Comparing cannabis with tobacco: Services are needed for acute and  chronic effects of cannabis

doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7407.165-b

BMJ 2003;327:165 (19 July), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7407.165-b

Letter

Comparing cannabis with tobacco

Services are needed for acute and chronic effects of cannabis

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—Henry et al draw attention to the damaging effects of cannabis and the potential problems likely to emerge fromits increasing use.¹

There are many aspects to this debate, not least the inevitabilityof the progress to further use, although other countries haveshown this to peak in young people and to deteriorate subsequently.It is also, like most addiction problems, complicated by therebeing many different side effects, some more serious than others.Like alcohol, cannabis is likely to cause acute physical andpsychological as well as long term damage.

Research therefore is urgently required in all these areas.My colleagues and my recent study showed the relation betweendose and at least some complications.² It makes intuitivesense that, like other drugs of intoxication, the harmful effectsof cannabis are likely to be dose related. The public healthmessage, therefore, becomes like that of illegal drugs—not. . . [Full text of this article]

Roy Robertson, general practitioner principal

Muirhouse Medical Group, Edinburgh EH4 4PL jrobert5@staffmail.ed.ac.uk