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Cannabis Vs Alcohol - there's nowhere to hide |
In what can only be described as a disturbing trend, the amounts of UK citizens - that's you and me by the way - who are dying as a result of alcohol abuse has doubled over 15 years, so put that 'glass of red' down and read this.
| What that means in real terms is that under the new 24/7 licencing laws the UK currently 'enjoys', the chances of that doubling again over the next 15 years is "better than good".
In the same week, a member of parliament from New Zealand has announced that "..there is no credible medical report to suggest that consuming marijuana has caused a single death." And never mind in 15 years. | 
Is your daughter home yet?
| Apparently, "Cannabis use encompasses '12,000' years of human experience and is now used daily by enormous numbers of people for recreation", so what I guess he means when he says no deaths, is "ever"!
Which is quite some statistic in the grand scheme of things, don't you think? |
And speaking of statistics, the record shows that in 1991, the alcohol-related death rate in the United Kingdom (alone mind you) stood at 6.9 per 100,000. It rose to 12.9 per 100,000 in 2005, and then again, to 13.4 per 100,000 deaths in 2006!
I hope the "cannabis might make you poorly" brigade are reading this because its about to get really interesting.
What that means in cold hard facts is that the rates, of real dead people, very nearly doubled from 1991 to 2006. Up from 4,144 alcohol-related deaths in 1991, to 8,757 in 2006 and if I were looking for a 'collective' term to use in this instance it would be a "conference" of cadavers.
In alcohol's defence its fair to mention the possible reason for twice the number of deaths is because there is more population in U.K. in 2006 compared to 1991. But did the population double?
I didn't think so.
So how do all those 'multi-thousands of deaths' break down across the genders? Funny you should ask because that brings forth another interesting "raft" of numbers I know some people in London are not going to enjoy reading.
Death's amongst men (gulp) (18.3/100,000) was more than twice the rate for females (8.8/100,000).
I'm glad I gave up alcoholism, because the report also shows that every male age group showed increases in death rates except for those over 75 years old. The increase was highest among men aged 35 to 54, which puts me, at 42, right in the zone and even as I sit here typing I'm hoping thats "indigestion" I can feel.
But before you ladies breath a huge sigh of relief, and hit up your online wine seller who will doubtless deliver to your door within an hour, you might want to read on a bit.
Although there were lower death rates among female drinker, still the trend shows a similar pattern. In 1991 there were 7.2 per 100,000 female aged 35 to 54 compared to 14.8 per 100,000 in 2006. Which brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "I'll have a double"!
In closing I'll just say this. Whilst I've tried to put a bit of a light hearted angle on what is in truth a frightening and shameful situation it does drum home the risks associated with 'legal drugs' such as alcohol and tobacco. So if you choose to drink, please do so responsibly.
And speaking of drinking, enjoy that glass of wine!
Canna Zine - Daily zine for the global cannabis scene - Join us! | http://cannazine.co.uk
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