cannabisnews.com: GPs Shy Away from Addressing Cannabis Use GPs Shy Away from Addressing Cannabis Use Posted by CN Staff on January 17, 2005 at 21:10:25 PT Doctors should quiz young patients about cannabis Source: BBC News UK The rising availability of strong cannabis was putting teenagers at risk, Dr Clare Gerada, head of the Royal College of GP's drug misuse unit, said. Cannabis was "more popular among young people than cigarettes and higher potencies more widely available than ever before" she warned. It is thought that two in five 15-year-olds in the UK have tried cannabis - the highest rate in Europe. Psychosis Risk GPs will be told at a conference being held in London on Tuesday that they should look to reduce the harm caused by cannabis. It follows a warning from Dr Gerada that high-strength cannabis was becoming "the norm rather than the exception". She said: "There is evidence that high levels of use, especially among teenagers who are physically and mentally still developing, carries with it the increased risk of psychosis and respiratory conditions such as asthma. Traditionally GPs have shied away from questioning patients about drugs because of a lack of knowledge of the issue and concerns about patient confidentiality. The potential harm from using cannabis has been the topic of much research over recent years. Several studies have linked it to mental health problems, such as depression and schizophrenia, and respiratory illness. A spokeswoman for the charity Drugscope welcomed the move by family doctors. She said: "GPs are often the first point of call when people have problems, they are trusted and well-respected so they are the right people to address these issues." But Drugscope said it was important to recognise that using cannabis did not necessarily cause the health problems but just made them more likely if a user had a history of problems. Complete Title: GPs Have Tended To Shy Away from Addressing Cannabis Use Source: BBC News (UK Web) Published: Tuesday, January 18, 2005Copyright: 2005 BBC Website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/ Contact: newsonline bbc.co.ukRelated Articles & Web Sites:DrugScope UKhttp://www.drugscope.org.uk/Drugs Uncovered: Observer Special http://freedomtoexhale.com/dc.htm Joint Studies - Guardian Unlimitedhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20132.shtmlSmoking Cannabis Can Make You Psychotichttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread20097.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #2 posted by afterburner on January 18, 2005 at 05:00:09 PT Media Blitz!!! These People Are in ''Health'' Care http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread20134.shtml#5Regulate and Tax and use age restrictions to prevent use by children. You cannot successfully control cannabis as long as it's illegal. Prohibition is d-o-o-m-e-d! [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Deboche on January 18, 2005 at 04:52:54 PT Oh no, is that pot? "more popular among young people than cigarettes and higher potencies more widely available than ever before"how is this bad? I'd rather have my kids smoke cannabis than try any other drug. I definitely don't want them messing with tobacco, that addictive poison that people smoke by the dozens [ Post Comment ] Post Comment