However there are more convincing arguments that suggest long-term damage is caused by the use of cannabis. In an experiment carried out by 'newscientist.com' different memory tests were carried out with non-users, occasional users and long-term users. The results show long-term users have by far the worst memory, with non-users the best. Another point that was discovered in these experiments was that long-term users tended to over estimate the time it took them to complete tasks, on average by about one third longer. Experiments on the physical effects caused by usage of cannabis have shown that smoking cannabis causes more damage to the lungs than smoking tobacco because of the larger levels of tar in cannabis. Donald Tashkin, a lung expert at the University of California in LA, confirms this in his reports that show that cannabis does contain higher levels of tar and is normally inhaled more deeply than tobacco when smoked. In addition the British Government have made television ads to inform the public of this, who have been known to think of cannabis as a 'safe drug,' which shows the extent of the Governments concerns.
A lot of people point to the Dutch as proof that legalising cannabis does not lead to higher usage of the drug. The pro legalisation of cannabis lobby, say Holland is the embodiment of a mature, healthy nation that tolerates cannabis because it can accept alternative lifestyles. This appears to be confirmed when reports published by the EU Drugs Agency in Lisbon show that Britain has the highest percentage of cannabis users while Holland came in fourth on the list. Campaigners for the legalisation of cannabis tell us that there are less drug-related crimes in Holland and fewer criminals selling the drug than in any other country, and the drug is taxed, creating more money for the government.
Although the reports carried out by the EU Drugs Agency show that Holland has lower rates of cannabis use than Britain, these are quite deceptive as cannabis use has risen since being legalised, a trend that would surely repeat itself if Britain was to legalise cannabis as well. This proves that legalisation would in no way whatsoever reduce cannabis use and therefore the solution to the problem must lie elsewhere. And on the subject of breaking the link between cannabis users and the criminal underworld, an investigation by BBC News has revealed that despite Holland's attempts to stop this, drug-related crime such as burglary to pay for drugs, stubbornly refuses to go away. In fact, legalisation may have caused more problems as the reports show that Holland has now become a major port and trade route through which international smugglers reach other European countries, something which the Dutch authorities have admitted.
Benno Brcannabis is reported to suppress nausea brought on by chemotherapy. With AID sufferers, it increases appetite and prevents weight loss. Multiple Sclerosis sufferers also reported pain relief when using Cannabis. These points have made the British government take notice and the benefits of using cannabis for medical purposes are so great many people, including Professor Lester Grinspoon from Harvard Medical School believes that cannabis 'is likely to be the wonder drug of the 21st century.'
Some people still aren't convinced though, and Norman Feerick of Strathclyde Police speaks for many people when he claimed that the police were 'already burdened by two legalised drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Why make bad problems worse?' He also points out that drink driving is a big problem for the police without drivers under the influence of cannabis causing more problems.
Personally I agree with both these arguments because drink driving causes hundreds of deaths each year, and legalizing cannabis will no doubt cause even more road deaths. I think the only solution would be to allow cannabis to be prescribed by doctors, although it should still be illegal anywhere else.
Researching these arguments have convinced me that cannabis should not be legalised as it would just double the problems that alcohol has caused and legalisation would no doubt increase the already abysmal number of people that use it in Britain. What amazes me though is that it is not allowed for medical purposes when it clearly does nothing except help the patients using it. Hopefully sometime soon cannabis will be controlled and put to good use by helping people, instead of causing unnecessary problems.
Sources
HYPERLINK "http://www.bbcnews.com" www.bbcnews.com
HYPERLINK "http://www.smh.com" www.smh.com
HYPERLINK "http://www.newscientist.com" www.newscientist.com
HYPERLINK "http://www.druginfo.com" www.druginfo.com
HYPERLINK "http://www.ukcia.com" www.ukcia.com
HYPERLINK "http://www.cannabisnews.com" www.cannabisnews.com
The Sun newspaper, June 14th 2001
