Drug Expert Warns of Cannabis Crisis

Cannabis poses a serious threat to the wellbeing of a generation of Scots, a drugs expert has warned.

Writing in the Scotsman, retired senior police officer and former drugs charity boss Tom Wood called on Scotland to “wake up” to the dangers of cannabis.

In his comment piece, Wood examined the widespread use of the illegal drug among the country’s teenage boys.

On a recent visit to a drug rehabilitation service, Wood observed that recovering addicts did not see cannabis “as a drug at all, let alone a dangerous one” but “just a part of normal life”.

He continued: “The most recent research on cannabis use by young people in Scotland seems to bear this out, and there are some alarming statistics.

“A study of school-aged children reported that almost a quarter of teenage boys had used cannabis, the highest rate for adolescent boys out of 44 countries.”

The former Deputy Chief Constable slammed the popular myth that cannabis is a “harmless recreational drug”, highlighting its clear connection to serious mental health problems such as psychosis and paranoia.

He warned: “We cannot be caught napping, as we were when heroin overwhelmed us in the 1970s.”

“Given its widespread use, cannabis could blight a generation”, and he called on Scotland to “wake up and prioritise the cannabis threat”.

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