Cannabis Use
I have become concerned about the number of young people we are seeing in our mental hospitals, who have developed severe mental disorders following the smoking of marijuana or cannabis. These people blame everything and everybody other than their habit of smoking dope.
Unlike the drunk whose behaviour and performance is effected through the abuse of alcohol, and who after drying out can return to work and relationships with little impairment, the person who shows signs of alteration of their mental capacity due to the smoking of marijuana, remains that way after ceasing to take the drug, and in fact continues to worsen.
There are no cures for some of the mental conditions brought on by the use of marijuana. Because smokers lose their sense of perception and critical faculties, they always deny it is their drug habit that has altered them. So society has believed the lie that smoking marijuana is a “soft” drug and that it is harmless.
Whereas abusing alcohol will lower worker performance, cause an increase in anything requiring critical judgement including impaired driving of motor vehicles and damaged relationships, the smoking of marijuana may induce mental conditions like schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder and manic depression, for which there is no recovery.
Far from being a drug that only impacts upon them personally, the abuser may never every work again, and becomes dependent upon family, friends and society at large for the rest of his or her life.
The number of such persons with severe mental disorders induced by smoking cannabis is increasing, and very few people know this, let alone are concerned. This led me to ask in Parliament the following question this week:
“I ask the Special Minister of State a question without notice. Is the Minister aware that the Institute of Psychiatry in London has warned that cannabis use is now the number one problem facing United Kingdom mental health services?
“Is the Minister aware that 80 per cent of new cases of schizophrenia involve a history of cannabis use and that four different studies in the past two years found that teenagers who use cannabis were seven times more likely to develop a psychotic mental illness such as incurable schizophrenia or manic depression, known as bi-polar disorder?
“What action is the New South Wales Government taking to address this problem in our State through detoxification and rehabilitation programs, especially court-ordered and supervised detoxification rehabilitation programs?
“What action is the Government taking to communicate the truth about Australia’s most dangerous drug’s link to mental illness?
They are important questions and it is important that the Government acknowledges the problems and has special programs in places to make people who are likely to smoke marijuana, become aware of the long term mental health problems, their practise may cause.
The Hon. JOHN DELLA BOSCA replied to me:
“I thank the honourable member for asking this very good question. I am not aware of the specific research from Britain to which he referred, although those of us familiar with research and outcomes by clinicians in Australia-and even our own area health services across the State-would not be surprised by the gravity of the information.
“Although I cannot verify its accuracy, the general concern is that clinical, anecdotal and epidemiological evidence increasingly indicates that the habitual use of cannabis is linked to a variety of mental health problems.
“Although far from being a consensus, certainly schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other serious mental illnesses are part of that general concern.
“The Carr Government has been keen to tackle another implication in the honourable member’s question, that is, the assumption that is fairly evident particularly in New South Wales and in Australia at large that cannabis is a relatively harmless drug.
“That is assumed not by young people-in fact, a lot of younger people now realise that cannabis is a fairly serious drug with fairly serious implications, certainly if it is used habitually. Unfortunately, young people got the message from the generation best represented in this Chamber that cannabis is a relatively harmless drug. In fact, that is not correct.
“The Government is dealing with cannabis use by way of a number of strategies.
The first is to break down that wrong information. Honourable members know I have answered a number of questions about public information health campaigns based on successful antismoking messages and other public health messages that have got across the message about the effects of cannabis on lifestyle and on anything from sporting prowess to general health to recreation.
“That strategy has been tailored for young people dealing with the effects of cannabis on their lifestyle, at least when harmful levels are used. We have distributed that material through high schools, cinemas and a range of areas where young people are known to congregate for various reasons.
“There are a number of programs relating to the dangers of cannabis use. Recently I announced a number of important programs through the education system that are aimed at prevention.
“There are two different programs. One being distributed throughout the New South Wales school system deals with the provision of accurate information in simple terms for young people and their parents about the effects of cannabis.
“Another set of materials is designed for school counsellors and teachers dealing with young people who have already developed a problem with cannabis use-in other words, it has become a problem or they have abused it.
“The honourable member referred in his question to a number of specific treatment initiatives. While we have not been able to substantiate that it is an absolute world first, I think the honourable member is familiar with the Government’s announcement of clinics specifically dedicated to the treatment of cannabis abuse and use.
“We have launched the first of those clinics, in co-operation with the Salvation Army. The Government has announced that there will be four specialist cannabis clinics for dependent cannabis users.
“That is certainly an Australian first and a world first. That is a $2.65 million commitment. We have also made a $1.5 million commitment for a specific cannabis component in drug education and have trialled a number of early intervention initiatives and counselling.”
That is a satisfactory answer. The Government is doing its best. What we need to do is to make sure the public perception that marijuana is a soft and harmless drug, is changed to the fact that it is a drug that may have long term, permanent effects in altering the brain’s capacity and may induce mental illness.
Then we have to get more users into drug rehabilitation and treatment before it is too late and the rest of the smokers life is ruined, becoming an impaired person and a charge upon society for the rest of their lives.
THIS IS GORDON MOYES.
