Should Cannabis Be Legalised

On the other hand, almost all heroin addicts started with cannabis – therefore some people think it is the first step on the road to hard drug addiction. They think that legalising cannabis would make it socially acceptable, although the government say that even if it were to be legalised it would still be discouraged. Legalising cannabis would increase road accidents as it makes reactions slow, costing the government money which could be spent on better things such as education.  Despite the fact that there are proven medical benefits from cannabis, prolonged use of the drug can cause paranoia and leads to mental disorders such as schizophrenia; studies have shown that the younger a person is when they first start taking cannabis, the more likely they are to develop mental health problems in later life. Some people argue that the use of drugs creates no victims other than the user, but drug misuse has many victims including the families of addicts and people harmed in drug related accidents.

A poll organised by Time magazine in 2002 found that thirty-four percent of readers wanted cannabis to be totally legalised – double the number from 1986. Eighty percent thought that it was okay to dispense the drug for medical purposes, and seventy-two percent thought people caught with it for recreational purposes use should get only a fine. This shows that the majority of people believe that Cannabis should be used for medicinal purposes.

Jon Owen Jones, Member of Parliament for Cardiff central said in a debate about drugs, “In a country where 120,000 a year die of tobacco related diseases, 30,000 of Alcohol related diseases and 3,000 in road accidents. In a country where you can go rock climbing, hand gliding and parachuting, or be fired from a catapult, threatening anyone who smokes cannabis, a drug that no deaths have ever been attributed to, with criminal prosecution seems absurd and must send out a ridiculous message to young people.”

Taking into consideration all the points of view outlined above, I personally believe there is a case for the legalisation of cannabis in today’s society. Any change to the current law would need to be accompanied by a widespread campaign of public health information and legalisation should only apply to those over the age of eighteen. The drug should only be available from strictly controlled licensed outlets and anyone buying should be advised of possible side-effects particularly when used with prescription and other medicines- and particularly of the dangers when taken along with alcohol. I believe the major advantage of making cannabis legally available is the fact that it would be removed from the “underground scene” which is more likely to put young people particularly in a situation where they might be offered ”harder” drugs by unscrupulous dealers. Recent government health campaigns – plus information provided to us in school – have highlighted the very real dangers involved in over-use of alcohol, particularly for young people. These dangers include liver damage, brain damage, accidents and even death. As Jon Owen Jones said, no deaths have been attributed to the use of cannabis, so it seems illogical to criminalise cannabis when alcohol is so freely available.