Pubdate: Fri, 06 Jan 2006
Source: Times, The (UK)
Copyright: 2006 Times Newspapers Ltd
Contact:  http://www.the-times.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/454
Author: Rosemary Bennett, Deputy Political Editor
Cited: Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs 
http://www.drugs.gov.uk/drugs-laws/acmd/
Cited: Home Office http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/drugs/
Cited: DrugScope http://www.drugscope.org.uk/
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?207 (Cannabis - United Kingdom)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Charles+Clarke

CLARKE URGED NOT TO CHANGE TACK ON DOWNGRADED CANNABIS

PRESSURE on Charles Clarke to change cannabis back to a Class B drug 
eased significantly yesterday when the Conservatives abandoned their 
campaign for reclassification.

The Home Secretary was also urged by experts to stick with the new 
Class C status to avoid further confusion.

Mr Clarke used an interview in The Times to say that he was very 
worried about new medical evidence linking cannabis consumption to 
mental health problems, and admitted that the decision to downgrade 
the drug had confused the public. He will have to announce in a few 
weeks whether or not to reverse the decision, which was made by David 
Blunkett, his predecessor, two years ago.

Over the Christmas break, the Home Secretary has considered a report 
from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. Leaks suggest that 
the report says that cannabis poses a more serious risk to mental 
health than previously thought, but stops short of recommending 
reclassification.

David Cameron, the new Tory leader, made it clear yesterday that he 
would not put Mr Clarke under any pressure to reclassify the drug. At 
the general election, the Tories said they would reverse Labour's 
decision on cannabis and change it back to class B.

David Davis, the Shadow Home Secretary, also called for 
reclassification during the Conservative leadership campaign, but he 
issued a statement yesterday welcoming Mr Clarke's decision to voice 
concern over the impact of the drug on mental health and looked 
forward to further debate.

"We welcome the Home Secretary's recognition that there is new 
evidence about the dangers of cannabis, particularly with regard to 
mental health," Mr Davis said. "We look forward to the publication of 
the advisory council's report and appropriate action from the 
Government, in particular to protect young people."

Mr Cameron, who has refused to deny that he used drugs as a student, 
said during the leadership contest that he was undecided whether 
cannabis should be upgraded.

Martin Barnes, chief executive of the charity DrugScope and a member 
of the advisory council, implored Mr Clarke yesterday to abide by the 
expert advice. "There has been some more recent research that does 
indicate that cannabis may cause mental health problems, whereas in 
the past it was accepted that it could potentially worsen existing 
mental health problems," he said.

"Since cannabis was reclassified there has been much more debate 
about the harms and actually some indication that the use of cannabis 
has started to decline. So on that basis I think it would be quite 
difficult to explain why we have to move it back to B."

Mr Barnes said that if the advisory council recommended no change, 
the Government would need very compelling reasons to go against it.

Dame Ruth Runciman, who chaired the Police Foundation report that 
first recommended the downgrading of cannabis, said that there had 
been no significant increase in use of the drug since it was 
downgraded. She said the move had been sensible but had been very 
badly handled and created much public misunderstanding.

"To rereclassify is as ill-judged as it can be in my view," she said 
yesterday. "I think it will add greatly to the confusion. I think it 
is a very ill-judged thing to do and that it actually puts cannabis 
where it does not belong in the scale of relative harm." 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake