A columnist for The Times has warned of the serious mental health problems associated with cannabis, in the face of calls to legalise the drug.
Clare Foges cited a report by the American National Academy of Medicine, which concluded that “cannabis use is likely to increase the risk of developing schizophrenia and other psychoses”.
Foges said: “Liberals might have chosen the legalisation of cannabis as their next great crusade but encouraging more people to try this dangerous drug would be no liberation at all.”
Misery
Last month, the Government confirmed that it “has no plans to decriminalise drug possession”.
cannabis use is likely to increase the risk of developing schizophrenia and other psychoses.
The Health and Social Care Committee had urged Ministers to consult on making possession of drugs for personal use a civil matter rather than a criminal offence.
However, a Home Office spokesman said: “The decriminalisation of drug possession in the UK would not eliminate the crime committed by the illicit trade, nor would it address the harms associated with drug dependence and the misery that this can cause to families and communities.”
‘Normalising’
Foges said: “Around the world we have seen that legalisation does not rid a country of its dealers; instead, by normalising drug use, it increases their potential market.”
encouraging more people to try this dangerous drug would be no liberation at all.
The columnist highlighted the situation in Canada, where about half of cannabis which is consumed is still purchased on the black market despite its legalisation.
For information on where all the parties stand on drugs, search our online Election Briefing 2019 and filter for “Public morality”.