The PM Is Right On Cannabis

by Rabbi Aryeh Sufrin, Drugsline Executive Director - Thursday 1st 2008f May 2008

It has been hugely frustrating to read of the constant Government U-turns on the re-classification of cannabis – since it was downgraded from a Class B to a Class C in 2006, the issue has been continually raised for discussion but with no firm outcome.

Even working in the drugs field daily, I still struggle to keep track of where the law and the government stands on cannabis. My concern is the extent of the impact that such mixed messages have on the general public and primarily, young people.

Children must not be led to believe that cannabis use is either safe, or acceptable. Sadly, such regularly conflicting reports have lured many young people into a false, and potentially lethal, sense of security. A terrifying proportion of the 31,000 young people Drugsline visited during the last academic year believed that smoking and possessing cannabis was legal and worse, that it could even be good for you.

The possible damage such misconceptions can cause is immeasurable and coupled with the growing social acceptance of drug use, young people are being led towards a dangerously blasé attitude towards drugs.

Drugsline maintains that prevention is better than cure – and alongside the re-classification, the government’s focus must now be to ensure that appropriate drugs education is provided to every school pupil. Recovering addicts and those who have worked on the front lines of treatment services are best placed to openly share their experiences with young people and to confront and answer the questions that school pupils are often too frightened or embarrassed to ask of their teachers, peers or parents. Our Schools Team is led by Darren Gold, a recovering addict. He earns pupils’ respect because they know he understands the pressures in their lives and how this can affect decision making - without glamorising drug use or using shock tactics.

Following the continually changing messages, it is even more essential that drugs education addresses not only the dangers of addiction but also exactly how the classification system operates – highlighting the difference between possession and supply and identifying which classes particular drugs fall into, and the penalties for each. We have designed a genuinely useful, interactive exercise that encourages the pupils to consider this.

If pupils were provided with a comprehensive drugs education programme throughout their school years, that meets and challenges their knowledge and experience at every stage, at the very least we are then arming young people with the appropriate tools with which to make informed decisions.

Darren once said something to me about cannabis that I will never forget; while not every individual who uses cannabis will move towards using Class A drugs, try asking heroin addicts about their fist experiences with drugs - the majority, if not all, would admit that cannabis was the first drug they ever tried. Cannabis is a real drug, with real inherent dangers, and it is critical that this is understood.

I welcome the Prime Minister’s decision to reclassify cannabis to a Class B with great relief. Rectifying this mistake is long over due.

Drugsline’s Crisis & Support Line can be reached by calling freephone 0808 1 606 606.