Cannabis was downgraded to Class C under Tony Blair Peers have voted to support government plans to upgrade cannabis from a class C to a class B drug. The change is due to come into force in January, reversing Tony Blair's 2004 downgrading, and raising a maximum jail sentence for possession to five years. This is despite the Council on the Misuse of Drugs' recommendation that cannabis should remain a class C drug. The House of Lords voted by a majority of 52 against an amendment which would have overturned the government's plans. The government says the mental health risks of cannabis, particularly stronger varieties such as "skunk", mean it should return to class B. Opponents say this is unnecessary and could even increase use. 'Alcohol more dangerous' Crossbencher Baroness Meacher's amendment had been backed by the Liberal Democrats, but opposed by the other two main parties. If peers had voted in favour of her proposal it would have postponed a decision on the drug for two years, pending another review by the advisory council. During the debate, Lady Meacher, chairman of the East London and City Mental Health Trust, said: "We all know that alcohol is far more dangerous than cannabis. SKUNK So called because it has a very strong smell Three times stronger than other types of cannabis Contains much higher levels of the active ingredient - tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Now accounts for between 70 and 80% of samples seized by police Six years ago it accounted for 15% of samples

Head-to-head: drug laws Are voters getting drugs message? "Alcohol abuse leads to violence, suicide, liver cirrhosis, mental illness, dependence, addiction and lasting effects on the foetus. "In marked contrast, the only possible - possible - health effect of cannabis referred to in the government's statement on reclassification is the possible causal link with schizophrenia." But Home Office minister Lord West said the reclassification was "to protect the public", especially young people. He said cannabis use had fallen to its lowest level for 10 years and it was "crucial this trend continues", as there was "clear evidence that it can produce physical harms as well as medium to long-term mental health harms". Peers rejected Lady Meacher's amendment by 116 votes to 64. 'Protect the young' Afterwards, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said: "This is the next step towards toughening up our enforcement response - to ensure that repeat offenders know that we are serious about tackling the danger that the drug poses to individuals and in turn communities. We need to act now to protect future generations." Ms Smith said in June that cannabis should return to class B because of "uncertainty" over its impact on mental health. This would lift the maximum prison sentence for possession from two years to five years. The government's reclassification order was made in October and is due to come into force on 26 January. A letter to the Guardian newspaper on Tuesday, signed by former government chief scientific advisers David King and Lord Robert May, said the drugs classification system must be "credible" and that changing it again would give an "ambiguous message". In its report, Cannabis: Classification And Public Health, the advisory council described cannabis as a "significant public health issue". But it said it should still remain a class C drug, as the risks were not as serious as those of class B substances, such as amphetamines and barbiturates. The report said the evidence suggested a "probable, but weak, causal link between psychotic illness, including schizophrenia, and cannabis use". However, in the population as a whole, it played only a "modest role" in the development of these conditions.



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