|
Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
|
|
UK: Cannabis debate a diversion says Hellawell
ePolitix
Thursday 02 Aug 2001 The debate over the legalisation of cannabis is diverting attention from the war against hard drugs, the out-going drugs tsar, Keith Hellawell, said on Thursday. Publishing his final report, Hellawell said discussion about cannabis were clouding the "major issues" concerning the government's broader anti-drugs strategy. He said the debate over legalisation was influencing more young people to dabble in soft drugs. "Sometimes, some of the debate which suggests that we are going to change policy on some of these substances almost encourages children to be attracted to these substances," he said. Hellawell argued that the major issue was no longer whether cannabis should be legalised but concerned "the attractiveness of substances to our children". In his final report as the drugs tsar he says progress has been made over the last 10 years. "More children are being educated in our schools. More people with drugs problems are being treated, that's both within and out of the criminal justice system," he said. "As far as treatment in the criminal justice system, we have saved or reduced substantial amounts of crime. More people are being arrested and more drugs seized, particularly Class A drugs, which are the drugs that cause the major harm in our community." Hellawell has been sidelined by the new home secretary David Blunkett. He will now focus on the international effort to combat the drugs problem, whilst Blunkett himself takes control of the national anti-drugs strategy. Blunkett is thought to favour a relaxation in the laws on cannabis use. Last month he hinted that the law could change when he called for an "adult, intelligent" debate about legalisation. The cannabis debate has intensified since the general election, with the Commons home affairs committee set to hold an inquiry into legalising both hard and soft drugs.
After you have finished reading this article you can click here to go back.
|
This page was created by the Cannabis Campaigners' Guide.
Feel free to link to this page!