We were very perturbed by the article in your paper for the week ending 11 April 2014 entitled Whacky Bacci Celebration.
There was absolutely no mention of the huge downside to the legalisation of the recreational use of cannabis in the article.
The Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorders Alliance (SABDA) is a non-profit organisation and relies on volunteers and charity for its funding.
One of SABDA’s main functions is to advise and physically help the public on how to deal with family and friends who appear to have a mental disorder and to provide assistance to sufferers once they are discharged from hospitals or psychiatric wards.
Almost every mental health sufferer we encounter has been involved in taking cannabis or other drugs, leading to a deterioration in the functioning of the brain.
Schizophrenia and bi-polar disorders can respond well to modern medication, and sufferers can achieve partial restoration to near normal lives, however there is never a 100 percent return to their previous capability.
This treatment by medication is invariably found to be nullified by the renewed use of cannabis.
Since more than 1 percent of all population groups suffer from schizophrenia, it can be concluded that taking these drugs is equivalent to playing Russian roulette with the chance of brain damage.
The state is already struggling to keep up with even the most basic costs associated with the treatment of people with mental disorders. The uncontrolled use of cannabis will exacerbate this problem.
Let me add here that SABDA is in no way opposed to the controlled medical use of cannabis for the treatment of cancer or other diseases.
