Free drugs: all the problems of a bad choice. Science says so.

CANNABIS LEGALIZATION IN ITALY –

The 218 parliamentarians, rigorously bipartisan as is often the case when demagogic madness becomes contagious, who proposed legalizing cannabis are not masters of timing. On the same day, in fact, we learned that 60 percent of high school students in Lazio confess to at least one "drinking binge" a year, meaning consuming multiple drinks in a short period of time. Often combined with smoking a joint , a habit that affects 23,46 percent of young people between the ages of 15 and 19. The proposal from the parliamentarians, cloaked in false modernity, calls for an absolute ban on the possession and cultivation of even modest quantities of cannabis for minors : of course. But this does not make it any less dangerous for children and adults , as demonstrated by a vast scientific literature, not the usual prophecies of some politician of the moment, now consolidated internationally. But let's look at it in order.

ALSO READ: Soft drugs, consumption booming. One in four young people smokes joints.

BRAIN DAMAGE –

Cannabis is a psychoactive, neurotoxic substance, and dangerous to mental and physical health: there's no doubt about that. Specifically, it negatively impacts adolescent brain development, altering and reducing their decision-making ability . Parents whose children smoke weed know well what it means to see a child who is distracted, listless, apathetic, and suffers from daily memory, learning, and concentration deficits. Academic performance, like work performance, declines, and withdrawal symptoms translate into anxiety , irritability, anguish, and sleep deprivation. Those who used cannabis as a teenager can lose up to 8 IQ points in later life. Does this seem normal, with little or no harm?

SIDE EFFECTS –

In addition to the brain alterations, there are also some side effects. For example, if a young person gets on a scooter after smoking, especially on a Saturday night after a night of partying, the risk of a fatal accident increases three to seven times. Driving becomes more distracted , and psychomotor coordination is impaired, as is concentration. Furthermore, cannabis, for young people, has the inductive effect of altering reality, making it fade , and therefore not always perceptible. Life becomes suspended in limbo.

PROBLEMS FOR ADULTS –

Even adults, if they habitually smoke cannabis, experience depression and anxiety. The small arteries that carry blood to the brain narrow, as is the case with people with chronic high blood pressure and diabetes, increasing the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. The immune system weakens, the respiratory organs lose function, and this also increases the risk of dying from a heart attack.

OTHER DAMAGES –

In adults, in addition to the increased risk of death from road accidents, current cannabis use increases the risk of suicide, 5,3 times higher than for normal people, and of death from homicide or violence, 3,8 times higher. It's also a myth that cannabis is no more harmful than alcohol or smoking. The International Society of Pulmonologists recently issued a definitive opinion on this topic. Namely, cannabis is 20 to 30 times more harmful than alcohol and smoking because it combines two negative effects: the combustion of the joint and the psychoactive substances it contains.

FROM CANNABIS TO HEROIN –

Admittedly, there is no scientific evidence that marijuana users are destined to switch to other drugs, such as heroin, over time. There are some rather controversial studies on this aspect, and therefore a cause-and-effect relationship cannot be automatically established. Simply put: it is not proven that all joint smokers become heroin addicts sooner or later. But it is proven that over 90 percent of people classified as heroin addicts began their journey with cannabis . The scientific explanation for this pattern is very simple. Within the category of regular joint smokers (remember, in Italy we consume 20 joints per capita), there is a minority, between 20 and 30 percent of the total, of men and women considered potentially "evolving" in terms of drug use. They are the most vulnerable, meaning most at risk of switching from cannabis to heroin, due to genetic and environmental factors. Legalizing the use and cultivation of cannabis simply exposes the most vulnerable, the "evolving" consumers, to a greater risk of being drawn into the infernal circle of so-called "hard" drugs.

THE SUPER CANNABIS –

I don't think the 218 parliamentarians who signed the legalization proposal have a clear understanding of the radical shift that has occurred in recent years in the type of cannabis generally used. Natural cannabis, the lush, green-leafed plants we see in the photographs, has between 1,5 and 2,5 percent active ingredients and contains approximately 60 substances from the same family. Among these is cannabibiol , a natural ingredient that acts as a protective agent and reduces the risk of schizophrenia.

Super cannabis, on the other hand, is a completely different beast. It's called shunk , which translates to skunk, due to its strong, unpleasant odor. Its active ingredients multiply, with a potency approximately 30-40 times greater than that of natural cannabis, and the leaves of this genetically modified plant no longer contain any trace of cannabidiol . This is why super cannabis is so popular: it's a hallucinogen of rare potency, like ecstasy, and rapidly transports users into a sort of artificial nirvana . But this is also why super cannabis is responsible for one in four cases of psychosis and increases the risk of schizophrenia fivefold. Its cultivation is highly intensive: natural cannabis is harvested no more than twice a year; super cannabis, thanks to the violence done to nature, can be produced up to six times in a single year. More production, more money, more business, more pleasure for consumers. Super cannabis today accounts for 90 percent of the market for this terrible drug that a wretched group of parliamentarians would like to legalize.

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