There are many different opinions quoted within the first article. The Government have arguments for and against the link between teenage crimes and cannabis smoking. Labour and the Conservatives have argued over the issue of cannabis being re-graded back to a Class B. In 2004, The Labour Party downgraded the drug to a Class C because they thought that it wasn’t seen to be as dangerous as other Class B drugs like amphetamines and barbiturates. Another reason for it being downgraded was because many people were being charged for possessing small amounts and the police could use this time to catch people with much more dangerous drugs like cocaine and heroin. But, The Conservatives proved that cannabis was not safe and argued that it should be re-graded back to a Class B drug.
In contrast, the second article is from ‘The Legalise Cannabis Alliance’ and says that ‘It is prohibition that has pushed cannabis into to the same category as dangerous drugs.”
The author argues that cannabis harms you less then consuming alcohol on a regular basis and that it shouldn’t be seen as a dangerous drug. The illegalisation of cannabis is a waste of time for police as this doesn’t stop people from using it and dealing it. The quote that really puts this message into your brain is ‘To punish a cannabis user because others take heroin is like punishing a child who uses a water pistol because others later, in acts of robbery, use guns.’
The writers of both articles are trying to get a certain message across and each one is for and against the link between cannabis and teenage crime. I believe that there is a link between cannabis and young people committing crimes, but I also believe that cannabis shouldn’t be viewed as a harmful drug because of this. Cannabis is known to have some serious effects, but can it be specifically put into a category, when alcohol can do the same amount of damage?
Alcohol is a legal ‘drug’ that is sold and consumed in vast amounts. I call it a drug because its effect is to stimulate the body and it works the same way as cannabis. But because alcohol is legal, there is no need to sell it privately. Cannabis is illegal which makes teenagers feel the urge to rebel and break the rules. The dealers aren’t bothered about who they sell it to as long as they get the money. If cannabis was legalised then it could be sold in shops along with tobacco and it would reduce teenagers from getting it because of the better quality safety and security over the drug.
Some people may disagree with me about this issue because it will then mean cannabis could be sold to adults legally and this would increase the rate of cannabis users, but I believe that stopping teenagers from getting it is more important and will have a bigger effect.
This issue is very important and needs to be tackled by the government in the right way. If it is not solved soon then this link between cannabis and teenage crime could become more true, as the criminals will still be smoking their regular daily amount. I think that a huge rehabilitation program should come into force to help teenagers stop using the drug and also to make them more aware of the physical and mental effects of the drug. I believe that this would be very successful and could decrease that number of teenage criminals smoking cannabis every day very dramatically.
