Cannabis Classification

I’ve taken a quick look at the UKDPC submission to the ACMD and given we’ve covered the calls by magistrates for the drug to be reclassified to Class B I found the following of interest:

There have been reports that more young people with cannabis problems are
presenting themselves to youth offending teams, which prompted the Magistrates Association youth courts Chair to write to the Home Secretary to request a tightening of the cannabis laws. However, personal correspondence between the UKDPC and those commissioning the survey (the Association of Youth Offending Team Managers) suggests the results have been misinterpreted by the media. Clearly there is an association between drug use and offending, and the latest annual Youth Offending Teams inspection report found evidence of drug misuse in 40% of cases. Young people who have never taken drugs are less likely to be offenders than those who have taken drugs.  Those who have taken Class A drugs are slightly more likely (76%) to be an offender than ‘other’ drug users (64%), who would probably be predominantly cannabis users.

However, there is a similar association between drug use, offending and other signs of ‘vulnerability’ such as truancy, homelessness or being ‘looked after’. In a Home Office survey the proportion of vulnerable young people (aged 10-25) taking cannabis was 41% compared with 12% of those who were not vulnerable. The extent of any ‘cause and effect’ between these factors is not well understood and is likely to be complex. For instance a recent study of young people and professionals in Sheffield found that few young people or young offenders believed there was a link between their cannabis use and subsequent engagement in anti-social behaviour. Instead they emphasised the role played by alcohol. Some professionals thought cannabis amplified existing offending behaviour but others questioned whether the association was directly linked. Overall, the authors concluded that evidence of a link between cannabis use and anti-social behaviour was slim.  Another recent report on young heavy cannabis users suggested that existing lack of opportunity appeared to lead to high levels of cannabis consumption, which further impeded a young person’s ability to achieve their full potential.

Without additional compounding factors, the majority of cannabis users will not experience the same barriers to achievement. Another recent study of more than 5,000 young people aged 16-20 in Switzerland found those who smoked marijuana did as well or better in some areas than those who did not. This is yet another area where more research is needed to fully understand the impact of cannabis on young people’s personal, social and educational development.

Further Reading:

• Cannabis Supply and Young People – JRF on how young people who take cannabis get hold of the drug
• The impact of heavy cannabis use on young people – JRF research
• Cannabis Reclassifcation Debate Could Distract UK Government From Communicating Risks Of Use – Australian perspective
• Don’t Let Them Make A Hash of It – Susan Greenfield on the impact of cannabis use on educational achievement
• Submission to ACMD on Cannabis Review – what we said to the ACMD

Filed under: ACMD, cannabis, classification , UKDPC