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Discuss: Cannabis is no more harmful than tobacco or alcohol and should, therefore, be legalized. There has recently been much debate in the media about the decriminalization of cannabis, both for recreational and medicinal use. This topic has proved controversial especially in political circles. Drawing on evidence from recent press reports, research on the web and recent publications, this essay will assess the evidence of how harmful cannabis really is.
In 1971 Cannabis was reclassified by parliament and became a schedule 1 drug. This means that it was viewed as having no medicinal value. In 2002, Cannabis was reclassified again as a Class C drug meaning that it is seen as less harmful in comparison to other drugs such as Cocaine. This is reflected in the way offenders are processed by the criminal justice system, having relatively lenient sentences or cautions. These changes in the law reflect changing public perceptions and increased tolerance of soft drug use contributing to the public pressure to legalize cannabis. Several studies have indicated that cannabis use may be beneficial for certain medical conditions.
Teeson et al (2002) argue that cannabis use is helpful for of Multiple Sclerosis, Tourettes Syndrome, epilepsy and HIV related illnesses. Barton (2003) disputes the idea that cannabis use causes dependency and this is one argument that opponents of the legalization of cannabis forward. Barton suggests that, We can only assume that for the vast majority of drug users their drug use is occasional and spasmodic, or that drugs prove pretty well harmless to most people. However, as mentioned previously this is a controversial area. These theorists broadly support the notion that cannabis is no more harmful than tobacco or alcohol and should perhaps be legalized.
Furthermore Teeson et al (2002) indicates out that like cannabis use there are some positive affects of alcohol use. Research published on the internet, especially reports written by the British Medical Association (BMA) also backs up the positive effects of cannabis use, for those with legitimate medical conditions. This lends strength to the statement in the essay title. In a trial investigating the benefits of cannabis in relation to sufferers of Multiple Sclerosis the results were extremely positive.
Dr Willy Notcutt said, We are seeing 80 % of our patients getting good quality benefit from the cannabis Dr Stephen Kisely also argues that cannabis should be legalized, with regulation. He argues that cannabis use is no more dangerous than alcohol and tobacco, suggesting that the legal effects can have further far-reaching consequences on users if they are caught. He explains that, People who are prosecuted for possession of cannabis may have their livelihoods destroyed for the use of a compound which has less adverse consequences than alcohol and tobacco. However, there are many critical responses to these views. Studies such those published by the BMJ demonstrate that there are two main problems with long-term cannabis use. One problem is that cannabis usage over time damages mental health and has negative physical consequences much like those of nicotine.
On the other side of the coin cannabis use can have indirect consequences in terms of the wider population. The British Medical Journal (1996) featured an article suggesting that women had a five fold increase in comparison with men in reporting of depressive episodes after smoking cannabis. This suggests that gender has an effect on reactions to cannabis. It also suggests that there may be differences in terms of reporting the effects of cannabis based on gender, with men perhaps being less keen to report any negative reactions due to stereotypes based on gender.
Additionally episodes of psychosis have also been related to cannabis which indicates that cannabis may not be as harmless as some suggest. A recent Guardian article (2003) suggested that there is a link to psychosis. Professor Robin Murray of the Institute of Psychiatry cited a Dutch study of 4, 000 people and argued that, Those taking large amounts of cannabis were almost seven times more likely to have psychotic symptoms three years later. (Guardian 2003) Meyer (1976) reinforces the correlation between cannabis misuse and mental illness. He argues, fleeting paranoid thoughts and hallucinations may be frequent concomitants of the marijuana experience particularly with more potent preparations The British Medical Journal reported on an investigation into the use of cannabis of cannabis for chemotherapy induced nausea. This study concluded that although there were some potentially beneficial outcomes, there were also harmful ones.
Some of the subjects felt high however others felt depressed and experienced hallucinations. Investigators concluded that although cannabis may have some therapeutic properties the unpredictability of it would be likely to limit its usage. This work is backed up by Gossop (2001). However, he points out that a link between schizophrenia and cannabis smoking has not been conclusively proven.
Importantly it is difficult to isolate cannabis smoking with psychiatric symptoms as he argues pre-existing personality difficulties may be made worse by cannabis use but in this sense are not directly caused by cannabis. There is undoubtedly evidence that the symptoms of schizophrenia can be exacerbated by cannabis and people with schizophrenia should certainly be advised to avoid or to reduce their intake of the drug. (Gossop 2001) Gossop (2001) suggests that cannabis users have high rates of dependency on the drug even when faced with problematic effects, possibly as high as one in five. This suggests that cannabis is harmful since dependency may arise which is destructive to the person. This could be viewed as a catch 22 situation in which they will suffer either way. Opponents of cannabis legalisation point out that many years ago the Government allowed the promotion of tobacco and has subsequently recognised the problems which have occurred from this. Chairman of the British Medical Association Dr Ian Bogle said, We have spent many years discussing how to get the public off cigarettes.
We do not want to spend the next twenty years talking about how to get the public off cannabis (Ian Bogle 1999). This reflects the notion that cannabis and its effects are not completely understood and therefore legalisation may be ill judged. In conclusion on reflection of the evidence studies have suggested that cannabis has both positive and negative effects. However it does not necessarily follow that because cannabis may not be particularly harmful it should be legalized. In terms of medicinal use cannabis has offered invaluable relief for some and in this sense should be made more widely available.
On the other hand mental health concerns mean that the legalisation of cannabis may be ill-judged. On balance therefore the legalisation of cannabis for medicinal purposes will be of great benefit to those with genuine medical conditions particularly Multiple Sclerosis sufferers, epileptics and HIV patients. However it should not be made widely available for the general public because of the effects on mental and physical health. In effect therefore the statement can be criticised because mental illness and psychotic episodes have been reported indicating that cannabis is harmful to the general public. Therefore legalisation should be avoided. Bibliography Gossop Michael, Living with Drugs, 5 TH edition Ashgate Arena Aldershot (2001) Teeson Maree Addictions Psychology Press New York (2002) Tinklenberg R Jared Marijuana and Health Hazards, Methodical Issues in Current Research (1975) Academic Press Inc New York Barton Adrian Illicit Drugs Ashgate London (2000) World Wide Web web web web web web web web web
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