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{
    "id": 905835,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/905835/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 296,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Zani",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13119,
        "legal_name": "Agnes Zani",
        "slug": "agnes-zani"
    },
    "content": "There is one variable that we were discussing earlier. There is a lot of work that shows there might be a correlation between taking marijuana and mental illness. That data is there. It could be anecdotal as it has not been put out clearly in terms of numbers. Saying that there is one person who took marijuana and did not go mad, is just using one example that might not give the actual picture. In fact, the data shows that there is a lot of mental illness related to alcohol and drug abuse. Data from World Health Organisation (WHO) says that half of all mental illnesses start at the age of 14. This is the time the youth are experimenting and want to drink. Some people just have bad luck. There are some who will drink and get away with it. Some who may have bipolar and do not know, go and drink with their peers. You take it and maybe your level of toleration is very low and you find that you just get addicted immediately. The next thing is that you cannot do well in school and then come up with depression. When it has all these other components of “other types of”, you might get to a point where you have not just one type of mental illness; but several types manifesting in different ways and at different times. Some people even say that sometimes it can be a function of weather where it is very cold during winter, then more people get depressed which sometimes leads to mental illness. Madam Temporary Speaker, reducing the impact of this is a whole chunk again. Promoting recovery from people with mental illness is key. Last but not least, is protecting their rights. According to Article 47 that gives the right for healthcare for all, it is clear that you should not be discriminated against because you have an illness. You still have a part to play. If anything, you will have better and harmonious relationships by addressing the issues and find a way of harmonious collaboration and living rather than ignoring it all together. More and more, we now see this in Kenya. Many conflicts could be as a result of economic hard times, but also social and cultural relationships that lead to killings that we never saw before. Children are being hacked by their parents. We have seen partners hacking and killing each other. Again, the level of the severity of social, cultural, psychological and mental factors might lead to this. This is a discussion that people should very comfortably be able to bring to the table and be able to talk about it. An evaluation again of this policy needs to be done just to make sure that the gaps are properly addressed in the strategy and the legislation. That is also a component of this Bill that you have already put into place in addressing. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}