Dr Gerry McCarney, consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist with the HSE, said more young people are seeking help for cannabis addiction.
The view that cannabis was non-addictive has changed and the form of the drug which is available here now is much stronger than in the past.
He was speaking at an event on 'Cannabis use and the adolescent brain: risk factors, consequences and treatment', organised by the Addiction Group at the Department of Public Health and Primary Health Care, Trinity College Dublin.
The conference was told that public attitudes towards cannabis have softened in recent years.
"This has coincided with an increase in use by adolescents. While most users do not develop a dependence, some do, especially those who start use at a young age," he said.
It can have a stronger impact on younger people, whose brains are developing up to their mid-20s.
Source: Eilish O'Regan, Irish Independent, 27th November 2019
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