Health and social responses to cannabis problems in Europe — time for a paradigm shift?

Objective: This is the first EMCDDA webinar in the cannabis webinar series, which opens the debate with an all-encompassing overview of the key issues and response options available.

Background: Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in Europe and globally. As well as herbal cannabis and cannabis resin, an increasing range of more novel forms of the drug may now be observed on the illicit market. Regulatory responses are also becoming more variable and complicated, while most health and social concerns still remain focused on illicit cannabis consumption.

Effective prevention programmes generally take a developmental perspective and are not substance-specific. Treatment for cannabis problems is based mainly on psychosocial approaches with an increasing focus on digital interventions.