Cannabis has fuelled a crisis in mental health

I was interested to read Eve Simmons’s special report in

Health last week about California’s legal cannabis dream becoming a public health nightmare.

I was always of the mindset that marijuana should be legalised. However, I have since changed my mind, as the stuff back in the 1970s was nothing compared with the stuff out there today.

One common thing I’ve noticed with marijuana users is that they claim it helps their anxiety issues, but I’ve started to wonder whether weed is perhaps the cause.

Chris Harris, Cotswolds

Whatever California is doing, everyone else should do the exact opposite. Cannabis is a drug and, like any other drug, has pluses and minuses, but is always a negative for health.

Alan Cole, Nantwich

In Eve Simmons’s report, she interviewed the mother of a boy who died after taking fentanyl, a synthetic opioid.

This had absolutely nothing to do with him being a cannabis smoker, as was suggested by the boy’s mother.

It seems that she has an agenda by blaming cannabis for this personal tragedy.

L. Olson, Clitheroe

Marijuana has been legal in California for five years and there hasn’t been a negative impact on the population, as Eve Simmons reported. You can now buy the whole product, derivatives and edibles online from a Governmentapproved website, or in person at Government-approved shops, knowing it’s certified to be free of contaminants and chemicals.

Ian Thomas, Hampshire

Not only has Eve Simmons reported about the cannabis issue currently happening in California, but also your columnist Peter Hitchens has been tirelessly campaigning to stop this nightmare happening here.

We are lucky to have both these journalists putting their necks on the line to give us the truth.

A. Harris, Redhill

Cannabis may not be as dangerous as other drugs but it is certainly not safe. There are many negative effects of cannabis, including a risk of developing dependency, its tendency to reduce motivation and concentration, and the likelihood that it reduces male fertility.

J. Adams, Nottingham

If you drink alcohol but think that cannabis is bad, you need to have a long look at yourself in the mirror. It’s far better for the human body than alcohol will ever be, yet no one is campaigning to make that illegal. Why are people so scared of a drug that is proven to calm people down?

D. Jackson, Nairn