|
Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
|
|
UK: Cannabis use can lead to cigarette smoking, reveals teenage survey
Newswise Thursday 18 Mar 2004 Newswise - The use of cannabis by teenagers can act as a trigger to smoking cigarettes, or can reinforce the habit in those who already smoke, a study at the University of Edinburgh had found. Although it was previously known that most cannabis users also smoke tobacco, this new study of 59 young people aged 13-15 from the east of Scotland shows that the reverse can also be true, with cannabis introducing young people to smoking cigarettes. Some began smoking cigarettes when cannabis was not available, or to conserve their supplies of the drug. The study also found that, according to young cannabis users, although some parents will 'ground' their children for using the drug, other parents may turn a blind eye and only punish if they catch them using cannabis. Older brothers and sisters will sometimes encourage their younger siblings to try cannabis, the study found, by giving them their first joint or lending them money to buy cannabis. By contrast, however, older siblings can also discourage their younger brothers and sisters from using cannabis. Research Fellow Dr Gill Highet of the University's Research Unit in Health, Behaviour and Change said: "Boys in particular seem to gain some positive things from their cannabis use - for example, it gives them something to do, helps them to feel part of the crowd and sometimes makes them feel good about themselves. This is especially true for boys who spend a lot of their leisure time hanging out on the streets." She added: " Many young people also think that the laws relating to cannabis are too strict. They think it is unfair to 'criminalise' young people for smoking cannabis when, in their opinion, misuse of alcohol causes much more harm. We recommend that services which tackle risk-taking behaviour in teenagers should be more co-ordinated, with closer links between smoking cessation services and drugs education programmes. These initiatives should include a family focus, and should support and advise parents without judging them, as well as trying to reduce the influence of older brothers and sisters who may be supporting the teenager's cannabis use." The research was supported by a Medical Research Council studentship for Dr Highet.
After you have finished reading this article you can click here to go back.
|
This page was created by the Cannabis Campaigners' Guide.
Feel free to link to this page!