Foxy,

Thank you.

I was drawing a bow with two strings which could have made it confusing. Since I have done more volunteering with seniors who are living independently I have become convinced that the traditional way of viewing and dealing with 'old age' is wrong in so many ways and probably was always wrong. It is not assisted by the lack of attention paid to the subject in medical training.

Dear foxy,

It is interesting that the experience of legalising pot in various US states has shown to lead to a decrease in teenage use.

It seems by taking the taboo away it has become less desirable for that particular age group.

While it seems that teenagers are more likely to develop some form of dependency on marijuana (1-6) compared to adults (1-10) the fears about it causing schizophrenia have abated because of recent studies.
http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/12/10/harvard-marijuana-doesnt-cause-schizophrenia/63148.html

Also its legalisation appears to have an impact of reducing violent crime. Alcohol is by far the biggest contributor to violence in our community and yet it is the legal drug of many.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/27/medical-marijuana-crime-study_n_5044397.html

Other studies have shown a decrease in partner violence, particularly when both partners smoke.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/25/marijuana-study_n_5711217.html

But the big thing is that as a prohibited substance pot use turns our children into criminals. I remember a conversation with a senior public servant here in Victoria. He related how Jeff Kennett worked pretty hard behind the scenes to get marijuana decriminalised in this state. This was after having a conversation with his two teenage sons and realising the impact a possession conviction would have on the future of his and other youngsters.

Regulating it as we do alcohol makes perfect sense.

Dear OTB,

Your knowledge is much greater than mine in this
area - and I appreciate greatly your sharing with
us your experiences on this discussion.

I've had to deal with the many frustrations that
I encountered when my mother-in-law went into a
nursing home. She went down-hill very quickly -
and did not last very long. My own mother is now
in an "Assisted-Living," facility - and I want to
keep her out of a nursing home for as long as I
possibly can. I get the distinct impression that
nursing homes are places where people are simply
waiting to die. I know that may sound a bit harsh -
but I feel that I want mum to remain as independent
as possible for as long as she can be. Of course
that's not always an option for people - but I'm doing
my best to help her as much as I can.

Dear SteeleRedux,

Thank You for all the links and information.
I certainly don't have the answers to this
issue and it's great to hear a variety of opinions
on the topic and learn from various
sources what the results have been thus far.

All I've got to go on is my personal family experience,
which was dreadful. But of course I should not judge by
that one expereince. There are extenuating circumstances
as OTB has pointed out - where some good does come out
of the use of cannabis

Seems it matters little how deleterious an illicit drug may be, there's a certain appeal for many teens to at least try it, essentially because of the strong urging of peer groups to at least experiment with it.

The most dangerous of all illicit substances available on the streets today is that of ICE. With such horrendous and ghastly mind altering effects, it places both citizen and police alike in mortal danger to even try apprehending a user. Super human strength, alertness, impervious to pain, massive EGO'S, to such a point they believe it impossible their EGO'S can be challenged or they themselves can be physically bettered. Far more dangerous than those older amphetamine sulphates, that stimulate the CNS and create inordinate alertness, no need of sleep, and again, stimulates one's EGO also ! But nowhere to the same extent of the drug ICE.

According to a special article in a fairly recent edition of the 'FBI Bulletin' it was claimed the drug ICE represented the single greatest threat to police than anything else. The really interesting fact that emerged from interviews Agents from the Bureau had with many of the ICE offenders, almost ALL started their illicit drug taking with Cannabis !

Does taking 'soft' drugs like Cannabis and it's many derivatives, lead the younger people to taking and experimenting with so called hard drugs ? Yet I wouldn't be at all surprised to see some legislation pass through our various parliamentary systems, allowing for the drug to be used for the express purpose, of relieving those in chronic pain ! And I for one would 'HAVE' to support it's clinical use, notwithstanding what risks that may still exist for it's continued illicit use ! If that, still represents a too higher risk, why then do we still permit the use of alcohol ?

Dear O Sung Wu,

I'm not sure if smoking cannabis leads to taking
stronger drugs. I'll have to do a bit more research
on that subject. I don't know of any link that
cannabis has with ice. And you've raised some good
points especially alcohol.

It's late and I'm going to say good night.
But Thank You for your thoughts on this subject.
As always they are greatly appreciated.