DRUGS EXPERT'S WARNING OVER CANNABIS MOVE

A leading Scottish drugs expert has voiced grave concerns about the
reclassification of cannabis as the government launches a UKP1m advertising
campaign to remind the public it is being downgraded from class B to class
C next week.

Professor Neil McKeganey's concerns were shared by Michael Howard, the Tory
leader, who denounced the decision yesterday as "absurd".

Writing exclusively in The Herald today, Professor McKeganey, of Drug
Misuse Research at Glasgow University, said the move represented the
biggest change in our drugs laws in the past 20 years.

However, he says that it is entirely open to question whether the Scottish
Parliament - which presides over a country with one of the highest levels
of cannabis use in Europe - would have backed the change had it had
responsibility for drug abuse matters.

He goes on to argue that concern over the rescheduling of cannabis is not
simply a matter of worrying about the possibility that the overall numbers
of cannabis users may increase.

"Whilst cannabis is by no means as dangerous a drug as heroin and cocaine,
there is growing evidence that even infrequent users of the drug face a
one-in-10 chance of becoming dependent and that this figure may be as high
as one in three for those who are regularly using the drug.

"We also know that cannabis consumption increases the risk of lung and
throat cancers.

"Recent research has shown that in high dosages, and to some extent in low
dosage as well, cannabis can lead to a range of psychotic symptoms
including confusion, amnesia, delusions, hallucinations, anxiety and
agitation and that these effects may be particularly pronounced in young
people."

He adds: "My own view is that if any of these adverse outcomes increase as
a result of reclassification, then the decision to go ahead with moving
cannabis from B to C has to look like the wrong decision."

He also argues that the stated intention by David Blunkett, the home
secretary, of focusing on heroin and cocaine might also engender a sense of
gloom on the part of those working in the drug prevention field.

Professor McKeganey's intervention came as Mr Howard refused to say whether
he had smoked cannabis. The Tory leader, who has pledged that a
Conservative government would reverse the policy, was challenged by Mr
Blunkett to reveal whether he had used cannabis in the past.

Mr Howard said Mr Blunkett's changes introduced a "muddle" that would send
a signal to young people that cannabis was legal and safe, when it was not.

Mr Blunkett dismissed the criticism of the changes, which will place
cannabis alongside anabolic steroids and prescription antibiotics and mean
police will rarely make arrests for possession of small amounts of the drug.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said: "Two years ago I said
we want a sensible, mature debate. We are actually having one now"

Tony Blair's official spokesman said it was important to recognise that
they were not saying that reclassifying cannabis meant it was safe.

"It remains an illegal drug and is, of course, harmful. The police will
ensure those who repeatedly flout the law are arrested. But what this is
about is allowing police to concentrate their efforts on drugs that do most
harm, namely the class A drugs."