Dagga doesn’t cause schizophrenia and doesn’t kill people, says drugs expert
"Cannabis does not cause schizophrenia." This is the conclusion of Prof David Nutt‚ psychiatrist‚ neurologist and director of the neuro-psychopharmacology unit at London’s Imperial College. Nutt is testifying in the High Court in Pretoria in a civil case brought by Johannesburg residents Myrtle Clarke and Jules Stobbs. The pair‚ nicknamed "the Dagga Couple"‚ are asking to have the laws banning dagga repealed and sent to Parliament to be reworked. Nutt is world-famous for his work comparing the harms of 20 drugs and rating drugs by their level of harm‚ with the findings published in a 2009 article in The Lancet medical journal. He was also fired by the UK government where he worked in drug policy‚ after publishing that taking ecstasy was much safer than horse-riding. Nutt has studied dagga’s links to schizophrenia‚ as this alleged link is often cited by governments as a reason to keep it illegal. In a 30-year period from 1970‚ dagga use in the UK increased by 20% he told the court. I...
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