Cannabis – classification decision imminent

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) is soon to make its recommendation to government on whether to reclassify cannabis as a class B drug. Cannabis was downgraded to class C in 2004. 

How Rethink can help: 

We have a range of spokespeople and case studies available for comment and are widely considered to be experts on the link between cannabis use and mental illness. Many of our members – including people with mental health problems and their carers –shared their experiences with us and we gave our evidence to the ACMD to help with the review process.   

Our case studies include:

• a mother who attributes her son’s mental health problems to his cannabis use
• a father who says his son’s schizophrenia is due to cannabis
• a sister who is in no doubt that her brother’s mental illness is exacerbated by cannabis 

What Rethink thinks:

• cannabis should not be reclassified
• the government should focus its resources on a major public health campaign warning of the mental health risks
• mental health warnings should be printed on rolling paper packets 

Key facts:      

• cannabis use has dropped since it became a class C drug
• only 3% of people said they would stop smoking cannabis because of illegality (www.rethink.org/cannabiscampaign)
• young people who use cannabis under the age of 18 double their chances of developing a severe mental illness
• 60% of people say that knowing about the adverse risks to their mental health would make them consider giving up cannabis