World Of Weed

It has emerged from a recent study by Queen’s University, Belfast that 14 and 15 year-olds in Northern Ireland are daily users of cannabis. After an initial survey of cannabis use in school children, the study showed that 1 in 10 of those who’d admitted to taking it at least once had since progressed to daily use. What this means is they are no longer simply experimenting with cannabis – they are now habitual users. The press will have a field day with this information. Because it sounds bad, doesn’t it? Well it’s certainly not a good thing that these kids are missing out on their educations, but shouldn’t we be looking at trying to work on the social problems that led to this supposed abuse, rather than demonising cannabis yet again?

And what does this study actually tell us? It can’t prove that more people will become habitual cannabis users now than in time gone by, because there has been no previous study of its kind. It can only suggest that a minority (10%) of those who try cannabis will go on to become heavy users, which has always been the case. With any drug. But we all know that cannabis is not addictive. So it’s not cannabis that’s the problem! It’s the social and family environment.

The study found that daily users of cannabis were usually from the lowest socio-economic groups – poorer areas and broken homes. They were disinterested in their school work and there was a lack of communication between them and their parents or guardians. So they’re looking for escapism. I wonder how many of them drink as well as smoke dope? I would guess that most do. However, it’s easier for these kids to buy cannabis than it is to buy alcohol. Most cannabis dealers will sell to kids – there’s no age limit as far as they’re concerned. So smoking daily can be achieved without too much fuss.

This brings me back to my usual point that cannabis should be legalised. If it were, age restrictions could be imposed and strength could be regulated. We could educate people properly, with advisers who can actually admit to taking cannabis themselves, instead of the officious, suit-wearing health counsellors that infiltrate schools at the moment. And cannabis would also lose its rebellion-related status. Let’s face it – the fact that cannabis is illegal adds extra appeal to a lot of kids who try it.

OK, so there will always be a black market for cannabis, and their will always be kids on drugs. But we can’t keep blaming the drugs themselves. Let’s take a new approach and raise awareness for the other problems involved.

Has anyone tried this legal product that’s out called “Spice“? It claims to be a cannabis alternative and I’ve gotta say, it’s pretty mind-altering. I gave it a go the other weekend when I was staying with a mate who doesn’t smoke cannabis anymore. He gave up a little while ago cos the skunk madness was getting to him a bit. Fair play. So anyway, we’re catching up and swigging on a few beers and he says, “Fancy a joint?”. Surprised, I say “Yeah, nice one,” and he takes out this green packet that’s clearly come off a shop shelf, and it says “Spice” on the front. In fact, it actually says “an eighth”! And he starts skinning up with this crumbly stuff that he just shakes out of the packet – no seeds, no sticks or anything. No grinding – just straight into the joint.

I’m open minded, but seeing as I had some real dope on me anyway, I said to Mich, my mate, that I’d make my own. But Mich said, “Why not wait and have some of this first?” I think he wanted to test my reaction, so OK – I go ahead and share his spliff. Well, 15 minutes later, I’m feeling noticeably relaxed. I’m getting that weird trippy thing going on where your head feels disconnected from your body. Mich is talking to me about his new graphics tablet and all his new design ideas. Normally, I can’t focus on this kind of conversation for too long whether I’m stoned or whatever else, but I actually found myself listening and contributing! In fact, after a couple more joints, I asked if I could have go! Bizarre.

The rest of the night was spent chortling away at various things and getting into very long and winding conversations. It was like being a kid again and getting stoned for the first time – everything seemed kinda new. I don’t know how much of it we smoked, but the next day there was still nearly half a packet left. And strangely, when I woke up I still felt a bit zoned-out. In a good way. A bit like valium, this stuff seems to stay in your system for a long time.

Mich reckons he smokes it all the time and never gets paranoid, so I guess for him it really is a good alternative to cannabis. Luckily, I’m not much of a skunk paranoia sufferer, so I can happily carry on toking my weed, but if someone passed me a Spice spliff I wouldn’t turn it down.

I think it’s a shame that a lot of people are having to quit cannabis because the stuff makes them schizo. Time and time again I hear smokers complaining that the only stuff available to them is way too strong and it’s being prepared with all kinds of shit, like barbiturates and engine oil! Meanwhile, the government continues to scare everyone by telling stories of mental illness related to cannabis use. Well, there’s a simple solution to this – legalise cannabis and make sure it’s grown and treated properly. Until that day though, Spice isn’t a bad option!

Apparently you can buy this stuff in headshops pretty cheaply. I wonder how long it will last before the government finds some corrupt excuse to ban Spice as well as everything else we enjoy.