cannabisnews.com: Cannabis To Be Downgraded 










  Cannabis To Be Downgraded 

Posted by CN Staff on July 10, 2002 at 09:13:29 PT
By Matthew Tempest, Political Correspondent 
Source: Guardian Unlimited UK 

The home secretary, David Blunkett, finally confirmed this afternoon that the government is to reverse 30 years of ever-tightening drugs laws, with a downgrading of cannabis to a class C level drug - on a par with anti-depressants.The change to the law - practically a formality after Mr Blunkett told the Commons last October he was minded to accept the advice of the home affairs select committee on reclassifying cannabis - will take effect by next July.
However, Mr Blunkett refused to reclassify ecstacy, which he dubbed "a killer", and rejected recommendations to set up so-called "shooting galleries" for heroin users.But the home secretary told MPs in a statement that the Metropolitan police would today announce they were rolling out their Lambeth "softly softly" policing approach across London, ahead of new guidance from the association of chief police officers nationwide.On the subject of the resignation of drugs tsar Keith Hellawell, Mr Blunkett said dismissively: "He has changed his mind three times - I have changed my mind only once. Three years ago I was against the reclassification of cannabis."The home secretary also claimed he had a minuted note showing Mr Hellawell was in favour of the change in the drugs laws.Mr Hellawell resigned in protest at the plans to reclassify cannabis, claiming the move was "gave an open season to those peddling drugs". Setting out his statement, which he called a "harm reduction policy", Mr Blunkett told MPs: "All drugs are harmful. Class A drugs are killers. Esctasy is a killer".Mr Blunkett said he had accepted advice that differentiating between heroin, crack and cannabis made government policy "open, honest and believable".Although the reclassification of cannabis means possession is no longer an arrestable offence, it remains illegal and a controlled drug.Police will have the option of an "aggravated offence" if "public order is threatened or children are at risk".In a bid to counter allegations that he was going "soft on drugs", the home secretary also increased the maximum sentence for trafficking class C drugs to 14 years - higher than the 10 years mentioned in leaks from the home office over the weekend.For the Conservatives, the shadow home secretary, Oliver Letwin, said: "There are two logical approaches - and the home secretary has adopted neither."But the move was welcomed by Simon Hughes of the Liberal Democrats, and Labour backbencher Chris Mullin, although he queried why the recommendation for shooting galleries had been rejected.The Home Office stressed that cannabis cafes - where the drug is sold and used openly - remain illegal and the police would be expected to swoop swiftly to close them down. Mr Blunkett added: "I have considered the recommendations of the home affairs committee and the advice given to me by the advisory council on the isuse of drugs medical experts that the current classification of cannabis is disproportionate in relation to the harm that it causes. "It is important to remember that cannabis is a harmful substance that still requires strict controls to be maintained, hence its classification as a Class C drug. "I therefore have no intention of either decriminalising or legalising the production, supply or possession of cannabis." Mr Blunkett said today's announcement place greater importance on providing treatment and minimising the harm drug users do to themselves and others. He announced with the health secretary, Alan Milburn, that an additional £183m will be made available to treat substance abuse over the next three years. He promised there would be faster and more effective treatment for cocaine and crack users, who are known to commit vast amounts of crime to feed their expensive habits - up to £200 a day in the case of crack addicts. The criminal justice system will be urged to get more offenders into treatment, including an acceleration of existing drug treatment and testing programmes, he said. There will also be an expansion of "carefully managed heroin prescribing" in some cases. An update of the government's 10-year drugs strategy will be published in the autumn after the government's spending review has been completed, he added. The reclassification of cannabis - first mooted by Mr Blunkett last October - will be carried out by a parliamentary "order in council" which will be debated before both Houses and approved by the privy council. The Home Office said the legislation would be in place by July 2003.Plus: Cannabis David Blunkett has announced his intention to downgrade cannabis from a class B to a class C drug, alongside tranquilisers. Jane Perrone provides some background. Jane Perrone and AgenciesWednesday July 10, 2002 What is cannabis? The cannabis sativa, or hemp, plant is a hardy plant native to central Asia that grows all over the world and has been in use for thousands of years. What other names does cannabis go by? Indian hemp, marijuana, pot, weed, hash, ganja, dope, gear, blow, spliff, hooch and skunk, among others. The word "marijuana" is Mexican slang and became widely used in the US from the 1930s - cannabis used to be smoked by Mexican soldiers for medicinal purposes. How many cannabis users are there? Home Office figures suggest that there are 3.1 million occasional smokers of cannabis in Britain - cannabis smokers spend an average of £498 a year on the drug. What about teenagers? The charity Drugscope has found that between 30% and 40% of 15 and 16-year-olds report having used cannabis.What is the law on cannabis? Britain has the toughest drug laws in Europe. The Misuse of Drugs Act (1971) divides drugs into three categories (A-C) depending on how dangerous they were perceived to be at that time. Cannabis resin is currently a class B drug, meaning the maximum penalty for possession is five years. However, the home secretary looks set to reclassify it as a class C drug, joining tranquilisers and anabolic steroids. The maximum sentence for possession of a class C drug is two years. What is cannabis's effect on the body? When the plant's dried leaves are smoked, their active ingredient, tetrahydrocannibol (THC), can induce a mildly euphoric state in the user. The most highly prized part of the plant is its flowering tops because they have the highest THC content. Users can also smoke crumbled resinous bits from pressed blocks of leaves. Does cannabis offer any health benefits?Many doctors say cannabis can be beneficial in relieving pain during menstruation and childbirth, the nausea of chemotherapy, the spasms of multiple sclerosis and that it helps to control seizures in epilepsy. Glaucoma sufferers also testify that it can lower the pressure within the eye, so preventing the onset of blindness, and there is some evidence that it can improve night vision. Does cannabis cause any health problems?This is a subject of much debate and conflicting evidence.Cannabis campaigners argue that the drug is less dangerous than legal substances such as alcohol and cigarettes. An official report from the advisory council on the misuse of drugs commissioned by David Blunkett seems to back them up. It found that use of cannabis was not associated with severe health problems. However, the report also said that "the jury is still out on whether chronic use can lead to mental illness."Those who oppose legalisation say that there are significant health risks associated with using cannabis. They also argue that cannabis can act as a "gateway" to more harmful drugs such as heroin.The British Lung Foundation, which is reviewing the published medical and scientific evidence on the impact of smoking cannabis on lung health, says its findings - due to be published later this year - are likely to show an increased risk of respiratory cancers and infections among cannabis smokers.The government's drugs information website, trashed, says cannabis can cause temporary psychological distress, apathy and lethargy, and can impair short term memory and manual skills. Special Report: Drugs in Britain: http://www.guardian.co.uk/drugs/0,2759,178206,00.htmlSource: Guardian Unlimited, The (UK)Author: Matthew Tempest, Political CorrespondentPublished: Wednesday, July 10, 2002 Copyright: 2002 Guardian Newspapers LimitedContact: comment guardian.co.uk Website: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Related Articles & Web Site:Drugs Uncovered: Observer Special http://freedomtoexhale.com/dc.htmTop Drugs Adviser Quits Over Cannabis Plans http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13349.shtmlPolice Fear Muddle Over Cannabis Laws http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13345.shtmlSofter Line for Cannabis Lawshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13344.shtml

