Freebase Dali, the cartels are viable market competitors because despite what you think about transportation costs and so on, they can easily make up for that by producing
a lot for next to nothing. They can have acres upon acres of cannabis with people working for them for superlow wages and the same goes for other drugs like cocaine. These people are already incredibly rich and have a lot of power in their respective countries .. I think you're underestimating them. You also assume that their products will be crappy, but that seems a little naive to me. You don't think they can adapt to suit the market? What if they grow better stuff? What if they establish production in the states?
About your criticism against the source, the Lancet is the name of the journal. They don't hire people to do science. It's just one of the journals scientists can go to with their papers to get them on print.
As for the content, you critizise their use of the word "psychotic" when you think that's too broad. Actually, it has a specific meaning and furthermore, their conclusion is quite clear "we conclude that there is now sufficient evidence to warn young people that
using cannabis could increase their risk of developing a psychotic illness later in life". That's not hard to understand. It's also a conclusion made by people with expertise who have spent a lot of time studying this. Although you don't
have to believe them, you should be open to the fact that studying that is/was part of their job and they likely know more about marijuana than you do. Furthermore, maybe you missed it, but it's a review. They've studied other results and so it should be seen as a sort of consensus or summary of what several studies have come up with so far.
Don't be one of those who support science only up until the point where it says something they disagree with.
Here are some more studies :
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Recent research has clarified a number of important questions concerning adverse effects of cannabis on health. A causal role of acute cannabis intoxication in motor vehicle and other accidents has now been shown by the presence of measurable levels of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the blood of injured drivers in the absence of alcohol or other drugs, by surveys of driving under the influence of cannabis, and by significantly higher accident culpability risk of drivers using cannabis. Chronic inflammatory and precancerous changes in the airways have been demonstrated in cannabis smokers, and the most recent case-control study shows an increased risk of airways cancer that is proportional to the amount of cannabis use. Several different studies indicate that the epidemiological link between cannabis use and schizophrenia probably represents a causal role of cannabis in precipitating the onset or relapse of schizophrenia. A weaker but significant link between cannabis and depression has been found in various cohort studies, but the nature of the link is not yet clear. A large body of evidence now demonstrates that cannabis dependence, both behavioral and physical, does occur in about 7–10% of regular users, and that early onset of use, and especially of weekly or daily use, is a strong predictor of future dependence. Cognitive impairments of various types are readily demonstrable during acute cannabis intoxication, but there is no suitable evidence yet available to permit a decision as to whether long-lasting or permanent functional losses can result from chronic heavy use in adults. However, a small but growing body of evidence indicates subtle but apparently permanent effects on memory, information processing, and executive functions, in the offspring of women who used cannabis during pregnancy. In total, the evidence indicates that regular heavy use of cannabis carries significant risks for the individual user and for the health care system.
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ScienceDirect - Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry : Adverse effects of cannabis on health: an update of the literature since 1996
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Cannabis seems to be a risk factor for the development of schizophrenia, mimicking the typical cognitive vulnerability. As an environmental factor, cannabis use has the potential for being influenced by interventions, thus indirectly having an effect on the development of schizophrenia. Accordingly, clinical implications (Moore et al., 2007) and public health implications (Arseneault et al., 2004a) have been suggested. A promising clinical intervention would be to monitor cannabis use in patients known to be vulnerable for psychosis, and help them to stay away from cannabis.
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Cannabis Use and Cognition in Schizophrenia
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We propose that the use of cannabis leads to cognitive deficits of a similar nature to those seen in schizophrenia but of a lower magnitude. We further propose that the neurobiology underpinning the development of cognitive deficits in cannabis users may overlap with the neurobiological underpinnings of schizophrenia. We have reviewed a multitude of evidence that taken together could inform our understanding of the potential for cannabis use to trigger the onset of psychosis in vulnerable individuals and explain the exacerbation of symptoms in schizophrenia patients.
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Cannabis and cognitive dysfunction: Parallels with endophenotypes of schizophrenia?
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After adjustment for age, sex, socioeconomic status, urbanicity, childhood trauma, predisposition for psychosis at baseline, and use of other drugs, tobacco, and alcohol, cannabis use at baseline increased the cumulative incidence of psychotic symptoms at follow up four years later (adjusted odds ratio 1.67, 95% confidence interval 1.13 to 2.46).
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Prospective cohort study of cannabis use, predisposition for psychosis, and psychotic symptoms in young people -- Henquet et al. 330 (7481): 11 -- BMJ
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cannabis use appears to act as a risk factor in the onset of schizophrenia, espe-cially in vulnerable people, but also in people without prior history.
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http://www.ukcia.org/research/RiskOf...izophrenia.pdf
I'm posting all this to prove a point. For every paper you criticize, discard or discredit, there are lots more backing up the same results. Believe me when I say I'm really just scratching the tip of the ice-berg here. I think you should acknowledge the possibility that these people might actually be on to something.