Impact of cannabis catch high

Cannabis users "have very little difficulty" obtaining the drug

A drugs baron has been found guilty of conspiring to import £1m of cannabis into Jersey by boat from Amsterdam.

Jurors at Jersey Royal Court convicted Merseyside gangster Curtis Warren of conspiring to import a controlled drug.

If the attempt to smuggle £1 million worth of cannabis into the island was successful it would have had a very significant effect in the market.

That is according to Michael Gafoor, the Director of the Alcohol and Drugs Service in Jersey.

"Canabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in Jersey and the majority of people seen at this department started their drug using career with cannabis," said Michael.

Although Michael Gafoor has said that the import of a £1 million of drugs would have had a significant social impact on the island, cannabis users don't normally find it difficult to get the drug.

"Cannabis users will tell you that they have very little difficulty in obtaining the drug throughout the year.

"Cannabis is very common in Jersey and obviously the more it is imported the more people will use it, the more available it will become and the more people will experience problems as a result of cannabis," said Michael.

Michael Gafoor went on to explain that cannabis is a drug that, with longer term use can cause serious health and social problems.

"It is a drug that can cause serious health and social problems, it is often seen as a benign horrible drug but the more people use cannabis, the more the likelihood of mental health problems can occur."

In addition to the health problems, he see's the drug as a gateway on to other, harder illegal substances as dealers usually carry more than one drug.

"It is a gateway to harder drugs, many drug deals will not only sell cannabis but a range of other illegal drugs so in that sense more young people will become exposed to harder drugs by their use of cannabis."

Although the island has fewer cannabis users than the UK because it is more expensive, its use is fairly wide spread.