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Smith snubs experts over cannabis
8-5-'08 | The Press Association | by

The Government has finally confirmed cannabis is being restored to Class B status - bluntly snubbing the views of its own experts.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith insisted the U-turn was necessary to safeguard "the future health of young people". She also unveiled a crackdown on cannabis "paraphernalia" such as pipes and even potentially posters that "glamorise" its use.

However, critics insisted Ms Smith was "crazy" to defy expert opinion, and accused her and Gordon Brown of "dithering" over how to deal with the drug.

The Prime Minister announced a review of the 2004 decision to downgrade cannabis shortly after taking over from Tony Blair last year. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) examined the issue on behalf of the Government, and concluded that cannabis should remain Class C based on its health risks.

A report from the group, published just hours before Ms Smith's statement to MPs, pointed to a "probable, but weak, causal link between psychotic illness, including schizophrenia, and cannabis use". However, despite stronger "skunk" varieties becoming more widely available, the drug played only a "modest role" in the development of these conditions in the population as a whole.

Ms Smith said she had given the report "careful consideration", but was rejecting its central recommendation.

"I have decided to reclassify cannabis to a Class B drug, subject to Parliamentary approval," she told the Commons. "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 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'."

Ms Smith said her decision took into account the "public perception" of the drug, and estimates that around four-fifths of cannabis seized on the streets was now skunk.

As a result the maximum penalty for possession of the drug will rise from two to five years by the end of this year. Warnings against cannabis use are also set to be put on cigarette paper packets, while the sale of seeds, pipes and even material encouraging people to smoke could be restricted.

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