OUR daughter killed herself at the age of 30 following a debilitating mental illness. She took cannabis for some years during her twenties, and her difficulties built up slowly and insidiously as she became more and more ill.

We know of five young adults who suffer depression and have generally lost their way in life following cannabis use. Two of them have had psychotic episodes. They all come from intelligent and caring families and would have had absolutely no idea that they may have inherited a familial tendency towards mental illness. Of course, such illness may have become evident without cannabis — but taking it is like playing Russian roulette.

My husband and I are in disbelief that the Government has downgraded cannabis. Professor Robin Murray at the Institute of Psychiatry has repeatedly drawn attention to the damage that cannabis can inflict on young brains. Let’s hope that the latest research makes young people wiser about the potent dangers of this drug.

Name and address supplied

Shambolic situation

WE HAVE a 20-year-old son who has been heavily involved in cannabis for a number of years. It is ruining our family. He cannot hold a job down, he hardly ever eats, he lies all the time and can’t talk about anything reasonably any more.

We live in a village in Oxfordshire, and almost all the youngsters from all backgrounds use the drug, and they think that they cannot be prosecuted for using, possessing and dealing. The majority of people don’t know how the law stands on this at the moment, and the police do nothing.

The situation is a shambles and I am sure that there are going to be many more casualties before this mess is sorted out.

Does anybody know how we can get help?

Name and address supplied

A health time bomb

RECLASSIFYING cannabis to Class B will almost certainly not act as a realistic preventive measure. What it will do is to sow further confusion, tie up more police time and criminalise otherwise law-abiding people.

So long as cannabis is available only through criminal sources, the health implications for its users are grave. Cannabis sold at present is of wildly varying potency; the most common form sold, “soap bar”, is awash with highly poisonous and carcinogenic substances but has very little actual cannabis. By regulating cannabis we would gain a much greater degree of control.