Cannabis classification

Created: 2008-04-03 18:25:20

Today, Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of the mental health charity SANE, commented on the reported decision of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs that the classification of cannabis should not be changed:

“SANE has been campaigning for many years about the links between cannabis and psychotic illness and evidence that the drug may not only precipitate psychotic breakdown but cause long-term mental damage.

“We believe that if the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, whose views we respect, have formed the opinion that the classification of cannabis should remain unchanged, they may not have factored in sufficiently the front-line experience of organisations such as our own and others. Use of the drug can cause harm, not only to young people but to their families, making the outcomes worse for those with mental illness and robbing young people of their motivation and future.

“Especially as some of the research appears to be conflicting, we consider that until we conduct more studies to establish the effects of the drug on developing brains and minds, the strongest signals must be given that it can be disproportionately dangerous to those who may be at risk.”