Opinions - No more Mr Nice guy: Howard Marks, poster boy for cannabis, doubts safety of drug

[Lunar Loops]

Talk about spinning a headline from some VERY dubious thread material. This article could just have easily (and more truthfully) been entitled 'Howard Marks doubts the validity of claims that cannabis can induce schizophrenia'. This is hogwash, all he really says is that more study is required. Take a look at the quote where he supposedly expresses concern:

"If, as a result of smoking a lot of dope, one becomes schizophrenic, that's reason for concern"

In their haste for a good headline, The Independent seem to have ignored that rather important two letter word at the start of his quote.

Anyway, for what it's worth, here's the article:

No more Mr Nice guy: Howard Marks, poster boy for cannabis, doubts safety of drug
The man who made a career, in and out of prison, from cannabis has for the first time expressed concern about its links to mental illness in the light of reports in The Independent on Sunday. David Connett reports

Published: 30 September 2007



Howard Marks, the one-time "King of Dope", is a living icon for campaigners for the legalisation of cannabis. But yesterday he admitted for the first time that he is concerned about links between cannabis use and schizophrenia. Marks, better known as Mr Nice – one of 43 aliases he used when running his worldwide drug empire and the title of his best-selling autobiography – said more medical research into the issue is vital. Marks admitted he was uneasy over growing evidence which suggested that being "stoned and being off your head" may be connected. By that, he meant the temporary high from the drug and long-term mental health illness.
Marks, speaking in a TV interview, said: "I think it is difficult to establish whether these two states are similar. If, as a result of smoking a lot of dope, one becomes schizophrenic, that's reason for concern. If being slightly schizophrenic makes you want to smoke some dope to ease you through the day, I don't think that's a cause for concern.
"To find out which of these is true will require research. One has to look into the action [of cannabis] on the brain and what happens."
He said that the reclassification of cannabis from class B to class C in 2004 followed The Independent on Sunday's campaign to legalise the drug. Earlier this year, the newspaper abandoned its stance following growing evidence that cannabis use could lead to greater incidence of psychosis, including schizophrenia.
Marks's comments coincided with Gordon Brown's call for celebrities to speak out against drugs. The Prime Minister emphasised the need for sportsmen, pop stars and other public figures to act as role models for young people and denounce illegal substances. He also criticised celebrities who took a "very casual attitude" to drugs. "Those who think that their standing in the community makes them above the law on these matters is another area where I think we've got to send a very clear message. Not only that we will not decriminalise drugs but at the same time this is unacceptable behaviour."
The Government is carrying out a consultation on cannabis classification. Many groups are calling for the drug to be returned to class B status.
Marks, who was jailed for 25 years for masterminding a worldwide cannabis smuggling operation, has long been an advocate of drug legalisation. But he admitted that claims that smoking cannabis increases an individual's chance of developing a psychotic illness by 40 per cent gave him "genuine concern". The psychosis threat was especially acute in smokers under the age of 16.
Further research was also needed to discover whether the brain itself used chemicals similar to those found in cannabis in order to counter pain, he said.

[FuBai]

Shameless over-exaggeration and out of context journalism to capitalise on the anti-cannabis back swing from July. The arguments that the legalisation movement needs to focus on is NOT health benefits or health consequences etc. That line of argument plays right into the hands of the prohibitionists. Always point out that prohibition has done nothing to reduce availability, that already 45% of people aged 16-25 have tried an illegal drug, that cannabis is easier for kids to get than alcohol and that this needs to be changed. The government has to be strong here, it has to get involved and take an honest look at the issue of Law and Order in Britain and work out where things just aren't working. It's time for the government to take action to protect our children from drugs, to get them out of their hands and build a safer Britain etcetera. These are the sort of arguments that force the prohibitionist back because you have taken the 'moralist' ground that they are used to occupying - if you get there first then you completely take the wind out of their sails. Rhetoric that uses phrases/words like "protect" "concern" "government needs to take a strong stance" "we need to start protecting our kids" etcetera is almost always more successful when you are discussing an issue that so many people get concerned over for just the reasons you have mentioned. Letting yourself get bogged down in the science and the health issues is to give away a great advantage and is to allow yourself to get down to debating scientific data rather than the political issues.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Spot on.

[Alicia]

lol there hoping for people who skim read headlines and to cause conversations that spreed to people who are trying to make people stop something to them which is disagreable.

Kinda sad really. There are risks to everything. any excuse to state bullshit thou. also the people who end up with supposed cannabis psychosis would of got there at some point without cannabis use. if u look at stress causes for these.also some people who are mentally unwell use cannabis as means sometimes to self-medicate so perhaps some of these findings are jus coincidental.

[enquirewithin]

What appalling, dishonest journalism! It's very sad to see a supposedly liberal paper peddling centre right propaganda.

[blackbastard]

its a disgrace and mr marks should ask the paper for a formal apology. a great example of spin. part of the independent's ploy to gain "credibility" after their change of heart regarding "the devil's weed"