Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by David Davis (Conservative). It was answered on Monday, 23 May 2005 on behalf of the Home Office.

Drugs Intervention Programme

Question: The truth is that drug use has risen by two thirds since 1998; almost a fifth of teenagers are exposed to drugs each year, compared with one in 10 in 1998. That is the true figure. A former Labour Cabinet Minister said recently that cannabis use by young people had rocketed in the last two years and that kids did not believe it to be illegal. Do the Government now accept responsibility for the damage that has been caused to thousands of young people by use of cannabis?

Answer: My answer to the right hon. Gentleman is to emphasise that cannabis is illegal and can be harmful. When we reclassified cannabis to class C from class B, we wanted to accentuate the campaign against the most damaging drugs such as crack cocaine and heroin. I hope that he would see that the campaign against those drugs is of the highest importance. On reclassification, in March, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary—in view of concerns expressed about the potential connection between use of cannabis and mental illness and emerging, stronger strains of cannabis—referred the matter back to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, which will come forward with recommendations in due course.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 434 c409-10
Session: 2005-06
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Subjects: Children Drugs Misuse Drug interventions programme Crime prevention Rehabilitation
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk