• Question: can you legalise cannabis or are ther to many risk

    Asked by craiggore to Upul, Phil, Ian, Derek, Daniel on 18 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Derek Mann

      Derek Mann answered on 14 Jun 2010:

      This is a really tough question, my own opinion is that cannabis should be available as a treatment where doctors feel it has some benefit. But cannabis on the streets today is very powerful and I would worry about people using it when for example driving a car. i am also concerned that there may be some long-term problems with mental health of people who use cannabis as a recreational drug.

    • Photo: Ian Sillett

      Ian Sillett answered on 14 Jun 2010:

      Sadly, as a member of the civil service and the Home Office in particular I really can’t even begin to answer that question in a public forum. I’m really sorry, I’d probably get the sack!

    • Photo: Daniel Mietchen

      Daniel Mietchen answered on 17 Jun 2010:

      It is legal in some countries (and under some – e.g. medical – circumstances even in the UK, I think), so it _can_ be legalised, but I am not in a position to do that. Personally, I think there are many risks associated with it, but so there are with making it illegal, or with declaring other ways of drug consumption legal (think smoking). Anyway, I know too little about the details to make a final recommendation.

    • Photo: Philip Wadler

      Philip Wadler answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      A lot of the science can be tinged by politics. The tobacco companies funded a lot of research to try to show that smoking was not harmful, but eventually the science won out. Some of the recent research shows marijuana is more harmful than used to be the case, but I think it will take more work and decoupling it from politics before we understand what is safe and what is dangerous. But there is enough new research that I’d be much more careful about using marijuana now than I would have been a few years ago.

Comments

  • Photo: Marianne

    Marianne commented on :

    I believe one of the main issues with cannabis is during development; so using it before your brain has finished growing (i.e. teens and before) can be the most dangerous time.

    As with any drug, it must be used sensibly to minimise whatever risks there are.

    The studies investigating links between cannabis use and schizophrenia, from what I’ve read, seem to suggest it does pose a risk.

    Personally, I would legalise it and regulate it, try to make sure young people do not have access to it (like we do with cigarettes; less on the black market and from dealers who exploit people and try to get them on harder drugs to make more money).

    People say it’s a ‘gateway drug’ but I think this is more a problem with dealers as I said above.

    I haven’t used it, nor would I recommend it; I’ve seen people who have used far too much and it’s like someone’s just gone into their head and scooped most of their brain out. Completely not with it.
    But equally, people who just occasionally do in a safe environment and are fine.

    Drugs are a difficult topic and I recommend getting good advice – think this is a good place http://www.talktofrank.com/