Projects included the monitoring of cannabis cultivation in Morocco finding alternative activities for cannabis farmers monitoring the impact of cannabis trafficking out of North Africa into Europe HIV AIDS corruption and the trafficking of Afghan heroin.

Regarding efforts to eradicate cannabis cultivation, a number of countries were reported to be studying cannabis cultivation and its socio economic impact and assessing the feasibility of implementing alternative development programmes to tackle illicit cannabis cultivation.

In connection with illicit cannabis cultivation, the hope was expressed that UNODC would be able to contribute to efforts to reduce cannabis production.

In Morocco, the first cannabis surveys conducted in the Rif region in 2003 and 2004 confirmed the country as one of the world's leading cannabis producing and exporting countries, supplying 80 per cent of cannabis resin seized in Europe.

Of course, the existence of a positive correlation between cannabis use and psychosis does not allow us to draw a direct causal link between the two. Psychosis could cause cannabis use, rather than vice versa, or an unknown mediating factor could cause both cannabis use and psychosis.

59 160. Control of cultivation of and trafficking in cannabis

Concern was also expressed at the increased use of cannabis.

In many countries, buying or smoking cannabis is forbidden by law.

Cannabis was mentioned as a matter of special concern in Africa.

The vast majority were research into the harm of marijuana, such as Bad trip due to anticholinergic effect of cannabis, Cannabis induced pancreatitits and Marijuana use and risk of lung cancer.

A number of representatives reported on efforts to eradicate cannabis cultivation in their countries.

With regard to cannabis cultivation, further efforts by the international community are urgently needed.

Noting with concern that increased cultivation of cannabis in Africa is extremely dangerous for the ecosystem because it leads to extensive use of fertilizers, overexploitation of the soil and destruction of forests to make room for new cannabis fields, thus accelerating soil erosion,

In 2007, a compilation of the best studies concluded that frequent (daily) cannabis use doubles the risk of a psychotic outcome. Since the lifetime prevalence of a psychotic illness is roughly 1 of the population, daily cannabis use would increase this to 2 .

Concerned also that the abuse of cannabis, especially among young people, often leads to risk taking behaviour,

Small scale illicit cultivation of cannabis occurs in a large number of African and Middle Eastern countries.

People who started using cannabis before the age of 16 have a higher risk of psychosis compared to those who start after 18. This is in line with biological evidence suggesting that the maturing brain is more susceptible to the negative impact of cannabis.

Moreover, different strains of cannabis pose more or less risk for psychosis. A comparison of the two most common types of cannabis in the United Kingdom, hash and sinsemilla ( skunk ), found that using skunk implied a significantly greater risk of psychosis, while hash did not.

A number of speakers referred to the need to implement alternative development plans to address illicit cannabis cultivation.

Such programmes or plans covered cannabis in 32 States, opium poppy in 19 and coca bush in 7.

A final, and often overlooked, source of harm to mental health associated with cannabis is the legal fallout of being caught with it. Penalties for cannabis possession range from none (for example, the Netherlands and Portugal) to legal warnings, fines, and even life imprisonment (Southeast Asia).

Roughly 10 of people who smoke cannabis go on to develop dependence, which produces withdrawal symptoms when use is stopped, such as craving, irritability, sleep disturbances, abdominal pain, and nervousness. Again, CBD seems to offset the addictive effects of cannabis, and seems to provide relief from withdrawal symptoms.

1. Welcomes the 2003 cannabis survey conducted by Morocco in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Concerned further that cultivation of and trafficking in cannabis are on the increase in Africa partly as a result of extreme poverty and the absence of any viable alternative crop and partly because of the profitability of such activity and the high demand for cannabis in other regions of the world,

This is the only federally funded site where it is legal to cultivate cannabis for scientific research in the United States.

7. Encourages Member States to apply new strategies and tools to complement existing ones in efforts to combat trafficking in cannabis

That a certain kind of potato, a certain kind of drug, a sativa indica Cannabis cross has something to say about us.

In 2014, police raided the property and found more than 70g in cannabis as well as scales, paraphernalia and 1,700 in cash.

With regard to cannabis cultivation, no such comparable data exists, but it is clear that further efforts by the international community are urgently needed.

Coca surveys in Bolivia, Colombia and Peru opium poppy surveys in Afghanistan, the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Myanmar and a cannabis survey in Morocco.

Trends are also following similar patterns use of cannabis is increasing heroin use is stable or decreasing and use of ATS and cocaine is increasing.

It is generally accepted that frequent and prolonged cannabis use impairs cognitive functioning, but that these effects are reversible following abstinence of 3 12 months. However, a recent study that followed people from birth to age 38 found that those who started using cannabis early, every day, and for several years had a permanent 8 point drop in IQ scores.

As to the kind of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances they used, it was cannabis (52.8 per cent), ecstasy (18.4 per cent), diazepam (9.4 per cent).

For carriers of the C C variant (which occurs in roughly 20 of the population), the risk of psychosis increased seven fold but only for the people who used cannabis every day. Using cannabis on weekends or less often posed no increased risk, which was also the case for daily and weekend use among carriers of the C T and T T variants of AKT1.

Concerned that, of all the substances listed in the international drug control treaties, cannabis is by far the most widely and most frequently abused, especially among young people,

Decriminalization of cannabis would thus be an important step forward in approaching drug use as a health problem and not as a matter for the criminal justice system.

In our report, we recommend evaluating from a public health standpoint and on the basis of the most advanced medical science the merits of decriminalizing possession of cannabis for personal use.

In 43 States (48 per cent of respondents), the national plans included illicit crop eradication and other law enforcement measures targeting opium poppy (21 States), coca bush (6 States) and or cannabis (38 States).

In Africa and the Middle East, while information on drug abuse is scarce, regional expertise confirms an increase in the abuse of cannabis and some evidence of increase in the abuse of heroin and ATS.

Some indicated that those efforts were at the stage of studying cannabis cultivation and its socio economic impact and of assessing alternative development programmes and appealed for assistance from the international community in support of their efforts.

In the Political Declaration adopted at the twentieth special session of the General Assembly, Member States committed themselves to developing strategies to eliminate or reduce significantly the illicit cultivation of coca bush, cannabis plant and opium poppy by the year 2008.

As for sustainable livelihoods, UNODC will support Member States in their efforts to reduce, eliminate and prevent illicit cultivation of coca leaf, opium poppy and cannabis, notably in Afghanistan, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Morocco, Myanmar and the Andean region.

That question has provoked much debate over the years, often generating more heat than light. The bottom line is this within the scientific community, there is a general consensus that most people who use cannabis will not develop significant mental health problems.

In the Political Declaration adopted at the twentieth special session of the General Assembly, Member States committed themselves to developing strategies to eliminate or reduce significantly the illicit cultivation of the coca bush, the cannabis plant and the opium poppy by the year 2008.

Recalling also Commission on Narcotic Drugs resolution 45 8 of 15 March 2002 on the control of cannabis in Africa,See Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2002, Supplement No. 8 and corrigenda (E 2002 28 and Corr.1 and 2), chap. I, sect. C.