NO MORE MR NICE GUY

Howard Marks, Poster Boy for Cannabis, Doubts Safety of Drug

The man who made a career, in and out of prison, from cannabis has for
the first time expressed concern about its links to mental illness in
the light of reports in The Independent on Sunday. David Connett reports

Howard Marks, the one-time "King of Dope", is a living icon for
campaigners for the legalisation of cannabis. But yesterday he
admitted for the first time that he is concerned about links between
cannabis use and schizophrenia. Marks, better known as Mr Nice - one
of 43 aliases he used when running his worldwide drug empire and the
title of his best-selling autobiography - said more medical research
into the issue is vital. Marks admitted he was uneasy over growing
evidence which suggested that being "stoned and being off your head"
may be connected. By that, he meant the temporary high from the drug
and long-term mental health illness.

Marks, speaking in a TV interview, said: "I think it is difficult to
establish whether these two states are similar. If, as a result of
smoking a lot of dope, one becomes schizophrenic, that's reason for
concern. If being slightly schizophrenic makes you want to smoke some
dope to ease you through the day, I don't think that's a cause for
concern.

"To find out which of these is true will require research. One has to
look into the action [of cannabis] on the brain and what happens."

He said that the reclassification of cannabis from class B to class C
in 2004 followed The Independent on Sunday's campaign to legalise the
drug. Earlier this year, the newspaper abandoned its stance following
growing evidence that cannabis use could lead to greater incidence of
psychosis, including schizophrenia.

Marks's comments coincided with Gordon Brown's call for celebrities to
speak out against drugs. The Prime Minister emphasised the need for
sportsmen, pop stars and other public figures to act as role models
for young people and denounce illegal substances. He also criticised
celebrities who took a "very casual attitude" to drugs. "Those who
think that their standing in the community makes them above the law on
these matters is another area where I think we've got to send a very
clear message. Not only that we will not decriminalise drugs but at
the same time this is unacceptable behaviour."

The Government is carrying out a consultation on cannabis
classification. Many groups are calling for the drug to be returned to
class B status.

Marks, who was jailed for 25 years for masterminding a worldwide
cannabis smuggling operation, has long been an advocate of drug
legalisation. But he admitted that claims that smoking cannabis
increases an individual's chance of developing a psychotic illness by
40 per cent gave him "genuine concern". The psychosis threat was
especially acute in smokers under the age of 16.

Further research was also needed to discover whether the brain itself
used chemicals similar to those found in cannabis in order to counter
pain, he said.