02/11/2007 00:00:00
Australia: Cannabis debate pointless
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The negative impacts of cannabis will not be reduced by debating the
legal status of the drug, researchers from Australian universities have
warned.
Louise Degenhardt and Wayne Hall of the Universities of New South Wales
and Queensland claim in today's edition of the Lancet journal that use
of the drug is not significantly affected by its criminal status.
They point to already published research in Australia which shows
similar trends in use of the drug across states with very different
enforcement policies.
Instead they argue that society's wider attitudes to cannabis and the
perceived harm it can have on people's health are more important factors.
As a result, the pair believe a focus in Britain on whether the
government was right to downgrade cannabis from a class B to class C
drug in 2004 is misguided.
"There is a danger that a debate about the re-imposition of criminal
penalties will distract the British government from more effective
communication with the public about the risks of use – which, along with
psychosis, should emphasise the more common health risks," they write.
"It would be mistaken for the British community to assume that the
public health problems arising from cannabis use can be solved by the
stroke of a legislative pen."
Last month police officers criticised Britain's parents for turning a
blind eye to their children's use of the country's most commonly used
illegal substance, arguing health risks associated with it had increased
along with its potency over the years.
In July UK researchers found use of cannabis increases the risk of
psychosis by 40 per cent
http://www.inthenews.co.uk/
Source:
http://www.ukcia.org/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=12973
Author:
via UKCIA
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