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21ST CENTURY REEFER MADNESS CASES |
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YOU WON'T BELIEVE YOUR EYES
GREAT NEWS OUT OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Along with burning innocent women for witchcraft, we've got this stuff:
“Deputy chief pediatrician Dr. David Mokela said marijuana is becoming a big problem in Papua New Guinea.”The next thing you will know the Papua New Guinea Tourist Board will be blaming all their problems on the use of Medical Cannabis by addicts.
PACIFIC ISLANDS REPORT
Pacific Islands Development Program/East-West Center
With Support From Center for Pacific Islands Studies/University of HawaII
MARIJUANA, ALCOHOL BLAMED FOR ILLS OF PNG YOUTH
PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (April 12, 2001 – Papua New Guinea Post-Courier/PINA Nius Online)—Marijuana and alcohol have been pinpointed as the main causes of mental illness among high school students and other young men admitted to Port Moresby General Hospital.
Deputy chief pediatrician Dr. David Mokela said marijuana is becoming a big problem in Papua New Guinea.
Dr. Mokela, who spoke at the opening of the hospital’s psychiatric ward, said marijuana was affecting many school children.
“Mental illness is increasingly becoming a big problem in Papua New Guinea today,” he said.
“Marijuana is becoming a big problem too. Children will continue to abuse the drug unless we take drastic measures to stop this.”
The officer in charge of the psychiatric ward, Raymond Lope, said many of those affected by marijuana are between the ages of 13 and 20. They range from high school students to settlement dwellers, street kids and villagers
Mr. Lope said the ward admits two to three people every month.
Mental health specialist Dr. Umar Ambi also said the number of mental cases caused by marijuana and alcohol are increasing in other provinces.
“We see about 10 cases weekly in any clinic, and the number is drastically increasing, “Dr Ambi said.
However, Mr. Lope said the ward’s staff is working hard to conduct public awareness programs to educate the public on the causes and prevention of mental illness.
Moresby South MP Lady Carol Kidu challenged residents to care for mentally ill. She said they shouldn’t be ignored.
MUSEUM COMMENTS:
First, none of us over here affiliated with this museum have any real medical training, so it is not our place to go around challenging the words of highly trained doctors. However, with that said, it would be an act of negligence on our part not to at least examine some of the given statistics; --- Which simply put, “Don’t’ Jibe”.
Let’s start by first noting that the article (quoting Dr. Mokela) makes the claim that; “. . . marijuana is becoming a big problem in Papua New Guinea.” And then goes on (quoting Raymond Lope) “the ward admits two to three people every month.” ----- All of which makes it sound as if the use of Medical Cannabis is the greatest threat facing all of Papua New Guinea.
However, according to the United Nations (Mental Health Atlas for the year 2011 [1] ), there is exactly ONE AND ONLY ONE, mental health hospital facility in all of Papua New Guinea. Thus any and all hospital statistics that were used reflect the country AS A WHOLE and NOT JUST those of only one Hospital. Thus (doing the math) the following statements would put the number of such patients per year somewhere at around 36. And as the U.N. estimates that the population of Papua New Guinea at the time (year 2001) was over 5.5 Million, this is thus not such a large number. And this presumes the existences of nonexistent disease that the narc’s love to term, “cannabis induced psychosis,” [2] which despite the millions of American medical and some recreational users doesn’t seem to exist in the Western World.
Next, also according to the article:
“Mental health specialist Dr. Umar Ambi also said the number of mental cases caused by marijuana and alcohol are increasing in other provinces. “We see about 10 cases weekly in any clinic, and the number is drastically increasing “These statements, while SHOCKING are also meaningless; Are they taking about Cannabis use, or Alcohol (most likely moonshine made who knows how) or are they talking about all psychiatric cases? The implication seems to be that Medical Cannabis is responsible for ALL of these cases. However, the UN’s website [1] , on Papua New Guinea provides us with the following:
Ignoring the high probability that some of these facilities are being counted twice, and simply doing the math:
15.1 + 15.1 + 11.31 + 2.64 = 44.16 patients per 100,000 persons
Which (assuming a total population of 5.5 Million) would give us a total of 2,429 mental health patients per year. However, if we were to simply accept the “We see about 10 cases weekly in any clinic” at it’s face value. (Papua New Guinea has a total of 20 mental health clinics period) that would give us a total of 10,400 Patients and those would ONLY be for alcohol or Cannabis related problems. Meaning (again) the figures just “Don’t Jibe” by any means.
Maybe the following article abstract is quite informing. [3]
Med Law. 1997;16(1):87-95. By Pal S.Meaning that between the years 1971 and 1996 a total of only 21 individuals (so-called criminals) would qualify as alcoholics or Cannabis users.
Mental disorders in abnormal offenders in Papua New Guinea.
“The case notes of all 64 referred abnormal offenders (mental patients with criminal records) sent to a psychiatric hospital between January 1971 to May 1996 were examined. It was found that severe mental disorder like schizophrenia (27 out of 64) was the most common cause of violent crimes such as homicide. Epilepsy 10.9 (n = 7) was another important neuropsychiatric condition related to violence. Alcohol and cannabis abuse were an associated factor in 21 (32.8%) referred cases. Culture bound syndromes like "Amok Syndrome" and "Spirit Possession Syndrome" were also found as a cause of violent behavior.”
MUSEUM CONCLUSION:
Along with burning innocent women for witchcraft, Reefer Madness is alive and well in Papua New Guinea today.
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FOOTNOTES:
[1]- Mental Health Atlas 2011 - Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, World Health Organization -- http://www.who.int/mental_health/evidence/atlas/profiles/png_mh_profile.pdf
[2]- The term, “Cannabis Induced Psychosis” seems to make reference to claims that Medical Cannabis use leads to insanity. And in truth there are some studies that claim to show that some already mentally ill patients have gotten worser after using Cannabis. However, there have been even more such studies that disprove the whole lie. --- Again, it is not our place to question the words of highly trained doctors, however given the nature of the (still going on) Reefer Madness campaign, we will leave it up to the reader to decide for themselves what the truth is.
[3]- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9212605
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REEFER MADNESS IN THE 21ST CENTURY |
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