Almost all of the cannabis being illegally sold in the UK is super-strength sinsemilla, otherwise known as skunk, a new study has found.
Experts are warning of “potential mental health risks” associated with the high-potency marijuana, says Sky News. According to the most recent figures available, there were 7,545 hospital admissions in 2016-17 for “drug-related mental health and behavioural disorders” - a 12% increase from 2006-07, The Daily Telegraph reports.
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Lead study author Dr Marta Di Forti, Medical Research Council clinician scientist at King’s College London, said: “In previous research we have shown that regular users of high-potency cannabis carry the highest risk for psychotic disorders, compared to those who have never used cannabis.
“The increase of high-potency cannabis on the streets poses a significant hazard to users’ mental health, and reduces their ability to choose more benign types.”
Cannabis is now the most commonly used drug in England and Wales, with 6.6% of people aged 16 to 59 - 2.2 million people - having used it in the past year, according to Home Office statistics.
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