Parenting gone mad

[AB Asks]

A mother this week was ordered to do 200 hours of community service after a judge found out she was supplying cannabis to her son and daughter. She insisted that she was doing this a way to protect them, so they did not have to buy drugs from street dealers. The dangers of smoking cannabis cover the press, it almost doubles a person's chances of developing schizophrenia as well as causing other mental health problems. Was this mother acting in a stupid way or was she being protective?

[Gromit]

I think is was commendable that she was trying to keep them away from the dealers, but having smoked cannabis herself at home while they were growing up, it is easy to see where her children acquired the habit in the first place, so that bit of parenting is not very commendable.

[China Doll]

I think my sides just split... Oh God, it hurts!!

[Reverandfunk]

Have some heroin, if i dont give it you someone else will....

[Goodsoulette]

In all the years I have smoked pot, I have never met a stereotypical, EVIL drug dealer. They have always been potheads selling to pay for their own and never has one handed me a bag of heroin and said try this.

I think the punishment fits the crime here. I don't think a jail sentence would have done any good, how many parents give their kids a glass of wine etc?

[paulos66]

Please direct me to the study that says your chances of schizophrenia doubles

[Goodsoulette]

They forgot to mention the bit where you would already have to be predisposed to the disorder and then smoke strong strains for long periods of time.

[jake-the-peg]

Paul

Not checked it out myself but it looks like it was in the Lancet in July

http://www.reallyworried.com/Worry.aspx?****** *=3839

[daffy654]

Most of the studies were done in America initially where they tend to smoke pure weed rather than mix it with tobacco as the British tend to do.Also as already said it only increases the risk in people who were predisposed to mental illness in the first place.This is not really a study that can be proven scientifically for many reasons.

[jake-the-peg]

Sorry story id problem again

try this: http://lifestyle.aol.co.uk/cannabis-doubles-ps ychosis-risk/article/20070726191409990014

[paulos66]

Thanks for the links, as I thought the question was misleading - inaccurate misquoting of studies from AB

[IggyB]

surely we have enough of our own extremists yelling its something "gone mad" before the ed started adding to them... knock it off!

[meredith101]

Hmmm. Tough one.
I can't see, firstly, how the youngsters can avoid developing a drug habit if their mother promotes it to them in such a way.
It has to be admitted that there would be many cases where youngsters got into the prostitution-drugs cycle or taking drugs-dealing to feed habit cycle that could have been avoided had someone kept them out of the dealers' way like this. It's just a fact: they sometimes get drawn into this 'world'.
Cannabis: the risk of psychosis/schizophrenia are 'doubled'. Actually, the risk of psychosis/schizophrenia aren't THAT high to begin with: schiz is 1/100 lifetime risk. So that's a LOT of people taking cannabis without this happening to them. However there are a lot of other side effects for many: apathy, paranoia, lung cancer, etc.
We're fighting an uphill battle now though, after the govt upgrade/downgrade fiasco.

[ludwig]

I've been smoking skunk for years and there's nothing wrong with either of us.

[meredith101]

:-) :=o :-O :-o

[Louisa 69]

my neighbours boyfriend smokes the stuff and he is very paroniod he would start arguments with us for smoking tobacco saying it was bad for our health, he also thought everybody was out against him if my neighbour went to the kitchen to make a cuppa he thought she was calling her secret boyfriend.If any of us went to the toilet he thought we were calling the cops on him it really was sad to see a grown man act the way he did. He has smoked the stuff for years. In the end my neighbour couldn't put up with it anymore and got rid of him... much to our relief...it was a nightmare going to visit her a lot of her friends stayed away while he was around.. can't say i blamed them.

[Louisa 69]

should say my neighbours ex boyfriend

[fletcher.5]

Thats what mums are for