Dutch Children of 12 'Addicted to Cannabis'

[motorhead]

Netherlands: Dutch Children of 12 'Addicted to Cannabis'
by Isabel Conway, in Amsterdam, (21 Mar 2006) Independent Netherlands
Dutch schoolchildren as young as 12 are being treated for addiction to a powerful home-grown marijuana which is up to 20 times stronger than imported varieties, an addiction clinic in the Netherlands has revealed.

But while the age of regular and dependent cannabis users has dropped sharply in recent years, the dangers and health hazards of soft drugs have been "completely underestimated" by parents caught "in a flower- power time warp", Dr Romeo Ashruf, an addiction specialist, said.

The cannabis that Dutch children take, nederwiet, is produced in Holland and is up to 20 times stronger than imported varieties, he told Network 2's Bij ons Thuis television programme last night. It was not unusual for children as young as 12 to be addicted to cannabis and referred to drugs clinics by their GPs, said Dr Ashruf.

"In years gone by, the age group for referrals was between 16 and 21 but now it has gone down to between 14 and 19," he said. "Children of 12 and 13 who are addicted to soft drugs are also brought in. It is an alarming development."

Dr Ashruf, director of the Parnassia Clinic in The Hague, said that Dutch parents are largely unaware of the dangers because of the changes the drug has undergone since the 1960s.

"A lot of parents think back to the Sixties when flower power was at its height and they were passing around a joint from one to the other. It was the done thing then, and they just think their kids are doing the same and it's all a bit of harmless fun and part of growing up.

"What they fail to realise is that there is a world of difference between then and now. Kids don't share; they light up their own joint, and the drug they use is far stronger than in days gone by. Parents unfortunately massively underestimate the effects of using Dutch-grown nederwiet on their children and its potential to create dependency and health risks."

Research into the strength of nederwiet has shown it to have between 14 and 20 times more THC ( tetrahydro-cannabinol ) - the active ingredient which makes users high and encourages dependency - than imported varieties. Once a cottage industry, it is today a huge criminally organised business.

Bela Willems, 19, a former cannabis user, said he became hooked on the drug while still in junior school. By the time he was 16 he was smoking eight joints daily. Now he visits junior schools to warn pupils about the dangers of cannabis. "I come across kids in the last two years of junior school who are taking soft drugs regularly," he said.

Dr Ashruf said he was convinced that regular soft drugs use by young people in Holland can lead to addiction and a range of serious health effects. "

Cannabis causes addiction; there is no doubt about that," he said. "The children I am treating who are heavy users have arrested development. Somebody of 18 is mentally developed to the age of about 15. They become apathetic, they perform badly at school, they cannot sustain friendships, they have problems in all their daily relationships, they can't sleep properly, they are introverted and disturbed. Most of the time nobody - neither parents, nor teachers - realises that it is caused by their use of soft drugs."

Dutch schoolchildren as young as 12 are being treated for addiction to a powerful home-grown marijuana which is up to 20 times stronger than imported varieties, an addiction clinic in the Netherlands has revealed.

But while the age of regular and dependent cannabis users has dropped sharply in recent years, the dangers and health hazards of soft drugs have been "completely underestimated" by parents caught "in a flower- power time warp", Dr Romeo Ashruf, an addiction specialist, said.

The cannabis that Dutch children take, nederwiet, is produced in Holland and is up to 20 times stronger than imported varieties, he told Network 2's Bij ons Thuis television programme last night. It was not unusual for children as young as 12 to be addicted to cannabis and referred to drugs clinics by their GPs, said Dr Ashruf.

"In years gone by, the age group for referrals was between 16 and 21 but now it has gone down to between 14 and 19," he said. "Children of 12 and 13 who are addicted to soft drugs are also brought in. It is an alarming development."

Dr Ashruf, director of the Parnassia Clinic in The Hague, said that Dutch parents are largely unaware of the dangers because of the changes the drug has undergone since the 1960s.

"A lot of parents think back to the Sixties when flower power was at its height and they were passing around a joint from one to the other. It was the done thing then, and they just think their kids are doing the same and it's all a bit of harmless fun and part of growing up.

"What they fail to realise is that there is a world of difference between then and now. Kids don't share; they light up their own joint, and the drug they use is far stronger than in days gone by. Parents unfortunately massively underestimate the effects of using Dutch-grown nederwiet on their children and its potential to create dependency and health risks." Research into the strength of nederwiet has shown it to have between 14 and 20 times more THC ( tetrahydro-cannabinol ) - the active ingredient which makes users high and encourages dependency - than imported varieties. Once a cottage industry, it is today a huge criminally organised business.

Bela Willems, 19, a former cannabis user, said he became hooked on the drug while still in junior school. By the time he was 16 he was smoking eight joints daily. Now he visits junior schools to warn pupils about the dangers of cannabis. "I come across kids in the last two years of junior school who are taking soft drugs regularly," he said.

Dr Ashruf said he was convinced that regular soft drugs use by young people in Holland can lead to addiction and a range of serious health effects. "

Cannabis causes addiction; there is no doubt about that," he said. "The children I am treating who are heavy users have arrested development. Somebody of 18 is mentally developed to the age of about 15. They become apathetic, they perform badly at school, they cannot sustain friendships, they have problems in all their daily relationships, they can't sleep properly, they are introverted and disturbed. Most of the time nobody - neither parents, nor teachers - realises that it is caused by their use of soft drugs."

[Abrad]

Which is why children shouldn't take drugs.

[Alfa]

What a bullshit:
The highest THC level they note is 20%. Divide that by 20 and you get... a THC level of 1%, which is not active. Even the worst bunk weed has a minimum of 4% and that's very bad.
They make no mention in this article of that the number of young people using cannabis has actually dropped. It is mentioned in the show though.
In contrary to this article, the addiction specialist does say that it is an exception when children as young as 12 are brought in. This happens sometimes. Although the claims of the show are worrysome enough as is, this article has spiced things up a lot.

Source: http://www.teleacnot.nl/sites/bij_ons_thuis/

[snapper]

SWIM is immature, apathetic, antisocial, can't sleep, isn't even in school, has no relationships and is disturbed.
Cannabis helps greatly with all of these problems !
It helped when SWIM was 12 years old, too! Though not advocating 12 year olds smoke weed, perhaps these underlying problems are hat drive children to become addicted to drugs. The logic flips easily, and to me, this interpretation makes more sense. Then again, this is preaching to the converted ...
Snapper

[Nagognog2]

NEXT UP: Children as young as 12 addicted to Masturbation! Brought to you by the same bunch of intolerant quasi-religious pinheads who want to jail pot-smokers and bring back "the good old days" of the Middle Ages.

[enquirewithin]

Dr Romeo Ashruf, an addiction specialist-- looking for business!

[Sklander]

Marijuana isn't addictive. That article is bunk.

[Abrad]

They were probably mixing their weed with highly addictive tobacco.
They think its the weed but in reality they are nicotine addicts.

[Creeping Death]

Sure, 12 year olds can have an easy tendency to form a habit. Thats because they have little else to do, nothing wrong with that.

Furthermore, i want that super weed. Give me the super weed.

[Alicia]

Oh once again another bullshit article however there some slight truth in the section that cannabis can become psychologically addicting to certain people but then what isn't people get addicted to food, some get addicted to chocolate others to smack.

[bandito]

In the UK, we have 11-12 yr olds addicted to heroin and crack... So i don't see the point they're trying to make in the article.

If the point they are trying to make is that the Dutch cannabis policy is not working, then why don't they just follow the UK and US etc drug policies. Then see how many 12 year old they have in the clinics, and on what drugs...

[Mr. Giraffe]

It's also worth noting that the Netherlands has approximately ONE QUARTER the teenage use of cannabis as the UK.

[Sick Jack]

I know lot of 12 years old children who have the bad habit to stand in front of television several hours per day, such an horrible addiction !! TV should be prohibited, and the Web too. Such tolerant societies just make me sick....................

[Silence_Inc]

i wouldn't say cannabis ISN'T addictive ... cause i think it is. it's easy to cut loose - but it is VERY addicitve imo. i know friends that want to quit smoking for years now.

[Nagognog2]

Give 'em a TV Set!

[robin_himself]

I'm a Dutchman... and i can tell you that the problem isnt the weed... or the weed potency ... the problem is the way children grow up with weed... its becoming like alcohol... taken for granted.... its not handled with respect... and when 12 year olds see the 16/17/18 year olds doing something ... they copy it...

the weeds fine

[Sick Jack]

Addictive or not, and so what ? If we are really free, we should be free to choose our addictions too.

I know lot of people, because they didn't find any sense to their existences, who are happy to work 12 hours per day. You know, this kind of people that become paranoid when they're in holiday, just because they have "nothing" to do. They destroy their health, their nervous system, their social life... But that's their choice, and no one tries to make them stop or understand that they're destroying their health and wasting their lifes.

Why should be some "addictions" more acceptable than others ? Most of my pothead friends are not more dangerous or social threats than some workaholic people who work 12 hours per day for big bad corporations..

Addictions are a question of choice, the problem is that most of the people think that it's a fatality or destiny......