CANNABIS: WHAT IF IT WERE LEGAL?

With conservative drugs policy in disarray and new calls to relax the
law on cannabis, BBC News Online examines what British society would
be like if the drug were legalised.

"Two scratchcards and a pack of 20 Cannalights please."

Hard as it is to imagine, one day in the future cannabis cigarettes
could be as much of a cornershop staple as cough sweets and cartons of
semi-skimmed.

Calls to legalise cannabis are back in the headlines, this time
following confessions from seven members of the shadow cabinet that
they have smoked dope.

The debate on relaxing the law on pot stretches back more than 30
years. Yet increasingly it seems to return with renewed vigour.

On Sunday, Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy became the first
leader of a mainstream party to say he favoured the decriminalisation
of cannabis.

Earlier this year, the strictly establishment Daily Telegraph
astounded many of its readers by calling for soft drugs to be legalised.

Everyone acknowledges that legalising cannabis would be a huge step
for any government, but with what effect? What would Britain be like
if dope were as freely available as alcohol and cigarettes?

Effect On Take Up

More than anything, the effect would depend on how many people become
regular users.

Just because cannabis would be available over the counter, the take up
rate would not necessarily rocket.

As the only European country where cannabis is widely tolerated by the
authorities, Holland provides a useful comparison for what might
happen in the UK.

Research by the Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction -
the Trimbos Institute - suggests relaxing cannabis laws will not
necessarily lead to a long-term rise, at least among children

The institute found that while 41% of 15-year-olds in the UK had tried
cannabis, with 24% using the drug in the previous month; in Holland
29% had tried the drug, while 15% had used it in the previous month.

Hard To Go Without

Those who do develop a taste for the drug may find it hard to go
without, especially if it is freely available. Despite claims to the
contrary, cannabis is addictive, according to a survey by American
National Institute of Drug Abuse.

The research found three-quarters of those who gave up cannabis had
cravings for it, and 70% switched to tobacco in an attempt to stay
off. Almost half said they became irritable after giving up, and many
were bored as a result of coming off the drug.

Relaxing Qualities

Of all its so-called qualities, cannabis is best known as a relaxant.
That might have appeal in a country where we work the longest hours in
Europe - 43.9 hours a week - and an estimated 40 million work days
each year are lost through stress.

Cannabis can ease conditions such as high blood pressure, which
exacerbates stress and can lead to premature death.

Britain's more "chilled out" mood might also be reflected on the
streets, where post-pub fighting has become an unwelcome occurrence in
many town centres.

In the wake of England's virtually trouble-free defeat at the hands of
Portugal during the Euro 2000 football contest, police in Eindhoven,
Holland, said the drug had relaxed fans.

Society Slows Down

The relaxing effect can go too far. Research shows the drug affects
almost every system of the body, slowing down reaction times, causing
drowsiness and confusion.

Britain might also become a more forgetful society. Even in small
doses, dope smoking is known to cause short-term memory loss. In
extreme cases it can cause hallucinations and paranoid delusions.

Drug Tourism

Already a sought-after destination among overseas travellers, Britain
could expect to see a jump in the 25 million overseas visitors it gets
every year as dope smokers from abroad set out to enjoy our liberal
drugs law.

That would be good news for the economy, but drugged-up visitors are
not to everybody's liking. Authorities in Holland have taken measures
to limit the supply of soft drugs after Amsterdam became swamped by
drug tourists (many from Britain) in the 1990s.

Fall In Fertility

The birth rate could drop because marijuana suppresses ovulation and
retards sperm production. Sperm counts have slumped 50% in the past
five decades and it already takes an average couple 11 to 12 months to
conceive.

Cancer Increase

Efforts to cut tobacco related-illnesses in recent years could be
undone with cannabis. A report by the British Medical Association
found smoking a cannabis cigarette leads to three times greater tar
inhalation than smoking a tobacco cigarette.

Curing Qualities

Bearing in mind the above points, it could be a long time before
society feels it is ready for the changes over-the-counter cannabis
would bring.

Perhaps more realistic is its legalisation for medical purposes. There
is evidence of the drug helping sufferers of migraines, multiple
sclerosis, glaucoma and even anorexia - it stimulates the appetite.
Prescription for medical purposes could therefore reduce the National
Health Service's dependence on other costly drugs.