Pubdate: Wed, 04 Feb 2009
Source: Huddersfield Daily Examiner, The (UK)
Copyright: Trinity Mirror Plc 2009
Contact:  http://www.examiner.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2278
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?252 (Cannabis - Psychosis)

KIRKLEES DRUGS COUNSELLOR: NO EVIDENCE TO LINK CANNABIS AND MENTAL ILLNESS

Last month, cannabis was re-graded from a Class C drug to a Class B.

Since the drug's 'demotion' in 2004 in the opposite direction, from 
Class B to Class C, there has been a campaign to suggest that 
cannabis is a much more dangerous drug than its users and advocates 
care to imagine.

This is the view held by former West Yorkshire Chief Constable and 
Huddersfield man Keith Hellawell, appointed by the Labour Government 
as a 'drugs czar', a top level adviser.

Some of his advice was taken -- a lot wasn't. In exasperation over 
Home Secretary Davids Blunkett's insistence the drug be declassified, 
downgraded, he resigned.

Most medical authorities back him. They say it is a serious mistake 
to label cannabis 'soft', especially now that the much stronger range 
of cannabis known as 'skunk' is widely available.

Doctors have noted that adolescent dependence on cannabis appears to 
lead in some cases to permanent cognitive impairment.

Frequent use often precipitates psychosis, schizophrenia, they say.

It is marked by a steady deterioration of social skills, memory, 
concentration, and can lead to depression, paranoia and suicide.

But Mike Linnell, of Lifeline Kirklees, a voluntary organisation that 
deals with the effects of drug dependence, says the evidence for all 
these horrors is minimal.

He described reclassification as 'awful'.

"We believe the Drugs Advisory Council's advice was wrong for a whole 
number of reasons," he said.

"Reclassification is not 'fit for purpose,' it is no deterrent. There 
are no precise figures, but every survey shows that the use of 
cannabis has been coming down since 2002 and continues to drop.

"However, the number of incidents recorded by the police involving 
cannabis have rocketed, largely because of the use of sniffer dogs 
and the police's policy of stopping people in the street."

"There has been no rise in recorded figures for psychotic symptoms, 
or specifically, schizophrenia."

But there is no firm evidence that cannabis triggers mental illness 
on its own."

Much has been made of the fact that 'skunk' cannabis is stronger. it 
has been bred to have higher levels of THC, which is likely to 
pro-psychotic. But it also contains levels of two other chemicals - 
CBD and CBN - which are anti-psychotic, and which probably cancel the 
effect of the THC.

"There is no evidence that cannabis kills anyone. On the other hand, 
it's estimated that 40,000 youngsters die each year directly or 
indirectly from alcohol abuse," said Mike.

"In terms of all the drugs available to young people, cannabis is the 
least dangerous. I'm not lobbying for the legalisation of cannabis. 
But I do want us to keep the drug's dangers in perspective."
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