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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Barbados: Leniency regarding cannabis causing conflict
Barbados Advocate
Thursday 20 Jul 2006 The fact that cannabis offences are treated with more lenience than those related to other narcotic drugs is leading to the public's confusion with regards to this drug. According to the 2006 World Drug Report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime inconsistent messages about the abuse of cannabis is leading to confusion within the global community. "On the one hand cannabis is controlled with the same degree of severity as heroin and cocaine under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 1961. Virtually every country in the world is a party to that Convention. On the other hand, however, cannabis offences are treated far more leniently that those related to other narcotic drugs in many countries. A conflicting message is thus sent to the population and it is no wonder that public opinion becomes confused", the report said. It outlined that cannabis had been allowed to fall into a "grey area", stating that while it was technically illegal but widely de-prioritised, it has grown in popularity outpacing others while at the same time enriching those persons willing to break the law. "A global blind-spot has developed around cannabis", it tressed, adding that the plant had been transformed to something more potent than it had been in the past. According to the report, the world had to come to terms with cannabis, the world's most popular illicit drug with an estimated four per cent of the global adult population using it every year; more than all other illegal drugs combined. It further said that with regards to the mechanics of the market, this drug was the least understood as in contrast to drug crops like coca and opium poppy very little was known about the extent of cannabis cultivation around the world. It noted that only a few governments could give a confident estimate of the scale of cultivation in their own countries pointing to the difficulties in ascertaining the information, including the fact that the drug can grow almost anywhere, both outdoors and indoors. Political attitudes reflect popular perceptions that cannabis was different from other controlled substances, the report continued while outlining that cannabis production was on the rise. http://www.barbadosadvocate.com/
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