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."
elizabeth.lee@northantsnews.co.uk< /a
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