Schizophrenia Daily News Blog

UK may change laws again on Cannabis?

The London Daily mail reported this week that:

"CHARLES Clarke yesterday paved the way for a humiliating U-turn over downgrading cannabis after finally admitting to 'serious' concerns that it causes mental illness.

The Home Secretary is expected to announce a decision on the drug's return to Class B - which makes possession an arrestable offence with a criminal record - within days.

But he was attacked for ' dishonesty' after claiming that evidence of the drug's potentially devastating side-effects is new.

In fact, the key research which provoked Labour's second thoughts was published in Britain 14 months before cannabis was downgraded to Class C at the start of 2004. And for the past 30 years, dozens of scientific studies have been building up the case that the drug causes mental illness. Critics also said the U-turn is too late for those already ensnared by cannabis while its dangers were ignored by the Government.

Mr Clarke, who sat in the Cabinet when the downgrading was approved, said: 'The fact is that since that decision, further evidence has been developed about the implications of consumption of cannabis for medical health which are serious.'

But three shocking studies were published in November 2002 alone, showing that smoking the drug hugely increases the chances of crippling mental illness, such as schizophrenia. Mary Brett, of the National Drug Prevention Alliance, said: 'It is dishonest to claim only new evidence shows a link between cannabis and mental heath problems. There are reports going back for decades.'"

Source: London Daily Mail