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Cannabis is ‘just as harmful as cocaine’ and should be class A drug, police chiefs say
The police say there is ‘growing evidence’ that links psychosis, cancer and birth defects to cannabis use
Cannabis is ‘just as harmful as crack cocaine’ and should be classified as a class A drug, police chiefs have said this week.
A group of Conservative Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) have argued that cannabis should be reclassified after new data suggested it could be more harmful than previously thought.
If the reclassification goes ahead, the maximum penalties for possession would increase from five to seven years, while the maximum penalty for supplying cannabis would increase from fourteen years in prison to a life sentence.
David Sidwick, the Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset, said there is ‘growing evidence’ that links psychosis, mental health problems, cancer and birth defects to cannabis use.
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He believes that reclassifying cannabis, which he says is a ‘gateway drug’, would mean police could more effectively deal with people who are prosecuted for its misuse.
Speaking to the Telegraph, Sidwick said: “People who call this drug recreational haven’t seen the harm that psychosis and other cannabis-related conditions can do, and the costs that heap on our health service and society more generally.
“We aren’t just talking about ‘a bit of weed’ anymore, this does the same harm as crack and heroin.
“That’s why we need the penalties for this illegal gateway drug to match those of class A substances.”
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Cannabis is currently classified as a class B drug, with a maximum sentence of five years in prison for possession.
In January, King’s College London professor Sir Robin Murray said around a third of the psychosis patents he sees at his practice are mostly young people suffering from debilitating paranoia and hallucinations caused by use of high-strength skunk.
He told The Times: “I think we’re now 100% sure that cannabis is one of the causes of a schizophrenia-like psychosis.
“If we could abolish the consumption of skunk we would have 30% less patients [in south London] and we might make a better job of looking after the patients we have.”