MENTAL ILLNESS IN UNDER-16S SOARED AFTER CANNABIS LAWS WERE RELAXED

The number of under-16s being treated for mental illness has shot up
since the laws on cannabis were relaxed, according to figures obtained
by MPs.

Over the past four years the cost to the NHS of anti-psychotic drugs
for this age bracket has gone up by almost two thirds - from just
under UKP1.7million in 2004 to UKP2.72million last year.

The price of the drugs has not risen much over that period, meaning a
rising number of young patients is the reason for the cost increase.

The NHS figures are the latest indicator to suggest that downgrading
cannabis from class B to class C in 2004 is linked to a sharp increase
in psychosis among the young.

Reclassification meant that police were unlikely to arrest anyone
caught with the drug.

James Brokenshire, the Tory MP who dug out the details, said: 'These
are shocking figures and they suggest an increase in the prevalence of
psychosis in the young.

He added: 'The Government's mixed messages on cannabis have caused
real harm and we won't know the full extent of the damage for years to
come.'

In May Gordon Brown backed a move to make the drug class B once more
because of evidence suggesting it is linked to schizophrenia and
psychosis, and because strains of cannabis have become much stronger
than those sold in the past.

Police chiefs, however, have indicated that they will ignore the more
serious legal status of the drug and continue to allow many of those
found in possession to go free. Youngsters are likely to bearrested
only if caught on a series of occasions.