Should Cannabis be legalised for medicinal and recreational purposes in the United Kingdom?
Introduction
Cannabis is a psychoactive drug derived from the Cannabis plant used for medical or recreational purposes. The plant usually grows wild in tropical and temperate areas of the world but can be grown in almost any climate using indoor hydroponic technology.
The main active ingredient of cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol(THC) (Vogue). THC is one of 500 known active-ingredients in cannabis which are responsible for many of the drug’s psychotic (mind-altering) effects. This chemical distorts how the mind perceives the world (NIDA, 2017).
The first documented sightings of Cannabis in the United Kingdom at a Viking settlement in York during the 10th Century (Wild, 2003). The fibres were used for creating rope and fishing nets. This is because Hemp is more durable than other plant sources such as stinging nettles or flax (Whittington, 1990). Cannabis was later introduced as a drug in 1842 for medicinal purposes by the Irish physician William Brooke O’Shaughnessy. He brought a large quantity of cannabis with him on his return journey from East India where he was studying Medicine. He later distributed to a large number of physicians and it was recommended as an “anti-convulsive remedy of the greatest value” (Iversen, 2007). Cannabis was first prohibited in the Uk in 1925 under the Dangerous drugs act in 1920 (Manning, 2013)
In the UK it is often consumed by smoking as a joint, vaporising hash oil, within food such as ‘weed cookies’, or as an extract (resin)(ADAI, 2013).
The topic of drugs, in particular, has always been controversial among the public and governments.
On average over 30% of the UK population have tried cannabis in their lifetime (Atha, 2005).
Cannabis is currently classified as a class B substance. As it is illegal to be in possession of or deal in class in B drugs, Cannabis is therefore illegal. The maximum penalties for being in possession is currently up to 5 years in jail plus an unlimited fine. for supplying or dealing cannabis, there is a maximum of 14 years in jail plus an unlimited fine. If anyone is caught in possession, with intent to supply, they could get up to 14 years in jail plus an unlimited fine (HomeOffice) also
Many have argued that there are many possible benefits of Cannabis. These include:
A positive impact on the economy if its distribution is taxed by government.
It could also be used in the medical industry.
Its legalisation could and free up police time as currently 65% of all drug-related crimes are to do with cannabis. Also, 123.1 tonnes of cannabis was seized in 2012 (NCA, 2012), therefore the time and effort invested into seizing and disposing of it could be used to focus more serious crimes.
Current evidence shows that there wouldn’t be a rapid increase in the use of cannabis after it has been legalised.
The first documented sightings of Cannabis in the United Kingdom was in were in a well in York from a Viking settlement during the 10th Century (Wild, 2003). They used it for hemp fibres which were used for creating rope and fishing nets. This is because Hemp is more durable than other vegetable sources such as stinging nettles or flax (Whittington, 1990). Cannabis was later introduced as a drug in 1842 by western medical by Irish physician William Brooke O’Shaughnessy when he was studying to be a medical officer, he also brought a large quantity of cannabis with him on his journey back to Britain from East India in 1842 to distribute to a large number of physicians which he recommended as an “anti-convulsive remedy of the greatest value” (Iversen, 2007). Cannabis was first prohibited in the Uk in 1925 under the Dangerous drugs act in 1920 (Manning, 2013).
To conclude my introduction, there is a lot of areas to talk about, I will focus my attention on presenting a balanced argument to the reader while covering as many points as possible related to my question. Due to the nature of my essay, they are vast numbers of sources which will contain false statements and misleading information. I will ensure I only sources which are accurate and valid so that I can form the strongest conclusion I possibly can.
