STUDY LINKS CANNABIS SMOKING AND SEXUAL ABUSE IN TEENAGERS

A new study has found that a third of frequent cannabis users at New
Zealand high schools have been sexually abused.

The author, Annabel Prescott, told an addictions conference in
Auckland yesterday that sexual abuse was the only key "risk factor"
that showed up in a statistical analysis of all factors associated
with heavy cannabis use in the Youth 2000 survey of 9570 students at
114 New Zealand high schools.

The analysis found that heavy cannabis users were also more likely to
be violent, get involved in fights, ride in cars being driven
dangerously, have unprotected sex, be clinically depressed and attempt
suicide.

It found four "protective" factors that cut the chances of the
students using cannabis heavily: getting "enough time" with their
parents; feeling part of their school; feeling that school attendance
was important; and attending a church, shrine or mosque.

Mrs Prescott said the study showed that heavy cannabis use was a
marker of wider problems that should all be dealt with
"holistically".

"A young person should be able to go to one place without having to go
to multiple services and having to retell their story to lots of
health services."

The study found that 35 per cent of both boys and girls at high
schools, mostly aged 13 to 17, had used cannabis. Of those, about half
had only tried it, and another third used it only about once a month.

Mrs Prescott found that the links with violence, depression and other
health problems only kicked in for the remaining fifth of male
cannabis users, and fewer than a sixth of female users, who used the
drug at least once a week.

Asked whether they had experienced unwanted sexual touching or been
made to do anything sexual that they didn't want to do, a third of the
high cannabis users said "yes", compared with less than a fifth of
other students.

Higher proportions of cannabis users had also been physically abused
and bullied, but the differences were less significant after
controlling for other factors.

The study found that only about 44 per cent of the high cannabis users
felt they got enough time with their parents, compared with 62 per
cent of other students.

Only about 64 per cent felt they were part of their school, compared
with about 84 per cent of other students. And only about 8 per cent
attended a church or other place of worship, compared with about 18
per cent of other students.

In contrast, the survey found no significant difference between high
cannabis users and others when asked simply how important their
beliefs were to them.

Mrs Prescott concluded that churches might be connecting young people
with adult mentors, providing activities such as music tuition that
students from poorer homes could not afford elsewhere, and teaching
them leadership and speaking skills.

The study did not ask about involvement in sports clubs or other
cultural organisations.