DOCTORS' GROUP CONDEMNS PLAN TO DOWNGRADE CANNABIS

LONDON - Doctors' leaders on Tuesday night condemned the British
government's plans to reclassify cannabis as a class C drug in the light of
new evidence on its safety.

The British Medical Association said that the move, due to come into effect
next week, sent out "all the wrong messages" to people thinking of
experimenting with cannabis. It also called for ministers to keep the
classification of cannabis under "constant review" and to consider moving
it back to class B as new evidence on its safety comes to light. The BMA
move comes weeks after The Times highlighted growing concerns within the
medical community about links between cannabis and psychiatric illness.

Mr David Blunkett, the home secretary, announced in 2002 that he intended
to reclassify the drug after a lengthy examination of drugs policy by the
Commons Select Committee on home affairs and the Advisory Council on the
Misuse of Drugs. It will still be an offence from 29 January to possess,
cultivate or supply cannabis, but the maximum sentence for possession will
fall from five years to two.

Dr Robin Murray, head of psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, said
that inner-city psychiatric services were nearing a crisis point, with up
to 80 per cent of all new psychotic cases reporting a history of cannabis use.

He said that new evidence had since come to light proving that people who
used cannabis in their teens were up to seven times more likely to develop
psychosis, delusional episodes or manic depression.- The Times, London