Arbeit macht frei: - Fredrick Töben

‘I don’t agree,’ says associate professor Dr Robert Ali, director of clinical
services and research at Drug and Alcohol SA. ‘People now smoke only
heads. And they smoke more intensely.’
Whether or no the strength of South Australian-grown plants has
increased there is evidence to suggest that some people should stay well
clear of the drug, such as people with a pre-existing heart condition. Royal
Adelaide Hospital’s Dr David Caldicott told the story of a young man
brought in with a suspected heart attack.
‘All of the tests that we do to see if there is a predisposition came back
negative and the only factor that we could associate with it was the recent
ingestion of marijuana,’ he told the ABC’s Stateline program.
Dr Ali warms that people suffering from or likely to suffer from
schizophrenia may also be adversely affected. ‘For people with
schizophrenia, cannabis use is likely to aggravate their symptoms, and
should be avoided. People with a family history of schizophrenia should
also avoid using cannabis,’ says the Alcohol & Drug Information Service.
Dr Ali’s greatest concern, though, is for teenagers.
‘Young people’s brains are particularly malleable,’ he says. ‘After the age
of 25 years or so brains are pretty much hard-wired. But young brains are
particularly sensitive.’
Tim Wells says: ‘Dope is not for everybody. Some people shouldn’t have
it, just like alcohol isn’t for everybody.’
Wells has travelled widely through North America and Europe. He says
marijuana is widely recognised as Canada’s largest export, beating hydro
energy and wheat. And he puts Adelaide production in the same league.
‘You could get rid of the criminal elements,’ he said, ‘if everyone grows
plants for home consumption. There’d be no illicit market, no crime and
no dealing.’
In some ways marijuana is perfect for South Australia. It suits our
Mediterranean climate. It needs less irrigation than grapes or oranges, it’s
hardier and more insect-resistant than most crops, and its stems can be
made into hemp to replace cotton.
But, says HEMP, if it was grown like tomatoes, it would be worth about
the same as tomatoes - $5.99 a kilo.
And curiously enough, if that were the case our largest cash crop industry
would suddenly have, well, gone up in smoke.
http://sos-sa.org.au/cannabis_capital.shtml
Is the liberal approach to drugs causing criminal behaviour to escalate, or is
it that drug users are not impressed by political hypocrisy and thereby scoff
at politicians who maintain they are ‘above the law’, when it is an open
secret that the drug trade is run by the so-called state establishment and its
agencies?
393