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| Photo: news.injuryboard.com |
Fiona Correia
Talk to Frank's new television advert targets young cannabis users following a class upgrade from a C drug to a B drug.
If you switch on your television you may come across FRANK, surprisingly FRANK is not a man but a drug support network, that you can access online and by telephone or text. FRANK offers honest advice and support for anybody who might be curious about drugs or already using. Since FRANK’S arrival they have produced numerous television advertisements directed towards young people. Their latest advert focuses on the adverse effects of smoking cannabis, it shows a teenager splitting into various personalities, each one displaying different symptoms of the drug, some positive, many negative. The advert is aimed at people as young as 11 years old, who are considered to be the most vulnerable to drug peer pressure.
So what is cannabis? There are many slang names for the drug, such as marijuana, weed, pot, ganja and bud. The drug is grown from a plant known as Cannabis sativa, which contains tetrahydracannibonol (THC), THC is a chemical in the plant that creates the “high” users experience. The flower buds of the plant are picked and dried out then ground up and usually rolled into a spliff and smoked or smoked in a pipe or bong.
It can also be cooked and eaten, culinary users often add the drug to brownie or cake mixtures for a taster intake, slower drug release (an hour or so) and a longer high, these creations are informally known as space cakes. Because the high takes longer to take full effect when consumed, users will often grow impatient and assume that the drug is not working. As a result they will continue to eat more and then it is highly likely that they will overdose or have a bad experience. Short term effects of smoking cannabis include memory loss, paranoia and panic attacks. Long term effects include an increased risk of infertility in men and women, damaged lungs and mental illnesses.
The reason cannabis has come to the forefront of anti-drug advertising, is because of the presence of a stronger strain of marijuana known as skunk. Skunk is currently dominating the UK market, 80% of all cannabis available on the streets is actually skunk, compared to a mere 30% in 2002. Extensive research links cannabis use with schizophrenia and other mental illnesses and young people are the most at risk as their brains are not fully developed until their mid twenties. This evidence amongst other factors has pushed forward the decision to change the laws surrounding cannabis.
In January 2009 the Government decided to reclassify cannabis from class C to B, in response to a review carried out by the Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD). The Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) jointly developed a three step system of warning, fining and arrest. If you are caught possessing cannabis as a first offence you will be given a warning. For a second offence you would receive an on the spot fine of £80. A third offence could lead to conviction and a criminal record. The penalties for possession have also increased from two to five years imprisonment, and penalties for supply, dealing, production and trafficking of cannabis are up to a maximum of 14 years imprisonment. The reclassification means that penalties are harsher and tolerance is lowered in the hope that frequent users and curious first-timers are discouraged from taking the drug.
If you need any help or advice on drugs visit www.talktofrank.com
