A former recreational cannabis user thinks that the possibility of decriminalising possession of the drug would be a ’step in the right direction’.

This comes after an announcement from Home Affairs Minister Bill Malarkey about the department considering a new approach to help minor offenders rather than to prosecute them - including cannabis possession.

A young man, who was formerly dependent on the drug, shared his thoughts on the department’s proposals at an exclusive interview with the Isle of Man Examiner held at Motiv8 Addiction Services in Douglas.

Michael - not his real name - believes that a change in the law will help cannabis users come forward for help, but full legalisation will solve a lot more problems connected to the drug.

’Decriminalising cannabis will save public money and it’s a step in right direction, but it doesn’t take it out of the hands of the criminals,’ he said.

’What Bill Malarkey is saying is good and decriminalising possession of cannabis will help people who need help.

’If someone gets arrested now and is taken to prison for having cannabis, they might not be able to get a job and then may become a burden on our benefit system.

’Decriminalisation will also allow the police to target more serious crimes and save money.’

Michael said that he started smoking cannabis at the age of 15.

’I got into it full time when I was 18 or 19 years old.

’I used it for years as a positive thing but it developed into a problem as I used it for escapism, due to anxiety and depression.

’It wasn’t down to cannabis, but it was down to me and my other problems. It was not a healthy relationship.’

Once he noticed the problem develop he went to Motiv8 to receive help.

’I had nothing to lose,’ he said.

supporting

Michael told the Examiner the service had been supporting him for many years.

He said: ’It can’t be overstated how great Motiv8 is as a service, both for people with addiction or dependency issues and concerned family members and friends.’

Talking about his personal usage of the drug, Michael said that he had good and sometimes ’uncomfortable’ experiences. ’You can have an entirely different experience with different strains,’ he said.

’Some strains can aggravate mental health issues.

’It also depends on the individual.

’Someone having a casual smoke to relax or for medicinal reasons is fine, but if it’s interfering with their treatment, life or they’re having unwanted psychological effects like paranoia they need to stop.

’It’s not good for developing brains so teenagers shouldn’t smoke it and no one should drive or operate machinery under its influence.’

A big concern Michael has about the drug is the quality of cannabis that some residents are choosing to smoke.

’Soap bar [a type of hash] is not as prevalent as it was five or 10 years ago but it is still very much here. It’s quite poisonous.

’You are effectively smoking carrier bags and diesel-infused hash. Although that represents the worst end of the spectrum, most of the cannabis resin I have seen available here has been adulterated to some degree.’

He thinks that legalisation will not only improve the health of cannabis smokers, as the drug could be produced in the island under health regulations, but also lead to a better understanding of it.

’The public need to be educated more about cannabis because people aren’t open about talking about it,’ he said.

’A lot of users don’t realise they are funding terrorism, trafficking and other organised crime by buying cannabis. There is also the stigma of it being illegal.

’The majority of cannabis smokers aren’t what people think. They’re just ordinary people. I know of people within medical and legal professionals, as well as civil servants, who use cannabis, but it’s the criminals that get caught for having cannabis while committing other crimes.

’They get arrested and it’s found in their houses and that’s how cannabis gets associated with that one group.

’I have a lot of friends who are dependant on the drug. They worry that people will see them coming through these doors and ask questions.

’The rumour mill in the Isle of Man is notoriously bad, so I understand why people would be scared to get help.

’They assume that something negative will happen by coming to Motiv8, but that’s not the case.’