By: Spokesman Newsroom

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Wednesday 4th February 2026)-Consultant to the Medicinal Cannabis Authority, Dr. Machel Emanuel, has cautioned that adolescents should not engage in smoking cannabis, citing research that highlights serious risks to brain development and cognitive function.

He made the remarks during a public medicinal cannabis lecture held on Tuesday 3rd February 2026 at the Department of Agriculture Large Conference Room, where he was asked for his views on the younger generation using cannabis products.

“Adolescents really should not engage in smoking cannabis because research has definitely shown that the issues surrounding with the development of your brain, particularly the frontal cortex, which deals with higher thinking and cognitive capabilities,” Dr. Emanuel explained.

He further warned that modern cultivation practices have intensified the risks, noting, “particularly with the new age of the sort of breeding, selective breeding that has taken place where we see the psychoactive component of cannabis has been inflated extremely high.”

According to Dr. Emanuel, these developments could have lasting consequences for young people, especially those who are still forming their identity and sense of purpose.

“And this could cause serious detrimental effects, particularly to an adolescent person who has not developed purpose in life. You know, I always say if an adolescent becomes dependent on money or cannabis, that poses a serious problem – that every activity that they want to partake in, they believe they have to be under the influence of cannabis to actually do that,” he said.

He stressed that maturity and responsibility play a critical role in cannabis use, adding, “so that’s why becoming an adult and having responsibilities allows you to develop a sort of responsible use and a sort of cannabis ethic based on how you use cannabis, where you get your cannabis from, and times of day that you will generally consume cannabis for.”

Dr. Emanuel emphasized that adolescents require particular protection, given the nature of the substance.

“So in terms of the adolescent population, they need to be protected because we know cannabis is a psychotropic substance and it can bring about dependency,” he stated.

However, he also made it clear that this position does not negate the medically regulated use of cannabis for young people under strict guidelines.

“But just to note, research has definitely shown that under particular channels through the regulatory framework, adolescents also need to have access to medicinal cannabis products [for conditions] such as epilepsy, such as ADA, such as various conditions that adolescents may face. Cannabis has shown and proven to provide alleviation to certain symptoms and allow that individual to live a more normal life without cannabis medicine,” Dr. Emanuel said.