Cannabis use has no association with families’ socioeconomic profile. It’s not a class issue. “It affects all youth,” says Pablo Llamas, a psychologist at Proyecto Hombre Madrid who specializes in caring for minors. The most extreme cases come to his consultation, in which family coexistence is almost impossible, children dragged by mothers – in 56% of cases – who no longer recognize their children. “There’s a catch with joints: they don’t leave you with as much of a hangover as other drugs, nor as much of an imbalance, and it’s very easy to go from sporadic or experimental use to daily use,” he explains. Lamas has observed the same pattern for years; Children who, without realizing it, gradually become demotivated until they show depressive symptoms. “In most cases, the child does not admit that his relationship with the joints has entered a pathological phase,” says the expert.
According to the ESTUDES survey (2021) prepared by the Ministry of Health, cannabis is considered the third most consumed psychoactive substance among students aged 14 to 18 (after alcohol and tobacco) and the first in the category of illegal drugs. Data shows that 28.6% of youth report having used cannabis at some point. Of the minors arriving at Proyecto Hombre (PH), 60% report problems due to cannabis use – followed by 40% who cite alcohol as the main cause – 76% are boys and 24% are girls, with an average age of 16 years. The age of onset has fallen in recent years and is now between 12 and 14 years.
At the age of 11, Laura, now 16, tried tobacco. At age 12, he began smoking joints (he smoked hashish) and his use increased. He couldn’t go to class, missed many days and stayed home, smoking up to eight joints a day. “When I had a problem, I went there. I used it as a refuge, fell asleep and that was it,” he says. Over the years, when the weekend came, he would disappear for several days. He spent the night with friends and began trying other drugs: MDMA, speed, cocaine or “chick” (2C-B). A heated argument at home forced his mother to ask the police for mediation. Group therapy began two months ago at Proyecto Hombre Málaga. “When I listen to others my age, I feel identified with things that you think only happen at home: promises of change that you then don’t keep, the feeling that your mother no longer trusts you,” she says.
There is usually a complex emotional situation behind this behavior, says Llamas. “When they come to therapy, we reflect with them on the origins of their consumption. What relationship do you currently have with this drug?” Calm down, escape … we analyze the process that led you to this addiction and find that if it becomes chronic, it is because a serious one There is a basic problem.” Then help them to forgive themselves, because most of them come with a lot of guilt. “Some carry burdens that are none of their business, they are the collective term for everything that happens at home. It’s easier for their parents who can’t stand it to focus on their child’s performance issues, and that’s where the ball begins.”
The story of Laura’s mother Soledad conveys an even darker vision. “My daughter changed radically, she was a zombie, you couldn’t talk to her and she was always sad, she had been using hashish for three years, there wasn’t a day when she didn’t have her joint for breakfast, not once their skin and hair were different. Soledad, a victim of gender-based violence, says she has lost control of her daughter and admits her parenting model has failed. He had always given her a lot of freedom, he thought he was doing her a favor that she had to make a mistake herself. “In group therapy – Project Hombre always works with families – they taught me a lot, I realized that she was demanding a mother that I couldn’t be… I had to learn my new role.”
The lack of boundaries at home is one of the triggers for abusive consumption. “In most cases the family is the sticking point, you break the situation down and there are no rules laid down, you see that the authoritative role of the parental figures has been distorted and with the sessions you have to make sure that is the case.” They feel the power to set red lines again,” says Virginia Pérez, director of the PH Málaga prevention program. His team found very polarized educational styles: either extremely protectionist or too permissive. In the meetings, they work out clear rules and consequences for violations. “Every parent has to be realistic; if the punishment is not carried out later, all the work will be in vain.”
Risk of developing mental disorders
Added to this are the low risk perception, the normalization of consumption among peers and the effect of hoaxes that spread on social networks. “Many firmly believe that tobacco is worse than cannabis, to which they attribute healing properties; they argue that it is a natural and therapeutic plant,” says Belén Pardo, president of the PH Prevention Commission. This month the association launched a campaign against fake news, dismantling these mantras and explaining that the medical use of cannabis is palliative, not curative, and serves to relieve some symptoms, such as pain relief in people with cancer or multiples Sclerosis. among other diseases. “There are also opium-based drugs and no one thinks using heroin is healthy,” says Pardo.
According to the scientific literature, cannabis use in adolescents is associated with a significantly increased risk of developing mental disorders in adulthood. “There are longitudinal studies in people with no history of mental health problems or cannabis use, in newborns, followed through adulthood, which show that there is a clear association between cannabis use and the occurrence of certain mental disorders, including psychotic disorders. “,” says Celso Arango, director of the Institute of Psychiatry and Mental Health at the Gregorio Marañón Hospital. This is another point that young people are not aware of.
Her hospital recently collaborated on a study of new psychotic episodes in 15 cities in Europe. One of the results is that psychotic disorders increase more rapidly in the adolescent populations with higher consumption; The higher the potency of the cannabis (the higher the THC content), the greater the risk of psychosis or schizophrenia. Previous studies have shown that teen drinking has effects on their offspring decades later. “For both mothers and fathers, cannabis use during adolescence increases the risk of mental and behavioral disorders in their future children; we’re talking about impacts that occur 20 years later,” says Arango.
Adriana, 18, had serious joint problems and smoked up to five joints a day. “I started when I was 15, I wasn’t doing well, I was doing everything well and ignoring my obligations: going to school and helping at home.” He says it was a lifestyle that incorporated consumption into the daily activities included. “I spent a lot of time in bed and when I ran out of smoke I would roll another one.” She, who had always been a remarkable girl, was eventually “banned” from all the dealers in the neighborhood thanks to the cooperation of her friends. . Her therapy with PH lasted several years and now she has returned, but this time it was her, not her parents. He begins abusing alcohol. “It’s very easy to replace some substances with others, every person has their own internal struggle and I learned that my brain is addicted… I don’t want the same thing to happen to me again and I told myself so.” “Relax and seek help.” Adriana now realizes that this early addiction can have repercussions throughout her adult life.
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