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Cannabis debate 'pointless'

02/11/2007

The negative impacts of cannabis will not be reduced by debating the legal status of the drug, researchers from Australian universities have warned.

Louise Degenhardt and Wayne Hall of the Universities of New South Wales and Queensland claim in today's edition of the Lancet journal that use of the drug is not significantly affected by its criminal status.

They point to already published research in Australia which shows similar trends in use of the drug across states with very different enforcement policies.

Instead they argue that society's wider attitudes to cannabis and the perceived harm it can have on people's health are more important factors.

As a result, the pair believe a focus in Britain on whether the government was right to downgrade cannabis from a class B to class C drug in 2004 is misguided.

"There is a danger that a debate about the re-imposition of criminal penalties will distract the British government from more effective communication with the public about the risks of use – which, along with psychosis, should emphasise the more common health risks," they write.

"It would be mistaken for the British community to assume that the public health problems arising from cannabis use can be solved by the stroke of a legislative pen."

Last month police officers criticised Britain's parents for turning a blind eye to their children's use of the country's most commonly used illegal substance, arguing health risks associated with it had increased along with its potency over the years.

In July UK researchers found use of cannabis increases the risk of psychosis by 40 per cent.