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The news item that sparked this was an announcement from the British Home Secretery (the American version would be Sec of State), Jacqui Smith, that cannabis was to be reclassified as a Class B drug. For those unfamiliar with the complexities of the British legal system, that means the potential sentence for possession rises from two years to five. Cannabis was actually only downgraded to Class C a few years ago and today's move comes in direct opposition to a review by the Advisery Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD). The ACMD, who provide medical and scientific data and recommendations on drug laws, said that cannabis should remain a Class C drug. According to Ms. Smith, her move is prompted by a clause in the ACMD report that said there was a: ""probable, but weak, causal link between psychotic illness, including schizophrenia, and cannabis use" (my emphasis). Translated into layman's terms, that means that if you have a pre-existing tendancy toward mental illness, smoking pot could trigger that illness (as could a lot of other things). That's probably true. If you have psychological problems or a tendancy toward them, anything which alters your perceptions could act as a trigger. That doesn't just mean pot though, that also covers alcohol and quite a few prescription medications and yet, no-one is campaigning to ban booze.
Now, the above is in reference to the UK but the rest of this applies to the US's ongoing war against some people who use some drugs as well.
When are we going to get it? The scientific and medical evidence says that pot is, for most people and used responsibly, relatively harmless. I've never been assaulted by a stoned person, the emergency rooms aren't full of people who get stoned and beat each other up. Psychologically, you can become addicted to pot but then, psychologically, you can become addicted to anything. Anything you feel an involuntary compulsion to do or take is, psychologically, an addiction. I don't smoke pot and haven't in years and I'd prefer it if people didn't smoke in my house (I dislike the smell) but I take drugs. Three are prescribed to me but my drugs of choice are nicotine and real ale. When I choose to enjoy a pint, does it make me any less safe if my neighbour chooses to enjoy a joint instead? Observation says no. Observation says that the two pleasures are, from a layman's point of view, much the same. They have mild mind-altering effects for a brief time and then you go on about your life. The cigarettes I smoke will probably kill me eventually and yet, I can walk into any newsagent and buy a pack of Marlboros but if I want to smoke a vastly less harmful weed, I have to run the risk of arrest and, in theory, imprisonment.
This is insane. Pot is entirely natural. It grows virtually anywhere. It has a pain relief record going back to the dawn of civilisation and every country that can grow the stuff has done so, often in massive quantities. During World War II, Britain had a "Hemp For Victory" campaign. Not so the country could get stoned but because the industrial applications of cannabis are legion. Textiles, paint, oil (both for lubrication and cooking), pain relief and dozens more besides. So when are our "ruling powers" going to get it? Cannabis shouldn't be Class C, B or A. It should be legal (properly age restricted, of course).
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