Cannabis Reclassification?

[Synchronium]

Laws making possession of cannabis a largely non-arrestable offence could be reversed, Gordon Brown has said. As part of a review of the entire UK drugs strategy, a consultation on reclassifying cannabis will be launched next week. The drug was downgraded from class B to class C in 2004, but politicians are worried that more potent strains of the drug are becoming available.

However, in more news this week, many top ministers havie admitted to smoking cannabis themselves in their youth, particularly their university days. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, Chancellor Alastair Darling and Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly are among those who admitted using the drug in the past, and many others declined to comment.

Is it fair that people who have used the drug themselves have the power to make it illegal, or should the public be allowed to make their own 'mistakes'?

[mhead1es]

Sometimes I wish you lived on this side of the pond... so that the articles pertained to me more directly.

But this is saying that they are thinking of making it have harsher pentalties because of newer more potent strains?  The argument arises  because the ministers that have the power to inact the new law have admitted to smoking weed in their youth and are now thinking of increasing the penalty so they are in a sense hippocrits?  Do I have my facts straight before I weigh in?

[Mrs_Synch]

But this is saying that they are thinking of making it have harsher pentalties because of newer more potent strains?  The argument arises  because the ministers that have the power to inact the new law have admitted to smoking weed in their youth and are now thinking of increasing the penalty so they are in a sense hippocrits?  Do I have my facts straight before I weigh in?

Yep, you've got it all right there.

[mhead1es]

Then basically that is dumb... lol.  They are taking steps in the opposite direction.

[Allez]

I think the fact that Jacqui Smith (no one knows who the other guy is, he doesn't matter) came out with her admission so soon after the ammouncement of the review would suggest she doesn't support a change. And it is ultimately down to her, isn't it?

I just spent the last five minutes looking for my copy if "This is Cannabis" and couldn't find it, but the last study proper study done in the UK recommended even more lenient laws. I'd tell you who the study was done by if I could find the book. It wasn't some stoner college kids though, it actually had some clout. It was ignored anyway, of course.

[Random]

Is it fair that people who have used the drug themselves have the power to make it illegal, or should the public be allowed to make their own 'mistakes'?

As those of us who have had our eyes on the more controversial issues of our time know, if one person or group doesn't have a cry about a particular controversial issue, some other person or group will. There is no escaping this crying.

With this in mind, consider this question:

Who would you rather have the power to make a substance illegal?

• Those who have tried the drug, know the drug, and disapprove of the drug; or
• Those who don't have a clue what they're talking about.

Remember, politics isn't about doing what is right. It's about winning votes, whether the actions involved are right or not.

I would love for governments around the world to support experimentation in a controlled environment, with medical assistance available on-site. But it doesn't happen, for a multitude of reasons - one of the big reasons being public opinion. Which brings us back to winning votes.

The biggest hurdle we face against decriminalisation isn't the lawyers, or the politicians. It's the voters.