INTERVENTION HELP WHEN CANNABIS USE OUT OF HAND

WHEN Sean started smoking cannabis as a teenager, it seemed like a
harmless thing to do. At first, he and his mates smoked "joints" at
parties to relax and have a laugh, but as the years went by, Sean
found himself smoking the drug about four times a week.

"Of all the drugs around, it was totally acceptable," he
said.

But when Sean started university a few years ago, things changed. One
day, the voice of a female friend started talking to him when she was
not around.

"It seemed OK at first, I kinda thought it was normal, but then I
started hearing my neighbours voices too," he said.

Within months of the voices starting, Sean, who does not want to
disclose his full name, was an involuntary patient suffering from
drug-induced psychosis. He is now working and his illness is
controlled by medication, but sometimes, Sean wishes someone had
intervened to stop his cannabis use before he became ill.

People like Sean's family and friends are now the target of a
world-first set of guidelines on how to talk to cannabis users, when
to seek professional help, and how to administer "mental health first
aid" when people become psychotic or have panic attacks on the drug.
"The sooner someone receives help for their cannabis use or mental
health problems the better the outcome," said Dan Lubman from Orygen
Youth Health, one of the groups behind the guidelines.

The guidelines, which had input from a panel of experts in five
countries, are targetted at problem users among the more than
one-third of people aged 14 and over who have used the drug, according
to a 2007 survey from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

In approaching a person about their problem cannabis use, the
guidelines recommend appointing a time to discuss the issue and taking
a non-judgemental and non-confrontational attitude. Friends are
encouraged to urge users to seek medical help if they are unwilling to
stop, especially if the person is pregnant or breastfeeding or is
using cannabis alongside other drugs.

The guidelines will be available on the National Cannabis Prevention
and Information Centre website.