Awareness of Cannabis Smoking Risks

The motion

That the Parliament notes the recently published report by the British Lung Foundation (BLF), The Impact of Cannabis on your Lungs, which highlights what it considers the alarming lack of public awareness and perception of the health risks associated with smoking cannabis; notes that the report analysed responses from 1,045 people across the UK and indicated that 88% of respondents believed that smoking cannabis was less harmful than smoking cigarettes; understands, however, that the BLF considers that the risk of developing lung disease is up to 20 times greater in a cannabis cigarette than in a tobacco cigarette; understands that an estimated two million people in the UK smoke cannabis and that cannabis smoking has strong associations with the development of bullous lung disease, whereby deep inhalation of the pulmonary-toxic components in cannabis can cause the formation of cysts and consequent pneumothorax; also notes the danger of psychosis, with users of the more potent form of cannabis, skunk, considered seven times more likely to develop a psychotic illness than people not using cannabis; highlights that 32% of people surveyed believed that smoking cannabis did not pose any harm to health and the figure rose to almost 40% among respondents under 35, and acknowledges comments aimed to improve public awareness of the severity of health risks associated with smoking cannabis by Dame Helena Shovelton, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation, who states, “This is not a niche problem – cannabis is one of the most widely-used recreational drugs in the UK, with almost a third of the population having tried it. We therefore need a serious public health campaign – of the kind that has helped raise awareness of the dangers of eating fatty foods or smoking tobacco – to finally dispel the myth that smoking cannabis is somehow a safe pastime.”

No recorded vote on this motion. Most motions are never debated, and many that are debated are agreed without a division. Vote records are published from 2011.

SNP 21 Lab 5 Con 1

Party shown is each supporter’s party when the motion was published.

No contribution in the Official Report cites S4M-03197 by reference.