Subj: Report boost for cannabis

Date: Feb 18, 1998

Source: The Independent

Report boost for cannabis

By Charles Arthur, Science Editor

Research has established that decriminalising
marijuana does not lead to the use of harder
drugs such as cocaine and heroin, and that
teenagers and children are more likely to
experiment with alcohol and tobacco.

Long-running surveys carried out in the
Netherlands, where marijuana was decriminalised
in 1967, have found that even in the age group
where cannabis use is highest - those between 20
and 35, of whom 12.5 per cent are "regular"
users - only 1.3 per cent had used cocaine in the
previous month, with the majority of those being
aged over 30.

The latest sample of more than 2,000 people in
1994 found that nobody under 20 had ever used
heroin, and there were just four people who
"regularly" used heroin, all aged between 25 and
50. Cocaine and heroin use are not legal in the
Netherlands.

The findings, from ongoing surveys carried out
over the past 10 years by the Centre for Drug
Research at the University of Amsterdam among
the city's residents, provide more ammunition for
the Independent on Sunday's campaign to
decriminalise cannabis in Britain.

It also shows that the Government's insistence
that decriminalising the drug would be a
catastrophe does not stand up to close
examination.