CANNABIS LESS OF A RISK THAN ALCOHOL, SAYS OFFICIAL REPORT

THE British government's drug advisers reported yesterday that cannabis was
less addictive than either tobacco or alcohol, a significant step towards
the decriminalisation of Britain's most widely used illicit substance.

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs backed an earlier proposal by
the Home Secretary, David Blunkett, that cannabis should be downgraded to a
Class C drug, which in effect makes its possession a non-arrestable offence.

The council said in its report: "Regular heavy use of cannabis can result
in dependence, but its dependence potential is substantially less than that
of Class B drugs such as amphetamine or, indeed, that of tobacco or alcohol."

The council also undermined claims by anti-drugs campaigners that cannabis
was a dangerous "gateway" drug that led users to experiment with harder and
more addictive substances.

"It is not possible to state, with certainty, whether or not cannabis use
predisposes users to dependence on Class A drugs such as heroin or crack
cocaine," its report said. "Nevertheless the risks (if any) are small, and
less than those associated with the use of tobacco or alcohol."

Backing the first relaxation of Britain's drug laws in 30 years, the
council said: "The high use of cannabis is not associated with major health
problems for the individual or society."

The council pointed out that it was not claiming cannabis use was harmless;
it posed "significant dangers" for people with disorders of the heart and
circulation, and for those with mental health problems such as schizophrenia.

But it said such people were "at much more significant risk" from
amphetamines, which are also categorised as Class B. "The continuing
juxtaposition of cannabis with these more harmful Class B drugs erroneously
(and dangerously) suggests that their harmful effects are equivalent."

The reclassification of cannabis will not take place immediately, however.
The government will postpone its decision until after consideration of the
findings of a full-scale inquiry into drugs by a House of Commons committee.