The British government has decided to relax the law in relation to the consumption of cannabis. The net effect of a measure announced this week by the Home Secretary, Mr David Blunkett, is that police will no longer arrest people who possess a quantity of the drug for their personal use. Possession alone will no longer be an arrestable offence but possession and use of the drug has not been decriminalised. The decision reflects both a change in attitude towards the drug - it is no longer seen as the highly dangerous substance it was characterised to be in years gone by - and a related change in attitude among police, who in many countries have long adopted a 'see no evil' approach to individual use of cannabis and have ceased to enforce the law.
The move has been hailed in Britain as progressive, both by the Libertarian Right and the ageing, post-hippy Left. With equal conviction, it is greeted with dismay by another constituency - one that is often characterised by the first as outdated, out of touch and just a bit fuddy-duddy.
The debate about the dangers of " soft" drugs has been conducted in Britain for several years. There are good points in favour of liberalisation, if not decriminalisation. Should tens of thousands of otherwise law-abiding citizens run the risk of getting criminal records? Should massive police time be spent on what the police themselves regard as an unenforceable law? Should society outlaw consumption of a substance which many people regard as less harmful than alcohol? And what of the arguments against? Can cannabis smoked with tobacco be less harmful than cigarettes? Is it sensible to artificially stimulate the brain, that most delicate and important organ? And what of suggestions that cannabis can provoke anxiety (simultaneously with feelings of relaxation) and mental illness?
In this society, there is growing alarm at the reckless consumption of alcohol, especially among young people. As the Government and health-care professionals seek to encourage parents to set a more responsible example in their own drinking habits, many would be alarmed at the notion that different signals might be sent to young people by suggesting that the use of another drug which dulls the senses is not, after all, such a bad thing.