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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Designer cannabis 'harming young'
John Crowley The Telegraph
Tuesday 18 Jan 2005 The increased availability of high-strength cannabis is harming the physical and mental health of young people, the Royal College of General Practitioners said yesterday. Mortgage Services Dr Clare Gerada, head of the college's drugs misuse unit, said that relaxed attitudes towards the drug and the greater availability of stronger forms were leading to rising rates of depression and psychosis among vulnerable young people. Speaking on the eve of a conference being held by the college in London today, Dr Gerada said stronger, genetically modified forms of the drug were widely available. She said: "While we are finally winning the battle against smoking and alcohol we are in danger of ignoring cannabis. Genetically modified forms of the drug are now the norm rather than the exception. "There is evidence that high levels of use - especially among teenagers who are physically and mentally still developing - carries with it the increased risk of psychosis and respiratory conditions such as asthma. "With cannabis now more popular among young people than cigarettes and higher potencies more widely available than ever before, it is time we looked again at the health risks." Her attack comes a year after the drug was downgraded from Class B to Class C. People caught with cannabis are let off with a warning and the drug is confiscated. The conference has been organised to broaden GPs' knowledge about cannabis and help them deal with the conditions arising from its use, as well as understand the evidence for possible medical benefits. Doctors have shied away from questioning patients about drugs, due to a lack of knowledge and concerns about confidentiality. Speakers at the conference will include Prof John Henry, from St Mary's Hospital in London, and the Labour MP Kate Hoey. "With cannabis more popular than tobacco and higher potencies more widely available than before, it is time we looked again at the health risks," Dr Gerada said. Research conducted by the Department of Health in 2003 found that almost a third of men aged 16 to 24 took cannabis in 2003. In November last year, figures from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction showed that two in five British 15-year-olds had tried cannabis - the highest rate in Europe. Ms Hoey, who has spoken out against the dangers of cannabis, said the new research was very worrying. "Those of us who opposed the downgrading of cannabis warned that this would lead to more use of the drug," she said. "This research should help the new Home Secretary to realise that a mistake was made. "I hope even at this stage that the Government should classify it as a drug that is very harmful for young - particularly vulnerable - people." The Conservatives have pledged to return cannabis to Class B status. David Davis, the shadow home secretary, said: "The next Conservative government will reflect this by reversing Labour's decision to downgrade it."
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