STONED OUT OF THEIR MINDS

Those who argue simplistically for cannabis law reform should look at the
increasing evidence of the harmful effect the drug has on mental health in
New Zealand, as highlighted by several leading experts in this newspaper on
Saturday, The Dominion writes in an editorial.

Their experience that serious cannabis abuse is common among that section
of mentally ill people who kill innocent citizens with monotonous
regularity follows warnings by school principals that cannabis use by
students is producing classrooms of stoned pupils unable to concentrate on
schoolwork.

The propaganda from the very vocal cannabis lobby would have us believe
this mind-altering weed is not just harmless, but even beneficial as
anything from a non-alcoholic social lubricant to an efficient pain reliever.

Those who raise doubts receive a barrage of criticism. As a result, it
takes brave individuals to speak out.

Sandy Simpson, head of the Mason Clinic for the seriously mentally ill in
Auckland, will not endear himself to the pro-cannabis lobby by saying that
cannabis use both increases the likelihood of schizophrenics having
psychotic episodes and reduces the effects of medicines given to control
the symptoms of the illness.

"It's important not to get romantic about cannabis," Dr Simpson says. "For
some people, it is dangerous stuff. Most (mental health professionals) feel
that whether it's decriminalised or not, there needs to be a clear
recognition of the problems it causes."

Another expert, deputy mental health director and former clinical
psychiatrist Dr Andrew Duncan, paints a particularly gloomy picture.

Twenty years ago, when he was a registrar, there was hardly any substance
abuse by mental patients.

Now massive substance abuse by such people is the norm, exacerbating their
illnesses, making them harder to treat and more likely to commit acts of
violence, he says.

Yet another, Mental Health Foundation chairman Peter McGeorge, blames a
society that has bred a generation of young people who want instant
gratification, who have poor impulse control and few other reactions than
violence.

He says: "You can't lay the blame for that at the mental health system and
say it is failing. Parents who have rules and talk to their children and
set clear boundaries are much less likely to have these kinds of problems,
even if their children develop mental illness."

Dr Duncan spoke of the benefits that would come from a public health
campaign to reduce cannabis use. He says a 20 per cent overall reduction
could have a positive impact on mental health outcomes.

None of these experts are fuddy-duddy conservatives who want cannabis to
stay illegal or want to stop people having fun.

They are liberal professionals who were careful when being interviewed to
remain neutral on the decriminalisation issue, but who spoke from their
long years of experience about the harmful effects of a drug which is
enthusiastically embraced by many.

The parliamentary select committee studying the question should give their
concerns at least as much weight as it accords the pro-cannabis lobby.