JnEverett

Cannabis raids help patients
11-05-06 l Manchester Evening News l Yakub Qureshi

A CANNABIS "drought" in Manchester has led to a drop in mental health patients being admitted to hospital, says a senior health worker.

Consultant nurse Mark Holland says many of his patients have reported difficulties in getting hold of cannabis following a police crackdown.

Mr Holland sees dozens of patients each week at different clinics and believes that a city-wide drug shortage may be linked to an improvement in their well-being.

The health worker, who has 26 years of NHS experience, is a senior member of the Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust, one of the main agencies dealing with people with severe psychological problems.

Earlier this year, police launched a national campaign to crack down on the home-grown supply of cannabis.

Because the symptoms of people with mental health problems, such as schizophrenia, are often worsened by using cannabis and other drugs, Mr Holland believes the shortage has led to improvements in his patients, many of whom are heavy users.

He said: "Colleagues and I have observed that many of the clients in our groups were saying how hard it was to get good quality cannabis.

"I would estimate that between a quarter and third of the patients with schizophrenia use drugs, with cannabis the most popular after alcohol.

"Some of my clients might smoke a joint a day - others might go through an ounce of skunk weed every week.

"Although it is a Class C drug and seen as a recreational drug, it can bring on added difficulties for people who have already got a mental illness or history of mental health problems.

Clients

"I have definitely noticed a change in many of my clients.

"They say they need a joint to calm down, but I tell them their symptoms seem a bit milder because they haven't had a joint."

Across Manchester, there has been a drop in the number of people needing hospital treatment for acute psychotic episodes - one of the first falls in several years.

But Mr Hollaned expressed concern whether the current cannabis shortage would have a lasting effect.

He said: "I think the shortage is offering people a window to have a think about their drug use, but, ultimately, the studies are very clear that people don't give up for good unless they choose to. It doesn't have a lasting impact otherwise."

Greater Manchester Police have been taking part in Operation Keymer, set up to target hundreds of cannabis factories across the country, focusing particularly on the powerful "skunk" variety.

Drugs worth £90,000 were seized after police raided a cannabis farm in Middleton, near Rochdale, finding dozens of plants and growing equipment.

Officers in Wythenshawe recovered more than 300 cannabis plants from a home in Benchill.

In the year up to August, police in the region seized more than 6,000 plants, with 87 people arrested.