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Media/News > Press Releases > Cannabis reclassification 23.09.05
Drug Charity call for Advisory Council to consider cannabis legalisation On Friday September 23rd the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) will be taking oral evidence from a range of experts as it reviews the decision to recommend the reclassification of cannabis from Class B to Class C, implemented in Jaunary 2004. The review follows a request from the Home Secretary made shortly before the 2005 general election, citing concerns about new research of links between cannabis and mental health problems. Transform Drug Policy Foundation has been leading public debate on this issue for the past two years and Transform Director Danny Kushlick will be amongst the experts giving evidence to the committee this Friday. Transform have produced a short briefing for the ACMD consultation on this issue. It is available here Transform Director Danny Kushlick said: "The Home Secretary's decision to refer the reclassification issue back to the ACMD was all about pre-election politics and nothing to do with new evidence of cannabis-related health risks. "The Government was worried about being outflanked by the Tories as the toughest party on drugs and crime. They were terrified of accusations that they were 'soft on drugs' and with the Tories already calling for a move back to class B they decided to kick the issue into the long grass until after the election "The evidence cited by the Home Secretary will be nothing new to the ACMD. All drugs have risks and cannabis is no exception. The Council has long acknowledged the risks associated with cannabis use and made their recommendation on that basis of harms relative to other drugs. We are confident that they will stick with their original recommendation - one that they have been making for over 20 years. "As an independent body it is vital that the ACMD base their recommendations on evidence and science, not political pressure stemming from ill thought out tough on drugs populism. "The reclassification debate is a distraction from the more important debate about why cannabis is prohibited in the first place. The fact is that no drug is made safer by handing control of its production and supply to criminals unregulated dealers. Cannabis needs to be legalised and regulated precisely because it is dangerous, not because it is safe. Transform calls on the ACMD to actively explore proposals for the legalisation and regulation of cannabis as soon as possible "As was recently acknowledged in a leaked report from Tony Blair's own Strategy Unit, prohibition only serves to increase health harms and criminal activity." ENDS Notes to Editors ACMD's remit includes: "preventing the misuse of such drugs or dealing with social problems connected with their misuse" and "restricting the availability of such drugs or supervising arrangements for their supply". The Government withheld the second half of the No10 Strategy Unit Drugs Report, that was subsequently leaked to the Guardian and published on 5 July 2005. It is a stunning critique of the failings of 'supply side enforcement' of drug laws (prohibition). It can be seen here: Transform briefing for ACMD on cannabis reclassification revisited http://www.tdpf.org.uk/Policy_General_Cannabis_Reclassification_Revisited.htm Home Secretary's public letter to the ACMD |
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