28 October 2025

There are three places where I can smell cannabis smoke. Two of them are houses occupied by students and I smell it when I walk past. The third is more unusual. It is on the East Sands. A man stands by his white van smoking his joint and the smell escapes to the sandy beach below.

It has become much more acceptable for people to smoke cannabis even in public places. But the dangers have not been eradicated as a consequence of social acceptability. This is especially true of young people whose brains can be irreparably damaged. I know this to be true from first hand pastoral experience.

‘When you start smoking with your mates at 14 or 15, you are literally growing your brain in a cannabis soup.’ said Dr. Lade Smith, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. ‘There’s no doubt at all. Cannabis is a cause of psychosis.’

Cannabis is also associated with a higher risk of anxiety and depression as well as psychosis. The latter, removes the addict from reality and as a result, he can end up being a danger to himself  and others. It cannot possibly lead to a fulfilling and purposeful life.

As one who has never been tempted to smoke cannabis, it is easy for me to talk about resisting the temptation. However, I am not free from other temptations and know only too well how difficult it is to resist some. It is part of what makes us   human beings.

There is consolation in knowing that Jesus was tempted. Temptation is amoral. It is succumbing to temptation which may lead to problems. Young people like to live in the present moment and are mesmerised by risk but sometimes it pays to live in the future moment where consequences and not risks predominate.