Letter: No smoking gun
Source: York Press
Date: November 2 2007
Author: Steve Clements, Legalise Cannabis Alliance
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No smoking gun
Charlie Lloyd suggests more research is needed regarding the relation of cannabis
use to unemployment, educational under achievement, homelessness and motivation
(More study needed into cannabis impact, Readers' Letters, October 27).
There has been 30 years of research in an attempt to link cannabis use with
"amotivational syndrome". No such link has been established.
It is very easy to blame cannabis for many of society's ills, particularly as
it is the most commonly used illegal substance. Links with mental illness
dominate the cannabis panic in the media, but the research is being
misrepresented to suit a political agenda.
What is presented to the public is far from accurate and factual.
It is clearly unsuitable for very young people to use any drug, legal or
illegal, on a regular basis. But heavy cannabis use - as with alcohol abuse -
is more likely to be a symptom of a problematic life, rather than the cause of
the problems.
Years of grossly exaggerated claims about the harms of cannabis leave the
government with little credibility to give advice. Whatever the harms may be to
a tiny minority of users, these are clearly health issues and not issues of
criminality.
Prosecution and potential imprisonment of non-violent cannabis users who do no
harm to others is a moral dogma which has been failing for decades.
Unfortunately, our gutless politicians are incapable of dealing with the issue
properly, preferring instead to play party politics with a totally discredited
classification system.
Steve Clements, The Legalise Cannabis Alliance, York.
write to: letters@ycp.co.uk
http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/readersletters/display.var.1805699.0.no_smoking_gun.php