Section 1 – Introduction on what Marijuana is and how it affects the human body
Marijuana is a plant that grows wild in tropical and temperate areas of the world. It can be grown in almost any climate and is increasingly cultivated by means of indoor hydroponic technology (ADAI, 2013). The psychoactive drug from the Cannabis plant used for medical or recreational use. The main active ingredient of Cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol(THC) (Vogue). THC is one of 500 known active-ingredients in Cannabis which are responsible for many of the drug’s psychotic (mind-altering) effects. Cannabinoids are produced in epidermal glands on the leaves, stems, and the bracts that support the flowers of the marijuana plant. This chemical distorts how the mind perceives the world (NIDA, 2017). The effects of marijuana last for around 2-6 hours when taken into the body as the drug is quite potent. THC works by mimicking the actions of anandamide which is a cannabinoid produced by the body that binds to cannabinoid receptors to produce short-term connections between nerve cells and the brain's ability to forget things. High concentrations of these receptors are found in the hypothalamus, cerebellum and basal ganglia. These areas are responsible for short-term memory and motor coordination, thus resulting in a decrease in inhibitions. The user gets a feeling of euphoria and an increase in appetite. The hippocampus is located in the temporal lobe and is important for short-term memory. When the THC binds with the cannabinoid receptors inside the hippocampus, it interferes with the recollection of recent events.(Iversen, 2007). There are many different ways to smoke Cannabis, it can be consumed by smoking as a joint, vaporising hash oil, within food as ‘weed cookies’, or as an extract (resin) (ADAI, 2013).
The short term effects
THC quickly passes through the lungs and enters your bloodstream within a matter of seconds. The blood carries the drug to your brain and other organs located throughout your body where the drug is absorbed slowly over a period of time dependant on the method used to ingest it.(Government, 2016)
Long term effects
The long-term effects of marijuana can be life-threatening. Marijuana affects brain development in young teens as it impaired thinking, memory and learning functions as it affects the way the brain builds synaptic connections.(Government, 2016)
To test this claim I have researched a scientific study conducted in New Zealand as part of the Duke University. The study showed that people who started smoking marijuana heavily during adolescence lost an IQ average of 8 points from the ages of 13 to 38. This remained with them up to their adulthood for the rest of their lives.(Madeline H. Meier, 2012)
The graph shows the relationship between Cannabis dependancy in under 18’s and the effect it has on their average IQ. The study stated as follows. After equating adolescent and adult-onset cannabis users on the total number of cannabis-dependence diagnoses, adolescent-onset users showed greater IQ decline than adult-onset cannabis users. In fact, adult-onset cannabis users did not appear to experience IQ decline as a function of persistent cannabis use. From this, we can conclude that the source from the United States Government is accurate and the use of Cannabis among adolescence is bad for you as it affects your academic ability.(Madeline H. Meier, 2012). I believe the statistical data from the National Academy of Sciences is accurate as they are a large government body. I personally believe that this is a very important point to make as it shows that over long periods of time the effects of Cannabis in the younger generation can damage society. The majority of Cannabis users are teenagers to young adults so something needs to be done about this. The legalisation of Cannabis would clearly be the wrong thing to do as this problem would only get worse.
Section 2 – Public views on Cannabis
I will begin with the views of people who are most commonly associated with smoking Cannabis, this includes young people and young adults. This information was conducted by creating an online poll. The question was whether you think Cannabis is good or bad. The test was conducted as an online survey to keep the anonymity of the recipients.
I asked these six to prepare answerers for the question “what are your opinions on the legalisation of Cannabis and why?” to which they would answer and I would then follow up with a second question relevant to their personalised answer and so on and finally, would ask the question “Is the prohibition of marijuana succeeding?”. The first person I interviewed was a 50-year-old male, Dr Shimmins. He runs a general practice and has strong views on the prohibition of marijuana. In response to my question he replied with “I see countless patients come into my practice suffering from various mental health issues and 50% of them are suffering from drug abuse so I feel that it is not succeeding” From Dr Shimmin's professional point of view we can determine that Cannabis can affect the way the brain develops or the way it interacts with people suffering from underlying mental issues. This is very true considering taking external substances when your mental health is not good can lead to an addiction or a dependency on the substance. However, it could be argued that this is not the case as a review of the research from Gruber and Pope 1994 on addiction suggested that there is no such entity (APA, 2000). I also interviewed an 18-year old from my local village who attends the local school. The school is known for having a large number of people who have taken substances. His view is strongly for the use of marijuana. In response to my question, he said; “Marijuana has many medical uses with few side-effects unlike most of the drugs given to us by the pharmaceutical industry”. His point is true as there is scientific evidence showing that certain medications such as Co-codamol which is used for pain relief can become addictive when used for long periods of time. Lastly, one of the people I interviewed was in their late 40’s. He claims to have developed ‘paranoid schizophrenia’ due to smoking large quantities of Cannabis during his teenage years however Cannabis supporters have an argued against this. They argue that there is no scientific evidence to suggest that Cannabis actually causes these side effects to occur, which is true, however evidence shows that Cannabis can bring out underlining mental illnesses in them. When I mentioned this point to Dr Shimmins as mentioned earlier they responded as such “Of course Cannabis isn’t for everybody, a lot of anti-Cannabis people seem to think that if Cannabis is made legal society will crumble due to everyone sitting in their houses doing nothing but smoking marijuana, the truth is people are not mindless sheep, if they don’t want to smoke they won’t just like some people don’t drink and people don’t smoke tobacco. In all honesty, I believe that the law is not stopping people from smoking it, if they want to they will which is why I don’t think legalisation will have a large effect on the country at all.” I certainly agree with the point due to the fact that the government believes that if Cannabis is legalised, people would stop working and social interactions would be damaged.