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Comment #1 posted by kaptinemo on July 10, 2002 at 09:47:34 PT:

"Logic" vs. logic
We all know the famous line by Einstein about the definition of insanity; namely, that it is doing the same thing continually and getting the same result...and expecting a different one.The last thirty years have shown that the definition of insanity could very well have been the operative principle of the DrugWar. A sane being would have ascertained long ago the futility of the whole mess. But antis are fond of employing logical sophistries that tend to cause the eyes of sheeple to glaze over and cause them to return to their TV sets out of lack of comprehension. Their favorite ones have to do with syllogisms. You know:All birds are black.
That feathered creature over there is a bird.
Therefore, it is black.It could be as white as a ptarmigan or a snowy owl...but by the 'logic' of antis, it's black as space.Well, perhaps I am being too harsh in my judgements of their actions; perhaps there's another reason behind their seeming irrationality. In less politically correct times, the purveyors of this madness could well have been called 'retarded' for their ferociously simple-minded insistence upon ever-harsher penalties for something that doesn't even rate as a medical problem. (To whit: When's the last time you heard of cannabis being directly responsible for medically causing a fatality? As in 'overdose'?)So, when some self-serving bureaucrat starts making noises about 'logic', I keep thinking of a 'mentally challenged' individual, sitting in a sandbox, pouring sand with ever greater enthusiasm into a bucket with no bottom to it. He just can't 'get it' that when he lifts the bucket, the sand pours out. But so long as he keeps getting paid to do it, he'll still be at it; poinless or not. He'll still call the white bird black. So much for 'logic'.
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