(Credit: Daily Mail, screenshot)
Peter Reynolds criticized the Daily Mail’s online editor Peter Wright for a story about Patrick and Henry Cockburn.
The story by Patrick Cockburn detailed how his son Henry Cockburn “succumbed to schizophrenia.”
He claimed “Its onset might be brought on by some stressful personal disaster or it might, as many studies appear to prove, be the result of mind-altering street drugs such as cannabis.”
“Three-quarters of consumers may take cannabis with no ill effect but the remaining quarter, the genetically vulnerable, play Russian roulette,” Cockburn further wrote.
Reynolds responded that “Whether the Mail publishes it is up to them but I and the millions of other cannabis users in Britain have had enough. From now on, no such instance of lies and propaganda will be allowed to pass without being called to account,” Reynolds wrote.
Reynolds claimed that “the data simply does not support the idea that cannabis can cause schizophrenia. In fact, it more strongly suggests that people who have mental illness may use cannabis to self-medicate. It is instructive to note that Henry’s crisis arose when he had deliberately stopped using cannabis. Indeed, there is existing and continuing scientific research into cannabinoids as an anti-psychotic therapy.”
Reynolds is “a writer, communications advisor and proud Welshman.” See his full criticism here.
StinkyJournalism has written to the Daily Mail for comment and will update with any response.
