Huffle Puff

Cannabis... it's the new coke. Our Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has been asked to consider upgrading the drug from class C under the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) to B. It only got downgraded a few years ago and the MDA is in the business of classifying drugs according to their perceived risks. 2003 - not very risky, plus the police were fed up with the paperwork associated with nicking users of a drug generally considered to be 'mostly harmless' - to coin a Douglas Adams' phrase. 2008 - suddenly it's Devilspawn. Why?

Well there are a number of media outlets which consider any relaxation of drug laws to be the end of civilisation. Two, there is a small but vocal group of concerned others who have had the distressing experience of seeing a loved one succumb to mental illness and to have smoked the weed. Plus we have seen the entry in to the market of a small but significant amout of high-strength Cannabis. All of this has meant that the government - headed up by a puritan-leaning PM, is now considering re-upgrading to class B.

Why this a mistake:

1. When it was a class B drug it did not deter any experimentation or regular use. The European Drugs Monitoring Group reported that the UK market was 'saturated'.

2. A very small number of people experience horrid effects from Cannabis. These include upset/vulnerable teenagers and people who have a pre-disposition to or an actual major mental illness. Admissions to mental health units for Cannabis-related illness run at 14 per week for the whole UK. Too many but not an epidemic.

3. There is an over-hyped fear of new, high-strength Cannabis - skunk. Actually most people who use high-strength puff equate it to alcohol. You might drink a bottle of beer in one evening but you wouldn't drink a bottle of whisky. You'd just have a couple of glasses.

But all this pales to nothing because the government has let it be known that it will upgrade to B no matter what. So too bad ACMD with its thoughtful academics and practioners - plus users and others.

Cannabis use might be driven further underground by reclassification and users would be less likely to come forward for help if they were having troubles in the mental health dept. Why don't we spend the money on enforcement on getting health messages across to the punters instead? For example printing health warnings on the inside of cigarette-paper packs warning of the risks? This approach worked magnificently in the UK's fight against AIDS in the 80's and 90's - plenty of good advice and contact numbers for health education on toilet doors, condom packs and so on.

But no - that's too pragmatic and too easy and not enough to satisfy the press monsters and a fearful PM.

Unleash the dogs of drugs wars - boringly and stupidly in their mean, ignorant, brutish way.