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Is the current cannabis debate
really just smoke without fire? Can we break the stagnant
impasse between drug users and society's official attitude to
soft drugs? Brighton's leading citizens give their view.
Ann Widdecombe's pronouncement at
the Conservative party conference calling for zero tolerance for
cannabis users and the Tories subsequent climb-down following
the disclosure by ten Shadow Cabinet members that they had tried
it in their youth has reopened the debate on soft drug
legalisation. A recent survey shows: cannabis is more widely
used in the UK than anywhere else in Europe. A Mori poll found
58 per cent of British adults believe it should be
decriminalised for personal use, and one in ten adults have
taken it in the past twelve months. A straw poll of New Insight
staff in the office on one day showed that 100 per cent had
tried it. A vox pop of Brighton's leaders shows a variety of
viewpoints on decriminalisation or legalisation.Encouragingly,
most people had a positive considered opinion. This wasn't a
statistical survey but there was a great deal of support for
serious, well-organised public debate. The majority felt that
cannabis was not as harmful as had previously been perceived and
a substantial number thought decriminalisation should be looked
at. Those against change also had valid, reasoned arguments.
Now have your say
Vote here, results will be published next month
Key:
 Yes,
I have taken it
 No,
I have never taken it
 No
comment / Maybe
Des Turner MP
Kemptown
"The time has come for a proper debate on the issue, I
think it has been clouded by a lot of irrelevant nonsense till
now. We need to examine the case for decriminalisation, most
certainly for medical use. There has been too much attention on
the criminal aspect, which only detracts from the real war:
trying to control hard drugs. Cannabis by comparison is a
sideshow."
Paul Whitehouse
Sussex Chief Constable
"I do not believe prohibition is working. There needs to be
a national debate on this subject. I have not called for the
legalisation of drugs. My belief is that under the UN
convention, the most the Government can do is to decriminalise
the possession of certain drugs, I do not know whether that is
the right course of action, but I do believe the matter should
be debated in a mature fashion."
David Gold
Conservative Candidate
"I am not persuaded that it should be legalised. The real
war should be on hard drugs. I'm not in favour of
decriminalising - that would give the wrong signal, I don't want
to encourage people, but you have to be realistic about
resources. For many it's a part of growing up. It would be a
shame if people were stigmatised with a criminal record for one
mistake."
John Thorn
Healer
"When people take cannabis there is a toxic build-up in the
aura. People do survive with that. Decriminalising or legalising
the substance would take away the burden of how people see
themselves. If people are going to take it, it would be better
to be self-accepting than having an underlying feeling that it's
not an acceptable thing to use."
Phil Nelson
Manager, The Levellers
"I would prefer decriminalisation. I don't think it's a
completely harmless drug, but more people get benefit out of it
than are harmed by it."
Rik Child
Green Party Councillor
"We should move towards legalisation, so that there is
control over the supply. Like how they do it in Holland - but
pot pubs, not coffee shops. My party is not seeking to promote
cannabis, but it's not a criminal offence and it shouldn't be.
Cannabis is safer than alcohol in small quantities, but I have
seen a number of people suffering from cannabis-induced
psychosis."
Lynette Gwyn Jones
Leader, Brighton & Hove Council
"Some form of decriminalisation makes a lot of sense. We
need to look further on the issue of legalising, but that is
quite complex. There is in effect a decriminalisation in many
areas in the way the police choose to handle the issue, and this
needs looking at, because there are some useful lessons
there."
Stephen Neiman
CEO Old Market Trust
"I think it ought to be decriminalised. The costs of action
taken far outweigh the upside to the argument. We've got to the
stage now where decriminalisation of cannabis is far more in the
public benefit than not."
Geoffrey Theobald
Conservative Candidate
"I'm not in favour of decriminalising cannabis. Once you
start on that road, it's too easy to move forward to other
drugs. I do see a problem for people who are hospitalised or
sick, where a doctor might consider it useful for their health
or who are in a lot of pain - there could be an exemption in
those circumstances."