Last but not least, the second person in the ‘for group’ stated “If Cannabis was legal, the vast majority problems with it would no longer be problems. Cannabis is being cut with dangerous substances such as glass and brick dust is only an issue due to it being illegal. If the drug was legal it could be safely regulated and taxed appropriately which would probably end the recession, arguably it could put strain on the NHS but the revenue generated by the tax would nullify the impacts, Studies have shown that it has positive medical effects being used in treatments. I'm also for it being used industrially for fuel and such, as some studies have shown it to be very effective which would end the oil crisis. A lot of people disagree with this next point but I think the current system is just putting money into the hands of criminals, criminals that would use this money for other criminal activities, due to this system regular weed smokers that are really just regular people are giving money to these dealers for Cannabis, making them tax free money while the dealers also live off benefits. Legalise, it’s the only logical option”. I personally believe these points are extremely valid and bring up a good point on the effect that criminalisation has on society and how societies perception of the drug has lead to the benefits of Cannabis being overlooked in an attempt protect society from it’s negative effects.
In this source, we have discussed the public opinion on Cannabis. I conducted an online poll to see the publics general view on Cannabis to gain a broad understanding of what the general population thought about the drug. The questionnaire was created using google forms and submitted to Google’s ad-sense service which distributes the poll to all areas of the internet from all age groups and professions. This ensured that the questionnaire was free from bias due to the fact that Google is used by more than 4 billion users which provides a large census to conduct the poll on.
Upon further critical analysis of Google Ad-sense, I have discovered that good distributes its advertisements based on the searches of its users. This means that my poll could be invalid as the poll would be presented to those who are most likely be in favour of the legalisation of Cannabis for recreational uses in the United Kingdom.
I have compared my primary data findings with data from secondary sources in order to validate my findings and in order to determine whether my data has been affected by googles ad-sense policy. The TDPF claims to have statistical information showing 53% of the population believe that Cannabis laws should be reconsidered (TDPF, 2018). This is 8% less than the statistical information I gathered in my primary data. However, this could be due to the size of the population who participated in my poll to be only 100 people. This would be vastly smaller than the population which form the statistical data from the TDPF. Upon close analysis of this source, they are very politically focused when presenting data. This could mean that they have portrayed their statistics in a way that suit their agenda.
To conclude this section of my essay, it is clear that there are mixed opinions on Cannabis with individuals expressing a multitude of opinions on the topic. My questionnaire was a great example of me collecting primary evidence which would ensure the accuracy of my data was the best it could be. There is a great chance that my primary data couldn’t be completely screwed due to Google's ad policy and I shall take this into consideration, However upon critical analysis of my primary data I have found that my data is similar to other polls conducted by other organisations, which in return increases the accuracy of my primary evidence. I believe it is fair to say that the general population of the United Kingdom feel as though the current drug policy in the United Kingdom needs to change.
