Children as young as nine have turned to a north Cumbrian drug and alcohol charity as they battle to kick a cannabis habit.

There are fears that the scale of the drug’s damaging impact on young people across the county remains hidden, with many wrongly believing the class B drug poses no risk.

Experts say that potent modern strains of cannabis can have a devastating effect on youngsters, leaving them sleep-deprived, paranoid, and aggressive.

There is also evidence linking early cannabis use and poor mental health.

The courts in Carlisle and Workington have regularly dealt with young adults prosecuted after dabbling in the drug.

One schools boss described levels of cannabis use among youngsters in Carlisle as “alarming” while in west Cumbria a drug charity has worked with primary school children affected by the drug.

By Phil Coleman, May 31, 2017

For more http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/news/Cumbrian-children-as-young-as-nine-addicted-to-cannabis-db1a92f8-801a-498c-a880-85ac81c3493d-ds

South Africa is expected to release its new national HIV strategy later this month. In a country that continues to battle the world\’s largest HIV epidemic, the document will guide the next six years in the fight against new infections.

The South African National Aids Council (Sanac), civil society groups and key government departments met to finalise the strategy late last week. The plan not only outlines the country\’s response to HIV but also guides its efforts against tuberculosis (TB) and sexually transmitted infections.

The latest draft of the national strategic plan, released on 10 March, is unlikely to be drastically different from the final version, which is expected be launched on 31 March in Bloemfontein. For More http://bhekisisa.org/article/2017-03-21-00-three-things-we-can-expect-from-south-africaa-new-hiv-and-tb-plan#.WNFQJWGYY1I.twitter

What do police in weed-friendly places say? Cannabis harm prevention messages are essential, according to police in places where the drug has been decriminalised. Government, police and health agencies need clear guidelines for public campaigns on preventing harm from cannabis use, according to new research from Massey University. Front line police officers she interviewed in the Netherlands and states of Colorado and Oregon in the United States, where recreational cannabis use is not an offence, provided insights on how their communities responded with cannabis legally available.

They said that contrary to expectations, legalising the drug did not eliminate crime related to selling it, or gangs from continuing to profit from its sale.

All of her interviewees had cannabis law reform presented as a positive change for police, yet — as one officer said, \”we just have not seen all the wonderful promises that were made to us.\”

Others observed cannabis was a gateway to harder drugs, and one officer expressed concern that the legal cannabis industry was attempting to target children to create a future market.

Front-line police officers she interviewed noted the following issues:

• the enduring role organised crime plays in profiting from cannabis
• inconsistent police policies are exploited, resulting in erosion of perceived police effectiveness
• driving while cannabis-impaired is a largely unmitigated risk, which may be a significant factor in vehicle crashes
• cannabis regularly misused by youth causes learning difficulties and leads to poor social outcomes
• it is important, and sometimes difficult, to get harm-prevention messaging right

For more https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-05-cannabis-message.html

Quebecers break ranks with Canada, and oppose legal weed: poll

The federal government’s plan to legalize marijuana has split the country, with most Quebecers opposed to the idea, a new survey suggests.

The CROP survey, conducted for Radio-Canada May 11-23, suggests that 54 per cent of the 2,536 respondents across Canada are in favour of legalizing marijuana. But in Quebec, 54 per cent of respondents were opposed to the idea, with one-third of respondents saying they are extremely opposed. Elsewhere in Canada, that extreme opposition drops to one respondent out of five.

Young Canadians are the most favourable to the legalization of marijuana, with two-thirds of respondents age 18-34 expressing support for the legislation. The biggest worry nationally over legalization was that accidents caused by those driving while impaired by the drug would increase, with 60 per cent of those surveyed expressing that concern. For More http://montrealgazette.com/news/national/quebecers-break-ranks-with-canada-and-oppose-legal-weed-poll

Task-force leader on legalizing marijuana urges prohibition, for now

But the former minister of public safety, health and justice in the Liberal governments of Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin said other cities should not follow suit before the current laws change, echoing what the federal government has repeatedly said when asked about the rise of illegal dispensaries.

\”Nobody would deny that there are some practical problems at street level, absolutely, nobody denies that,\” said Ms. McLellan, who was in Vancouver speaking at Simon Fraser University\’s downtown campus on the work the task force did last year.

\”Cities should wait until the law changes instead of making their own rules now and hoping to adapt them to a federal framework later on,\” she said. \”I cannot advocate that anybody break existing laws. We are a nation of law-abiding citizens.\” For more https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/task-force-leader-on-legalizing-marijuana-urges-prohibition-for-now/article34413697/

Canadians worried Ottawa rushing into pot legalization: poll

Even attendees at Canada’s biggest cannabis trade show, Lift, on this weekend at Metro Convention Centre, had mixed feelings about legalization, with some worried government control and corporatization would crush the little guy. For More https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/05/28/canadians-worried-ottawa-rushing-into-pot-legalization-poll.html

Why legal marijuana will hurt kids By Dr. Brian Goldman

The ballot initiative would allows adults over the age of 21 to posses up to 56 grams of marijuana. ( Chris Hondros/Getty Images)

The federal government\’s tabled Bill C-45 would allow adults to legally possess and use small amounts of recreational marijuana. The bill would make it a criminal offence to sell pot to minors but it would not be crime for youth to possess small amounts of it. An editorial published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal calls on Parliament to reject the bill.  For more http://www.cbc.ca/radio/whitecoat/blog/why-legal-marijuana-will-hurt-kids-1.4135576

David Raynes of the National Drug Prevention Alliance, said: \”I do not think senior police officers have thought this through with the clarity that the public deserve.

\”This will simply normalise drug taking amongst the young and will reinforce the attitude that taking drugs is an integral part of the festival experience, which it is not.

\”Another problem is that drug testing services offer an illusion of safety. They tell drug users about purity, but purity is not a measure of safety, quite the opposite in some cases. Drugs are illegal because they are unsafe and that is the message that the police ought to be giving.

For more http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/21/anti-drug-campaigners-slam-plans-introduce-drug-testing-tents/

SCORING THE PILL TEST – https://www.nobrainer.org.au/images/nb-resources/various/ScoringPillTestingFinal.pdf