BRITAIN'S HOME SECRETARY ORDERS REVIEW OF UK CANNABIS LAWS

[nabraxas]

Britain's Home Secretary, Charles Clark, has ordered a review of last year's relaxation of the UK's cannabis law, after recent studies showed an increasing link between the drug and mental illness. The decision to relax cannabis laws was made by Clark's predecessor, David Blunkett, who wanted police to focus on tackling harder drugs such as heroin and cocaine.

For years, the only arguments about cannabis was whether to legalise it or not. It was the last home secretary, David Blunket, who went half-way and downgraded it from a class 'B' to a class 'C' drug. Now, just 14 months on, the government is having second thoughts. The new Home Secretary, Charles Clark, has always been worried about the health dangers of cannabis and, in today's letter to the Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs, he points to two new studies looking at cannabis and its links with mental illness. In his letter, Charles Clark says: "I think there is merit in the Advisory Council assessing whether their position is at all changed by the emerging evidence." Much of that evidence is emerging from Holland. The Dutch have the most liberal attitude towards cannabis anywhere in Europe, but they are becoming increasingly worried about the effects of the active chemical in cannabis, known as THC.

PROF. DON LINSZEN, AMSTERDAM MEDICAL SCHOOL: Everybody who smokes cannabis, also with high levels of THC, runs a risk of becoming psychotic, even if there is a lack of other risk factors, like having schizophrenia in the family, for instance. It's like carrying a time bomb.

Alex Jacobs certainly believes cannabis has had an explosive effect on his life. He smoked the drug as a teenager and has now been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

ALEX JACOBS, CANNABIS USER: I was alright up until a certain point and then I reached a stage where I really did have problems - started to hear voices.

So what are we to make of the politics of today's announcement? The conservatives have accused the government of an embarrassing U-turn.

THERESA MAY, MP CONSERVATIVE, FAMILY: The government has got their policy wrong, I think their decision today is a humiliating acceptance from them that they got it wrong. We believe cannabis should clearly be reclassified as a class 'B' drug.

That may now happen, but the Home Office insists it is simply responding to new medical evidence.

SBS world news

[Slarty Fart Blaster]

Politricks, it's all fuckin bullshit.

Fucked if i will be voting for any of these morons.

L.C.C.

[Hagakure]

who knows perhaps it may be true. still should be legalised in my opinion regardless of health issues. if there were health issues with users then they would listen more.

when you have a government making drugs illegal you immediately get an attitude in the public that any negative reports on illegal drugs are propaganda. if they were legal and the government took a more caring guiding stance on drugs fewer people would probably use the substance.

if you looked at the damage pokies do to mental health and the state of our society you would no doubt find scarier statistics.

edited for spelling

[ 25. March 2005, 23:16: Message edited by: Hagakure ]

[khanes]

I first read of Blunkett's revolutionary approach in 'The Age' Friday 12 July, 2002 Warren Hoge London, with the headline 'Relaxation of British drug laws has many politicians fuming'. This approach was designed to make 'private use of discreet amounts no longer subject to arrest". I'm surprised to hear of a possible reversal.