Party Vibe

where I lived in the 1980s (a large town called Reading in SE England) cannabis dealers did check ID and would refuse to serve those who looked below 16 ( which was then the legal are for purchasing cigarettes).

@Benj@min 981521 wrote:

Kids shouldn’t smoke weed,and they shouldn’t drink alcohol or take other drugs either!

Where as parents who get medical cannabis for their kids, shouldn’t have to put them selv in a position where they risk getting jailed as criminals.
I feel it’s more criminal filling your kids with 10-20 different drugs everyday, and half of them could be avoided.

Old people and sick people should be able to get it for free.

this is what we try to do in Europe with our public/national health services; our healthcare professionals are shocked that USA has such loose prescription for some drugs with known harms in overuse and that society in USA is so divided over cannabis.

That said even in the NEtherlands where pure medical grade weed is legally permitted on prescription for seniors with long term health conditions (where it can be beneficial) the old folk who live in conservative Protestant areas refuse this treatment as they feel it is “surrendering to the drug barons and foreign criminals”. It is this mindset the World is up against.

@tryptameanie 981540 wrote:

We actually used to give heroin to elderly people who suffered severe pain during surgery or whatever and did actually get addicted to heroin/morphine. We actually used to supply them with enough pharm diamorphine or morphine to ensure they had plenty and supplied for life. They were known as mercy addicts
.

still happens today but only when the patients are admitted to the residential care home and their medical conditions do not make them a diversion/escape risk.

Most “mercy addicts” started getting legit prescriptions in their youth or middle age due to treatment of long term pain caused by excessive heavy work; or the aftermath of unpleasant industrial or road traffic incidents (such as a motorcyclist who crashed badly and lost his arm in the 1970s). Unfortunately the prescription régimes of many of them are now being investigated on safeguarding even though the patients and often their doctors are long since dead – in my region cops are particularly thorough on investigations of historic crimes and have somehow linked it all with a fallout of the “permissive society” since the 1960s and other serious crimes like child abuse and violent gangs.

As someone who has always had an interest in criminology and British History I can understand why cops are doing this especially in this region but it is also creating problems for todays seniors as many healthcare professionals are becoming wary about prescribing stronger opiates for fear of being pulled up for loose prescription (which can get then nicked, struck off and in some cases deported)

@tryptameanie 981552 wrote:

From what I understood, the last mercy addict died many years ago. There’s a difference between being scripted opiates now and being given treatment to support and addiction…..

that might be the last officially declared “mercy addict” although there are (or were) until recently many middle aged and younger adults who are not officially “drug addicts” but prescribed quite an amount of opiates – although in formulations and prescription régimes that would make diversion fairly diffiicult (particularly as these patients are likely to have mobility problems anyway).

In the cases I am aware of these are for genuine medical conditions; tolerance/addiction is a known side effect but classed as manageable.

I have noticed since the Tories getting to power and clampdowns on benefits an increasing number of younger people (my age group and younger) with more serious pain related health issues being booked into care homes and sheltered housing areas geared more towards seniors. They are at least allowed out as they wish although most are confined to wheelchairs and mobility vehicles so leaving still requires a carer to spring the security doors and confirmation that they have transport elsewhere or someone to guard them.

They are to be fair well looked after but these places can be 15km out of town with limited Internet access and mobile phone signal and activities are often prioritised towards the older folk who make up the bulk of the residents – added to which it costs more to the NHS and Councils to do this; which makes me fear that other younger patients with similar illnesses but less obvious symptoms may be going untreated or being prescribed less effective substances by GPs themselves frightened of getting in trouble.

@Benj@min 981555 wrote:

I know this thread was about kids, but there are so many well documented benefits about it that the politicians should listen.

I mean, why fill our old and young people with pharmaceuticals, with a lot of side effects, when we can use cannabis in pure form or as oil.

But the pharm industry is huge and they mean big money for governments everywhere.

the first bit is 100% true – NL prescribes pure cannabis at the health ministry; I sent the official document to the matron at work as she was interested to know more about this. ES might also do so, although the UK currently only permits patented types of cannabis based medications. And leftovers which cannot be used for medicine can be turned into useful products for building or fuel for vehicles and electricity generatinig.

The second only applies to certain countries like US, CH and to a lesser extent UK. In Europe and Asian nations with a national health service the pharm companies are more closely monitored/regulated by the health ministries and rough meds with bad side effects are soon discovered via the teaching hospitals and removed from prescription formularies.

There is however no reason why legal prescription would disrupt the wider pharmaceutical industry that much; the skills and resources would still be required to assess and process cannabis to the required standards; and the stuff itself can be taxed. I have read that some USA states that have legalised now have far better public health care funded by the taxes raised….