AAP Newswire: September 6, 2009

An enormous amount of media coverage resulted from this AAP report about young children in Melbourne and Sydney being ‘sedated’ with cannabis by their parents. Les Twentyman, a Melbourne social worker, is said to believe this “practice continues to become more prevalent in ‘impoverished’ areas” in both cities. Children are being exposed to cannabis through both passive smoking and by their parents giving them bongs, sometimes in an attempt to curb problematic behaviour. These parents’ inability to afford medication for “behavioural problems,” along with a lack of understanding about the long-term effects of cannabis on young children are put forward as reasons for this disturbing practice.

“These are concerning anecdotes from very experienced workers in the field. There is almost no research on this question. Given what we are learning about the effects of cannabis on the developing brain, exposure to cannabis smoke in childhood is extremely concerning. Its use to “manage” behavioural problems suggests that these are families with multiple and complex problems that extend beyond cannabis use alone.” Jan Copeland.