Charles Anderson reports on the increasing clinical data against the use of Legal Highs:
Synthetic cannabis puts more New Zealanders in hospital per use than any other drug and experts say it is a ”timebomb” that will strain the public health system for years to come.
Results from this year’s Global Drug Survey, conducted in partnership with Fairfax Media, found almost 4 per cent of synthetic cannabis users sought emergency medical treatment. More than a quarter of those were admitted to hospital.
The survey of 5731 New Zealand respondents found more than 10 per cent had used synthetic cannabis in the past 12 months – second only to Britain, on just under 11 per cent.
‘We are sitting on a timebomb with these,” said Leo Schep, of the National Poisons Centre.
”It’s not just the acute effects, it’s the long-term psychological effects.”
Even if the Government banned all legal highs tomorrow, users would have ongoing issues, he said.
”They are going to be a huge burden on the state, possibly for the rest of their lives.”
Both the legal and illegal versions of cannabis cause harm, but what is the difference?
Canterbury District Health Board chief of psychiatry Sue Nightingale said the number of calls to the National Poisons Centre had increased along with visits to emergency departments by patients suffering adverse effects from the drugs.
Patients were typically between the ages of 16 and 22.
Many were teenagers, with patients as young as 13 reporting that they were regular users.
Side-effects included anxiety, vomiting, chest pain and headache, as well as recent cases of kidney failure, seizures, psychosis and heart attacks, she said.
The survey authors said the much higher rates of synthetic cannabis users seeking emergency treatment suggested those products were ”vastly more risky than natural cannabis”.
Only 0.15 per cent of cannabis users had sought out emergency treatment.
So, 4% of Legal High users seek treatment, and 0.15% of illegal cannabis users seek treatment.
That is just over 26 times more cost to the health system from the use of “legal” highs.
This is plainly insane.
Why legalise something that is clinically 26 times (2600%) more damaging than the illegal substance it replaces?
And the social costs can’t be measured as easily, yet it would be reasonable to assume a similar multiplication factor exists.
They are calling it a time bomb, both clinically and socially. You can see why.
The natural stuff is… natural. Decriminalise it. Legalise it even.
But stop this insane experiment.
- Stuff
Synthetic cannabis is this government's worst social experiment - Whale Oil Beef Hooked ...
No comments:
Post a Comment