England's Hilarious Cannabis Scare
England is currently in the middle of a scare over a new, dangerous drug: Cannabis. Yes, marijuana — they don’t really use the term there, apparently — is the newest drug scaring people across the point, apparently due to “skunk” cannabis, i.e. higher-potency pot.
Higher-potency pot isn’t necessarily a dangerous thing, of course: Marijuana smokers don’t smoke a set amount each time. Most just smoke until they feel high enough, or run out, or whatever; higher-potency cannabis in many ways is safer, since a user simply has to smoke less to achieve a desired high. Whatever the effects of marijuana smoke, if only one joint is needed instead of two, it’s better for you.
For those of you who don’t follow marijuana policy news in England as closely as I do, let me get you up to speed: In 2005, England re-classified cannabis at Class C from Class B. (While America has a scheduling system for drugs — Schedule I, II, etc. — England uses a class system.) Users who possess or sell drugs in Class C face lower penalties than those in Class B, and so forth.
The media then took over. Pot has been reported in the press to cause schizophrenia — an untrue claim, as schizophrenia rates do not rise and fall with cannabis usage rates — cause impotency, etc. That the drug has been used for millennia relatively safely is of no consequence.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will soon re-classify cannabis back up to Class B, despite a panel of scientists saying it should remain in C. The PM has claimed skunk cannabis is “lethal,” despite no recorded overdose of marijuana in human history.
And, so, yes, the goverment is ignoring science, writes Colin Blakemore in The Observer. Of course, the same day the paper runs a story about how cannabis causes violence. That second article actually ends up fairly pragmatic about the whole issue, but it’s the lurid (unfounded) horror tales that lead the article.
I expect there to be a similar marijuana scare in the United States soon enough. Perhaps President McCain will be worried about his wife’s beer fortune being cut into, perhaps President Obama will be worried about being soft on drugs. The same arguments that have been tossed out since the 1930s will be repeated, no doubt. Hopefully we’ll be smart enough to realize the truth.
7 months ago