Skunk cannabis

Skunk cannabis has once again hit the headlines. Today I’ve appeared on the BBC Sussex breakfast show and am about to go on BBC TV Souh East news talking about the link between skunk cannabis and psychosis.

Here are some simple facts.

The British Journal of Psychiatry reported that regular of users of ‘ordinary’ cannabis double their risk of psychosis while users of skunk cannabis increase theirs at least seven fold.

The Institute of Psychiatry research into the link between cannabis and psychosis examined 187 cannabis users, 112 who had developed a psychosis and 75 who had not. Those who had developed a psychosis were twice as likely to have smoked for longer, three times as likely to have smoked cannabis daily, and eighteen times more likely to have smoked skunk.

A quarter of all cases of schizophrenia are now linked to the use of cannabis, and there are more than 500 hospital admissions weekly due to cannabis use.

Cannabis use causes impairment of the brain functioning leading to changes in personality, cognitive problems, memory loss, addiction, and psychosis, not to mention damage to the cardiac, immune, reproductive and respiritory systems, and increase in mouth cancers. The consequences of use, if not necessarily life-threatening, can result in lasting damage to health, relationships, education and employment prospects.

On a pharmacological perspective (and here I am cribbing as I know little or anything about pharmacology), skunk cannabis contains higher levels of the active ingredient THC associated with the onset of psychosis and lower levels of CBD, an anti-psychotic substance that moderate the effects of THC on users’ minds.

I fear that there is complacency about health risks associated with skunk cannabis. There is no harm minimisation approach other than not to smoke, yet the debate tends to evolve around decriminalisation. This is a complete red herring and I would go as far as saying that it is irresponsible to say that the harm comes from its criminalisation. Decriminalisation would give the green light for wider use, particularly amongst the mid-teens since they are, contrary to popular myth, a law abiding group.

There are between 5 to 6 million cannabis users in UK. The long term consequences for health and social care cannot be estimated. I am not sure how society will cope with this emerging epidemic.

Why I don’t support the decriminalisation of drugs

The outgoing president of the Royal College of Physicians, Sir Ian Gilmore, has said the laws on misuse of drugs should be reviewed and that their supply should be regulated. 

While there are many superficial benefits, I have never supported decriminalisation because there are a number of basic questions that have not been properly thought through.

For example, from what age do you decriminalise drugs?  Should it be 18, as with alcohol?  Then what about the 14, 15, 16 year olds in our towns and cities who are using?  Do you leave under 18s in the hands of “violent gangsters”?  Or do we say there is no minimum age?  There can be nobody in their right mind who would advocate drug use amongst children.

Would we place restrictions on users? For example, would we require users to forfeit their driving licences since some drugs stay in the system for 4 weeks and influence reaction time and other performance?

Would we say that users should be allowed to have custody and responsibility for children?  We know that incidents of domestic violence and child abuse increase due to alcohol use.  Are we certain that by giving respectability to drug use that there will not be similar increases in neglect?

Do we really want to write off hundreds of thousands to a life of worklessness and benefit dependency?  I wouldn’t employ someone who is drunk at work, nor would I employ someone who is under the influence of drugs.  Most employers want clear minded, focused employees.

Alcohol use is closely related to availability. Things have become so much worse since the last government liberalised alcohol availability.  It seems shear lunacy to go down the same road with drugs and expect to arrive at a different destination.

Research by Exeter University identified its illegal status as the main reason why the majority of 15 year olds don’t experiment with cannabis

I support the policy changes being introduced by the coalition government to champion abstinence. Policy for the last 25 years has often resulted in addicts being supported to stay on drugs. I welcome the government’s greater ambition to commit itself to helping people to come off, and stay off, drugs.

A spokesperson for the Home Office said: “Drugs such as heroin, cocaine and cannabis are extremely harmful and can cause misery to communities across the country.  The government does not believe that decriminalisation is the right approach. Our priorities are clear; we want to reduce drug use, crack down on drug-related crime and disorder and help addicts come off drugs for good.”

I think the government has got it just right.