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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: New drugs law spells problems for pubs
Halifax Today
Tuesday 20 Jan 2004 LICENSEES are being put on alert against people smoking cannabis in pubs and clubs following drug law reforms. Drug action workers fear people could get the wrong message about new legislation reclassifying the drug to class C on January 29 - and think they can smoke it freely. Andrew Sloman, Nightlife Initiative drug training officer for the licensed trade, said: "I hope that the message will go out loud and clear to all people involved that it is not a legalisation of cannabis. "As far as licensed premises are concerned it is still an illegal substance and it will still be illegal for them to tolerate the use of cannabis in their premises." Andy Fox, coordinator for the Calderdale Drugs Action Team, said: "The problem for me with it is that if you reclassify a drug like that it causes confusion in communities as to its stance. "It is still illegal under section 8 of the Misuse of Drugs Act for anyone to provide premises to people smoking cannabis, whether it be your house, a landlord, someone running a school, cinema or restaurant. "All the reclassification does is reduce the sentencing power of the courts and it takes it out of the hard drugs arena." The warning comes ahead of a UKP1 million Government information campaign to educate people about the change in regulation. The latest FRANK national advertising drive will run from Thursday. It will promote one simple message - cannabis will be reclassified on January 29, but it is harmful and will remain illegal. Chief Supt Max Mclean, divisional commander of Calderdale Police, said the reclassification recognised that cannabis was not seen as a priority for police and in Calderdale, tackling heroin and crack cocaine were more important. He said a drug testing programme on offenders held in custody at Halifax police station showed half of all those tested were positive for heroin or cocaine, and half of those tested positive for both drugs. "It is still a criminal offence to use or deal in cannabis and we will still continue to investigate this," he said. Dr Graham Wardman, director of public health at Calderdale Primary Care Trust, said smoking cannabis can adversely affect health in lots of ways. "It may be more harmful than smoking tobacco as cannabis has a higher concentration of chemicals that cause cancer," he said. "It can make asthma worse and it's not a good idea with heart disease, high blood pressure or for people at risk from strokes. "There might be an effect on the ability to have children as frequent use of cannabis can cut a man's sperm count and suppress ovulation in women. "Some research has made a link between cannabis and mental illnesses like schizophrenia. "It could lead to common problems such as anxiety and paranoid feelings, or other problems that may require medical treatment."
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