Are we really going to continue to make the same ridiculous and tragic errors with Cannabis as were made with Tobacco and Opioids? Are we that 'forgetful' or stupid, or are we being blinded by the SMOKESCREEN?

Worsening toll of teens hooked on cannabis is a ‘silent epidemic’

Young abusers don’t realise the drug’s ​​​​​​potency and end up mentally ill and in debt

December 12 2021

Bobby Smyth, consultant psychiatrist at the HSE’s adolescent addiction service, was employed at the height of the heroin epidemic in the early 2000s in Dublin to help wean teenagers off the opioid .

In the intervening years, he has seen the numbers of youngsters hooked on that drug fall by 99pc.

Now Dr Smyth is dealing with a much more insidious addiction in adolescents. While heroin addiction is almost eradicated in that age group and cocaine addiction is grabbing all the headlines, cannabis addiction in under-18s has been snowballing silently in the background to unprecedented numbers.

The figures from the National Drug Treatment Reporting System are stark. Last year, 579 children were treated for cannabis addiction — more than 12 times the number for cocaine addiction.

The Health Research Board data reveal the number of children in treatment for drug addiction of all types almost doubled from 430 cases in 2004 to 822 cases in 2019. There were 18 children treated for heroin addiction in 2004, falling to just six cases in 2014; there are no recorded cases of children being treated for addiction to the opioid over the past five years.

“There is a societal complacency about this drug,” Dr Smyth said. “Cannabis is the drug that really scares me at the moment. It generates 75pc of my work. Back in 2003 and 2004 you would have the odd cannabis or hash user — it accounted for 5pc or 10pc of my work. 

“The drug problem was discussed on the six o’clock news [recently] and it was all about cocaine, crack cocaine, and pictures of people using heroin, but cannabis wasn’t mentioned.

“There’s no one telling young people — apart from some of the SPHE stuff in school — that cannabis actually is a drug which needs to be treated with respect.

“All they’re hearing outside of school is that it’s a medicine and a cure-all for everything, and the law is stupid, and it should be sold in shops.”

“They didn’t seem to know that if you start smoking cannabis from morning till night, that this could become a problem,” he said.

“Young people know that you don’t start supping away at tins of Heineken before going to school and on your lunch and through the evening.

“They’ve actually way more respect for alcohol than they do for cannabis.”

“Anxiety is probably one of the main most common symptoms that young people will present with. There’s low mood sometimes, self-harm and suicidal thoughts and behaviours,” he said.

“I have been contacted by at least one dad who shared his son’s story with me. He blames cannabis completely on his son’s suicide. I’m sure he’s not alone. The most common thing parents mention is just the anger and the aggression.

While youngsters addicted to cannabis tend to present at 16 or 17, they can start off on the drug as young as 11 or 12. Boys are up to seven times more likely than girls to be treated for addiction. 

Another worrying feature is the debts run up by teenagers, who can smoke as much as 2g a day — costing €30-€40.

“Back in the 1990s, heroin users used to shoplift and rob. Cannabis users don’t do that, they just get into debt, and then when things escalate the dealers come knocking on the door of the parent and say, ‘Your son owes us €1,000, you’d better sort it out or we’ll smash up your car or break your son’s legs.’”

Dr Smyth believes a cannabis addiction can be stamped out among adolescents in the same way that heroin has been.

“We could deal successfully with this as we have in the past with the heroin problem. It starts by calling it out for what it is, which is a substantive problem — and unlike heroin, which affected people from the most deprived communities, cannabis is everywhere.

“Cannabis is unique in that there is a campaign to normalise it. That pro-cannabis campaign probably needs to be countered with a fact-based campaign informing people of the risks and harms.” 

For complete article go to https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/worsening-toll-of-teens-hooked-on-cannabis-is-a-silent-epidemic-41142331.html

The THC in cannabis can destroy critical neuronal pathways in the developing brain, which can result in permanent brain changes. The worst-case scenario is psychosis that becomes permanent and is then considered schizophrenia, a life-long, debilitating disease. No one can predict in advance who will be susceptible, as some can experience symptoms after a few times of use.

The mental health harms of cannabis are well known to scientific researchers.

Professionals say the evidence found in peer-reviewed studies is undeniable: THC in cannabis, even in low concentrations, can cause psychosis. And out of the drugs that can cause a temporary episode of psychosis, marijuana/cannabis has the highest conversion rate to chronic psychotic disorders like bipolar and schizophrenia.

Dr. Christine Miller is a Molecular Neuroscientist with a PhD. Pharmacology. She researched the causes and nature of psychosis for thirty years of her career.

