END THE CONFUSION OVER CANNABIS

Education On Drug Use Is Paramount

The application of the law on cannabis is a muddle. You may believe
that the decision to downgrade cannabis from a class B to a class C
drug from the beginning of the year means it is no longer illegal to
possess and use cannabis but only illegal to trade in it. Last week,
Sir John Stevens, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, admitted
the situation was confusing and told us possession could still lead to
two years' imprisonment. Why should anyone spend two years in prison
for possession of cannabis if they cannot be arrested for it? You risk
arrest if you buy and sell cannabis, or if you use it in aggravated
circumstances - in the street, in a school playground or outside the
school gate. But policy, as we understand it, is for simple possession
of cannabis to lead only to a caution. For the mass of users, its
illegality is a technical issue, in which case Sir John, while
strictly right, should be more precise. The Government is trying to be
pragmatic about cannabis use. Millions use it in moderation for
pleasure and to stigmatise law-abiding citizens with a criminal record
is silly; cannabis use is here to stay. And yet the Government, and
most parents fear, with good reason, that further liberalisation would
lead to an explosion of use. Hence the retention of the threat of arrest.

If this is too confusing for the public and the police, then the way
forward has to be towards full decriminalisation. To work, this must
go hand in hand with a vigorous education campaign on the dangers of
drug abuse but, as we report today, this key plank of government
policy is set to collapse through a funding shortfall.

There are important benefits to further liberalisation, including
putting the currently murky business under public scrutiny, where
health risks and product quality can be properly monitored. Some of
the very strong cannabis on the streets today bears little relation to
the mild mood-altering stuff used by yesterday's students. It is
essential that relaxation of the law is accompanied by greater
education about the long-term effects of use. Decriminalising a drug
is not a declaration that it is safe, as we know when we warn children
against the dangers of tobacco and alcohol. Cannabis may be a real
danger to health. But its use should not be a crime.