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Call for rational cannabis debate

Louise Fuller

This Is Essex

Tuesday 10 Oct 2000


A Colchester councillor who has spent 15 years researching cannabis
has said the time is right for an urgent debate on the issue.

Don Quinn, who has worked as senior research officer for the Home
Office and the Council of Europe, called for a calm and rational
discussion.

The issue has been hitting the headlines this week with shadow cabinet
members, including Suffolk South MP and Tory agriculture spokesman Tim
Yeo and shadow transport minister and North Essex MP Bernard Jenkin ,
revealing they have experimented with the drug.

Mr Quinn, Labour councillor for St Andrew's Ward, said the debate was
long overdue. He said: "Cannabis is high profile at the moment and it
is time we confronted the issue. There are some vital issues that need
to be dealt with."

Mr Quinn said it was essential that the laws surrounding cannabis were
cleared up.

"Whether you are charged, cautioned or released without any action
depends on who catches you in possession of cannabis and where you
are. In short, it's a lottery."

"It is an obscene lottery which must be ended," he added.

After his years of research, Mr Quinn stands firm in the belief that
cannabis should be legalised in line with other European countries.

He said: "Messages about cannabis seem to veer widely between zero
tolerance Widdecombe and the notion that it is harmless. It's not
surprising that confusion reigns and the result is misery, fear and
thousands of unnecessary criminal convictions."

"There are dangers which need to be spelt out. We owe it to people to
explain the dangers in the same way as alcohol and tobacco. In an
hysterical atmosphere, the potential to assess dangers and the
undoubted potential medical benefits of cannabis are being lost."

Don Quinn claims the notion that smoking cannabis leads the user on to
harder drugs is wrong. He said: "The simple fact is that nicotine and
not cannabis is the precursor drug for more than 90 per cent of all
drug experimenters and users."

"My research in Europe clearly showed a huge statistical link between
young cigarette smokers and drug use."

 

 

 

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