Sharp rise in over-40s seeking help for addiction to ‘skunk’

CANNABIS has long been known as the drug of choice among the younger generations. But now researchers have found a huge increase in users aged over 40 who have become addicted to super-strength “skunk”.

Using data from Public Health Eng- land (PHE), York University researchers examined trends in the characteristics of people accessing specialist drug treatment services over the past decade.

They found that there had been a 114 per cent rise in those aged over 40 seeking help from drug clinics, citing cannabis as their main health concern.

Ian Hamilton, the lead author of the study, said: “Research earlier this year showed that the UK street market for cannabis is increasingly dominated by very high-potency varieties of drug.”

The “sharp rise” in cannabis users aged over 40 could be down to the prevalence of more potent strains of the drug. In some cases, resin can be nearly three times stronger than drugs that were available on the street in 2005, Mr Hamilton added.

“Long-term cannabis users, who are aged 40 or older, therefore, have been used to lower-potency cannabis in the past, which can now no longer be sourced,” Mr Hamilton said. “Turning to higher potency cannabis could increase the likelihood of them developing health problems. It is possible that a combination of tobacco use and highpotency cannabis could have contributed to the rise in the number of users over the age of 40 developing health problems, such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.”

Researchers found that there had also been a 95 per cent increase in women of all ages seeking help for cannabis use. This compares to a 72 per cent increase in men over the past decade. Mr Hamilton, a lecturer in mental health at York University, said it was unclear why this was the case.

Cannabis remains the most popular illicit drug in the UK but the number of people using it has been in steady decline over the past decade, falling two million to 1.4million.

Since cannabis users are often also smokers, the fact that the older age group will have been smoking for longer than younger drug users is another factor contributing towards the rise in cannabis-related health issues among the over-40s, Mr Hamilton said.

The study, published in the journal Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, analysed data from PHE between 2005-6 and 2015-16.