Pubdate: Sun, 09 Mar 2008 Source: Kent on Sunday (UK) Copyright: 2008 KOS Media Ltd. Contact: http://www.kentnews.co.uk/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4694 Author: Jenna Pudelek Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?207 (Cannabis - United Kingdom) MAJORITY OF TEEN PSYCHOSIS CASES USED CANNABIS As many as 60 per cent of young people in east Kent suffering from their first episode of psychosis smoke or have a history of smoking cannabis. The new figures, provided by the NHS, reveal that in mental health patients aged 14 to 35, half had taken or were taking the drug. For younger service users, aged 14 to 25, the rate is 63 per cent. Karen White, medical director of Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust, said: "That gives you an idea of the relationship between its use and psychosis. "The youngest group that have psychosis are or have been cannabis users and they are not very old so it is in the recent past. "I haven't got exact numbers [for west Kent] but it is safe to say it is the same." A national charity that helps people with the most severe mental illness, Rethink, has launched a campaign urging the Government to spend more money raising awareness about the psychological dangers of cannabis among children. It aims to highlight the dangers of the drug including the fact that cannabis smokers under the age of 15 are four times more likely to experience psychosis. Dr White said the trust, which is responsible for mental health services in the county, supported the campaign. She said the damage cannabis can do to people's mental health and its link to psychosis is backed up by good research. Asked about so-called 'super skunk', she said: "When the biochemists analyse the cannabis of today it seems about 18 times stronger than in the 60s and 70s. "Certainly the number of young people presenting with psychotic illnesses who have been or are now smoking cannabis is enormous." The charity believes the Government is wasting time reclassifying cannabis instead of warning people about the dangers. "We have got to educate and give young people the facts," Dr White said. "It is key to get it across in a way they will listen so they can weigh up the risks." She said the early intervention teams across the county were doing outreach work in local schools teaching young people about how common it is to develop psychosis and what the warning signs are. But Dr White said there was more that could be done and that educating young people needed to be "broadened out" and include for example the criminal justice services. The teams face a hard job when according to Rethink one in four people think cannabis is better for you than coffee. This year the Government is due to announce the results of a review into the reclassification of the drug. The charity said: "Changing the classification won't stop people using cannabis. Our survey found only three per cent of people who had quit cannabis gave illegality as a reason for quitting. "Jailing people will not solve the problem. The money spent on re-classifying cannabis again should instead be spent on health education, services for cannabis addiction and further research into the links with mental illness." Dr White, who previously worked as a consultant psychiatrist, said reclassification gave out the wrong message. She said that some research suggests that people who smoke cannabis are five times more likely to develop anxiety and depression, which suggests long-term damage. One in 10 people of any age will have an experience such as developing hallucinations and paranoid ideas - cannabis can have an adverse effect at any age, she said. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek