More fuckeroni's in lawmaking:
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Cannabis was downgraded to Class C under Tony Blair
Cannabis is to be reclassified as a class B drug, Jacqui Smith has said.
The home secretary said she wanted to reverse Tony Blair's 2004 downgrading of the drug because of "uncertainty" over its impact on mental health.
The move from class C means the maximum prison sentence for possessing cannabis rises from two years to five years.
Her statement to MPs came despite the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs' review - commissioned by Gordon Brown - saying it should stay class C.
'Psychotic illness'
Since cannabis was downgraded there has been widespread concern about the increased prevalence of stronger "skunk" varieties.
Ms Smith said this now accounted for 80% of the cannabis seized on the streets and the drug was nearly three times stronger than in 1995.
She added that the government's change of heart - which is subject to parliamentary approval - was part of a "relentless drive".
Ms Smith, who has admitted smoking cannabis while she was a student, told MPs: "There is a compelling case for us to act now, rather than risk the future health of young people.
"Where there is a clear and serious problem, but doubt about the potential harm that will be caused, we must err on the side of caution and protect the public.
"I make no apology for that - I am not prepared to 'wait and see'."
In its report, Cannabis: Classification And Public Health, the advisory council described cannabis as a "significant public health issue".
But it said it should still remain a class C drug, as the risks were not as serious as those of class B substances, such as amphetamines and barbiturates.
The report said the evidence suggested a "probable, but weak, causal link between psychotic illness, including schizophrenia, and cannabis use".
However, in the population as a whole, it played only a "modest role" in the development of these conditions.
Council chairman Sir Michael Rawlings told BBC Radio 4's World at One: "The strength of things like skunk hasn't really changed very much over the last few years but it's now more widely used... The question of potency is a very complex area."
Read the rest here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7386889.stm
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Cannabis was downgraded to Class C under Tony Blair
Cannabis is to be reclassified as a class B drug, Jacqui Smith has said.
The home secretary said she wanted to reverse Tony Blair's 2004 downgrading of the drug because of "uncertainty" over its impact on mental health.
The move from class C means the maximum prison sentence for possessing cannabis rises from two years to five years.
Her statement to MPs came despite the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs' review - commissioned by Gordon Brown - saying it should stay class C.
'Psychotic illness'
Since cannabis was downgraded there has been widespread concern about the increased prevalence of stronger "skunk" varieties.
Ms Smith said this now accounted for 80% of the cannabis seized on the streets and the drug was nearly three times stronger than in 1995.
She added that the government's change of heart - which is subject to parliamentary approval - was part of a "relentless drive".
Ms Smith, who has admitted smoking cannabis while she was a student, told MPs: "There is a compelling case for us to act now, rather than risk the future health of young people.
"Where there is a clear and serious problem, but doubt about the potential harm that will be caused, we must err on the side of caution and protect the public.
"I make no apology for that - I am not prepared to 'wait and see'."
In its report, Cannabis: Classification And Public Health, the advisory council described cannabis as a "significant public health issue".
But it said it should still remain a class C drug, as the risks were not as serious as those of class B substances, such as amphetamines and barbiturates.
The report said the evidence suggested a "probable, but weak, causal link between psychotic illness, including schizophrenia, and cannabis use".
However, in the population as a whole, it played only a "modest role" in the development of these conditions.
Council chairman Sir Michael Rawlings told BBC Radio 4's World at One: "The strength of things like skunk hasn't really changed very much over the last few years but it's now more widely used... The question of potency is a very complex area."
Read the rest here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7386889.stm
