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Cannabis Abuse in the UK

Brits are increasingly turning to cannabis, according to the Department Of Health.

Department Of Health figures confirm that more and more people are attending health clinics for cannabis related problems.

A separate study conducted by the World Health Organisation, the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system, reveals that one in five 15-year-olds in Britain smokes cannabis - more than twice the world average. There is growing concern that cannabis addiction may spiral out of control in Britain and many teenagers will get hooked to this genre of drug for life.

Government big-wigs still argue over the fact that cannabis is non-addictive and therefore, harmless, but increasing clinical evidence suggests that chronic dependence on cannabis may lead to detrimental mental illnesses like schizophrenia, psychosis, anxiety and depression.

Recent US research reveals that 80 per cent of new cases of psychosis in selected hospitals revolve around excessive cannabis use.

Medical experts and health professionals have doled out a warning, indicating that someone who starts smoking cannabis at the age of 15 is four times more susceptible to schizophrenia over the next 11 years. 18-year-olds who have used cannabis at least 50 times in their lifetime are more prone to psychosis over the next 15 years.

Dr.Michael Rowlands of the Priory Clinic, Britain's leading addiction treatment centre, says: “There is no doubt that cannabis is addictive and that we are seeing an increase in dependence, especially among the young and those smoking the stronger varieties of cannabis.

“The reason there is still some debate is that most chemical dependencies have severe withdrawal symptoms. In cannabis they tend to be quite mild. However, all the other indicators of addictiveness are present.”

In order to make the users and their relatives more aware of the hazards of cannabis addiction, Dr.Rowlands has issued an informative leaflet which clearly states that if used to excess, cannabis may lead to life-threatening, at times irreversible, psychological and psychiatric disorders often manifested through paranoid delusions, irritability, anger and dysfunctional thinking.

On the other hand, research conducted by Dr. John Macleod of University of Birmingham, reveals that cannabis consumption may not be necessarily associated with social and psychological problems.