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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Lib-Dem opposes cannabis upgrade
Burton Mail Wednesday 26 Nov 2008 Gavin Webb says the Burton area is rife with cannabis users but other drugs, including alcohol, are far more damaging. Mental health and accident and emergency chiefs say they deal with more problems caused by alcohol than cannabis but warn users they risk developing psychiatric problems. Mr Webb, who recently won an appeal against a ban from standing for Parliament, said: "I agree with the Government's scientific advisers because most of the country is smoking the stuff. "If the Government gets its way all it's doing is criminalising the majority of the population, which is absolutely sick. "To further criminalise something which grows out of the dirt, if you will, with no associated deaths recorded and very practical medicinal purposes is crazy. "To say it leads on to harder drugs is a sweeping generalisation. For some people it may do but that's not the case for everyone. "There are a lot of people smoking cannabis and not taking any other drug, including alcohol, which has been proven to be far more damaging. "I actually think the whole lot should be legalised and taxed to pay for subsequent rehabilitation. "At the minute, people who are not taking drugs are paying for addicts' rehab and I think that is grossly unfair." Keron Fletcher, consultant addictions psychiatrist for South Staffordshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, backed the proposed upgrade but refused to give drugs, legal or illegal, a 'pecking order'. He said: "Comparatively it's very difficult to say which drugs should be upgraded or downgraded but I'd warn against any use of them. "We know the instance of mental health problems is increased even in first-time cannabis users. "So why would we not want to make something that can cause significant mental illness a high category drug? "We need to send a clear signal that cannabis is dangerous because, by making it more acceptable, more people will smoke it. "But we do have a bigger problem with alcohol, which causes 20,000 deaths a year, than cannabis." Burton's Queen's Hospital emergency department chiefs say they 'never' have cannabis-related admissions. A spokesman said: "In terms of people coming through the accident and emergency department, alcohol and other drugs are far more prominent than cannabis. "By the nature of the drug it's not a problem for us. We just don't see any problems relating to it. "The concern people have is about the new, stronger strains of cannabis which can lead to mental health problems." http://www.burtonmail.co.uk/
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