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Every day young lives are being wrecked by cannabis while the desperate concerns of thousands of parents are going unnoticed. The use of cannabis has increased over the past 20 years, particularly among young people. It is now the most popular illicit drug in the western world. Cannabis is the first illegal drug for 77 per cent of users, compared with crack for 1 per cent of users and ecstasy for 4 per cent.

MPs, journalists, lawyers, and people from all walks of life are calling for a more tolerant attitude towards cannabis. But those who have worked in mental health have known for years that the drug can have disastrous effects on some individuals. The anecdotal evidence is screaming at us. Three years ago, my own son collapsed at a disco after bingeing all night on cannabis. When he woke up he had voices in his ear; he still has them today. My family is still trying to pick up the pieces.


The anecdotal evidence is now being backed up by hard research. Last year, the British Medical Journal reported on research in Australia that linked cannabis with mental health problems. It showed that early use can lead to depression in later life, especially among women. It can provoke anxiety and paranoia, while frequent and high use can trigger psychotic episodes.

The key message is that cannabis can be highly dangerous to both those with a predisposition to mental illness and those being treated for it.

However, the public lacks knowledge about these dangers, and this is one of the main problems, in my view. In a survey by The Guardian last year, 98 per cent of respondents believed that cannabis was safe. This is an appalling indictment of the government's health education policy. To downgrade it to a class C drug without warning the public of its inherent dangers is, in my view, tantamount to gross negligence.


While decriminalisation may or may not be a good idea, the central question is surely whether the drug is safe. The answer to this is clearly no. It is essential that the government take control of the debate. It must warn young people of the inherent dangers of cannabis, and tell them that taking it is playing Russian roulette with their mental health.

It is time for society to wake up to the fact that toleration of cannabis is risking the mental health of our children, and leaving a dreadful legacy for future generations to sort out.

Terry Hammond is head of membership services at Rethink.