‘SHOULD SOFT DRUGS SUCH AS CANNABIS BE DECRIMINALISED?’
Cannabis is the most commonly used illegal drug in the United Kingdom. The unlawful possession of cannabis has increased and mostly among the young people of teenage. Recently, there has been much debate regarding the legalisation of cannabis for medical purposes, but this would also increase the misuse of drugs among the ordinary people. An article in Telegraph newspaper reveals the figures of health authority showing the increased number of adults being treated by English hospital trusts after the abuse of cannabis. There were 11,057 in 2004-05 but it rose to 16,685 in 2006-2007 which is a clear evidence of the harmfulness caused by cannabis. Despite the legalisation, there is also an issue regarding the classification of cannabis. The main statutes governing the availability of drugs in the United Kingdom are the Medicines Act 1968 and the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. This essay will focus on the arguments concerning that should soft drugs such as cannabis be decriminalised or not.
The controlled drugs are classified under A, B and C class depending on how harmful they are. The Misuse of Drugs Act was passed in 1971 which divided the drugs into these three categories and settled out the charges for possession or supply of the drugs according to each class. Class A drugs are the most dangerous having health risks and these offences have the highest penalties with seven years imprisonment or unlimited fine for possession and life imprisonment or fine for trafficking. Class B has lower penalties of five year imprisonment and upon supplying it has a 14 years imprisonment and unlimited fine. Whereas, Class C drugs has the lowest sentence, two years for possession and fourteen years imprisonment or unlimited fine for its supply. According to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, it is against the law to produce any such type of drugs or to be involved in the production. It is also an offence to supply or offer these drugs to any other person or to be involved in the supplying of these drugs to the other person. Cannabis under this Act was first classified as a class B drug but later on with considerations that it is not harmful like other class B drugs, it was reclassified as a class C drug on 29th of January 2004. The Home Secretary in March 2005 asked the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to overview the restoration of cannabis as a class B controlled drug considering the new facts regarding its harmfulness mainly that of mental illness. In January 2006, he accepted the recommendation of Advisory Council and claimed that cannabis should remain classified as a class C drug.
