«Anyone who starts smoking weed young has a problem»

Mr Berg, you work with young people who want to stop smoking weed or reduce their consumption. What motivates them to do so?

Many come because their parents, teachers or employers ask them to get their consumption under control. However, more and more young people are coming forward of their own accord because they realise that something is going wrong. Parents are less reproachful towards their children than they used to be. Most do not demand abstinence from them, but rather a moderate approach to cannabis.

What would you describe as moderate consumption?

In the case of alcohol, we know what quantity is safe or harmful to health. There are no such guidelines for cannabis. It seems certain that as little as possible should be consumed before the age of 15. If people of this age are already smoking weed, it is important that they take three to four days off per week. Things get tricky when young people rely on cannabis to have a positive experience or when they smoke weed to cope with the demands of everyday life. Put simply, susceptibility to addictive behaviour depends on our biology and the social context in which we live. Good mental health and a solid environment are protective factors.

How does smoking weed harm your health?

When smoked, cannabis causes similar symptoms to tobacco: it can lead to cardiovascular problems and high blood pressure, impairs sperm quality and damages the lungs. Possible consequences include shortness of breath, chronic cough, bronchitis and lung cancer. However, regardless of the form in which we consume cannabis, research assumes that it can have a negative impact on brain development in young people who start smoking weed at an early age, i.e. at 12 or 13.

In what way?

Our brain has a number of receptors for the body's own cannabinoids, which have similar properties to the active ingredients of the same name from the hemp plant. This similarity makes it possible for cannabinoids from the plant to dock onto our receptors when we consume cannabis. Studies suggest that this can affect the development of nerve networks in the brain if brain development is not yet complete - and this takes until the age of 21. Smoking pot in early adolescence could therefore permanently impair cognitive abilities.

So there's something to the myth that smoking weed makes you stupid?

Studies disagree on this question, with one disproving the other. Researchers currently assume that cognitive impairments in adults are reversible, i.e. that stoners can make up for any deficits if they stop using. There are indications that those who start smoking weed regularly before the age of 15 can expect permanent impairments. However, whether and to what extent cannabis causes these impairments has not been conclusively clarified.

Cannabis is also said to affect the psyche.

It can trigger anxiety and panic attacks, psychosis, depression or concentration disorders. The cannabis that is in circulation today has a much higher proportion of psychoactive THC, which is the active ingredient that triggers the high. Sometimes it is almost 25 per cent. The active ingredient cannabidiol, on the other hand, which counteracts psychosis, has almost been bred out over the years. This can increase the risk of acute psychotic symptoms if someone is susceptible to them.

What does vulnerable mean in this context?

There must be a so-called vulnerability. This can be due to a genetic predisposition to a mental illness or previous mental health problems. We know, for example, that smoking weed can worsen the course of the illness in schizophrenia patients and increase the risk of developing schizophrenia if there is a genetic predisposition. Cannabis, like all psychoactive substances, can also lead to intoxication psychosis. This is a condition that triggers disorders of consciousness and behaviour. The symptoms subside as soon as the body has broken down the substance. Cannabis can affect the psyche - but it is difficult to make reliable statements about this in young people.

Why?

A lot of things come together during puberty. Teenagers today have to be able to deal with a lot of pressure, as well as age-typical problems such as lovesickness and mood swings. Some suffer so much that the line between puberty and the onset of psychiatric illness becomes blurred. It is not easy to distinguish between the two, especially for parents. Typically, adolescents in problematic situations also tend to resort to a substance to make them feel better. Incidentally, this also applies to people who suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Does this mean that ADHD patients are at risk of addiction?

Studies show clear correlations that ADHD symptoms have an influence on the risk of developing addiction. However, ADHD is often misjudged in affected adolescents who then consume cannabis - because cannabis has a calming effect and masks the classic symptoms of the disease.

Cannabis is also considered a medicinal product.

The hemp plant has over 450 different active ingredients. 70 of these are cannabinoids. So far, medicine has mainly worked with THC and the only slightly psychoactive CBD. It depends on the dosage and combination in which the active ingredients are used. Cannabis is now used to treat a number of illnesses, for example as an anticonvulsant medication for multiple sclerosis, chronic pain or increased intraocular pressure.

How long does cannabis last in the body?

If someone smokes pot every day and then stops, in certain cases the consumption can be detected in the urine for up to three months. With infrequent use, the body should have broken down the substance after two to three days. However, you cannot rely on this. Cannabis is fat-soluble and is stored in fat cells. It can also be reactivated after a longer period of time, for example during sport. It is then even possible for someone who has not consumed anything for three months to have positive urine values - bad luck if they are then stopped by the police.

What do you think about the legalisation of cannabis?

A state-controlled sale under strict regulations would only have advantages from a professional point of view. For example, the THC content of cannabis products could be limited by law, similar to the regulations for alcohol or tobacco. Regulation by the state would also have the advantage that the goods sold would be clean and not contaminated with harmful extenders. We could do justice to the protection of minors much more effectively than we do today, where consumers resort to the illegal market.