Cannabis 'link to increase in schizophrenia'

08 апреля, 2003
STRONGER cannabis - and users getting stoned to a 'far more debilitating degree' - could lead to a rise in cases of schizophrenia and present the NHS with a much larger bill, a leading drugs expert will warn tomorrow. The Observer via NewsEdge Corporation : STRONGER cannabis - and users getting stoned to a 'far more debilitating degree' - could lead to a rise in cases of schizophrenia and present the NHS with a much larger bill, a leading drugs expert will warn tomorrow. Professor John Henry believes that the Government, in its decision to relax the laws on cannabis, has overlooked the burden that greater use puts on health services and on families - as well as the way young people are seeking to heighten the effects of the drug. Henry, a toxicologist and professor of accident and emergency medicine at Imperial College London, will talk about the medical risks associated with the drug at a conference tomorrow. He fears that several hundred more young people could end up in hospital suffering from schizophrenia, and might need anti-psychotic drugs to deal with their condition. A year ago the Government announced plans to reduce the classification of cannabis from category B to C, after a recommendation from the Police Federation that it was far less harmful than other drugs. The reclassification takes place this summer, and smoking a joint will then be much less likely result in arrest or prosecution for possession. The policy change follows a controversial scheme in Lambeth, London, in which the Metropolitan Police focused on hard drug users. The Met said it achieved great results against hard drug dealers, but some health workers were worried that children in the area felt it was now legal - and safe - to smoke cannabis. There is mounting concern among psychiatrists about the impact of the softening of the law. Three million people are thought to smoke cannabis regularly, a quarter of them adults under the age of 29. It has been shown that more people are growing cannabis for their own consumption. Some doctors have argued that cannabis can be highly beneficial for patients suffering chronic pain, or those with multiple sclerosis. However, Henry will warn at the Royal Society of Medicine's conference that there has been a recent, dangerous shift in the way people use cannabis and alcohol. Recreational use has given way to a cultural acceptance of getting stoned regularly to a 'far more debilitating degree', according to Henry. 'Modern cannabis is nearly 10 times the strength the "flower power" generation was used to, and in Amsterdam it is at least twice as strong as in the UK,' he said. 'We know that for those who take the drug there is a fourfold increase in schizophrenia and in the chances of suffering major depressive illness. Given that we know schizophrenia accounts for some 3 per cent of the total NHS bill, the costs could go up by another 1 per cent. That should be urgently considered by the Government.' Henry believes there are emerging mental health problems associated with THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the main active ingredient of cannabis, which in greater concentrations makes more potent forms of the drug, such as 'skunk'. A study is to begin at the Maudsley Hospital in south London. Volunteers will be offered free cannabis, so that researchers can carry out brain scans and conduct memory tests to see how mental activity is affected. Professor Robin Murray, leading the study, used to be sceptical when cannabis was blamed. 'Relatives would say "It seems to be the cannabis that makes my son or daughter or brother psychotic" and I would say, "Oh, they're just trying to look for something to blame". We've come to realise that it does have a significant effect.' Others note that rates of schizophrenia have not risen dramatically in the past 50 years to correspond with increasing use. There is also a question over whether those who are likely to develop schizophrenia are already predisposed to take cannabis. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence estimated that treatment of schizophrenia in England and Wales was responsible for around 3 per cent of the entire NHS budget - some pounds 1 billion a year. Cliff Prior, chief executive of Rethink, a charity helping those with mental illness, said: 'There is growing evidence that cannabis may trigger schizophrenia in vulnerable people.' The Observer TALKING POINT: Have the dangers of cannabis been overlooked? Email your views to debate observer.co.uk or join the online debate at www.observer.co.uk/drugs Publication: The Observer Distributed by Financial Times Information Limited <> << Copyright ©2003 Financial Times Limited, All Rights Reserved >>
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