IS IT TIME TO LEGALISE CANNABIS?

The debate surrounding cannabis rages on. In may it was a key election
issue and convicted drug smuggler Howard Marks stood as a legalise cannabis
candidate in Norwich. Now more research into the drug has been published
and a national newspaper is spearheading a campaign to see cannabis
legalised. But as parents increasingly fear for the safety of their
children in a society where recreational drugs are becoming more popular,
which way should the law swing? Abigail Saltmarsh sets the case for and
against the legalisation of cannabis.

Leah Betts died after taking an ecstasy tablet. Now her dad, Paul Betts is
waging war against all recreational drugs, including cannabis.

He believes many children begin smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol,
then move on to cannabis before possibly hitting harder drugs.

"When people think of cannabis they think of the 60's, but it is much, much
stronger now" he said.

"It is a highly dangerous drug"

He said cannabis could not be described as simply "a plant" any more than
heroin, which comes from the poppy or cocaine, from a coca plant.

Mr Betts claimed cannabis was a serious health risk.

He said research showed it was carcinogenic - and was related to oral and
lung cancer, sterility, memory loss, brain shrinkage and premature birth.

And he added "we are getting calls all the time from youngsters who cannot
sleep or get up without having a joint and many of them are dropping out of
school"

Norfolk police are also firmly opposed to the legalisation of the drug.

Detective Cheif Inspector Crhis Grant said "Cannabis is part of the whole
sub-culture of drugs"

"It is an entry level drug which can lead to people experimenting with
potentially more dangerous drugs"

There is an obvious health connotation as well - the message from us is
Drugs destroy lives"

Mr Betts said youngsters failed to understand why their parents are so
concerned"

"It is not until young people start to get older that they realise people
are not out to spoil their fun but are giving them advice" he said. "By the
time the young people find out it could be too late"

The pro-cannabis lobby is keen to highlight theplants other uses

+ Hemp is the same plant as cannabis

+ It used to be a valuable crop in Britian - One place it was farmed was
Hempnall.

+ Hemp can be used to make paper and cloth

+ The seeds of the cannabis plant can be eaten and are high in protien

+ Some patients with conditions like MS believe cannabis has strong
medicinal properties.

PRESSURE groups campaigning for the legalisation of cannabis say:

+ According to the 1996 British crime survey, cannabis is taken by about
12% of 16 - 29 year olds

+ Cannabis could be sold and controlled in much the same way as alcohol

+ Cannabis is widley used anyway, a new drug is not being introduced.

+ Cannabis does not lead on to other drugs - Holland has the lowest hard
drug abuse in the world.

+ There are no known proven health risks through smoking cannabis

+ Cannabis is not additctive.

CITY MPS JOIN THE DEBATE ON USE OF DRUG

The Evening News has asked the two local MPs where they stand on the debate.

Ian Gibson, MP for Norwich North, is involved with the Lords committee
looking into the medicinal uses of cannabis.

He said "I believe the current government policy in relation to drugs is
the correct one". But he said he thought we were going to learn a lot more
about the science of cannabis. ]

"At the moment there is no clear cut view about the potential damage to
people's health."

"If, for example, that came out and there was no danger, that would make it
more likely that there ought to be a more general investigation"

He continued: "I do find evidence that it might lead to hard drugs still
ambivalent".

And he did not always agree with home secretary Jack Straw's strong
anti-cannabis stance.

He added "I doubt if we are ever going to get a clear cut resolution of all
these issues and certainly it doesn't appear that the use of cannabis is
going to go away".

Asked whether he had ever used cannabis himself, he replied: "I'm not
commenting on that. It's not relevent to the larger debate" But he added "I
was a child of the '60s".

Charles Clarke MP for Norwich South, said he was against the legalisation
of cannabis: "I remain convinced that it would be quite wrong for
parliament to send the signal that increasing use of drugs is acceptable in
our (end of item)

STREET NAMES

Todays street names for cannabis include

dope draw gear stash ganja hash (solid cannabis) grass, weed, bush (dried
cannabis plant) + cannabis can be smoked in resin, plant or oil form +it
can also be eaten.

SMOKING CANNABIS IS "NOT A CRIME"

Jack Girling wants to see cannabis sold in youth clubs, tea houses and
coffee shops.

Jack, who is chairman of the Norwich branch of the Campaign to Legalise
Cannabis Internationally, believe cannabis is not a drug.

And he believe it should be freely available to anyone - of any age.

"Cannabis should never have been criminalised - its just a plant" he said.
"It should be treated just as we treat cabbage. All its properties are
benificial".

Jack, whos group has 350 members in Norwich, refutes the argument that
smoking cannabis leads to harder drugs.

He said it was the individual personality which dictated whether they went
on to try other substances.

But if youngsters did not have to buy cannabis illegallythey would not be
exposed to dealers selling hard drugs.

Derek Williams, a Norwich member of campaigning Internet group Cannabis
Internet Activists (CIA), also claims cannabis does not lead on to other
drugs.

"Holland, where you can buy cannabis in the famous "coffee shops" has the
lowest hard drug abuse in the world" he said.

But he does not agree that cannabis should be sold freely without
government control.

He would like to see it taxed, sold legally over the counter - and only to
those over the age of 18.

Derek believes the product should be quality controlled and labelled or
graded as to strength.

"Very, very few people react badly to cannabis but if it had a strength
control people would know what they were taking" said Derek.

"They wouldn't then be worried"

Legalising cannabis would free up police manpower and resources.

"I think one day cannabis will have to be legalised" said Derek.

The Campaign to Legalise Cannabis is holding a public meeting in
chapelfield Gardens on April 1st from 10am to 2pm.

A march is being held in London on March 28th in a bid to put pressure on
the government to legalise cannabis.

LOOKING AT THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS FOR MEDICINE

The BMA is not in favour of legalising cannabis as a recreational drug. But
it would like to see how effective it is for medicinal purposes

A spokesman for the association said "because of the law surrounding
cannabis it is very, very difficult to carry out research on cannabis"

"If it were possible to do the tests and it proved, as we strongly suspect
it would, that it could be effective as a medicine, we would like to see it
legalised on prescription only.

But she added "It would be the cannabinoids in the drug that would be
extracted and used for treatment"

"It wouldn't mean we would be walking down hospital wards handing out joints"

FIRMLY AGAINST

Groups firmly against the legalisation of cannabis say:

+ Legalising cannabis would encourage far more youngsters to take it

+ Cannabis is a gateway drug to harder drugs

+ Cannabis today is much stronger than the cannabis smoked in the 1960's -
people have an unrealistic perception of its strength.

+ Smoking cannabis can cause cancer

+ Smoking cannabis can cause short - and long - term memory loss, paranioa,
depression and a reduction in brain size.