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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK minister defends cannabis reclassification
Independent Online, South Africa
Thursday 22 Jan 2004 London - A British minister on Thursday defended the reclassification of marijuana's status as a drug, making its use and possession less serious crimes. Home Secretary David Blunkett said reclassifying the substance from a class B to a class C drug would help police focus their efforts on harder drugs. The measure puts marijuana on a par with steroids rather than amphetamines and barbiturates and will let most users off with a warning. The change is effective next Thursday. "I don't want to actually end up chasing them (marijuana users) rather than actually chasing the dealers and the people who kill young people with crack and heroin," Blunkett told British Broadcasting Corporation radio. Doctors have warned that the new rules could lead people to believe using marijuana is safe. The British Medical Association claims smoking the drug increases the risk of heart disease, lung cancer, bronchitis and emphysema. The opposition Conservative Party has condemned the reclassification and pledged to reverse the policy if it wins the next election, scheduled for 2006 at the latest. It says more young people will be led into hard drugs as a result of the new rules. But Blunkett said reclassifying marijuana would send a clearer message to youngsters about which drugs are the most dangerous. He said the government was responding to "some families of drug users who said to me that if you confuse our children by saying pretty much that cannabis is the same as crack or heroin, when they take cannabis and find it isn't, they don't believe the message when they go on to heroin and crack." - Sapa-AP
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