Cannabis can be three times as strong as it was 30 years ago.

Parents 'ignorant about cannabis'

BBC News 13 October 2007

Cannabis can be three times as strong as it was 30 years ago.

Police chiefs are accusing parents of showing ignorance and complacency in the face of widespread cannabis use among teenage children.
The Association of Chief Police Officers says
"many parents do not understand the serious health risks of newer, more potent strains of the drug"
 It is calling on parents to show zero tolerance to help stamp out use of the class C drug.

(Cannabis has since reclassified back to Class B after the mental health issues became more apparent)

 
UK Government figures for 2006 suggest one in 10 under-16s has smoked cannabis.

The call follows the sentencing of mother Nicola Cooper earlier this week for giving cannabis to her children to stop them buying it from street dealers.

Some kids are taking the equivalent in cannabis terms of what would be a bottle of vodka a day Professor Robin Murray, Institute of Psychiatry

Assistant Chief Constable Simon Byrne of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) said it was irresponsible parenting to introduce drugs to children.

"It's about zero tolerance," he told BBC Breakfast News.

"It's not cool to smoke drugs. You are not being a good parent by introducing drugs in any sort of way to children's experience to help them grow up.

"It's harmful, there's no place for it so stamp it out."

Glen Smyth, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said parents who may have smoked cannabis recreationally in their university days are misguided about the health dangers.

FACTS ABOUT CANNABIS

 
Cannabis was [mistakenly] reclassified from a class b to a class C drug in UK in 2004
(Cannabis was reclassified back to Class B when the mental health risks became more apparent)

It is often imported but is increasingly cultivated in UK homes and greenhouses

Short-term effects are increased pulse rate, decreased blood pressure, bloodshot eyes, heightened appetite and dizziness

In the longer term, smoking it can lead to lung damage, paranoia and mental health problems
Source: Drugscope

It is thought cannabis can now be three times as strong as it was 20 or 30 years ago.

"We need to get rid of the idea that cannabis is really OK," said Mr Smyth.

"What is largely unseen are our psychiatric hospitals full of people whose illnesses have been triggered by cannabis."

He said it was important to get the message across to children at junior school age of the downsides of the drug.

The police have the support of some health professionals who fear the potency of different types of cannabis, including skunk, is misunderstood.

Stay calm
Professor Robin Murray, of the Institute of Psychiatry, said parents needed to think of cannabis in the same way as they would about alcohol.

"Some liberal parents have been quite pleased when their 15-year-olds tells them they are taking cannabis.


They say 'oh, thank goodness' they are not drinking.

"Some kids are taking the equivalent in cannabis terms of what would be a bottle of vodka a day."


Charity Drugscope agrees that some parents are complacent, but insists there are many who are very concerned about their children using drugs.

Martin Barnes, Drugscope's chief executive, advised worried parents to stay calm, seek reliable information and to talk to their children.

"The important point for parents is not to overreact," he said.

 
"Just because a child is using the drug, they might be experimenting as many young people do, doesn't meant they are going to become a long-term user or a problem user."

Aggressive behaviour

 But Debra Bell, whose son started smoking cannabis at 14, told BBC Breakfast News that had not been her experience.

Her son's behaviour became increasingly aggressive and unpredictable and eventually led to him making himself homeless.She said the received wisdom was to apply tough love but it had been a difficult decision to make.

"I still can't believe we have lost our son all from this so-called soft recreational drug," she said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7042881.stm

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Parents warned to stamp out drug use

By Jasper Copping 15/10/2007 www.telegraph.co.uk
Parents who allow and even encourage their children to smoke cannabis are guilty of ignorance and complacency, the UK Association of Chief Police Officers has warned.

It said many parents did not understand the serious health risks of newer, more potent strains of the drug.

Assistant Chief Constable Simon Byrne said that parents needed to take a zero tolerance approach:

"You are not being a good parent by introducing drugs in any sort of way to children's experience to help them grow up.

"It's harmful, there's no place for it so stamp it out.

"There is a group of parents that are complacent and turn a blind eye to drug use in the sense of 'out of sight, out of mind' and in turning that blind eye, they are creating a deeper mess."

Prof Robin Murray, of the Institute of Psychiatry, added:

"Some liberal parents have been quite pleased when their 15-year-olds tell them they are taking cannabis.

They say 'oh, thank goodness they are not drinking'.

Some kids are taking the equivalent in cannabis terms of what would be a bottle of vodka a day."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/14/ncannabis114.xml