'HASH IS A PART OF STUDENT LIFE'

There is nothing like the presence of proud parents to make the average
student reticent on the subject of drugs, but for some of Glasgow
University's new graduates cannabis is not a real drug anyway.

"It's a part of student life," said Tom yesterday. "You don't need to seek
it out; and, also, you would have to have lived a sheltered existence to
have never come across hash at some point during your four years here. It's
a drug, in the way a pint or a fag is a drug, but not in the way smack is."

For Tom - who did not want to give his second name, in case his opinions
marred his parents' joy at the degree scroll he was carrying - the home
secretary's plan to lower the classification of cannabis from class B to
class C is not sensible.

"It's just a cop out, isn't it?" he said. "The police are not going to lift
you at a party for having a half Q [eighth of an ounce] just now, so what
difference will this make? It would make far more sense to legalise it
completely."

His friend, Graeme, agreed, while also being reticent about his surname.
"Playing about with the classification is just tinkering around the edges.
Why doesn't he just admit you can't do anything about people smoking blow,
and there's no point in trying? At least if you decriminalised cannabis you
could concentrate resources more on the others."

Student Nazir Ahmed was not impressed with the move either, though for
different reasons. "There are loads of students who spend half their lives
sitting around smoking and never doing anything. Cannabis is an easy drug
to get into, and it can be destructive because of that."

Michael O'Donnell was a bit confused about what the reclassification
actually meant.

"It's difficult to know what they'll mean now, about 'intent to supply',"
he said. "If, say, me and my mates all chipped in for an ounce, because
it's cheaper, and I went and got it, then I would be technically supplying
- - which is just nonsense. They won't be treated as criminals for smoking
it, but I would be for going to get it."