to get up and go to work the next day and he enjoys smoking. He doesn't have problems concentrating or anything. Yes, he can get totally stoned, but its the same moderation as getting totally drunk.

Me on the other hand, went a bit psychotic a few years ago. One night I had a massive bucket. The end. Lol. I was so paranoid, I though all my mates had put a heart monitor on me then were shouting nasty things to make my heart beat faster - like, :wtf: I continued to think people were following me and stuff, and if I got a bus, the bus driver would be evil and try to kidnap me.

Seems ridiculous now, but at the time it was so real.

Totally different experiences, same drug. If you get fucked up, stop. Same as alcohol or anything. Common sense plays a big part, I just worry for the less fortunate of this world who wouldnt be able to realise it so quickly or not at all.