Ian Duncan
Councillor for Culture and Regeneration
"It's well known that very very large numbers of the
population have used, and still are using cannabis and I would
like to see this recognised and a very serious debate on the
subject. I don't think it's been proven one way of the other
about it leading to harder drugs, or whether it's bad for you or
carcinogenic or so on."
Douglas McCittrick
Vicar of Brighton
"I can't lie, I have taken it, but it was many years ago.
In my early years I used to work in Toxteth, and there was a lot
of it going around!
I think cannabis needs to be decriminalised - chief constables
and probation officers would say the same, the present system
doesn't work."
Jacky Harding
Labour Councillor
"I have taken it but not for years and years. I don't know
about legalisation etc. I worry about lots of people going
around smoking cannabis all the time. I think that on the whole
we need to have more honest debate about it, but I do think that
probably a lot more people smoke it than is admitted in the
public domain."
Chris Steward
Proprietor, Concorde 2
"We have to do what we have to do down the club when people
are 'smoking'. We're not heavy with them, we say come on, go
outside and smoke it. I don't want to give them a hard time, but
we have to be seen by the police to be doing our bit.
Decriminalising it would just be like Amsterdam, chilled and
laid-back really. I think legalise it."
David House
Deputy Director, Brighton University
"Personally I think it should be legalised. But from a
university point of view we have to be more careful because
where there are large groups of students, there is an inevitable
problem with drug dealing - we have to take that seriously, and
deal with it as appropriate."
Simon Fanshawe
Writer, Broadcaster and Chairman, The Place to Be
"I long more for the rational debate than I do for
legalisation or decriminalisation. I'm personally not a fan of
drug culture, I don't like the effect drugs have on people.
Equally I'm not very fond of drunks. The great danger is that
drugs draw people into lifestyles which revolve around the drug.
That's what dangerous."
Rabbi Pesach Effune
Brighton & Hove Hebrew Congregation
"I don't think it should be legalised. The Jewish view
concentrates on health - any substance which potentially causes
problems, including alcohol and tobacco is prohibited. Alcohol
per se is not forbidden, it depends what you do with it. It's
okay for spiritual purposes. There is not a lot of discussion in
rabbinic literature about cannabis nor a definitive
ruling."
Jenny Langston
Conservative Candidate
"I don't think it should be decriminalised. There are some
genuine issues around medical conditions which could be
supported by cannabis, otherwise I don't think it should be. I
don't hold with legalising drugs. I've had reason to see a
couple of young people messed up by cannabis. For some people it
messes them up, that's not to say it's common."
Chris Parfitt
37 Degrees
Safer Dancing Project
"The long-term effects of heavy cannabis use can be quite
detrimental on health, and that needs to be put into the debate.
From our point of view it's not as simple as saying it should be
legalised because there are a whole range of issues around it.
However we don't promote either standpoint; we try to encourage
people to make up their own minds from the information
available. There are issues that need to be talked about, eg:
the carcinogenic effects which, in our rush to get it legalised,
may get overlooked."
Frazer McEwen
Director of Services, Adaction
"We can't advocate one view or the other. We work with
people who illegally use cannabis and who present themselves to
us as a result of their cannabis use. Other people use cannabis
and do not consider themselves as having a problem."
Professor Marilyn Taylor
Centre for Health and Social Policy
University of Brighton
"It should be decriminalised - it makes a lot of people
criminals who aren't criminals. I don't believe it leads to the
abuse of harder drugs, or that it's more harmful than nicotine
or alcohol."
Kelsang Thogme
Buddhist Nun (formerly Colette Campbell)
"As a Buddhist I am not really interested in whether
cannabis is legalised or not! We are seeking happiness from
within our own minds, without relying on external temporary
sources of happiness. Meditation is a technique to sharpen our
minds and enhance our awareness, rather than making our minds
more dull through any kind of intoxicants! Meditation gives me a
natural high that is already legal, completely free and has no
unpleasant side effects! I would recommend anyone interested to
get themselves a meditation habit."
Kevin Precious
Comedian
"I am definitely an advocate of decriminalising it. A joke
for you: lots of policemen would like to see it legalised which
is pretty incredible really when you consider they've been
getting theirs free for for years!" (boom boom)
copyright New Insight 2000
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