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Scientists Attack Plan to Upgrade Cannabis

Government plans to overrule its own drug advisers and reclassify cannabis as a more dangerous substance are attacked by leading scientists and MPs in a letter to the Guardian today.

The home secretary, Jacqui Smith, intends to move cannabis from class C to class B, where it will sit alongside amphetamines, such as speed, and barbiturates. The move comes despite repeated recommendations from the government's drug advisers that its classification should not be upgraded.

The proposal, which is due to be voted on by peers today, is described as "extremely damaging" in the letter, whose signatories include two former chief scientists, Sir David King and Lord May; Professor Colin Blakemore, former head of the Medical Research Council; and Sir Gabriel Horn, chair of the Academy of Medical Science's working group on brain science, addiction and drugs.

The letter warns that changing the classification of cannabis risks reversing a downwards trend in use of the drug since 2004 and undermines public health messages about the more serious dangers of class B drugs. It urges peers to block the change of classification by voting to defer the move until 2010.

"In recommending this change to parliament the government has rejected the explicit advice of its appointed experts, the advisory council on the misuse of drugs, for the first time in its history," the experts write.

The Lib Dem science spokesman Evan Harris said the letter demonstrated the anger in the science community over the government's treatment of expert scientific advice. "It may be that it will take resignations in order for ministers to understand that they can't ignore the evidence and keep scientists on board," he said.

The government's advisory council on misuse of drugs (ACMD) has reviewed the classification of cannabis three times since 2002. Its most recent report, which was commissioned last July amid concerns that highly potent "skunk" was becoming widely available, found that while stronger homegrown strains of the drug dominated the market there was only weak evidence of a link with mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia.

The report called for tougher action against cannabis farms, a crackdown on shops selling cannabis paraphernalia and a renewed public health campaign. Scientists on the council warned that reclassifying cannabis was unlikely to curb usage, but risked increasing the chances of vulnerable people getting a criminal record.

In a last-ditch attempt to block the Lords from approving the government's plans, Baroness Meacher has tabled an amendment that would postpone a decision on the drug for two years, pending another review by the ACMD.

In May Smith told the Commons that she had to take public perceptions and the pressures on policing into account when making a final decision on cannabis

Source

British Lords endorse tougher marijuana penalties as scientists criticize move

LONDON (AP) _ The House of Lords on Tuesday backed a plan to toughen Britain's penalties for possessing marijuana, as a group of senior scientists warned that such a move would confuse people about the dangers of more potent drugs.

Parliament's upper chamber endorsed a measure that passed the more powerful House of Commons earlier this month. The Lords' vote is seen as a formality since it cannot kill legislation, but only delay it.


The Home Office said it expected the change to take effect in January.

In Britain, drugs are classified into three different categories, with "Class A" the most dangerous. Marijuana is now a "Class C" drug but will be upgraded to "Class B," which the government argues is necessary because of the increasing potency of some cannabis varieties.

Marijuana will join amphetamines, Ritalin and pholcodine as "Class B" drugs, whose possession can result in up to five years in prison. Marijuana possession is now punishable by up to two years in jail, although users aren't typically prosecuted until after a third offense.


The change would reverse the relaxation of British cannabis laws in 2004 and ignore the recommendations of the government's drug advisory council.

In a letter published in The Guardian newspaper, 10 scientists said the reclassification could be "very damaging," saying it sends a confusing message about the more dangerous "Class B" drugs.

Among those signing the letter were Michael Rawlins, former head of the drug advisory council, and two former chief scientific advisers to the government, David King and Robert May.

The letter criticized the government for ignoring the advice of the advisory council, which has said scientific evidence on the health dangers of marijuana did not justify putting the drug back in the higher category.

"Cannabis use has fallen in recent years, especially following the downgrading to Class C in 2004, and it's obviously unwise to risk reversing that trend," the letter said.

The Home Office has said it wants to send a message to marijuana users that possessing the drug is a serious crime. It said the evidence about the risks of marijuana use was more uncertain now than it had been in the past.


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld ... 7621.story

Oh ffs this is the same Government that is looking to charge guys who visit prostitutes with rape, I mean fuck me Jaqui Smith and gordon brown are not fit to run a fucking country, she looks like a schoolteacher, the silly old deluded bastard, and this hypocritical bitch admitted to smoking it herself. Roll on the next election them bastards are out. New Labour = national socialist workers party
Would someone please put a fatwa out on them pair.