Concern As Aussie Cannabis Gains Potency

[Truth Seeker]

Cannabis in Australia has become more potent over the years and contains high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), according to a study of samples confiscated from recreational users and growers.

The drug has an average THC content of just under 15 per cent, according to the study by University of New South Wales (UNSW) and University of Sydney researchers.

There is widespread international concern that cannabis containing high levels of THC could be associated with increased mental health risks, says study leader Dr Wendy Swift of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at UNSW.

There is a strong lobby in the Netherlands to classify cannabis with 15 per cent or higher THC as a hard drug.

Dr Swift's team examined the content of 206 cannabis samples confiscated under the NSW cautioning scheme for recreational users found with 15g or less. They also examined 26 samples seized from large indoor and outdoor cultivation sites.

Both sets of samples had similar potency, according to the study, which is published in the international science journal PLOS ONE.

More than 40 per cent of the samples seized on the street and more than half seized from cultivation sites contained more than 15 per cent THC.

More than 85 per cent overall contained less than 0.1 per cent cannabidiol (CBD).

CBD does not get users high and is thought to counteract some of the negative effects of THC.

Dr Swift says the study is the first to demonstrate that, on average, cannabis in Australia is as powerful as samples measured in other countries.

"It also shows levels of CBD, which may ameliorate some of the harmful effects of THC, are extremely low.

"These results suggest the profile of cannabis currently used in Australia may make some users vulnerable to mental health problems."

More research is needed, however, to understand the full relevance of potency.

"We need to know more about the factors that affect how people respond to the drug," Dr Swift said.

"It is important that we have a national routine monitoring system to assess trends in the profile of cannabis and to better understand its relationship with health outcomes."

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Source: ninemsn.com.au
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Website: Concern as Aussie cannabis gains potency

 

[BigIrishDoode]

Um there's nothing "harmful "in cannabis..,so does that mean that weakened hard drugs like method that's been diluted by adding some similar looking substance will be considered soft drugs? By that same logic it should've lmao besides cannabis is not a drug! It's an herb,but common sugar is a drug! It's highly refined much like some street drugs and pharma drugs and far more addictive than cannabis!and more harmful than cannabis! This stuff is so backwards& screwed up,

 

[Richard Richardson]

Oh my God, More shitty propaganda Yellow Journalism?

This is from wikipedia: List of misconceptions about illegal drugs - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[h=3]Marijuana today is 10–20 times more potent than in the past[edit][/h]An oft-repeated legend is that today's cannabis is at least an order of magnitude stronger than in the past (and by implication much more dangerous). THC levels are allegedly 10, 20 or even 30 times higher than in the 1960s or 1970s. Although potency levels have risen in several countries (such as the US and UK), the actual increases have been much more modest (almost threefold from 1982 to 2007 in the US) and high-potency strains have always existed, as have various concentrated forms of cannabis.^[68][69] Furthermore, potency of seized samples was not tested before 1971, leaves were not distinguished from buds by testers at first, and samples from before the early 1980s (when testing and storage procedures were changed) were often degraded, making comparisons going that far back inaccurate. Non-representative sampling was also an issue.^[70][71] Since most of the increase happened after 2000, this legend can be considered an example ofostension (people have been making such claims as far back as the 1970s).
A related claim, especially in the UK, is that the cannabidiol/THC ratio has decreased over the past few decades, resulting in a new and presumably more dangerous form of cannabis that never existed before (since CBD is thought to attenuate some of the negative side effects of THC). While there is little to no reliable data before 2005 on such ratios in the UK, making comparisons to the past impossible, the US data going back to the 1970s shows little to no clear trend, and there have always been strains with extremely low ratios.^[69] Ratios are also known to vary widely between strains and growing/harvesting methods.
Some versions of this legend claim the potency change is due to "genetic modification," a term which often evokes fear in the popular consciousness, but there is no hard evidence that anything other than selective breeding and enhanced growing techniques are behind the change. "Genetic modification" insofar as attempting to emphasize desirable traits by the practice of selective breeding is standard practice across many areas of farming, including the production of cannabis. It is likely that the term "genetic modification" is used by people who do not understand that selective breeding is not the same as genetic engineering.

This is a damaging, disgusting piece of criminal journalism