Jacqui Smith, on the Today programme this morning admitted to smoking Cannabis at Oxford. You know it must have been commonplace when even the most strait-laced of politicians admit to having done it.
It's clearly no coincidence that she has come out with this a day after Gordon Brown, announced yet another review of the reclassification of cannabis in 2002, from class B to class C. Although it is right that the government should listen to public concern on such issues, ultimately, the government should face down calls to reclassify the drug back up.
Some reasons why:
Recorded cannabis use is falling.
Smith and others have a bee in their bonnet about 'new', stronger varieties of skunk, which are linked to mental illness in heavy users. But the government knew about skunk in 2004 when the first change took place, and again in 2006, when it was once more decided to leave things as they are.
Lastly, while, on average, cannabis leaf has been getting gradually stronger over time, seizures of very strong cannabis have been stable since the 1970s - it is just the indoor grown stuff that is getting gradually stronger (thanks to the excellent Ben Goldacre in the Guardian for that one).
I find it odd that they are all claiming that (a) it was impossible not to be sucked into a brush with dope back in the day and that (b) as it was not terribly potent then it doesn't really matter. Surely the point is who really gives a(n artic) monkeys??
Posted by: Rupa Huq | Monday, July 23, 2007 at 03:10 PM