A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Teenagers using cannabis are causing long-lasting damage to their developing brains, a Canadian study suggests. It found the impact on thinking skills, memory and behaviour was worse than that of teenage drinking. The researchers, from the University of Montreal, urged teenagers to delay their use of cannabis for as long as they felt able. The [...]
Synthetic cannabis, of which Spice is an example, is linked to serious health issues ranging from difficulties breathing to psychotic episodes. But, despite well-known issues, these drugs are still in demand and homeless people, particularly, are at risk of mental health issues from their use. So what exactly are these drugs made of and why [...]
The debate about the use of marijuana for medical treatment has developed considerably over the past 12 months and has been highly publicised in the media. I recently presented one of our Party Safe Education seminars in a school where students had just completed a debate about the legalisation of marijuana. When presenting the information [...]
Smoking powerful skunk cannabis triples the risk of suffering a serious psychotic episode, scientists have found. In the population studied by the researchers in south London, where cannabis use is widespread, the drug is linked to one quarter of all new cases of psychosis, the team found. The findings add to a compelling body of [...]
Responding to rapidly shifting legal and cultural environments, researchers at the University of Montreal and CHU Sainte-Justine Children's Hospital have found a way to prevent, reduce or delay cannabis use amongst some at-risk youth. Cannabis users are at risk of neurocognitive deficits, reduced educational and occupational attainment, motor vehicle accidents, exacerbation of psychiatric symptoms, and [...]
The nature of the teenage brain makes users of cannabis amongst this population particularly at risk of developing addictive behaviors and suffering other long-term negative effects via Perception of marijuana as a 'safe drug' is scientifically inaccurate.
Researchers examining the ways illicit drugs are bought and sold through the internet have discovered a sharp rise in the number of people using the online market place to sell Australians cannabis and ecstasy. The study, by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, is the first to monitor sellers of illicit drugs to Australians. [...]
For some time, people have known that using cannabis during adolescence increases the risk of developing cognitive impairment and mental illness (e.g. depression, anxiety or schizophrenia) later in life. Importantly however, the mechanisms responsible for this vulnerability are not well understood. A new study, published in Brain, shows that long-term cannabis use that starts during [...]
When a teenager smokes cannabis are they permanently damaging their brain and dulling their intellect for a lifetime? The dangers of smoking cannabis, and the potential health benefits, have been a source of controversy for many years. The latest study on the drug suggested heavy and prolonged cannabis smoking as a teenager resulted in a permanently [...]
Drug Aware The Drug Aware - Know what you’re getting into website is a great source of information about drugs and where to get help. The program targets young people with messages about drug use that focus on the prevention of use and associated harm. It aims to do this providing credible, factual information that [...]
