'Wrong message' sent by cannabis regrading

HOME Affairs Committee president Mike Torode has called the proposed reclassification of cannabis 'a nonsense'. He strongly opposes the Board of Health's plans to downgrade the drug to Class C at this month's States meeting.

He had no problem with the medicinal use of cannabis derivatives and was proud that Guernsey was used for testing by a UK pharmaceutical company.

But his views did not extend to reclassifying the drug. 'I am concerned about this nonsense. It is a mixed, dangerous message to the public at large and young people in particular,' he said.

'Some of the derivatives of cannabis are currently Class A drugs and that would come down to Class C under these proposals.'

He also opposed the board's proposal to relax sentencing for possession.

'I have read the experts' papers and they are opposed to the reclassification and say that they are concerned it's the wrong message.'

He added that some forms of genetically modified cannabis were six or eight times stronger, with a higher concentration of the active ingredient, THC.

'The weed that was around in the 60s was fairly low in THC content. Now it's much stronger, so those people of my generation who may have used the stuff when they were students were using something that's only a fraction of the strength of some of this skunk weed stuff, which is horrendous.'

Deputy Torode said new evidence from the British Medical Journal suggested that young users were at least four times more likely to develop psychiatric problems after smoking cannabis and were more likely to develop respiratory difficulties.

'Peter Roffey, who discharges his duty with zealousness over people not smoking tobacco, is telling people that cannabis should be lowered in classification when generally it is consumed with tobacco.

'I'm saying it's totally the wrong message to send out and I'm extremely surprised that Jean Pritchard, as Children Board president and vice-president of Education, should be supporting it and sending that message to young people.'

Deputy Roffey said the comparison between tobacco and cannabis was 'interesting'.

'We have been having enormous success reducing the number of people taking that particular harmful drug,' he said.

'But we have never proposed to make it illegal in any shape or form. Cannabis is, and still will be, 100% illegal so I don't know what point Deputy Torode is trying to make.'

Deputy Roffey was concerned that the issue would become a political rather than a clinical one when it reached the House.

But he acknowledged that taking it to States put the reclassification of cannabis into the political arena when the board could have avoided that and done so by order.

'I am worried that it's going to be a political debate. It's never been a political process before; it's always been an objective, clinical and scientific one.

'It will be a slippery slope if people allow their political views to enter into the process. There is plenty of room for politics in issues like sentencing and how much of their resources the police should target at it. Once we move away from that, we are in very dangerous territory indeed.'

He added that although the board did not need States permission to reclassify drugs, it would not make cannabis Class C if the debate went against it.

'We wouldn't because it would cock a snook at the democratic process.

'It was made quite clear by opponents that they were determined to make an issue out of it and that if we hadn't brought the policy letter and had instead used our delegated powers, we would have faced a requete.

'We realised it was better to bring forward an informed policy letter than react to other moves.'

Deputy Roffey added that he was mystified by the Advisory and Finance Committee's opposition to reclassification. 'I think it is extraordinary that the truth could ever be the wrong message.'