Cannabis is just as harmful as cocaine and crack and should be classified as a Class A drug, police chiefs say
- Police chiefs say cannabis is as harmful as cocaine and should be made Class A
- Tory police and crime commissioners to demand it be put on a par with crack
- Change would see penalties for possession increase from five to seven years
- Maximum penalty for supplying cannabis would be a life jail sentence
David Sidwick, the Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset, said there was growing evidence linking psychosis and mental ill health, cancer and birth defects to cannabis use.
Calling it a ‘gateway’ drug used by county lines gangs to lure in users, he warned: ‘No child ever went to a drug dealer for heroin for their first deal – they would all have started with a bit of weed.’
The proposal is also being backed by Alison Hernandez, PCC for Devon and Cornwall, and Avon and Somerset’s police and crime commissioner Mark Shelford. They will present their plans at the Conservative Party Conference alongside academics.
Mr Sidwick told The Telegraph: ‘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.’
Liberal parents who let their children smoke cannabis are warned that the drug is causing up to a THIRD of psychosis cases in London and strong ‘skunk’ can cause schizophrenia-like symptoms
- Sir Robin Murray has sounded the alarm over the use of highly-potent ‘skunk’
- Expert said drug is behind 30 per cent of his psychosis patients in south London
- King’s College London professor runs clinic dedicated to psychosis caused by cannabis
Highly-potent cannabis is not being taken seriously enough by some liberal-minded parents, who would rather see their teens smoke pot than drink alcohol, a top psychologist has warned.
Sir Robin Murray, 77, a professor of Psychiatric Research at the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP), King’s College London, said around a third of the psychosis patents he sees at his practice in south London are caused by use of high-strength skunk.
The expert said the cases mostly involve young people, who often suffer from debilitating paranoia and hallucinations. (continue reading here)
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