Pubdate: Mon, 02 May 2005 Source: Herald, The (UK) Copyright: 2005 The Herald Contact: http://www.theherald.co.uk/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/189 Author: Martyn McLaughlin US CALLS IN SCOTS DRUGS EXPERT A LEADING researcher into drug misuse has been invited to Washington by George W Bush's drugs czar to discuss the health dangers of cannabis. Professor Neil McKeganey, director of the centre for drugs misuse research at Glasgow University, will meet a team of mental health experts, scientists and high-ranking US government officials to discuss an emerging body of research that identifies links between cannabis use and mental-health disorders among teenagers. Mr McKeganey points to a "clear distance" between the US government's approach to cannabis misuse and those of Westminster and the Scottish Executive, and warns that the possible dangers of the drug, including depression and schizophrenia, could be overlooked in Britain should research and policy continue to focus on the "more dramatic impacts" of heroin and cocaine use. The academic will attend the high-profile conference in Washington tomorrow at the invitation of John Walters, director of the national drug control policy. Among those speaking will be the parents of a 15-year-old cannabis user who committed suicide. The meeting signals the latest step taken by the White House to dispel what Mr Walters has called a culture of "cynicism" and "misinformation" that has seen cannabis widely regarded as a soft drug. The drugs czar describes cannabis abuse as a "paediatric-onset disease" and supports confidential, non-punitive drug testing for teenagers as a way for them to get help while raising awareness of the drug's effects among their peers. Earlier this year, Mr Walters, who co-ordinates all federal drug programmes and spending, urged European countries to focus on treating users rather than simply tolerating drug use through reclassification, and raised concerns over cannabis, which he called "one of the biggest areas of ignorance". Mr McKeganey believes the British government and the executive should also commit themselves to greater investment in drug-prevention programmes in an attempt to reach out the nation's estimated 3.5m cannabis users. There is, he warns, a "culture of acceptance" in Britain that cannabis is harmless following its reclassification from Class B to Class C under the Misuse Of Drugs Act. "While there has been a great deal of media coverage on the effects of reclassifying cannabis, it has clearly not been mirrored in government research," he said. "It is far more focused on the more dramatic impacts that heroin and cocaine can have. "The US administration is conscious of the dangers of heroin and cocaine, but it has a very different approach from the UK government and the Scottish Executive in that it also regards cannabis as a serious risk. There is a clear distance in policy." Ways of working THE US APPROACH The White House's drugs policy places emphasis on the treatment of users. Student-testing programmes allow 100,000 users access to faith-based care programmes each year, while drugs courts offer minor offenders drug education courses instead of jail. Since taking up his position four years ago, John Walters has overseen a fall in the use of illegal drugs among young Americans by 17%, and the administration is hoping that figure will reach 25 % by 2007. THE UK APPROACH The Home Office says the issue of drugs classification is under "constant review." Cannabis was downgraded from Class B to Class C in January last year. The government is also thought to be considering introducing a two-tier system of classification due to the prevalence of high-strength strains of the drug, known as skunk. Since its downgrading in legal status, there has been a significant increase in the use and cultivation of cannabis in Scotland. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek