More potent cannabis can lead to greater chance of addiction: Study
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More potent cannabis can lead to a higher chance of addiction and psychosis, a recent review of studies has found.
Commenting on the study in a Facebook post yesterday, Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim said many young people he spoke to have misguided notions about cannabis, also known as marijuana.
This is largely influenced by the way drug consumption is portrayed in the Western media, he said.
Said Associate Professor Faishal: "While attending anti-drug events, I've met recovering addicts who told me they started down the slippery slope of addiction because they had overestimated their self-control over drug use."
Prof Faishal noted that the study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry journal on Monday, confirms prior research showing that drugs can cause addiction.
The systematic review of earlier studies conducted around the world compared people who used products with lower concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC - the part of marijuana that makes people feel high - with those who used higher THC concentrations.
Said Prof Faishal: "It is important to equip our youth with the relevant information so that they can learn about the harmful effects of drugs, and adopt a drug-free lifestyle."
According to a survey of more than 1,000 Singapore residents by public opinion company YouGov done in collaboration with The Straits Times, younger Singaporeans are more likely to perceive cannabis, or weed, as not harmful and to have considered using controlled substances or prescription drugs without a prescription than their elders.
