Netherlands moves to outlaw superstrong 'skunk' cannabis

[apothecary]

Cross posted from ze nook:

April 14, 2004

Netherlands moves to outlaw superstrong 'skunk' cannabis

By Anthony Browne

THE sale of certain types of cannabis could be banned in the Netherlands amid concern that they have become so powerful they could have the same addictive and psychological impact as hard drugs.

The Dutch Government said that it would ban the most powerful forms of cannabis, such as “skunk”, after research showed that they had doubled in strength in the past few years and could now be classified as a hard drug.

Levels of THC — tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychologically active ingredient — in skunk have almost doubled from 9 per cent in 1999 to 15 per cent now, according to the Trimbos Institute, a drug research institute that monitors cannabis sales for the Health Ministry. The rise is due to new professional growing techniques. The institute said: “It has almost doubled in strength but we don’t know what the effect on public health is.”

Skunk has now become one of the most popular forms of cannabis on sale in the Netherlands. Between 2.5 per cent and 3 per cent of the Dutch population regularly use cannabis and there are between 30,000 and 80,000 cannabis addicts. However, it is not clear whether stronger cannabis means that more people are likely to become addicted or develop other psychological problems.

The Dutch Cabinet agreed last week to commission research to determine whether skunk is as dangerous as hard drugs, and this week will lay legislation before parliament to ban its sale if it is found to be harmful.

Opposition parties said that if soft drugs became illegal, authorities would lose supervision over their trade and use.

The Government has agreed a series of measures to clamp down on the industry. Selling cannabis has been banned near schools and near Dutch borders with other countries, to try to stop smuggling. Police have closed half the coffee shops in Amsterdam in the past few years and ministers want to combat “cannabis tourism” by allowing cannabis to be sold only to Dutch nationals.

[Torsten]

I agree that strong skunks are probably causing problems we could all do without, but to ban it will not have any impact on availability, just the price.

[2b]

An interesting experiment being carried out in real life , will there be more cases of depression, bi-polar , suicide ? Only time will tell but the good thing is that as the trade is regulated they should be able to come up with some real statistics rather than estimates.

[AndyAmine.]

After 15yrs as chronic daily smoker my friend has had to stop smoking the stronger strains (white-shark/rhino etc) and the hydro because of problems wiht depression and a genreal feeling of fogginess and sedation where as previously thats the only stuff he would smoke.

Now he only uses the stronger stuff before bedtime and keeps some weeker nice tasting outdoor shwag for the daytime.

[Darklight]

2b:

An interesting experiment being carried out in real life , will there be more cases of depression, bi-polar , suicide ? Only time will tell but the good thing is that as the trade is regulated they should be able to come up with some real statistics rather than estimates.

Dunno about that, I think results could be skewed by a change in the general population's greater willingness to admit to smoking pot. Ten, fifteen years ago most people wouldn't admit to smoking pot regularly to medical personnel. If more people are fessing up to a toke or twenty, then pot will of course show up more frequently as a problem factor in medical cases.

The greater stigma of allegedly harder drugs still exists as a statistical fogger though. IMO people who toke and ingest other comestibles as well are still only likely to admit to weed use. If you use hydro and speed daily, for example, and only admit to hydro use, then of course the hydro will get the blame.

It's easy to blame illegal drugs as the major source of a problem. Whether or not its accurate is something else again. Once you admit you use drugs, most medical practitioner's brain shuts down and the default answer is that drugs are therefore a prime cause. Stopping or reducing drug use might well alleviate symptoms, and allow for a further diagnosis if necessary. But that's only workable if someone has further diagnosis available to them.

I might let you get back to the original thread now, hey

[waterdragon]

it's gotta be better on the lungs to have one charge of the strong gear rather than sit about pulling three cones of something milder?

[gomaos]

Personally, I see 95% of the danger of "smoking cannabis" in the smoking part.

Lungs weren't built for smoke.

Consume it any other way, eating, drinking, vapourizing, and Cannabis becomes as safe as milk.

[apothecary]

Eating and drinking unprocessed cannabis are both very harmful due to the rough hooked nature of the fibres.

Cannabutter is fine though.

[reptyle]

how do u drink unproccessed cannabis?? :confused:

[apothecary]

Any tea or preparation that doesn't separate the roughage from the trichomes.

[AndyAmine.]

Yes, smoking stronger stuff would be better but my friend loves smoking cones and is totaly addicted to it, the act of pulling cones as much as the stone I think.. so either way he's going to be pulling cones, so he's trying to moderate the psychological side effetcs of this practise.

Hopefully once Ive got myself off the cones Ill go to consuming it.

[gomaos]

how do u drink unproccessed cannabis??

the easiest way, and it works too, has been tried many times:

Just cut your c. as small as possible, put in bottom of cup, add hot drink (tea, coffee, whateva), honey or sugar to taste, let sit 5 min, drink ALL. Do not leave the cannabis in the bottom of the cup and throw away, nonono... down the hatch with it, any way possible.

In case of low potency cannabis, such as leaf etc. a cake is more like it, anything that will make good taste.

Our member Theobromos has those great cannabis-chocolate -recipes...

Anyhu, a friend of a friend, who is just giving up smoking cannabis, prefers this method:

1 tablespoon butter (or similar)

2-3 gram good bud (or equivalent)

in frying pan,

when all is bubbling (frying), turn off, let sit for 5 min, spread on sandwich, yum.

Or add soup, bon appetite....

[ 15. July 2005, 06:20: Message edited by: gomaos ]

[nabraxas]

Eating and drinking unprocessed cannabis are both very harmful due to the rough hooked nature of the fibres

well, i've never heard that before.

could you provide more info Apoth?

[woof woof woof]

rediculous - if the cannabis is stronger you will most likely use less in a joint!

if you smoke pure you will probably smoke less.

if you are a dumbo,.... you will smoke the whole thing and screw yourself!

[apothecary]

nab, it appears I can't.

I looked for info, but can't seem to track it down. The gist of the article was that the nature of cannabis buds, or at least their fibres and trichomes are "hooked" and so do quite a bit of roughing up of the walls of your digestive system if you eat it straight.

[nabraxas]

thanks for looking Apoth., i did have a search around myself, but couldn't find anything.

would that be a similar kind ov thing to damage that mature bamboo fibres can do, if eaten by the unwary?

[woof woof woof]

I have now heard conflicting reports,.... some just say that it only a part of the governments coallition that is opposing to the banning the strong cannabis types.

It is not going to work, banning the strong stuff.

I think it is now so out of hand in the Netherlands that even banning cannabis completely would be something very huge to tackle.

[nabraxas]

this picture shows some very hook like fibres amongst the trichomes

it's a prretty cool shot too.