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A new report from UNICEF suggests the well-being of children living in Canada is lower than those growing up in many other wealthy countries.

Canada ranked 17th of 29 countries in an overall ranking compiled by the child-focused international humanitarian organization.

The report shows Canada’s standing hasn’t improved since a prior report in 2007. The first report was based on data from 2001-03, while the current one contains data from 2009-10.

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Cannabis is the most widely used illicit substance globally, with an estimated 203 million people reporting use. Although research has found links between cannabis use and mental illness, exact numbers and prevalence of problem cannabis use had not been investigated.

“We know that people with mental illness consume more cannabis, perhaps partially as a way to self- medicate psychiatric symptoms, but this data showed us the degree of the correlation between cannabis use, misuse, and mental illness,” said Dr. Shaul Lev-ran, Adjunct Scientist at CAMH and Head of Addiction Medicine at the Sheba Medical Center, Israel.

“Based on the number of individuals reporting weekly use, we see that people with mental illness use cannabis at high rates. This can be of concern because it could worsen the symptoms of their mental illness,” said Lev-ran, who conducted the research as a post-doctoral fellow with the Social Aetiology of Mental Illness (SAMI) Training Program at CAMH.

Researchers also found that individuals with mental illness were 10 times more likely to have a cannabis use disorder.

In this new study, published in the journal Comprehensive Psychiatry, CAMH researchers analyzed data from face-to-face interviews with over 43,000 respondents over the age of 18 from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Using structured questionnaires, the researchers assessed cannabis use as well as various mental illnesses including depression, anxiety, drug and alcohol use disorders and personality disorders, based on criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV).

Among those will mental illness reporting at least weekly cannabis use, rates of use were particularly elevated for those with bipolar disorder, personality disorders and other substance use disorders.

In total, 4.4 per cent of individuals with a mental illness in the past 12 months reported using cannabis weekly, compared to 0.6 per cent among individuals without any mental illness. Cannabis use disorders occurred among 4 per cent of those with mental illness versus 0.4 per cent among those without.

Researchers also noted that, although cannabis use is generally higher among younger people, the association between mental illness and cannabis use was pervasive across most age groups.

They emphasize the importance of screening for frequent and problem cannabis use among those with mental illness, so that targeted prevention and intervention may be employed.

This study was funded through the SAMI Training Program of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada’s largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital, as well as one of the world’s leading research centres in its field. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to help transform the lives of people affected by mental health and addiction issues. CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre. For more information, please visit www.camh.ca.

Media contact: Michael Torres; (416) 595-6015; media@camh.ca.

Herbal incense gives marijuana-like high and is in stores coast to coast

The sale of herbal incense that may give a high similar to marijuana remains in a regulatory void in Canada, despite a crackdown on similar substances south of the border.

A CBC News investigation has found that the product is available to buy in stores from St. John’s to Vancouver. Packages of the herbal incense contain explicit health warnings that it is not for human consumption.

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It’s advertised as legal marijuana; however, the Halton Regional Police Service says it’s just as illegal as the real thing and want it off Halton’s streets.

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Article Date: 07 Dec 2012 – 0:00 PST

New research from North Carolina State University, Brigham Young University and the Pennsylvania State University finds that parental involvement is more important than the school environment when it comes to preventing or limiting alcohol and marijuana use by children.

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Updated 10:50 AM EST, Fri December 7, 2012

CNN – The crowd at the base of the Space Needle in Seattle began counting down as midnight approached. It wasn’t New Year’s Day they were anticipating, but the moment that marijuana would become legal in Washington state. As midnight hit, smokers hit their pipes and joints to celebrate.

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Article Date: 12 Oct 2012 – 1:00 PDT

The system of the brain responsible for mediating the effects of cannabis, the endocannabinoid system, is most vulnerable to the drug during adolescence, according to new research.

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Chronic use of the chronic before age of 18 can cause “lasting harm to a person’s intelligence, attention and memory” – and quitting pot later in life doesn’t reverse the damage, says daunting new research out of New Zealand.

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They are working with youth across Canada to learn more about how young people who have experienced psychosis understand cannabis use, especially in relation to to their mental health. Youth from across the country are acting as researchers with their peers to find out what the key issues are, and how this information can be shared with other youth.

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