Recommendations of the Joint Committee
As a first principle the Joint Committee regard cannabis as being as socially unacceptable as other harder drugs such as cocaine and heroin and those who profit from it should be pursued with the full rigour of the law.
1. Given that there are reliably estimated to be some 300,000 users of cannabis in the state and the stated consequences for their mental and physical health the Joint Committee strongly recommends that a national strategy be drawn up with the aim of reversing the exponential rise in cannabis use over the past decade. Particular emphasis must be paid to young women of childbearing age and their offspring and to young people in general given their vulnerability to mental health problems. There is now compelling evidence that cannabis alone can result in later development of psychotic illness.
2. The Joint Committee would like to see support for further neurobiological and clinical research to examine the long term cognitive impairment effects associated with heavy cannabis use, particularly those impairments relating to heavy use in adolescence and to prenatal exposure to cannabis.
3. The Joint Committee wishes to draw attention to the physical effects of cannabis use and wishes to point out that the health risks are greater than those for conventional tobacco (more carcinogens, higher tar content).
4. Given that the cannabis trade is worth more than €375 million and is the largest component of the vile drugs trade the Joint Committee urges that greater resources be devoted to the criminal side and that there be a more pro-active pursuit of those who gain from it financially as is the case with the Class A drugs.
5. Awareness of the risks of cannabis use as portrayed in this report needs to be raised through public information campaigns focused particularly on young people and their parents and we need to understand that cannabis is primarily a health issue.
6. The Joint Committee recommends the adoption of prevention strategies where primary prevention attempts to reduce the number of new cases of cannabis use, where secondary prevention seeks to lower the rate of problem cannabis use and where tertiary prevention seeks to decrease the amount of disability associated with problem cannabis use.
7. The Joint Committee wish to see integrated treatment programmes for those with concurrent mental illness and substance abuse as individuals experiencing these disorders together face particular difficulty receiving diagnostic and treatment services although separately these disorders are treatable.