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Proceeding contribution from Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative) in the House of Commons on Thursday, 19 January 2006. It occurred during Ministerial statement on Regulation of Cannabis.


Regulation of Cannabis

I must say that I was disappointed by the statement, although I welcomed much of it. It is, of course, appalling that the use of cannabis continues. The figures that the Home Secretary gave in relation to use were very flawed, however. If he talks to those on the ground who are taking children off drugs, as we do in the Centre for Social Justice, they will tell him that the police no longer stop people who are using cannabis. They have lost all track of how many people actually use it on the ground. In their view, cannabis use has become worse on the ground and is now more dangerous. It is a question not just of psychosis and mental illness, but of massive behavioural problems, more bullying in schools, the theft of telephones and the beating up of children after they leave school. All that has increased. May I urge the Home Secretary to rethink and to reclassify? If he is now to examine the classification process, may I urge him to look at Sweden, which has dispensed with different classifications? It applies a single classification, which means that all drugs are bad and that people are in trouble if they use them.


Secondary information

Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
441 c989-90 
Session
2005-06
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
Subjects
Cannabis Health hazards Drugs Mental illness Misuse Research Side effects
Link
View this Proceeding contribution on www.publications.parliament.uk