Teenage cannabis users spending up to €100 per day - study

Teenage cannabis users in treatment are typically daily smokers spending as much as €50-€100 per day, new research has found.

The study, purported to be the first of its type in Ireland, said the financial cost and ensuing debts appear to be a “catalyst” to change.

Half of users in the research said they had been threatened because of drug debts with more than 60% saying they had sold drugs to fund their own usage.

The research was carried out among eight users, aged between 15 and 18, in drug treatment in Dublin.

The authors said that while it was a small study, it was common in qualitative research.

The research was conducted by Philip David James, Substance Use Service for Teens, St Brigid's Hospital, Ardee, Catherine Comiskey, School of Nursing in Trinity College Dublin and Bobby Smyth, Youth Drug & Alcohol Service in Tallaght, Dublin.

The research, published in the Journal of Addictions Nursing, found that five of the eight teenagers had first taken cannabis at the age of 13 or younger.

The authors said the young age of first use was “one of the most concerning aspects” of their findings.

First use was with friends, in a relaxed social situation, such as the park of the green.

Over time, usage increased in frequency and intensity, with seven of the eight reporting daily use.

At their peak of usage, two said they were spending more than €100 per day on the drug, a third said they were spending more than €50, while another said they were spending €50 a day.

“The seven daily smokers described how cannabis became a focal point of their lives,” the study said. “Some described it as an addiction but emphasised that it is a psychological addiction.”

It added: “Cravings and withdrawals were a common feature as they frequently reported sleep problems, appetite disturbance, agitation and constant cravings when they did not have it.”

Positive benefits included the enjoyment of being stoned and that it was a social drug that led to meeting new people.

Researchers said that while the users had sought treatment many desired to continue using, reflecting “a complicated picture of ambivalence".

The study said: “Although they recognised their use had caused them harm, they were generally reluctant to aim toward abstinence. The participants perceived that it was the amount of cannabis they smoked rather than smoking per se that was the problem."

Funding their use was a “big preoccupation”, with five of the eight admitting to selling cannabis to do so and half reporting various levels of criminality, from stealing money from parents to even armed robbery.

Half of the group reported receiving threats because of drug debts and authors said the demand that debts be paid was often the first time parents realised drugs was an issue.

Parents often paid the debts, a willingness some users abused. It some cases, the users were selling drugs for profit and, at times, were the ones “threatening or hurting others”.