Gabrielle Giffords Shooting In Tucson, Arizona – Marijuana Blamed
Harm Reduction, Leaders and Voices January 12th, 2011
The tragic shooting of people in Tucson, Arizona in the company of Representative Gabrielle Giffords is a sad event. Our thoughts go out to those who struggle to heal and those who grieve for the lives which were lost.
Cannabis does not cause violence in the millions of people who are daily, habitual users of marijuana. In fact, quite the opposite. You may read sensationalized editorial pieces about the dangers of marijuana use by paranoid schizophrenics. Is there such a danger? Since I’m not a paranoid schizophrenic, and since nobody I have ever known or heard about using cannabis has ever been violent, I’m certain that I have nothing to worry about regarding my own habitual cannabis use and either violence or schizophrenia, paranoid or otherwise. Notice that you see only a few stories, thin on fact, fat with speculation, innuendo and wild assumptions.
Is marijuana for everyone? Absolutely not. Is that any reason to stop my habitual use of marijuana? I enjoy using marijuana habitually and have never been moved to violence. Cannabis relaxes me and enhances my life. We at Green Hit Shirts are sorry about the shooting, but our cannabis use is not to blame. We stand with you in seeking help for Jared Loughner and anyone who suffers from mental illness who may be a danger to themselves or others. We recommend that doctors monitor cannabis use by those with mental illness, offering alternative therapies which will help the user achieve similar desired results without suffering from any known dangers.
I’m not a doctor, but I know that marijuana has never ever once caused me to have a violent thought. Trust the science, and encourage the science to take place.
Green Hit Shirts presents marijuana art, music, cannabis culture, marijuana Tee shirts, pot videos, ganja news, and a spirit of community for all cannabis enthusiasts.
Green Hit Shirts medical marijuana T shirts cannabis strain name of the day: Peace Maker
We encourage you to think. Do not jump to conclusions. Marijuana use across our society does not lead to violence, generally. All cannabis users I have ever met are peaceful, safe, calm, rational, responsible, thoughtful, good humored people.
January 12th, 2011 at 5:49 am
Lancet. 1987 Dec 26;2(8574):1483-6.
Cannabis and schizophrenia. A longitudinal study of Swedish conscripts.
Andréasson S, Allebeck P, Engström A, Rydberg U.
Karolinska Institutet, Department of Social Medicine, Huddinge, Sweden.
Abstract
The association between level of cannabis consumption and development of schizophrenia during a 15-year follow-up was studied in a cohort of 45,570 Swedish conscripts. The relative risk for schizophrenia among high consumers of cannabis (use on more than fifty occasions) was 6.0 (95% confidence interval 4.0-8.9) compared with non-users. Persistence of the association after allowance for other psychiatric illness and social background indicated that cannabis is an independent risk factor for schizophrenia.
January 15th, 2011 at 1:07 am
PolPot, I must challenge your longitudinal study and ask you to provide many, many more such studies to combat what I see with my lying eyes each and every day in California. People here use cannabis daily, and have for 10+ years, many for 30+ years. There are no stories in our daily conversation of “schizo” potheads being the inevitability of our daily use. It just doesn’t exist in the vast cannabis community of which I am an active part. Cannabis is not for everyone. For people with a tendency for schizophrenia (again, I’m no doctor so take that tendency comment for what it is worth) cannabis may be a danger. For chemically balanced healthy adults, cannabis seems to be just fine from my experience in the real world. If you disagree, I’d love to read your comments. Cheers!