Children as young as nine have turned to a north Cumbrian drug and alcohol charity as they battle to kick a cannabis habit.
There are fears that the scale of the drug’s damaging impact on young people across the county remains hidden, with many wrongly believing the class B drug poses no risk.
Experts say that potent modern strains of cannabis can have a devastating effect on youngsters, leaving them sleep-deprived, paranoid, and aggressive.
There is also evidence linking early cannabis use and poor mental health.
The courts in Carlisle and Workington have regularly dealt with young adults prosecuted after dabbling in the drug.
One schools boss described levels of cannabis use among youngsters in Carlisle as “alarming” while in west Cumbria a drug charity has worked with primary school children affected by the drug. For more http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/news/Cumbrian-children-as-young-as-nine-addicted-to-cannabis-db1a92f8-801a-498c-a880-85ac81c3493d-ds