Reckless to allow anyone under 18 to use cannabis
By Letter to the Editor on February 16, 2018.
I just spent the morning reading Bill C-45, the new cannabis law. I discovered under the section for possession, it states that a youth (12 to 18) who possesses more than five grams of dried marijuana will be charged under the Youth Criminal Justice Act but does not mention anything about amounts under five grams or under age 12. Given all the science-based facts on the effect of cannabis on developing brains I find this to be a very careless section. The argument concerning ruining a young person’s life with a record is made moot since the offence is dealt with under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. I feel it is totally reckless to allow anyone under the age of 18 to possess or use cannabis unless it is prescribed by a doctor. This is not tolerated with alcohol or tobacco so why cannabis? If we have children self-medicating at this age we need to offer them help. I would ask that concerned parents read Bill C-45 and contact the government and MPs to express their view on this. Alan Rose Medicine Hat 6-5
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Mental Health:
The University of Alberta, O’Brien Institute for Public Health, Dr. Elaine Hyshka; Assistant Professor, School of Public Health. November 2017 Dr. Elaine Hyshka, “There are also people who claim that cannabis is going to basically damage your brain when you use it, especially if you’re young, and that it’s going to contribute to the intellectual downfall of a generation. And that’s also not true,” she said.
A Controlled Family Study of Cannabis Users with and without Psychosis Harvard study published in 2014: Evidenced that teen cannabis consumption is not lead to the development of schizophrenia later in life. The study compared families with a history of schizophrenia to those without. The study also examined non-psychotic cannabis consumers and non-consuming participant controls. The results of the current study suggest that having an increased familial morbid risk for schizophrenia may be the underlying basis for schizophrenia in cannabis users and not cannabis use by itself.