Did anyone else come across this in the Sindo on Sunday last. I've read a lot of shoddy journalism but this sort of crap really pees me off. Absolute nobodies writing about something they have absolutely no knowledge about.
I think Emer O'Kelly may have gone "mentally soft" already. God knows what she would be writing if she did smoke some cannabis.
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/comment/we-must-protect-our-teens-from-dangers-of-cannabis-30585181.html
Some quotes from the article:
"research found that young people who smoke cannabis daily in their teen years are 18 times more likely to become dependent on the drug than those who have never smoked it. They are also eight times more likely to use other illicit drugs than those who never smoked cannabis."
"But the most startling and disturbing finding was that daily users of cannabis in the teen years are seven times more likely to take their own lives than others in their peer group, with the risks increasing according to the level of dosage."
Firstly this study is dealing with daily use. In other words chronic use. Take any substance daily and it is not going to be good for you. If you took alcohol as an example I'm sure results would be similar if not worse.
Secondly is it so hard for what I presume is an educated person like Emer to put 2+2 together and not get 10. Has it ever occurred to her that someone, a young person, who smokes cannabis daily probably has serious underlying issues at home, may already be depressed and may already be suicidal before smoking any cannabis.
That's without getting into the issue of the fact it is illegal making it more accessible for young people.
Shoddy journalism and shoddy journalists, when will the scaremongering stop.