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NEWS: Daily Telegraph - 24/10/2006 'New cure for cannabis'

hoptis

hoptis

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New cure for cannabis
Exclusive by Clare Masters
October 24, 2006 12:00

A NEW statewide cannabis program is successfully weaning addicts off the drug by using medication to block the effects, emerging results from the study show.

But more resources are needed to deal with the increasing problems, experts say, with national hospital data showing rates of cannabis psychosis have doubled in the past seven years.

Hospital admission figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show the figure for cannabis psychosis rose from 655 in 1998-99 to 1025 in 1999-2000 and 1227 in 2004-05.

There are four cannabis clinics in NSW, in Western Sydney, the Central Coast, Orange and Sutherland.

Preliminary evaluation data from one clinic shows 76 per cent of clients were either completely abstinent or using less than half the amount they previously used when followed up 12 months after treatment. Twenty-four per cent reported small reductions or usage similar to pre-treatment.

The clinics have assessed 1933 clients and treated 1279 people.

Centre for Drug and Alcohol NSW clinical adviser Robert Batey said more clinics would open in the next two years.

Dr Batey said the use of medications that acted to block the effect of the drug had been so successful the clinics were looking at using them more extensively. He said there were increasing numbers of people with cannabis problems due to the potency of the drug, now frequently grown with powerful chemicals.

"There are more worrying conditions of psychotic presentations – these are very real," he said.

Dr Batey said the heroin drought and the increased use of the drug ice had helped drive up marijuana use with people smoking to "come down".

"People are turning to other drugs more readily available now and, being more potent, and they are getting some sense they are getting good value for the dollar," he said

Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in Australia with recent research showing one in three Australians reporting use at least once in a lifetime and 11 per cent reporting recent use.
Click to expand...

Daily Telegraph

Also there's a blog about kicking cannabis on the Telegraph website for comments.
 
I'm glad I got off the shit, but I didn't need to goto a clinic.
You do get withdrawals though, for about a week or two, lasting up to a month or two if you were a heavy every day smoker, and although I did have weird and paranoid thoughts I never went schizo from it.
 
cannibis phycosis? do they mean triggering a mental illness....this is something i have been worried about...my grandpa had bi-polar, and my mother is a nurse/hospital manager, and very highly educated...and she believes that smoking herb may trigger a mental illness...i have read up on this and am really not sure..anyone got anything to say?
 
I know of several people who ended up having mental conditions which they beleive was brought on by heavy use of strong Skunk.

One friend who was in rehab said that the majority of people on her course were heavy Skunk smokers.

But the question will always be asked whether they had pre-existing conditions or whether Skunk caused the condition.

Personally its hard to say. But in my experience, I used to smoke a lot of herb when younger with no discernible effect apart from munchies. Now after 10 years later and little herb in the meantime, I now get paranoid and cannot relax.

But I think its horses for courses and not everyone will react the same.
 
The science is fairly controversial either way but it's not hard to draw the inference that anyone who has a family history of mental illness and is regularly using marijuana or ecstasy is really playing with fire.

Further reading: Weed causing psychosis? (CD)
 
My understanding is that there's no conclusive evidence at this point. Most recent studies on marijuana use and psychosis seem to focus on heavy use during the teen years, which may not be generalisable to adults (or sporadic users). The findings generated by those studies may certainly be valid, but I think we're still a long way off knowing what the true link is between smoking and mental illness.

It's sometimes hard to seperate those who developed a mental disorder due to drug use from those who self-medicate, but if you have a family history of mental illness it's important to keep in mind you might be at greater risk. It's certainly not something to take lightly.
 
An interesting article suggesting 8 out of 10 mentally ill patients are heavy weed smokers. Clicky - Article

What came first, the chicken or the egg? ;)
 
I had always thought the cure for cannabis was putting down the bong.

Hmmmmm, how could i have been so wrong? Luckily it some how worked for me.

Oh well, its better to have a drug to get you off a drug.

Watching so many re-runs is the main reason pot smokers lose their mind, im pretty sure thats a fact.
 
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