TIRED OLD SPIN ON CANNABIS

It SEEMS to me that Geoff Ogden is trying to avoid the real issues
(Letters, July 30), which is the quality (or lack of it) in the
information that the East Riding and Hull Combined Action Teams are
putting out.

Mr Ogden correctly says that people are concerned with drug crime and
drug illness and deaths. But his tactics of attempting to scare young
people off cannabis by persuading them that it is very dangerous and
may lead to hard drugs, is a miserable failure, as can be seen by the
figures.

Let's get this straight: cannabis has nothing in common with other
illegal (or legal) drugs, apart from the legal status itself.

Cannabis is not toxic in any amount, is not addictive, and benefits
the very huge majority of users (I am talking about good, clean
cannabis here, not the concoctions sold by illegal dealers under the
present regime).

Regarding mental problems caused by cannabis, the Government's own
figures suggest that about 520 people were admitted to hospital
diagnosed as suffering from cannabis-induced mental problems in a year.

That is 520 out of the estimated 4.5 million users (Home Office
figures) - a very small percentage indeed, and they all recovered once
they stopped using the plant. Certainly no reason to punish every
other user caught.

Neither is the fact that some people do later take hard drugs. If we
use that process we should surely punish those who drink alcohol
because most cannabis users and hard drug users started with that.

Come on Mr Ogden, we, the public pay your wages. We want to see
results, we want to see a new approach, not just the regurgitation of
the same old spin.

Alun Buffry,

Legalise Cannabis Alliance,

NR3 3WG