Mother tells how cannabis claimed son
A RETIRED teacher whose son’s death was caused by mental illness brought on by cannabis is touring schools to warn children about the drug.
Janie Hamilton lost her 36-year-old son James to testicular cancer after his druginduced psychosis led him to refuse chemotherapy.
His death was recorded as being partly caused by schizophrenia, which his family believe was triggered by cannabis addiction.
James’s personality changed dramatically after he became hooked on the drug at 14. He was sectioned aged 20.
He later admitted to his family that he knew cannabis caused his mental illness but could not bring himself to stop smoking it.
With Dorset Police, Mrs Hamilton is giving talks in assemblies beginning this month.
The former prep school music teacher from North Dorset said she wanted youngsters to realise cannabis can be lethal. She said: ‘It’s like Russian roulette and young people don’t realise they are risking death by experimenting.’
Mrs Hamilton, 65, said her son was a ‘brilliant writer’, ‘witty’ and dreamed of being a journalist.
He attended the Surrey boarding school where his father, now 69, taught maths, and the family lived on site.
But he had trouble fitting in and his parents believe he may have been bullied. By age 14, he was spending time with boys outside the school and it is thought one of them began supplying James with cannabis.
Mrs Hamilton said: ‘I am convinced James’s psychosis began when he started smoking cannabis … It was affecting his brain. He was stony-faced and strange.
‘We didn’t know at the time he was doing drugs. We were naive, as we had never tried drugs ourselves.’ But now the Hamiltons know James smoked the drug most weekends and sometimes mid-week. He missed out on a string of A grades, losing his place at Durham University.
Back at his parents’ house, James became paranoid and withdrawn. It was then his parents believe he started to hear voices.
He was diagnosed with schizophrenia and was in hospital for three months. Discharged, he stopped taking his schizophrenia drugs because of side effects. He relapsed and was in and out of hospitals for 16 years.
In 2014, he refused treatment for testicular cancer and made doctors swear not to tell his family. When they found out, the cancer was in its late stages.
Mrs Hamilton said: ‘Anyone who doesn’t believe cannabis can lead to mental health issues needs to watch the anguish and what it has done to families like ours.’