CANNABIS DECISION EXPOSES POLITICAL FEARS

Opponents of moves to decriminalise cannabis have scored a victory, with the
House of Representatives throwing out the government's proposals.

But the Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Addiction
told swissinfo the vote exposed a serious lack of courage.

On Thursday, the House of Representatives rejected legislation that
would have allowed possession and production of cannabis for personal
use, as well as limited trade in the drug.

The bill, which had already been approved by the Senate, would have
resulted in Switzerland having one of the most liberal policies on
cannabis in Europe. It won the support of those who believed it was
time to bring legislation in line with reality.

Michel Graf, deputy head of the institute, says he is sorely
disappointed by the move.

swissinfo: What is your reaction to the proposal being voted
down?

Michel Gras: I am disappointed by this lack of political courage. It
shows that politicians are not comfortable with the issue of public
health.

They're mixing up moral values with the interests of public health,
both of which they have to defend.

This means that cannabis users will basically still be considered as
criminals, whereas we see them as people who are at risk -- especially
if they are young.

swissinfo: Do you think that the rejection of the proposal was
politically motivated and linked to the upcoming general elections? Or
does it reflect a change in the way cannabis is perceived?

M.C.: I think it's a bit of both. On the one hand, parliamentarians
are keeping their cards close to their chest ahead of the elections on
what is a very complex issue. And because this is such a complex
issue, experts haven't been able to spell out what decriminalisation
will mean exactly.

We must not allow ourselves to be lazy. We have to find clearer, more
effective ways of containing cannabis consumption.

No politician wants to see everyone smoking [dope]. But the truth is
that whether or not it's forbidden by law, some of the population will
continue to do so.

Our job is to make sure that these smokers are well-informed and that
their [use of cannabis] doesn't become problematic and that they
don't wind up as criminals.

swissinfo: The media seem to have picked up on research showing the
most dangerous side effects of cannabis.

M.G.: Anything that anyone's said during the past months on cannabis
has been heavily banded about by the media.

For instance, it was said that a joint was up to five times as toxic
as a cigarette -- a claim which was never backed up by the scientific
community.

There then were some psychiatrists who said [cannabis] caused mental
disorders among teenagers. But they forgot to say that this applied
only to a minority of them.

The majority of occasional smokers never have a problem, and this is
true for a lot of teenagers and young adults. But people mix up
occasional and regular use, which of course is dangerous -
irrespective of age.

swissinfo: So is the institute going to continue informing people on
this subject?

M.G.: Of course! We were the first to do so and we'll carry on
informing people in the most objective manner possible.

Opponents of cannabis reform play on fears and prefer to bury their
heads in the sand.

But they have to realise that just because the debate is dragging
doesn't mean that the situation will disappear. Everyone is very
misinformed on this issue -- it's a dangerous situation.

Opponents wanted to postpone the debate to make it clearer, but
actually the debate is becoming more clouded. And our job is to remind
people that, irrespective of the legal status of cannabis, we're not
in favour of it being consumed, especially not on a regular basis.

Related Sites

Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Drug Addiction:
http://www.sfa-ispa.ch/bodyindex-d.htm

Swiss Federal Health Office: http://www.bag.admin.ch/e/index.htm