Section 3 – How the legalisation of Cannabis has affected other countries
One of the most popular examples of this is the United States of America. Numerous numbers of states that have legalised the use of Marijuana for both medicinal and recreational purposes. This has caused major controversy over the world and I will discuss some of the reasons for why they legalised it and the effect it has on the country. Cannabis is currently legal in 29 states for medical uses and legal in 9 Staes for recreational uses, this number is growing every year. The number of people in the United States who admit to smoking pot in the last month climbed from 14.4 million in 2007 to over 18 million in 2011
One of the case studies I have researched to back up this claim is the legalisation of Cannabis in Colorado. The state of Colorado saw an increase in the number of registered licenses for the sales of Cannabis. They started the year with about 81 licensed businesses and ended the year with 833 licensed businesses for retail. (difference). This shows the pure demand there is for Cannabis recreational and shows that there is real potential for making money from this through taxation. This money has been used to fund schools, drug abuse prevention campaigns and law enforcement.(DPA, 2017) This shows that there is a lot of money to be made from the taxation of Cannabis. This money as shown by Colorado can be used to help improve the community and get money to those who need it. (Colorado marijuana enforcement division) The state made over £700 million from the combined sales of pot.
Statistics found that there were no significant trends in youth marijuana use between 2002 and 2014, two years post legalisation. Between 2012 and 2014 the rates of 8th and 10th graders who reported currently using marijuana decreased slightly and rates for 6th and 12th graders remained unchanged. In both 2012 and 2014, 26.7 percent of 12th graders reported using marijuana within the last 30 days.15 In 2014, 18.1 percent of 10th graders reported using marijuana within the last 30 days compared to 19.3 percent in 2012.16 Lifetime use rates among all Washington youth also remained stable.(DPA, 2017)
I believe these statistics are accurate due to the fact that they originate from the Drug policy alliance which is a reputable alliance which is known for having unbiased information. They are not funded by any groups strictly for or against the prohibition of Cannabis which helps show that the alliance are not influenced by any particular groups thus increasing the validity of their statistical data.
On the other hand, to counteract this point, the state of Colorado has also seen a 15% increase in the number of babies born with THC in their blood (CBN, 2017). However, I am quite sceptical of this statistic as it is from CBN news. To begin with, CBN stands for Christian Broadcasting Service which indicates that the views they portray may be biased towards religions perspectives. Christianity is ultimately for the prohibition of the substance as they would perceive any drug that alters the way the mind works to be against God. Furthermore, the source is from a news agency so I would presume that they intend to make the news as interesting as possible in order to gain views and to make money, which may be evident in the statistic on the number of babies born with THC in their bloodstream. I checked the accuracy of CBN news with the views of the general public and the factual reporting concluded with news distributor to have mixed reviews with ‘conspiracy levels' being ‘strong’ and ‘Pseudoscience levels’ also being ‘strong’(MBFC, 2018). Upon further investigation, I have discovered that the newsgroup was founded by Christian televangelist Pat Robertson in 1961 and was best known for the show called The 700 Club, which features PatRobertson making extreme right wing and conspiratorial claims. For example, Pat Robertson claims that natural disasters occur due to gay immoral acts🏳️🌈. The actual news broadcast on CBN has a very far right bias in reporting and also delves into right-wing conspiracies. Anything heard on the CBN or the 700 Club needs to be fact-checked. The 700 club has been reported as a ‘borderline hate group’(MBFC, 2018). To conclude I will use this source with a pinch of salt as the source may be biased.
One of the studies I found which contradict these claims are from the Colorado Hospital. The hospital has experienced an increased number of patients between the ages of 13-14 admitted to hospital due to Cannabis related issues. They state that the annual number of visits with a cannabis-related diagnostic code or positive for marijuana from a urine drug screen more than quadrupled during the decade, from 146 in 2005 to 639 in 2014 (Pediatrics, 2017). This statistical piece of information clearly shows us that there is a negative correlation between the statistical information we have found on the number of reported cases of underage Cannabis use in Colorado. I personally this could be due to previous underage Cannabis users are now able to receive medical help for any issues they face when under the influence of the substance. Further statistical information collected from Colorado hospital in late 2017 state that insufficient to mixed levels of Cannabis use have resulted in a lowering of IQ among adolescents. This information is a direct reiteration to the statistical evidence published by Madeline H. Meier in 2012 (refer back to section 2) This backs the validity of the information made by Colorado hospital. Upon further analysis of my findings, I have found a correlation in what the 40-year old male has claimed in his views on Cannabis in section 2 of my essay. He stated that he suffered from schizophrenia in his younger years. I believe that there is a possibility that he developed paranoia schizophrenia due to smoking Cannabis as smoking the drug during your brains development has been proven to cause mental issues.
