slimvictor
Bluelight Crew
New survey reveals that cannabis is anything but a "soft" drug
A national survey commissioned by the Richmond Fellowship of New South Wales (RFNSW) indicates that nearly half of all Australians underestimate the harmful impacts of using cannabis, with people in their late twenties and early thirties most likely to discount the devastating mental health effects the drug can cause.
The survey also highlights that current and past cannabis users are most prone to denying the links between the drug’s use and mental health complications such as depression or psychosis (including schizophrenia).
The information will be presented at a cannabis symposium being hosted by the RFNSW in Sydney next week, where a panel of medical, legal and academic experts and cannabis users will discuss and make recommendations on how the community can be better informed about the health and social impacts of cannabis, particularly for young people.
(...)
RFNSW Chief Executive Officer Pamela Rutledge said the data reinforced many scientific and anecdotal views about cannabis use and effects on mental health.
“Anecdotally, our field workers see the terrible toll cannabis takes on users on a day-to-day basis, particularly on young users,” Ms Rutledge said.
“But our young clients with a mental illness are usually oblivious to the high chances that their plight is linked to using cannabis.
“We are talking about people suffering depression and psychosis, people who hear voices and people who are tangled in the justice and health systems because their mental wellbeing is in a tailspin.
“They just don’t realise that cannabis is pulling them down and it’s of real concern that they typically turn to cannabis, thinking it will ease their downward spiral.
“This survey highlights that cannabis users are the most dismissive and vulnerable in terms of what the drug can do to their mental state.
“That suggests that more effort should go towards educating cannabis users – particularly young users – about the mental health dangers.”
cont at
http://www.westender.com.au/news/1077
A national survey commissioned by the Richmond Fellowship of New South Wales (RFNSW) indicates that nearly half of all Australians underestimate the harmful impacts of using cannabis, with people in their late twenties and early thirties most likely to discount the devastating mental health effects the drug can cause.
The survey also highlights that current and past cannabis users are most prone to denying the links between the drug’s use and mental health complications such as depression or psychosis (including schizophrenia).
The information will be presented at a cannabis symposium being hosted by the RFNSW in Sydney next week, where a panel of medical, legal and academic experts and cannabis users will discuss and make recommendations on how the community can be better informed about the health and social impacts of cannabis, particularly for young people.
(...)
RFNSW Chief Executive Officer Pamela Rutledge said the data reinforced many scientific and anecdotal views about cannabis use and effects on mental health.
“Anecdotally, our field workers see the terrible toll cannabis takes on users on a day-to-day basis, particularly on young users,” Ms Rutledge said.
“But our young clients with a mental illness are usually oblivious to the high chances that their plight is linked to using cannabis.
“We are talking about people suffering depression and psychosis, people who hear voices and people who are tangled in the justice and health systems because their mental wellbeing is in a tailspin.
“They just don’t realise that cannabis is pulling them down and it’s of real concern that they typically turn to cannabis, thinking it will ease their downward spiral.
“This survey highlights that cannabis users are the most dismissive and vulnerable in terms of what the drug can do to their mental state.
“That suggests that more effort should go towards educating cannabis users – particularly young users – about the mental health dangers.”
cont at
http://www.westender.com.au/news/1077


) i doubt the cannabis has much or any damaging effects compared to the tobacco.