cannabisnews.com: Legalise Cannabis To Cut Heroin Addiction Legalise Cannabis To Cut Heroin Addiction Posted by CN Staff on October 23, 2005 at 10:26:44 PT By Liam McDougall, Home Affairs Editor Source: Sunday Herald UK -- The debate over drug laws will be reignited next month when one of the world’s leading experts is to argue that Scotland should legalise cannabis to dramatically cut the country’s soaring heroin addiction rates.Ethan Nadelmann will warn that the current UK drug policy is “damaging” and that the Scots should embrace the Dutch “coffee shop” model, under which cannabis is legally sold over the counter in licensed outlets. Nadelmann, executive director of the US-based Drug Policy Alliance, and who is regarded as one of the most respected advocates of drug reform, will make the arguments at the prestigious Edinburgh Lectures series next month. Previous speakers at the event have included former Russian president Mikhail Gorbachev and the scientist Professor Stephen Hawking.As well as urging the widespread introduction of so-called “brown cafes” in Scottish towns and cities, Nadelmann will also say the government should adopt a policy of “controlled legalisation” for hallucinogens, such as LSD, and an extension to heroin prescribing. He said: “If you define legalisation as the way we treat alcohol, making it available over the counter to anybody over the age of 18, then my view is that cannabis should be treated in the same way.“The Dutch coffee shop approach provides a very good model. Cannabis is just as easy to get in Scotland as in the United States. Anyone who wants to obtain it, can obtain it. So why keep the entire thing underground? Why not find a way of bringing it above ground and regulating it?”In the Netherlands, the sale of small quantities of cannabis for personal use in cafes is permitted. The outlets allow patrons to openly smoke joints without fear of arrest.With more than 51,500 estimated heroin-users in Scotland and record numbers of pregnant women addicted to class-A drugs, Nadelmann said he believed cannabis legalisation would reduce the number of young Scots indulging in hard drug use.“When the Dutch adopted the coffee shop system, they found that the percentage of young people using cannabis who went on to use harder drugs declined,” he said.Under this approach, he claimed, the government would eliminate the prospect of a criminal drug dealer turning a cannabis smoker onto harder drugs. “Most people who use cannabis don’t go on to use other drugs. But obviously if you have the same dealer selling all of these drugs together it increases the chance that people will use them,” he said.“If you have a regulated system where people are held responsible and will be closed down if they sell any white powder drugs, you can effectively segregate the market.”While acknowledging recent research linking cannabis to mental illness, Nadelmann added that this was “a reason to make cannabis more regulated”.The controversial talk comes at a critical point in the UK debate on drugs. Next month, the government’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs is to report to Home Secretary Charles Clarke on whether cannabis should be restored to Class B status. This comes four years after then Home Secretary David Blunkett downgraded cannabis to a Class C drug. Last night, Nadelmann’s comments prompted anger from drug researchers and politicians. Others, however, said he did not go far enough.Professor Neil McKeganey, director of the Scottish Centre for Drug Misuse Research, said legalising cannabis was “enormously risky”.He said: “We have a picture of widespread underage drinking and underage smoking in Scotland, and we could see a similar pattern with drugs if these substances were to be legalised. There is no reason on earth if they were legalised that there would be a drop in use .”Margaret Mitchell, the Conservative deputy justice spokeswoman, described Nadelmann’s comments as “unbelievable”. She said: “If that’s his message, then he’s the last person we want to have here. Zero tolerance is where we should be starting from .” Kenny MacAskill, the SNP justice spokesman, said: “Rather than making supply easier, I would argue that we need to reduce demand. We should invest in sports and arts, in giving folk, young and old, other outlets than the pub or smoking a spliff.”Tom Wood, former deputy chief constable of Lothian and Borders Police and now chairman of the Action Team on Alcohol and Drugs in Edinburgh, which invited Nadelmann to the capital, said: “The idea to have him over here is to stimulate thought and give us food for thought. It’s healthy to listen to carefully considered views, even if you don’t necessarily agree with them.”Kevin Williamson, the publisher and author whose Edinburgh cannabis cafe was closed down, said: “As long as cannabis is illegal young people will come into contact with heroin.”Danny Kushlick, director of pro-legalisation group Transform, said: “No drug is made safer in the hands of criminals.”A Home Office spokeswoman said there were “no plans” to legalise cannabis.Ethan Nadelmann’s lecture, The Global War On Drugs, takes place on November 1 at 6.30pm in Edinburgh City Chambers. Complete Title: Expert Urges: Legalise Cannabis To Cut Heroin Addiction in ScotlandSource: Sunday Herald, The (UK)Author: Liam McDougall, Home Affairs EditorPublished: October 23, 2005Copyright: 2005 Sunday HeraldContact: editor sundayherald.comWebsite: http://www.sundayherald.com/Drug Policy Alliancehttp://www.drugpolicy.org/CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #11 posted by FoM on October 24, 2005 at 08:46:46 PT rchandar Florida seems like it has been hit hard. I hope everyone is ok. So much flooding. [ Post Comment ] Comment #10 posted by FoM on October 23, 2005 at 21:04:35 PT rchandar, I thought you'd appreciate this Board Yet?With God as my witness, I'll never plywood again.By Bob KingOctober 23, 2005 While I continue the seven-month-long unrequited wait for my paid-for-yet-undelivered hurricane shutters (no thanks to a certain national chain of home