This drug stole my son’s mind... then took his life
JANIE Hamilton lost her son James after he developed severe mental illness brought on by cannabis.
He died of testicular cancer in 2015 after his drug-induced psychosis led him to refuse chemotherapy.
His death was recorded as being partly caused by schizophrenia, which his family believe was triggered by his cannabis addiction.
James, who had trouble fitting in at boarding school where his father taught, is thought to have started using cannabis at the age of 14. His personality changed dramatically after he became hooked on the drug. He was sectioned aged 20.
His mother, a 5-year-old retired teacher from North Dorset, now tours schools warning young people of the risks of experimenting with a mind-altering substance.
Yesterday she said she felt ‘very cross’ when she heard about Lord Hague’s comments. ‘I am concerned that the dangers of cannabis are being forgotten in all this,’ she said.
‘From a personal point of view, I can only speak of the impact of cannabis on my son’s life and the devastation it caused to him and to our whole family.
‘If people had witnessed what I have in mental health wards for 1 years, of teenagers and the young and old shuffling about, their lives derailed, they would not be so casual about the potential impact of cannabis on individuals.’