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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Cannabis back in spotlight
Jenny Parkin Huddersfield Daily Examiner
Friday 18 Jun 2004 The police in Portugal might be turning a blind eye to cannabis smoking, but drugs workers in Huddersfield aren't. JENNY PARKIN reports POLICE in Lisbon, it's been reported, don't really mind if English soccer fans want to smoke cannabis. They had hoped the drug could have a calming effect on them - and make them less likely to fight or riot. And though British police have questioned this "softly softly" approach, it's not a million miles from our own. Re-classification of cannabis in the UK has left thousands of teenagers thinking they won't get into trouble for smoking it. Some even believe it is legal - and that it does no harm. Drugs workers in Huddersfield, though, are set to launch a big new project focusing on the dangers of cannabis. It will be the first work of its kind for Drug Sense, the young people's arm of drugs agency Lifeline, which is more used to dealing with issues surrounding hard drugs like heroin and crack cocaine. Cannabis is accepted to cause all sorts of trouble for young people. Daily use can lead to lethargy and demotivation, it can be a stepping stone to other, harder drugs, and smoking has all the health risks associated with ordinary cigarettes - maybe more as they're often smoked without a proper filter. In January, Kirklees Drug Action Team told the Examiner how some teenagers think nothing of rolling up a cannabis cigarette first thing in the morning before school, then another in their lunch break and more in the afternoon and evening. The worrying trend stemmed partly from reclassification of cannabis from class B to C - the move that prompted Examiner columnist Keith Hellawell to resign as the Government's drugs czar. In light of mixed messages, UKP1m was spent on a Home Office education campaign. Radio adverts and information packs promoting one simple message - cannabis still is harmful and remains illegal - has failed to hit home among all young users. Kirklees Drug Action Team's planning and commissioning co-ordinator for young people, Will Formby, says estimates are that 50% of teenagers have tried cannabis by the time they're 16. Lifeline's project - yet to be given a name - is set to be launched in August. Brightly-designed information packs about cannabis, solvent abuse and alcohol are set to be made available to anybody who works with young people. Andy Cole, team leader at Drug Sense, says: "Youth workers, club leaders and teachers could all be in need of more information about these three drugs - the most common ones to be used by our teenagers. "We want to fill them in on danger signs to look out for among young people and what to do about it. "It could be that they could deal with a situation without our help - they might prefer to get us involved." Training sessions are also on the cards in Lifeline's efforts to get more adults looking out for more young people - and spotting potential habits before they become a problem. Andy said: "We've got a team of six or seven people who've been working on this. "We want to prevent young people from getting into drugs. "We want youth workers, teachers and others to be able to move in at the very first stages - when a child is coerced into holding a spliff by another, older smoker, or they have their very first try." It's felt many adults who work with young people have no idea about drugs - and don't feel confident enough to approach the subject. The project should arm them with new information. Lifeline's key concern is 13 to 19-year-olds but often even pre-teens get into drugs, alcohol and solvents. Other than the health risks, Lifeline workers don't want to see teenagers using drugs, getting caught and facing a criminal record. "Despite the re-classification to class C, cannabis is still illegal and we need to be getting that message across." He continues: "This scheme is certainly a first for us - our background is in helping people overcome class A drugs habits. "But we're branching out into prevention. I'm not aware of anyone else launching a scheme quite like ours."
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