Experts on the cannabis problem agree that, despite all the efforts made, the present geographical extension of cannabism constitutes a medical and social dangel of no small importance. The clients are mainly Mohammedans and coloured people, but there are already reports concerning Europeans smoking such cigarettes. From every point of view, this is an undesirable development. The governments concern, are taking strict measures to combat this extension, but there is no doubt that fa the time being the danger still exists.

The writer is of the opinion that Vaille, Stern and Verde08)expressed, only few months ago, a well-balanced judgement in saying: "If cannabiam has been consi for a long time as a "minor" drug addiction not presenting a social danger, this i no longer true today. Its extension, particularly among the youth of certain countries) its influence on criminality and the intensification of the traffic, he contributed to revise this position."

A discussion of juvenile addiction to cannabis would have called for a furti extensive chapter. However, the facts are so well-known to the members of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs that the writer has decided to omit this subject for time being. Apart from a considerable number of papers in the scientific and in the serious lay press - and, unfortunately, as happens in such cases, sensational descriptions which do not always stress the important point of the question and c) cause great harm - several books have been published, among which, for instance, "Drug Addiction among Adolescents" is of special value because it contains the proceedings of the conferences held at the New York Academy of Medicine on this problem. The alarming increase in the smokinp of marihuana cigarettes in the United States of America was the reason for measures taken by the Federal as well as by the competent State authorities to combat this evil as quickly and as efficiently as possible. It is important to realize that not only is marihuana smoking per se a danger, but that its use eventually leads the smoker to turn to intravenous heroin injections.

Likewise important are the two extensive reports published by the Attorney-General of the State of New York, N.L. Goldstein, which contain a considerable amount of factual and other instructive material.   

It is, however, certainly not true that it is only in the United States of America that juveniles indulge in this vice. In Brazil, for example, a large part of the maconha smokers consist of young people,(37)and similar Observations have been made in the Union of South Africa,    where, during the enquiry all witnesses agreed that youths and young man were the greatest smokers of dagga. A certain inclination on the part of young people to take drugs indigenous to the region has also been observed in other countries.

Fortunately, from the public-health point of view, juvenile drug addiction seems, in its consequences, perhaps somewhat less serious than the addiction of adults. D. W. Maurer and V. H. Vogel in their recently published, and valuable book, state that "perhaps the majority of youthful addicts observed recently seem to be essentially,  normal individuals inadvertently addicted because of association with sophisticated groups in the school or community with which the novitiate desires status" ane they call them "emotionally normal accidental addicts". Of course, Vogel, for reasons given above, has a first-hand insight into the different phases of this complicated problem. From the few observations which the writer has been able to make, it seems to him that this statement of the position is correct and reveals the problem in its true light.

It must, however, e recognized that the situation with respect to and the repercussions of cannabis abuse on public health are not the same in different countries and different cultural regions.    The writer hopes that some of these variations can be deduced from the present study.

On the whole it can be said that the standpoint adopted seven years ago(50) is still correct, and is still further supported by more recent facts and observatiions namely, that cannabis constitutes a dangerous drug from every point of view, whether physical, mental, social or criminological