I want to write to Lord Farmer
Lord Farmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to publicise the illegality of driving under the influence of cannabis; and what evidence is available of the effectiveness of this messaging.
Lord Farmer: My Lords, will the Government heed warnings from respected addiction psychiatrists in US states where cannabis has been legalised that medical marijuana acted as a Trojan horse to get recreational use in, that the upward trend in medical potency means that people get addicted, and that super-strength products are associated with a significant rise in cannabis-related psychosis? Are they aware...
Lord Farmer: ...year on year, by even more than it already does. A preventive paradigm would ensure greater ruthlessness about educating parents and healthcare workers about the psychotic effects of high-strength cannabis, for instance. The eminent professor, Sir Robin Murray, recently said: “I think we’re now 100 per cent sure that cannabis is one of the causes of a schizophrenia-like psychosis. If...
Lord Farmer: My Lords, I thank my noble friend for her Answer. Cannabis use does not just lead to mental ill-health and behavioural disorders; it is also contributing to the existential threat that is falling fertility levels and particularly falling sperm counts across the western world. Do the Government recognise the seriousness of these outcomes from recreational drug use and will they factor them...
Lord Farmer: ...by the Faculty of Pain Medicine in their Faculty Position Statement on the Medicinal use of Cannabinoids in Pain Medicine, and their call for further research into the potential benefits of cannabis for medicinal uses.
Lord Farmer: I thank the Minister for that answer. Bearing in mind the faculty’s overarching cautionary position, and the fact that according to the National Health Service website, “Regular cannabis use increases your risk of developing a psychotic illness”, what assurances can the Minister give us that Her Majesty’s Government will not allow the changes in prescribing cannabis for medicinal use...
Lord Farmer: ...effect of mental illness. The British Journal of Psychiatry reports that 80% of first-episode psychiatric disorders, schizophrenia or schizophrenia-like illnesses occur in either heavy or dependent cannabis users. Individuals using cannabis are doubling their risk of developing schizophrenia. This undeniable risk to mental health is why I am so strongly opposed to legalising cannabis. We...