 “The causal link between marijuana use and the development of psychosis is quite simply the most well-replicated, high-impact finding in schizophrenia research today. Given current use rates and the strong potency of the drug available, it stands to be responsible for a larger proportion of schizophrenia cases than any other established factor. Who may be at risk cannot be reliably predicted. The time is long overdue for the surgeon general and American neuroscientists and psychiatrists, along with their universities and professional societies, to inform the public and for journalists to pay heed.”

Dr. C Miller

(click image to play)

There are hundreds of peer-reviewed, scientific articles that prove the causal links between marijuana use and psychotic outcomes such as schizophrenia.

• Marijuana use generally comes before the psychosis, not vice-versa, so self- medication is not likely the cause. Continued cannabis use and risk of incidence and persistence of psychotic symptoms. 
• The consensus is that use of marijuana with a THC content over 10% increases the risk of a psychotic disorder by 4-fold:  Meta-analysis of the Association Between the Level of Cannabis Use and Risk of Psychosis.
• Frequent use of more potent products results in more cases of schizophrenia. Proportion of patients in south London with first-episode psychosis attributable to use of high potency cannabis.
• Cannabis intoxication becomes Cannabis-Induced Psychotic Disorder once certain severity and duration criteria are met and  CIP is heavily associated with future schizophrenia diagnoses:  Cannabis and Psychosis Through the Lens of DSM-5.
• A person suffering from marijuana-induced psychosis is over 18-times more likely to lash out violently. But individuals with psychosis from non-drug causes and who are medicated with antipsychotics but not using marijuana or other recreational drugs, do not pose a  great risk for violence.
• The causal relationship of psychosis with marijuana is outlined in a paper on the International Academy on the Science and Impact of Cannabis website: Applying the Bradford Hill Elements of Causation to Cannabis Causing Psychosis.                                                                       (click image to play)                                                                                                                                                                                                               (taken from Mom’s Strong)

 Further research go to...

• All Young Cannabis Users Face Psychosis Risk

• Cannabis & Psychosis – irrefutable

• Cannabis & Mental Health – Professor Copeland

• Cannabis & Psychosis: Understanding risk is of 'vital importance'

Communications Team, Dalgarno Institute

Dr Bertha Madras (the honourable) gave a strong statement in her keynote contribution. The war on drugs does not lead to addiction, which is often used as an argument by the pro-legalisation movement. The change in drug views, politics, and law cannot be dismissed before looking into a specific drug, such as Cannabis. Cannabis is also not so innocent as it is believed to be. It does cause many negative health conditions, such as psychosis, schizophrenia, mental health problems, traffic deaths, etc. there is also evidence that people using cannabis are more likely to develop opioid dependency.

Dr Madeline Meier shared her significant research on the cognitive effects of long-term cannabis use. Her longitudinal study has shown that there is a large difference in the development of IQ between non-cannabis users and highly frequent cannabis users. The lather has seen a reduction of 8 IQ points, which on a long-term, affects their social developments, education, work, relationships, etc.

Prof Mary Cannon and Dr Emmet Power continued on the topic of Madeline. They showcased that marijuana is a gateway drug and leads to poor outcomes of those using it in earlier life. This relates to the fact that adolescence their brains are still developing. Cannabis is having severe effects, sometimes even worse than alcohol. Mega-analysis show evidence of a significant increase of depression, suicide attempts, increase of homicide, etc. Therefore, legislation is powerful.

Dr Peter Allebeck highlighted the misconceptions of Cannabis and that there are acute effects and chronic effects after high and long-term use of cannabis, such as amotivational syndrome and anxiety syndrome. The most specific, however, be would be the development of chronic psychosis and the possible development of schizophrenia. The risks of these psychosis were also elaborated on. Therefore, his message is to warn young people on the effects.

Dr Robert L. DuPont elaborated on the risks of impaired driving. Whereas currently there is a strong focus on alcohol impaired driving and its effects, there is les awareness on the dangers of cannabis impaired driving. As he phrased it, if the focus is safety, you don’t want anyone using drugs at all. With cannabis impaired driving, there is a more risk-taking behaviour, leading to higher fatality. Cannabis also, in general, affects the driving performance longer compared to alcohol. Therefore, the focus should be more on testing. Yet, this is also a separate challenge.

For complete data go to

• Key-Takeaways-Nordic-Summit-on-Cannabis.pdf (wfad.se)
•  Recordings-of-the-Nordic-Summit.pdf (wfad.se)

Dalgarno Institute Communications Team 

Marijuana Use Reaches Record Levels Among College Students. Marijuana use among U.S. college students reached a historic high in 2020, while alcohol use took a "significant" drop, according to the 2020 Monitoring the Future panel study.

The uptick represents the highest levels of marijuana use recorded since the 1980s. The survey found daily marijuana use -- defined as using it on 20 or more occasions in the past 30 days -- increased to 7.9 percent in 2020 among 19- to 22-year-old full-time college students. That's an increase of 3.3 percentage points over the past five years.

