Evil weed

I am currently working on a feature about the health risks of cannabis smoking to young people.

We have all heard by now of the risks to mental health associated with the drug. The Government's new FRANK campaign, which coincides with the reclassification of the drug from Class C to Class B, has focussed on psychological risks, such as panic attacks, paranoia and depression .

Although it is an effective campaign, they have overlooked the physical effects smoking cannabis can have on young people's health.

As part of my research for the feature, I have interview the British Lung Foundation, National Treatment Agency, a leading consultant physician in respiratory medicine, Dr Onn Min Kon and the chief executive of the charity Drugscope.

Research has found that smoking a few joints a night could do as much damages to you lungs as a 20-a-day cigarette habit. And these negative health effects are being seen in people much younger than we would expect to present with lung cancer, bronchitis and other respiratory problems. The drug has also been linked with early onset of a particular type of testicular cancer in young males.

My feeling is that the reclassification will do little if not nothing to reduce usage in young people -stats even show that when the reclassification was lowered to C previously, usage decreased slightly. Though there is still more research to be done, the physical damage caused by a nation of under 25s who are experimenting with cannabis, could be a potential timebomb for the health service. As they say...where there's smoke, there's fire.