improvement stores), Wilma has forced me to drag out my warped, weather-beaten plywood collection for one more run. This is the 2004 vintage stuff I bought for Hurricane Frances, cut into pieces with my hastily assembled Craftsman circular saw, and attached to my concrete-block house with an assortment of plastic anchors and No. 10 screws.These boards have survived both Frances and Jeanne, and were positioned to protect my house if need be during Katrina. As Kenny Rogers Roasters used to say, it's the wood that makes it good. Based on all the sawing and hammering going on around town today, most folks out there seem to agree. But personally, I'm weary of the hours of work these boards require, as well as the never-ending storage hassles and the way they turn my house into a lightless cave for weeks on end (because, sorry West Palm Beach code enforcers, these babies are staying up until Thanksgiving). My dream -- my goal -- my vision -- is to have metal shutters I can simply zip shut in a matter of minutes. Even if the cost approaches that of a cheap used car.So how are people out there readying your homes -- plywood, metal or, God forbid, masking tape (which you all should know does not work)? Or are you just telling Wilma to bring it on?http://www.palmbeachpost.com/storm/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/storm2005/entries/2005/10/board_yet.html [ Post Comment ] Comment #9 posted by FoM on October 23, 2005 at 20:39:23 PT rchandar Stay safe. I hope you aren't close to where the weather will be the worst. My nephew lives on the west coast. He visited us this summer and we told him we put a new roof on our house last summer and it was 25 years old and it surprised him since roofs seem to blow off a lot down there. It's moving fast which is a good thing or so they are saying. Get it over with quickly. [ Post Comment ] Comment #8 posted by rchandar on October 23, 2005 at 20:29:10 PT: FoM we're alright. no shutters, though.--rchandar [ Post Comment ] Comment #7 posted by FoM on October 23, 2005 at 20:25:05 PT Off Topic: Hurricane Wilma I hope all our florida friends stay safe tonight. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by runderwo on October 23, 2005 at 19:44:50 PT siege Strangely enough I've been accused of the same due to my anti-prohibition perspective. Maybe "observational bias" or in other words "rose colored glasses" is a better way to put it than no-common-sense, which is more like an insult. By that I mean these people simply don't see how ineffective their policies are and refuse to acknowledge that the side effects of their policies are worse than the scourge they are attempting to eliminate. They have these rose-colored glasses on that let them see a world that is free from drugs (either through idealistic bias, or through simple ignorance of what is going on out there) and where those side effects are either hidden from them (out of sight out of mind), or can be selfishly justified in some way. [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by siege on October 23, 2005 at 18:21:37 PT C O M M O N S E N S E The way I see it is we have some every smart people in office... The problem is that they have N O C O M M O N S E N S E [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Toker00 on October 23, 2005 at 17:56:25 PT runderwo Ain't that weird? Drugs are more available illegally than they would be legally. Drugs would be safer legally than they are illegally. But we have to protect the children, so we have to keep drugs illegal so our children have easy access to them so we have to protect the children, so we have to keep drugs illegal so our children have easy access to them so...wait a minute here. Somethings not right with this. It's real similar to INSANITY!Anti's, read this real slow. People who want drugs will have drugs. Illegal drugs are easy to access, and can be dangerous. Legal drugs are harder to access, and are quality controlled. Prohibition does not PROHIBIT drug use! It only makes it easier to obtain more dangerous drugs. Any simpler and I would be teaching you the alphabet all over again.Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW! [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on October 23, 2005 at 17:37:38 PT I Really Believe This Quote Kevin Williamson, the publisher and author whose Edinburgh cannabis cafe was closed down, said: “As long as cannabis is illegal young people will come into contact with heroin.” [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by runderwo on October 23, 2005 at 17:29:14 PT hmm "He said: *We have a picture of widespread underage drinking and underage smoking in Scotland, and we could see a similar pattern with drugs if these substances were to be legalised. There is no reason on earth if they were legalised that there would be a drop in use .*"An authoritative sounding yet foolish statement.- Drug dealers don't card.- Legal sellers card or risk losing their license.- More legal sellers means less drug dealers, assuming the taxation rates are appropriate.- Therefore, two levels of indirection are required for a minor to obtain cannabis. Instead of going to a drug dealer, he must now approach an adult to buy cannabis for him (carrying the same charge as if the shopkeeper had sold it to the child).- If anyone thinks this increases the availability of cannabis to minors, they need only look at the current availability rates, which are between 80 and 100% at the secondary school level in the US.- Zero tolerance my ass. Who do they think they are kidding? While they flagellate about how things should be in an ideal world, the inescapable reality is that cannabis is relatively harmless compared to other substances it substitutes for, for both adults and children who choose to intoxicate themselves. Do they have zero tolerance on alcohol for adults because kids are getting hold of liquor somehow? [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by FoM on October 23, 2005 at 10:27:41 PT Excellent Idea It would help I believe. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment