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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Put cannabis warnings on cigarette papers, charity urges
David Batty and agencies The Guardian
Wednesday 04 Jan 2006 Warnings about the dangers cannabis poses to mental health should be put on packets of cigarette papers, a charity said today. The mental health charity Rethink said the warning labels should be part of a campaign to address public misconceptions that cannabis is a risk-free drug A Rethink spokeswoman told SocietyGuardian.co.uk: "There is a deeply entrenched belief that cannabis is a risk-free drug. Every available method of changing attitudes, such as putting health warnings on cigarette papers, should be considered." The charity wants the government to devote resources to providing more information for young people and those with a history of mental illness about the health risks of cannabis, rather than "fiddle with its legal status". It warned the home secretary, Charles Clarke, that further changes to the drug's legal classification would only confuse users with mental health problems and "lead to thousands of vulnerable people being dragged through the courts rather than supported through health and social care". Cannabis was downgraded from a class B to a class C drug two years ago in a move that made most cases of its possession a non-arrestable offence. But some doctors have called for this move to be reversed, arguing it would help to reduce cannabis usage. The home secretary is expected to announce his response shortly to recommendations from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs in response to studies associating its use with "psychotic symptoms". Rethink also wants the government to fund more research into the relationship between severe mental illness and cannabis, and introduce tougher penalties for dealers who target mental health services. Its chief executive, Cliff Prior said: "There is a concern that the real risks posed to mental health by cannabis use will translate into a knee-jerk reaction from the Home Office to stiffen penalties. "We reject that approach. We want to see Mr Clarke reacting imaginatively by handing responsibility for a huge public information campaign to the Department of Health while facing down siren calls to further criminalise users. "We want stiffer penalties for the dealers who prey on people with mental health problems in and around hospitals and community facilities." A Home Office spokesman said the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs had recently passed its review to Mr Clarke and he would be responding to it "in due course".
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