Royal College of PsychiatristsVerified account

Molly: stop youngsters using cannabis would be great. 3 million young people use it. It would be better available for young people if it was available legally. However we need more mental health awareness. If legalised it is important to have a high proportion of CBD #RcPsychIC

Q&A: CBD & THC ratio. How much attention should we be paying to THC? Robin: THC proportion has risen & CBD has decreased. It can make people psychotic more easily with THC than cocaine but you can lessen the effects with CBD. Whether that CBD can help with psychosis is unknown

Molly: alcohol people are dying every single day, same with cigarettes . I am not aware of anyone dying of cannabis. The Swedish study on psychosis determined by the familial background. Cause pyschotic episodes and not a life long issue. #RCPSychIC

Q&A: How do you view cannabis to alcohol & cigarettes? Robin: I think useful comparison. They kill far more people than cannabis. Not so many people use cannabis, therefore not as dangering to people. Once you legalise a substance it doesn’t mean you can regulate. #RCPsychIC

Robin: the situation is like brexit. We are currently dissatisfied with the outcome. In Canada it’s clear to see they are seeing more psychosis. In Colorado the black market is booming. If we were to put 10% THC, the people that want to smoke 20% will go to the black market

Q&A- do we see negative outcomes that have legalised cannabis? Molly: most countries have had inadequate regs. Canada is better. We need to have firm regulations. We don’t look to the US for good firm regulations. We wouldn’t introduce a system they have in the Netherlands have.

The danger of removing warnings on Cannabis packages when legalised may encourage people to buy it. In Canada they will be removing warning signs towards the end of this year as its not helping with the business side of it - Prof Sir Robin Murray #RCPsychIC

“Legalisation drives up potency” - Prof Sir Robin Murray Amsterdam has legalised cannabis and can contain up to 50-60% THC #RCPsychIC

Speaking: Sir Robin Murray talks about the other view of legalisation Of #Cannabis #RCPsychIC

It is estimated it would save £291m in costs of policing etc per year - probably thats an under estimation says @MeacherMolly #rcpsychic

The gateway effect - users of cannabis get used to buying illicit drugs and this leads to some moving up to class A drugs. This would not happened if supply happened via legal means, says @MeacherMolly #rcpsychic

Legalisation and regulation would enable a legal supply of safer forms of cannabis for recreational use, and a reduction of use of forms which would remain illegal, eg skunk- which has much higher risks in relation to psychosis @MeacherMolly says #rcpsychic

So @MeacherMolly starts making the case in favour of the motion. Legalisation and regulation have huge benefits - reduce risk of psychosis, reduce gateway to class A drugs, reducing cost of public services, reducing profits for criminals. #RCPsychIC

Dr Nathan Huneke: The CO2 challenge showed increased heart rate and subjective anxiety which was what was expected #RCPsychIC

“We need to be calm, focus on the evidence and focus on people with loved experience.” Wise words from @Mental_Elf #rcpsychic

Personality traits and anxiety correlations. Neuroimaging markers are abnormal in people with anxiety. Pilot study was set up with healthy people with no anxiety to see if the CO2 challenge changed their neuroimaging markers in their brain - Dr Nathan Huneke #RCPsychIC