CANNABIS USE ENTRENCHED ACROSS GENERATIONS HERE

GISBORNE might be the first city to see the light, but for many
Gisborne families that light is greatly dimmed by excessive use of
cannabis.

Demotivated and depressed, many long-term cannabis users have markedly
reduced potential for creating the full and active life they might
otherwise have, says Kaiti Medical Centre GP Johan Peters.

There is growing evidence of a link between cannabis use and mental
illness, such as schizophrenia. While a causal relationship has not
been established, it is suggested people with a predisposition to
certain mental illnesses risk worsening their condition if they use
cannabis. This research is backed up by statistics from Tairawhiti
District Health's (TDH) Adult and Older Adult Mental Health and
Addiction Service.

The most recent figures, from July 2006 to May 2007, indicate 73
percent of the 137 referred to Awhina House for addiction and mental
health services were diagnosed with cannabis-related mental illness.

A large percentage of them were Maori and male, service manager Dianne
Irwin says.

However, there is also an identifiable group of women in their late
30s with moderate to severe depression who have been long-term
cannabis users, she says.

"For people who use our service, somewhere along the line cannabis use
has occurred. It may not be the main instigator, but it is definitely
there."

Mental health and addiction service workers are in no doubt cannabis
use is right up there with nicotine and alcohol, and is well
established in our region.

Gisborne police say the region is consistently one of three top
producing areas of cannabis in the country, alongside Northland and
Waikato.

"Cannabis is 'the' problem in terms of drugs in this region," says
Detective Eric Hunter.

Cannabis use is so entrenched here, that it is not uncommon for three
or four generations of a family to be heavy users.

Nor is it uncommon for children to witness its use and subsequent
demotivated behaviours of their parents, but also to join in and,
taking it one step further, distribute the drug at school, say detectives.

"Just recently we went to a house in Wairoa to take six kids from a
family and, when we arrived, the 11-year-old was smoking marijuana --
while mum was home," Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Scott says.

In some families, especially in rural areas, children have no other
role models apart from drug users -- people with no motivation and who
are often long-term beneficiaries with no job, he says.

"A lot of kids see their family members using marijuana and get the
message it is no big deal. But we see the end result and it is a big
deal, for both users and their families . . . a really big deal," Mr
Scott says.

TDH addiction services medical officer Patrick McHugh calls the drug a
cancer in our society. "But we are ambivalent towards it, we do not
seem to know how bad this cancer is.

"Society needs first to agree we have this major dysfunction
happening. We might not agree on treatment, but we first need to
acknowledge the problem."

While more "glamorous" drugs -- drugs with more obvious dangers and
exciting headlines, such as methamphetamines -- are talked about as a
scourge in our society, cannabis use gets a "bit of a blind eye", says
Dr McHugh.

"There is a feeling people are easier to deal with when they are using
cannabis, so it is tolerated or ignored," he says.

"Also, because it is used commonly across all populations, including
professional people who do not see it as a problem for themselves,
there is a degree of resistance to doing anything about it.

"The problem comes where it is used regularly and heavily."

Some New Zealand researchers define heavy use as using 10 times or
more in a 30-day period.

TDH Maori Health manager Maaka Tibble believes the damage caused by
long-term heavy cannabis use extends right across all aspects of our
community.

"The mental health of individuals is just one area that is impacted
on.

"Family violence, family disconnection, child abuse and erratic
behaviours leading to dysfunction and incoherency are some of the
issues manifested through drug taking and substance abuse," he says.

This sentiment is echoed by the police, who say violence, stand-overs,
drug-debts and organised crime are par for the course in a community
too reliant on drugs.

"It is extremely rare for us to execute a search warrant on a property
and not come across cannabis or utensils in that search," Mr Scott
says.

Working at the coalface of community health issues, Dr Peters says
heavy cannabis use often correlates with poor education and
unemployment, and families who smoke cannabis will produce children
who smoke cannabis.

"We are a community that often condones cannabis use and has come to
accept it, despite other drugs -- notably tobacco -- becoming more and
more unacceptable," Dr Peters says.

Statistics indicate cannabis use is on a par with tobacco, says TDH
addiction services unit manager Nigal McRoberts.

About 46 percent of adult males smoke cannabis and 48 percent
nicotine.

"Smoking and alcohol messages are out there, which is fantastic, but
we cannot say the same for cannabis yet."

An advertising campaign similar in size and scope to that of the
anti-smoking campaign would go a long way, says Ms Irwin.

"The smoke-free campaign has a huge positive influence on children --
who are now coming home from school and talking to their parents about
smoking and the damage it does, so that education seems to be working.

Likewise Mr McRoberts says education is the key to changing the
pattern of abuse in our region.

"A lot of children have no real idea about the negative effects of
cannabis, so we need to get them on board early."

Whanau is also critical in changing the status quo, Mr Tibble
says.

"The leadership within Maoridom has contributed little.

"Koroua, kuia, church leaders, iwi and hapu leaders appear, in the
main, silent about this issue. "Perhaps some of them have grown up as
substance abusers themselves, and as a consequence do not see the
problem or are hiding their guilt and embarrassment.

Whatever the reason, the silence needs to be broken, Mr Tibble
says.

"We need these Maori leaders to lead out and stop substance abuse as
being the norm.

"TDH and other health providers are working hard to improve health
among Maori of Tairawhiti but we cannot do it on our own."

Indeed, cannabis use in Tairawhiti might be about to bring about a
whole new set of problems. "It is becoming more and more common for
cannabis and methamphetamines to be sold at the same place -- leading
to a whole new dimension of the problem," Mr Hunter says.

"If you can get both in the same place, people are more likely to try
methamphetamines and dealers know that.

"They do not care who they sell to -- kids or solo mums who cannot
afford it. All they care about is the money."