Letter: Control
Cannabis
Source: The York Press
Date: August 2 2007
Author: Steve Clements, Legalise Cannabis Alliance
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ALWYN Glover is absolutely right to express his concern over politicians'
shenanigans regarding cannabis (Mixed messages on cannabis cause alarm,
Readers' Letters, July 28).
However, the classification argument is a red herring from a Government
promoting a continuation of a repeatedly discredited policy of prohibition.
After all, it was a Class B drug when half the Cabinet tried, but didn't enjoy,
it.
A sense of proportion is needed when dealing with cannabis and mental health.
Hysterical headlines and scaremongering do not help with the facts. Leslie
Iverson, professor of pharmacology and member of the Advisory Council on the
Misuse of Drugs, said: "The authors admit that there is no conclusive
evidence that cannabis use causes psychotic illness. Their prediction that 14
per cent of psychotic outcomes in the UK may be due to cannabis use is not
supported by the fact that the incidence of schizophrenia has not shown any
significant change in the last 30 years."
The association between alcohol and mental health problems is considerably
stronger. Nothing has changed about cannabis. It isn't particularly stronger
than it used to be; strong strains of cannabis have always been available.
Six million otherwise law-abiding people use cannabis in the UK, prohibition
does not work and creates more harm than cannabis itself. The only sensible
option is to legalise it and regulate its sale properly to adults who can make
their own choices.
Until then, I'm afraid that credible and accurate information regarding it will
continue to be skewed by a political agenda which has little to do with
protecting us and more to do with protecting the interests of corporate
paymasters. If you want credible info on cannabis, I suggest you pay a visit to
Holland.
Steve Clements, The Legalise Cannabis Alliance, Asquith Avenue, York.
http://www.thisisyork.co.uk/news/readersletters/display.var.1591194.0.control_cannabis.php