Statistics on cannabis use in the western region

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PREVALENCE OF USE

These are the statistics from NCAD for 2010/2011 in this area for young adults aged 15 - 34 years.

Lifetime use (Used at least once in their lifetime) ="30.8%

Last year use (used at least once in the last year) = 7.6%

Last month use (used at least once in the last month) = 1.2%

These statistics point to the fact that not everyone is smoking cannabis although it can seem like that if you socialise with people that do.

REGULAR CANNABIS USE IS NOT THE NORM AMONGST YOUNG ADULTS.

THE COUNSELLING EXPERIENCE

Having worked as the drug & alcohol counsellor at NUI Galway for a year a number of individuals presented concerned about their cannabis use. Those individuals who presented did so because their cannabis use was having a significant detrimental effect on their lives. In general they were using on a daily basis.

They came for help because they perceived that their cannabis use was having an impact on their ability to undertake their academic courses adding to demotivation and lack of interest in attending lectures and completing coursework. Whilst some students may have feelings of demotivation about their course anyway it is apparent use of cannabis can exacerbate these feelings.Some of those who attended experienced some paranoia after using cannabis and used cannabis further to deal with this anxiety, which whilst it may have helped in the short term added to the feelings of anxiety.

Some of those individuals expressed regret that their lives very much centred around their cannabis use because they felt they were missing out on other aspects of college life such as getting involved in sports clubs, societies or integrating more fully with their classmates, and not enjoying a fuller social life.

The experiences of those individuals enforces the fact that cannabis is not a 'harmless drug'. It has the potential to become addictive, with elements of physical and psychological dependency.

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