The most harmful practice in life is actually breathing. Research shows that breathers have a much higher chance of getting sick or dying.

There is also a strong correlation between people who brush their teeth regularly and heart disease. A recent survey showed that 99% of heart patients regularly brushed their teeth.

Well duhhh!, Of course dope is less dangerous than booze, I don't know why, but you can surf, snowski etc., which takes a fair amount of concentration and balance, when you are stoned off your nut on pot, you would have no hope pissed.

I used to love my dope, but that was in the dim dark days of my youth, and while not familiar with skunk myself, I do know that even in my day there were strains of superdope called zombie, or tripping grass, which was much more potent, and I still believe today, as I did when I used to smoke, that it should be legalised and controlled.
Taxed and monitored for strength and then we could at least stop the epidemic crossover between drugs which occurs when pot smokers are made into criminals.

Blah - The risk to society of a drug depends on the exposure (how many people are taking it), the severity or the consequences of overdosing and the likelihood that overdosing resulting in a fatality could occur.

The highest fatality rate is secondary - usually motor vehicle accident or drowning in vomit.  There are also chronic effects, such as effects on cardiovascular health. mental health etc, and suicide/deliberate overdosing is also common with harder drugs.

You can kill yourself with alcohol, cigarettes and heroin. The most common way for all but cigarettes is via a motor vehicle accident. The point is that there are fewer people taking heroin, so the overall risk to society is lower. A much higher proportion of road deaths are caused by alcohol compared to other drugs.

A Royal Adelaide Hospital Study in April 2007 based on trauma admissions from road traffic accidents involving intoxicating substances showed :

Alcohol came first at 22.6%,
THC came second at 17.5%,
Benzodiazepines (sleeping pills) 14.7%
Amphetamines at 6.9% and
Opiates at 3.3%.

Also interesting is that THC is used a lot less than alcohol, which would indicate that it is a far more dangerous drug to be driving on.

freediver wrote on Oct 15^th, 2008 at 2:52pm:


I was surprised at that too. The data was presented by Dr Peter Simpson at the Australian Industry Group National OHS conference this year, which I attended. I don't think the paper is anywhere on the internet.

Actually he also spoke about high levels of THC in Police roadsite checks, but the numbers are understated because the saliva based tests used by the Police miss about 60% (?). He added something like don't be surprised if we have roadside urine testing within the next 5 years.  

Sorry Mozz, I don't know the answer to your question on drug cocktails.

Roadside urine tests? What if you can't perform in front of people? Somehow I doubt that is going to take off.

http://www.reachout.com.au/default.asp?ti=70

Some of the more immediate effects of cannabis use may include: ·

A feeling of euphoria
A loss of concentration
Relaxation
A feeling of confidence
Wanting to eat more
Red eyes
Wanting to talk and/or laugh more than usual
Loosing balance and coordination
Feelings of anxiety or paranoia

AH MOZZ...  some of these are the reasons you FEEL it's safer to drive with Cannabis than Alcohol. in your system.

Some of the possible long-term effects of cannabis use are:
Lung problems (e.g. chronic bronchitis, lung cancer) - Cannabis smoke contains ingredients that can damage the lungs, affect your physical health and fitness and possibly cause cancer. If cannabis is smoked over many years it may impair lung functioning, which increases the chances of developing lung disease.  

Difficulties with memory and attention - It has been shown that cannabis use over the longer term can cause problems with memory, attention and processing of complex information. This may affect everyday life when you are learning something new or doing something difficult.

Development of dependence - Most people who use cannabis don't go on to use it regularly, or develop problems with it. However, there are a number of people who will become dependent on cannabis.

The chance of becoming dependent on cannabis is similar to the chance of becoming dependent on alcohol. If someone is dependent on cannabis they may experience a difficulty controlling their use or be spending a lot of time involved in cannabis and less time on other things in their life.

Increased risk of mental health problems - Some people have a greater risk of developing mental health problems than others. Cannabis use may trigger problems if, for example, you have a family history of serious mental illness (such as schizophrenia or depression), or you are vulnerable to developing it. If you already have a serious mental illness, cannabis use usually makes some of your symptoms worse.

There are morere detailed and up to date studies on this and the news isn't good.