Cannabis Campaign: Less risk than booze and fags

THE decisive new evidence from the World Health Organisation, which effectively downgrades the health risk of cannabis, may not be the beginning of the end of the struggle to decriminalise, but it most certainly marks the end of the beginning.

Last week the respectedjournal New Scientist reported on the findings of the first WHO investigation into cannabis for 15 years.

They included the controversial chapter, omitted from the finished report but later leaked to the magazine, which clearly states that cannabis, compared to alcohol and tobacco, poses less of a threat to health.

"The question now is what kind of decriminalisation there should be, not should there be decriminalisation", said New Scientist deputy editor, David Concar. "It is not even a question of whether or not there should be a debate on the subject any more. Everyone is debating and asking questions, except the politicians."

The magazine quotes from the leaked section of the report, "in developed societies cannabis appears to play little role in injuries caused by violence, as does alcohol". It also says that while the evidence for foetal alcohol syndrome was "good", the evidence that cannabis can harm foetal development is "far from conclusive".

Cannabis fared better in five out of seven comparisons of long-term damage health. The report also noted that while heavy drinking leads to cirrhosis, severe brain injury and a much increased risk of accidents and suicide, it concludes that there is only "suggestive evidence that chronic cannabis use may produce subtle defects in cognitive functioning".

But the magazine warns that cannabis is not necessarily as safe as some of its advocates have claimed. The report warns that heavy drinking and cannabis smoking can produce symptoms of psychosis in susceptible people.

Greg Poulter, of the drugs charity Release, welcomed the findings. "It is impressive to see the WHO producing this type of report. It is clearly highlighting some of the problems that chronic use of cannabis can cause... it is equally clear, however, that moderate use of cannabis has no greater potential for harm than the moderate use of alcohol or tobacco. It's time that politicians took account the research outlined in this report," he said.

The magazine claims that the controversial section of the report was withheld as a result of pressure from US drug agencies and external advisers who complained that the contents would play into the hands of groups campaigning to legalise cannabis.

Leading cannabis campaigner Paul Flynn, Labour MP for Newport in Wales, commenting on the report, said: "There is a vast army of individuals with a vested interest in keeping the present prohibitionist policies. They include the criminal fraternity and those who make their living from the prosecution of otherwise lawful citizens. I hope this report means governments are going to stop the fibbing at last."

Whilst no one is claiming that this report is the final straw to break the back of the Government's resistance, it does help to undermine the argument for keeping the current law in place.

q In many parts of London the new word on the streets for a 2-gram bag of cannabis is a "Billy". The term is new rhyming slang for Billy Straw, ten pound draw. Information supplied by Terry Evans of London SW11.