Sex, Drugs and Games - TEK9 Networks

The Netherlands currently has a Policy where it is Legal to carry a small amount of Cannabis, but it is Illegal to supply it. If Cannabis was legalized in the United Kingdom would this be the kind of Policy you would wish to see?

Just about the only thing that's good about the Dutch system is it isn't as bad as ours. Cannabis isn't legal there, it's tolerated. Although some aspects of the Dutch system work well, it isn't what I would like to see here, no. That said, it would be massive improvement on what we have now. It should be pointed out that the Dutch are aware of the shortfalls and are making representations to the UN to revise the cannabis policy to enable them to fully legalise it.

Although much about the UK Drug Policy seems strange, as in, some of the most addictive drugs are not under any form of control, Caffeine and Nicotine are examples. Would you not agree the Netherlands Drug Policy seems even more dysfunctional?

Caffeine is the least controlled widely used drug I think anywhere, tobacco however is controlled with such measures as age limits on purchases and grading of product. Alcohol of course is very tightly controlled albeit with the dubious right to be advertised. It is a mistake to think of illegal drugs as being in any way controlled though. The cannabis trade, because it's illegal, it utterly uncontrolled in any meaningful use of the word.

Indeed, I was at the recent ACMD meeting to consider the re-grading of cannabis and the lack of knowledge about the trade was staggering. We know very little about the strength or purity or street cannabis and nothing about the type - ie ratio of THC to CBD. Only recently has research been done for example on how young people get hold of it. If you don't control the market in a substance I would argue you don't control that substance.

At least the Dutch system allows some control over the trade, age limits for example in the coffee shops and some level of grading and quality control. I wouldn't agree it's "dysfunctional" as you suggest, but sure it's not perfect.

I have also contacted Consultant Psychologists from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Sweden in the formation of this article. The general consensus amongst them is that Cannabis is still a 'Dangerous Drug', and when pressed on whether it should be legalized in the UK said 'No', would you agree with them?

Of course not, and it's not the view of all consultant psychiatrists (a "Psychologists" is something different isn't it?), there is a degree of support for a properly regulated, controlled regime and for good reason. I have attended the recent cannabis and mental health conferences in London in 2004 and 2007 and have discussed this at some length. At the end of the last conference a debate was held which decided Holland had the best regime for dealing with cannabis.

Do you think that a legalized system like Alcohol would work for Cannabis? With a guideline amount that can be consumed per day?

Broadly yes and for much the same reasons that prohibition of alcohol had to be abandoned in 1920's America. We're a long way off establishing a system such as alcohol units, a system which is open to some debate anyway. But there is surely an urgent need to quantify doses at the very least. It is also vital to remove organised crime from the supply side and to introduce workable measures to protect vulnerable people.

Regarding the "units" system for alcohol, very few people understand it. The number of units contained in a litre of alcohol is the same as the strength in ABV, but we sell beer in pints, so that simple conversion doesn't work.

On your website you cite the Health Benefits of Cannabis, would you agree that there is a vast difference between people using it as a prescribed, cost effective type of pain relief, to a healthy person endangering their body and brain unnecessarily?

We have heard from many people who use cannabis for pain relief over the years and find it quite effective. Until recently this was denied by the government who insisted cannabis had no medicinal value. Sativex is hardly "cost effective", I forget the price per patient but it's certainly not cheap. However, it's clearly better to use a medicine under the direction of a doctor and in doses which are certain. However, there were many MS sufferers who had been supplied by the campaign group THC4MS who were getting good results from using the plant, I suggest you ask medi users for their opinion on this.

I would add one thing: Legalisation is all about wanting laws which work and are enforceable to enable proper and effective control and regulation of what is a massive trade involving millions of people. There is no evidence to support the claims that prohibition is in any way effective nor even that it results in the lowest level of use. There is much evidence however to suggest that the legal status of a drug has little impact on levels of use.