14 DAY TRIAL // In 2003, the UK relaxed the law on cannabis, so as to downgrade it from a Class B to a Class C drug. The result of this initiative is seen just now, as more than half of the children under 16 have tried the drug, a new UN report indicates, thus pointing to Britain as the country with the highest level of teenage cannabis use. This, it is believed, is the direct consequence of the lack of a stricter regulation that punishes use of the drug with a criminal record.
Professor Hamid Ghodse, president of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), has just warned that the alarming levels of teen use of marijuana are nothing but a reflection of people misunderstanding why the law was modified in the first place. Since those caught using or in possession of marijuana could simply walk with an on-the-spot-fine and they were no longer booked and taken to trial, they saw this as the perfect opportunity to try the drug. Which, Ghodse says, only makes matters worse from a medical point of view.
With 52 percent of teens experimenting with cannabis, UK is the leading country in the UN in terms of use of this specific drug. Other nations with a rate of over 30 percent include France, Spain, Ireland and the Czech Republic, according to reports in the British media. As it happens, in the UK, the sharp rise coincides with the aforementioned legal modifications, which have though been overturned last month, in a bid to lower the rates of teens using marijuana.
“Topping the European table for teenage cannabis is a shocking indictment. The health risks of psychosis, paranoia and long-term mental health issues are becoming ever clearer and we are storing up significant problems for the future.” Tory home affairs spokesman James Brokenshire tells the Daily Mail. At this point, it has become crystal clear that stricter laws are in order to prevent the rates going even higher.
Coincidentally, the same UN report reveals, the UK is also the first when it comes to cocaine use, since it seems to be much cheaper here than anywhere else in Europe. “A line of cocaine powder now costs as little as £2, while a pint is just over £3. Prices will plunge further as huge quantities flood in from a new trafficking ‘hub’ in West Africa. Weak governments and corruption mean the new route is more efficient and reliable for gangs.” the aforementioned publication points out. Lower prices immediately translate into widespread abuse, Ghodse argues.