Allow me to reintroduce the Multi Criterion Decision Analysis (MCDA) tool championed by Professor David Nutt back in 2011. Before I do though, did you know he released a new book this year? Drink? The New Science of Alcohol and Your Health can be purchased here and, unsurprisingly, is a scientific look at the relative harms surrounding alcohol consumption.Alcohol - a simple molecule that can induce so much pleasure and pain at the same time... As the most harmful drug in the UK, it has a … [Read more...] about The Other End of the Spectrum
Alcohol
Smoke and Mirrors
Whenever you want to create an illusion you need a distraction, otherwise your sleight of hand is way too obvious and the prestige of the illusion is lost. But what illusion I hear you ask.In this instance the illusion is a common one, however the motivation behind this article (namely anger and frustration) has been further augmented by the target demographic for said illusion.In English? The NCPIC is at it again with their bullshit, self-justifying propaganda, aimed squarely at … [Read more...] about Smoke and Mirrors
Ahh, Western Australia.
It's a beautiful place; shame about the incompetence of their state government when it comes to drug policy. Now in a previous article we saw how Western Australia recently changed their more progressive cannabis laws to possibly the most backward in the country. As such, I was under the false impression that ALL of the batshit crazy policy had been expelled by the WA Liberal government. Oh how wrong I was; unfortunately the magnitude of my error was significant. Don't believe me?Your … [Read more...] about Ahh, Western Australia.
Give me death or give me… morbidity?
On what basis should drugs be classified and regulated? What effects of drug use are considered by most to be acceptable, and conversely unacceptable? These are the questions that arise when one considers the policy of prohibition that is the War on Drugs, of which the Australian government is a participant and combatant.It was also a question that arose recently when I was confronted by someone who was adamant that cannabis was exceptionally dangerous, but in a particular context.To … [Read more...] about Give me death or give me… morbidity?
Flights of fancy – pt. 1
In a world where alcohol is illegal, but cannabis was legal, how would things be different? Let’s indulge our imaginations for a moment. It’s Friday afternoon. You’ve just begun to think about what the weekend has in store for you. The week has been a busy one, and you’re looking forward to relaxing with a couple of hits from your favourite drug, alcohol. Unfortunately it isn’t legal, but fortunately your dealer always has the best gear for you when you want it. So after a quick … [Read more...] about Flights of fancy – pt. 1
Is it too morbid?
That’s the question, but you’ll need to read the post first I think before you answer. In an attempt to provide some sort of perspective on the alcohol vs. cannabis debate here I decided to give myself a challenge. It went as follows:If alcohol is really that dangerous surely there is some sort of paper trail, as in surely the media would be all over it right? Therefore, if I assume that is true, a bit of a media investigation will give me my answer.Thus, I challenged myself to find … [Read more...] about Is it too morbid?
The Big C
Alcohol and cancer. What have the two got to do with each other? Way too much, which begs the question why do we have so many 'Cancer' related charities, searching for the cause of cancer. Let's start with grog.Now I've mentioned the word 'causative' before in these posts. The word means basically 'the cause of' or 'the reason for a particular phenomena'. The context for its use previously had to do with the fact that cannabis has not been shown to have a causative effect upon the occurence … [Read more...] about The Big C
A couple of quiet ones aye?
We've all experienced the effects of alcohol on a night out.Sometimes it really raises the night up to greater heights and we end up having a top night. HOWEVER...How many of us have seen the effects of alcohol on a bunch of young drinkers? Words that come to me, both from my personal experiences using alcohol and from those effects I have seen on others, include;- an increase in aggression- an increase in risk taking and offensive behaviour- a decrease in tolerance for … [Read more...] about A couple of quiet ones aye?
We all know, so why don’t we know?
Alcohol makes you feel good – then bad generally. We all know that. We all also know that alcohol is bad for us, but do we really?According to the 2011 Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation’s Annual Alcohol Poll: Community Attitudes and Behaviours we generally aren’t aware of the dangers alcohol poses to our health. According to the poll only around 20% of Australians perceive it as our biggest health threat, ranking it above tobacco but well below obesity. Now the facts are … [Read more...] about We all know, so why don’t we know?