AK-47, Knock Out and Destroyer – these are the names of the newer brands of cannabis in common use amongst adolescents today. Very appropriate terms. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the active ingredient of Cannabis. For the past 15 years, what is sold commonly in the UK is ‘skunk’ and other varieties which have THC concentrations 2-3 times higher than the older traditional cannabis. 5.3 million 16-24 year olds have used it in 2013 according to this very informative leaflet published last year by the Royal College of Psychiatry:

:http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinformation/mentalhealthproblems/alcoholanddrugs/cannabisandmentalhealth.aspx

A study following 1600 Australian school kids, aged 14 to 15 for seven years, found that children who use cannabis regularly have a significantly higher risk of depression. Daily use increases the risk of depression and anxiety to as much as 5 times higher in later life. The opposite was not the case – children who already suffered from depression were not more likely than anyone else to use cannabis. There is sufficient evidence to show that those who use cannabis particularly at a younger age, such as around the age of 15, have a higher than average risk of developing a psychotic illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

Why are teenagers more vulnerable to the use of cannabis? Apparently the brain is still developing in the teenage years – up to the age of around 25. A massive process of ‘neural pruning’ goes on, streamlining a tangled jumble of circuits so they can work more effectively. Any experience, or substance, that affects this process has the potential to produce long-term psychological effects.

Of course not everyone who uses cannabis, even at a young age, develops a psychotic illness. Research shows that those who have a family history of a psychotic illness, schizotypal personality or possibly have certain types of genes may be at increased risk of developing a psychotic illness following the regular use of strong cannabis.

Well, what can we do about this? In America, in some parts of which cannabis use is legal, they have marijuana-anonymous.org. Has criminalization of cannabis helped at all? Millions of people are still using it. Is it possible that there would be no need to create stronger and more damaging variants of cannabis if it was legal? If the users did not have to hide the fact from parents and doctors, wouldn’t it be better for them? What effect does criminalisation have on our ability to treat mentally ill people who also smoke cannabis? Does it not push their problems into the shadows?