Birmingham Post; Birmingham (UK) (May 15, 06:20 AM) More research is needed to determine whether cannabis use directly causes mental health problems and abuse of harder drugs, according to Birmingham experts.
The use of cannabis and other illicit drugs by young people has been linked to psychological health problems, the use of other illegal drugs, reduced educational performance, and anti-social behaviour.
But researchers at the University of Birmingham have concluded it is still unclear whether this is the case.
They have called for more studies to provide hard evidence to prove or disprove the beliefs.
The work was commissioned by the Department of Health and carried out by the university's Department of Primary Care and General Practice.
It examined population studies reporting an association between drug use by young people and psycho-social harm. The researchers found a general consistency between cannabis use and both lower educational attainment and increased reported use of other illicit drugs.
However, there were less consistent links between cannabis use and psychological and behavioural problems. Dr John Macleod, who led the study, stressed their findings did not brand the drug harmless but said existing evidence was not adequate.
'We are not saying that currently available evidence suggests cannabis use is harmless,' he said.
'Rather, we have found no strong evidence that use of cannabis in itself has important consequences for psychological or social health.
'Problems with the available evidence render it equally unable to support this proposition. 'Better evidence is needed in relation to cannabis, which is widely used, and in relation to other drugs that, although less widely used, might have important effects.'
