SOFT DRUG BAN WILL NOT WIN THE WAR ON DRUGS

Cannabis makes those who use it criminals and those who supply it rich
criminals. That situation will have to change, writes Aine O'Connor

THERE is a drug that makes people relaxed and happy. Most users giggle
and lose their inhibitions. Used to excess, however, it causes
vomiting, memory loss and lack of physical and mental control. In some
people it leads to violent behaviour, in others to depression. Many
users become addicted. It is a known contributor to family breakdown
and prolonged over-usage can lead to death.

There is another drug which makes people relaxed and happy. Its users
too become giggly and lose their inhibitions. Used to excess it may
cause vomiting and some memory loss but not lack of control. Violent
behaviour is almost unknown, although there is an unproven link
between prolonged use and introversion. It is not physically
addictive, has no known relationship to family breakdown but prolonged
usage may be damaging to health. The first drug is available in your
local supermarket. The second is illegal.

The comparison between alcohol and cannabis is neither original nor
clever, but it is pertinent. Cannabis, by far the most commonly used
illegal drug in Ireland, is no more pernicious than either tobacco or
alcohol yet it is treated the same as heroin and cocaine. This is
illogical and ill-thought out.

The jury is out on the effect of cannabis on health, no major studies
have been done since the 1970s. There is a suggestion that it is more
carcinogenic than tobacco, another that it is carcinogenic only when
smoked with tobacco. Like with our additive-filled food and even our
water, we are not quite sure what the long-term effects will be. One
British doctor argues that it is "a safe drug" as there are "few, if
any" cannabis-related deaths, a claim that common drugs like aspirin
cannot make. There is also growing medical support for decriminalising
cannabis for health purposes. The Lancet noted, "Moderate indulgence
in cannabis has little ill-effect on health and decisions to ban or
legalise cannabis should be based on other considerations."

Many of the arguments against decriminalisation focus on young people.
They speak of the damaging effects cannabis has on schoolchildren.
What are schoolchildren doing smoking dope?

It is only by taking drug distribution out of criminal hands that any
type of regulation can be imposed. It could never be foolproof, Irish
children successfully circumvent rules prohibiting them from smoking
and drinking, but at the moment there is no way of controlling access
to illegal drugs. Illegal dealers don't have principles about age.
Legal dealers could be made to.

There could also be proper research into the health issues around
cannabis, and education campaigns about the drug.

Another concern is that cannabis is a so-called gateway to harder
drugs. There is little proof of this. Cannabis is not physically
addictive in the same way as other narcotics. Some have argued it is
psychologically addictive, that users become hooked on the high. This
might well be true. But it is equally true that people find money,
sex, success and power psychologically addictive. If cannabis is a
gateway, it is arguably because of its very illegality. Its legal
status puts the drug in the same realm as heroin and cocaine and can
bring users into contact with pushers and hence lead them on to harder
drugs. This was the very reason behind the decriminalisation of
cannabis and marijuana in the Netherlands in 1976.

At the time, the Netherlands had experienced a huge upsurge in the
number of hard-drug users. They believed that the best method of
prevention would be to make a distinction between hard drugs, heroine,
cocaine, amphetamines and today, ecstasy, which pose "an unacceptable
health hazard" and soft drugs like cannabis and marijuana which
"constitute a far less serious hazard". The principle was that by
drawing a distinction, soft-drug users could be kept away from
hard-drug dealers.

Although not strictly legal, the possession and use of small amounts
of hash is tolerated.

Holland proves that decriminalisation is not a form of encouragement.
One in three Dutch teenagers have tried cannabis, with estimates in
Ireland reaching as high as 80 per cent in some areas. A European
school survey found that in the EU, Irish 16-year-olds were second
only to British teenagers in regard to smoking cannabis.

While the Dutch have noticed an increase in absenteeism from work
which some attribute to cannabis, it comes nowhere near the Irish rate
which can certainly be attributed to alcohol.

Cannabis is a huge money-spinner for Irish criminals. If cannabis were
decriminalised or legalised, large-scale illegal trading could be
eliminated. It could even become a source of revenue for the government.

There are some judgement calls that individuals must make. We know
that tobacco, excess alcohol, too much sun, unprotected sex and too
much fat in the diet can be life-threatening.

Should the government outlaw deep-fat frying and sunbathing without
Ambre Solaire?

It is a government's job to find out as much as possible and
disseminate the information. How we choose to use the information is
up to us. Decriminalising cannabis is not about surrendering in a drug
war. It is about dividing to conquer and fighting a different battle.