This is reflecting more an more in academic outcomes of Colleges students.

This, of course, is no arbitrary anomaly, it is a direct consequence of the relentless pro-cannabis push that began when NORML announced there unabashed agenda to see recreational cannabis use be normalized via the faux ‘medicinal’ backdoor.

After a disturbing rise in ‘Weed’ use in the 1970’s and a subsequently effective Demand Reduction push, cannabis use was declining consistently, until the new ‘medicinal’ strategy was put in play. (see charts below)

The cognitive dissonance this created in the minds of the impressionable young, and the validation of many ‘grown ups’ wanting another addiction for profit substance embedded into the currents of trade, cannabis use has been steadily increasing to the point now where in the United States it is now eclipsing previous use – and all this with a more potent product that is continuing to undermine the potential, productivity and the future of an entire emerging generation.

Also see…

• Marijuana Users Grossly Underachieve

• One month of abstinence from cannabis improves memory in adolescents, young adults

• Study shows marijuana use interrupts adolescent brain development

• Early and regular cannabis use by youth is associated with alteration in brain circuits that support cognitive control

• Marijuana, alcohol use may harm teens' mental health, academic outcomes

It is important that all policy makers and protectors of public health understand unequivocally that, permission is still the most effective pot promulgator going, and the addiction for profit cannabis industry knows it. The potential, productivity and prospects of Generation Now need to be protected and proactively promoted, not undermined by poor policies.

Communication Team - Dalgarno Institute 

Both the Centre for Disease Control and the US Food Food & Drug Administration have come out with both concerns and warnings about yet another emerging ‘medicinal’ misuse of cannabis products.

Here are 5 things you should know about delta-8 THC to keep you and those you care for safe from products that may pose serious health risks: 

1. Delta-8 THC products have not been evaluated or approved by the FDA for safe use and may be marketed in ways that put the public health at risk.

2. The FDA has received adverse event reports involving delta-8 THC-containing products. . 

National poison control centers received 661 exposure cases of delta-8 THC products between January 2018 and July 31, 2021, 660 of which occurred between January 1, 2021, and July 31, 2021. Of the 661 exposure cases:

• 41% involved unintentional exposure to delta-8 THC and 77% of these unintentional exposures affected pediatric patients less than 18 years of age. 
• 39% involved pediatric patients less than 18 years of age
• 18% required hospitalizations, including children who required intensive care unit (ICU) admission following exposure to these products. 

3. Delta-8 THC has psychoactive and intoxicating effects.

4. Delta-8 THC products often involve use of potentially harmful chemicals to create the concentrations of delta-8 THC claimed in the marketplace. 

5. Delta-8 THC products should be kept out of the reach of children and pets.

Why is the FDA notifying the public about delta-8 THC?

A combination of factors has led the FDA to provide consumers with this information. These factors include: 

• An uptick in adverse event reports to the FDA and the nation’s poison control centers.
• Marketing, including online marketing of products, that is appealing to children.
• Concerns regarding contamination due to methods of manufacturing that may in some cases be used to produce marketed delta-8 THC products. ¹

CDC – Health Alert Network: Increases in Availability of Cannabis Products Containing Delta-8 THC and Reported Cases of Adverse Events

Several factors can influence both the type and severity of cannabis-related adverse events, including the type of cannabinoid ingested, concentration, route of exposure, and the individual characteristics of the person who consumed the cannabinoid such as their age, weight, and sex. Delta-8 THC intoxication can cause adverse effects similar to those observed during delta-9 THC intoxication^10,12, and may include—

• Lethargy
• Uncoordinated movements and decreased psychomotor activity
• Slurred speech
• Increased heart rate progressing to slowed heart rate
• Low blood pressure
• Difficulty breathing
• Sedation
• Coma

Summary
The rise in delta-8 THC products in marijuana and hemp marketplaces has increased the availability of psychoactive cannabis products, even in states, territories, and tribal nations where non-medical adult cannabis use is not permitted under law. Variations in product content, manufacturing practices, labeling, and potential misunderstanding of the psychoactive properties of delta-8 THC may lead to unexpected effects among consumers. Adverse event reports involving products that contain delta-8 THC that resulted in consumers’ hospital or emergency department treatment have been described. Increased reports of adverse events related to delta-8 THC, as well as preliminary reports of the emergence of other similarly produced products derived from cannabis warrant the continued monitoring and tracking of adverse events related to THC. ²

For More go to ....

1 5 Things to Know about Delta-8 Tetrahydrocannabinol – Delta-8 THC | FDA

2 HAN Archive - 00451 | Health Alert Network (HAN) (cdc.gov)

Research & Communication Team