Teenage drug use ‘causes mental illness’

TEENAGE cannabis smokers are at greater risk of developing schizophrenia, psychosis and having long-term memory loss, a conference was told yesterday.

Studies have also shown that cannabis smoking among pregnant women can lead to concentration difficulties in their offspring which can continue through their school years, consultant psychiatrist Dr Mary Cannon said.

Dr Cannon said she is worried about statistics which show that up to a third of 15-year-olds in certain parts of the country have smoked the soft drug.