Pubdate: Fri, 08 Feb 2008
Source: Northampton Chronicle & Echo (UK)
Copyright: 2008 Northamptonshire Newspapers Limited
Contact:  http://www.northantsnew.co.uk/news/chron/index.asp
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2739
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?207 (Cannabis - United Kingdom)

MENTAL HEALTH WARNING OVER 'SKUNK' CANNABIS

Super-strength "skunk" cannabis now accounts for 80 per cent of all 
seizures of the drug, and police in Northamptonshire say they are 
recovering more of the variety than ever before.

Experts have warned of the health risks of smoking skunk - named 
after its potent smell - with fears that it could soon account for 
one in four cases of schizophrenia in the UK within two years.

A spokeswoman for Northamptonshire Police said the force did not 
specifically separate skunk from herbal cannabis following drug 
seizures, but added it was concerned at the high proportion of skunk 
currently on the market in Northamptonshire.

She said: "What people want to buy is skunk, because it is a stronger 
quality, and we are seizing more skunk now because that is what the 
market demands.

"We are concerned because it has been shown there are very harmful 
health effects. We are working hard with our partners to reduce 
supply in Northamptonshire."

Home Office advisors have claimed skunk, which is made from the 
flowering heads of Class C cannabis plants, is now the dominant 
product in the market and the growth in its use has coincided with a 
rise in Vietnamese-operated organised criminal gangs.

Earlier this year, police raided a string of eight high-tech 
hydroponic factories in the county in less than two weeks, resulting 
in the arrests of three Vietnamese men.

The countywide consultant for the Northamptonshire Drug and Alcohol 
Action Team (DAAT), Arun Dhandayudham, said skunk is now at least 50 
times more potent than the cannabis which was available in the 1970s.

He added: "Every case we research now into cannabis use involves the 
use of skunk, not herbal cannabis. It can induce psychotic episodes 
in people who might be susceptible to them, and can stop people from 
wanting to conduct normal daily activities.

"Drug users enjoy it because it brings on feelings of calmness and 
euphoria, but I'm very worried about the levels of skunk now being 
used in Northamptonshire."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom