One in ten youngsters 'depends on cannabis'

By MARTIN JOHNSTON and NAOMI LARKIN

Nearly 70 per cent of young people have used cannabis and 9 per cent are dependent, say researchers who conclude that the drug is now a normal part of growing up.

The Commissioner for Children, Roger McClay, said the figures were a "chilling reminder" for MPs in light of the review of cannabis law.

The Government is considering a revamp of cannabis law and has flagged it may move towards partial decriminalisation so people will not get a criminal conviction for small amounts of the drug.

The latest findings come from the Christchurch Health and Development Study, which has followed 1265 people since their birth in 1977.

The Christchurch Medical School findings, published in the New Zealand Medical Journal yesterday, are based on the participants' cannabis use up to the age of 21.

The figures come on top of a study of 1593 Maori aged between 15 and 45 which found that 60 per cent have smoked cannabis at some time in their lives, and 26 per cent have used it in the past 12 months.

The Christchurch study found that 73 per cent of males and 65 per cent of females had used cannabis by age 21.

Maori were more inclined to have used the drug, and 15 per cent were considered dependent users, compared with 8 per cent of non-Maori.

Overall, 23 per cent of participants estimated they had used the drug at least 100 times since they were 14. The heaviest users were males.

The study finds the level of cannabis use showed it had become a "normal" teenage experience, which could strengthen the decriminalisation argument.

But it also warned on cannabis risks, pointing to their dependency and heavy-user figures.

The report said it was arguable that the relatively high rate of dependency resulted from easy availability of cannabis and that decriminalisation would increase the problem by boosting access and the social acceptability of taking the drug.

The study leader, Professor David Fergusson, said last night that its findings also supported the "gateway theory" - heavy cannabis users were 60 times more likely than non-users to take other illicit drugs such as Ecstasy and LSD.

He said the study, and a previous one with similar findings from Dunedin, found that young people who became dependent or high cannabis users tended to come from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, had a history of conduct problems and had dropped out of school early.

Mr McClay, an opponent of decriminalisation, said people's teenage years were "the worst time for them to be dabbling in such substances."

"The information I have read is that it dulls the senses. It makes them unable to study as easily ... we are losing the very best that they could be."

Green Party co-leader Rod Donald said the figures were distressing but they had to be seen in the context of the study's findings on tobacco and alcohol.

"I'm not trying to dismiss the impact of cannabis, but of the three most prevalent and harmful drugs cannabis is still running third.

"All three of them need to be addressed," he said.

The study found that by the age of 21, over 20 per cent met the criteria of nicotine dependence, Professor Fergusson said. By the same age around 22 per cent met the criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence.

Professor Fergusson said he agreed with Mr Donald on the point of context of tobacco and alcohol - but said it was a red herring.

"The issue is not whether we have alcohol, or cannabis or tobacco - we've got alcohol and tobacco. The issue is whether we should have a third drug to add to the existing mix."