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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Plaid adopt 'legalise cannabis policy'
Jamie Lyons icWales
Wednesday 19 Sep 2001 Plaid Cymru today overhauled its drugs policy and called for the decriminalisation of cannabis - against the wishes of its own leadership. The Welsh nationalists' annual conference voted in favour of decriminalising the use of cannabis for recreational and medicinal purposes - defying the party leadership which warned against the move. Under the policy, the drug would be available legally only from registered licensed premises. Delegates also backed calls for a major public awareness campaign about the dangers of cannabis use. The party wants cannabis decriminalised for medicinal use once ''a sufficient evidence base has proven efficacy and an appropriate treatment protocol developed as a model''. Despite opposition from top ranks of the party, the proposal is now adopted as official party policy. The party has now ditched its former policy calling for a Royal Commission to examine decriminalisation of the drug - against the advice of its own shadow Welsh health minister Dai Lloyd and its parliamentary leader. Dr Lloyd, a practising GP, said cannabis causes depression and new evidence suggests it makes users violent. He said there was no such thing as a soft drug. The party's parliamentary leader, Elfyn Llwyd, warned smoking cannabis could caused cancer and psychosis. ''I agree with it for medicinal purposes, but for heavens sake unless we know definitely more about the medical problems it will cause we should not lay open our children's future to this extremely dangerous drug,'' he said. Leading calls for the drug to be decriminalised, delegate Robert Hughes (Merthyr Tydfil) said it was wrong to label cannabis users as criminals. And he said decriminalisation would stop cannabis users mixing with people pushing more dangerous drugs. It would also enable parents and teachers to talk honestly to children about the harmful drugs ''that blight the lives of our young people''. He said setting up licensed premises would also attract visitors thereby boosting the tourism industry.
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