BLAIR PLANS U-TURN ON CANNABIS

Experts Reveal Definitive Link Between Drug and Mental Illness,
Paving Way for Rethink on Lenient Penalties

Tony Blair is planning a controversial U-turn on cannabis laws and
the reintroduction of tough penalties after an official government
review found a definitive link between use of the drug and mental illness.

The Independent on Sunday can reveal that the Advisory Council on the
Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has detailed evidence showing cannabis
triggers psychosis in regular users. The findings are expected be
used by Mr Blair to overturn the decision made two years ago to
downgrade the drug. The reports makes it "an open door" for ministers
to change the law, according to one official.

Mr Blair is keen to reverse the controversial decision to downgrade
its status from B to C, taken by David Blunkett. His successor as
Home Secretary, Charles Clarke, asked the Government's official
advisory body to reassess the classification of the drug after a public outcry.

A senior Whitehall aide said: "There is no barrier to
reclassification of cannabis on the grounds of political
embarrassment. This was David Blunkett's decision, not something
agreed by the Cabinet."

Pressure for a U-turn will intensify once the ACMD report is
published. It will detail evidence that varieties of "skunk",
high-strength strains of cannabis, can cause psychosis in some people
and that cannabis can exacerbate the condition of users who are
already mentally ill.

The Home Secretary will announce his official decision on the
classification next month. Officials say he is "minded" to restore
the drug's original B rating. Obstacles to a U-turn remain, however,
particularly the attitude of the police. Ministers must overcome
police fears that it will reduce their ability to focus on class A
drugs such as heroin.

Most senior officers supported the original decision to downgrade
because it helped them to focus on class A drugs.

The original decision to drop cannabis's status to C also reflected
advice that it carries a lower risk of addiction and health-related
problems than other drugs. However, fresh studies have since
indicated that there is a strong link between the drug and "psychotic
symptoms".

A Danish study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry found
that almost half of patients treated for a cannabis-related mental
disorder went on to develop a schizophrenic illness. People who had
used the drug developed schizophrenia earlier than those with the
illness who had not smoked marijuana.

In light of these new warnings, Mr Clarke asked the ACMD in March
this year to review the classification of cannabis. The committee
took evidence from police, mental health campaigners and drugs
education charities. One area of investigation has been the harms of
new strains of cannabis known as "skunk", which have high levels of
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - the chemical which gives users a "high".

Although the ACMD does not believe that the health risks justify
cannabis being moved back to class B, it does draw attention in its
report to the health impacts of a rise in the use of skunk, which has
been fuelled by increasing numbers of people growing their own marijuana.

Despite reports that cannabis use is rising, official figures show
that use among 16- to 24-year-olds has gradually fallen over the past
seven years.

Although it is a class C drug, cannabis possession, production and
supply are still illegal, although the penalties have been reduced.

The maximum penalty for possession has been reduced to two years'
imprisonment. Most offences of cannabis possession now result in a
warning and confiscation of the drug.