Adolescents with symptoms of mental illness accounted for a large proportion (66%) of the 3,443 marijuana-related visits during the study period, said lead author George Sam Wang, M.D., FAAP, with psychiatry consultations increasing from 65 to 442.
In conclusion, I believe that the legalisation of Cannabis in other countries has been successful as it has reduced the numbers of violent crime and also provided the countries with large sums of money which can be used to fund public services such as schools and police services. The legalisation of Cannabis’s effects on adolescents has had mixed results but I ultimately believe that the Legalisation of Cannabis in Colorado has had a positive result. People can now get medical attention when needed which reduces the number of adolescents who may be in danger of taking the drug. I believe that the statistical information from Colorado showing an increase of adolescents admitted to Colorado hospital could be due to adolescents now being able to receive medical attention for Cannabis related issues. I personally believe that they were previously avoiding medical attention due to the illegality of the substance. The legalisation of Cannabis in Colorado has also created a lot of funding for the healthcare system for which more than covers those admitted to Colorado Hospital. Lastly, my opinion on the 40-year olds claims has changed due to the new findings on the effects of Cannabis on adolescents. I believe that smoking Cannabis has caused his mental issue despite the majority of statistical information suggesting otherwise.
Section 4 – How the UK could benefit from the reclassification of Cannabis
Cannabis is currently classified in the United Kingdom as a class B substance which can land you up to 5 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both for possession of up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both for supplying the drug or production (Gov, 2017). Cannabis is currently heavily used in the United Kingdom with 60% of cases the police respond to are Cannabis related within the UK. Statistics have shown that a total of £31 million was spent on 1,044,180 police hours related to Cannabis in 2015. A Home Affairs Select Committee member Julian Huppert said; “The current approach is a disaster for young people, whose mental and physical health is being harmed by an increasingly potent product. “There are no age checks and no controls on quality or strength. ‘Skunk’ is widespread and the only ID you need to buy it is a £20 note.” This clearly shows the effects that an unmonitored market of Cannabis use can have among the younger generation. Current predictions state that the Cannabis industry could be valued at £7 billion per year.
To answer this question I watched a documentary on the legalisation of Cannabis in the United Kingdom. The main point the documentary was that the government is allowing the money generated from eh sales of Cannabis end up in the hands of criminals. This is because due to cannabis’s illegality, gangs are funded which opens up the possibility of conflict as they are attracted to money. They could also purchase weapons which could be used to harm other people if it was legal the drug could be taxed heavily. The money generated would go to funding public services such as the NHS and go to helping communities. Towards the end of the documentary they about the medicinal purposes and why the drug is illegal.
To conclude, I believe the answer is no. In addition to this, according to the documentary the drug scares large medical companies as it can counteract everything from the common cold to multiple sclerosis. If a plant that someone can grow in their own house, costs very little, lasts a lifetime and is legalised then they lose out on a lot of money.
Section 5 – Alternatives to Cannabis
The global market has produced many alternatives to Cannabis in order to treat medical conditions. Due to different regulations in different parts of the world, you can find a variety of alternatives to treat pain, mental health issues and cancer. I will be looking at the alternatives to Cannabis in the United Kingdom and the USA. To begin with, I will discuss alternatives in the US.
In the United States, some states provide an alternative to Cannabis which is dubbed Marinol. A small medical company in America was tasked with recreating marijuana in a form that would be very profitable and had the same effects as THC. Marinol’s active ingredient Dronabinol, has the same molecular structure of cannabis, same compounds and works in the same way, even producing the similar side effects of Cannabis such as hunger, laughter and happiness. The only differences are the presence of an Oxygenate group and an additional alkene group. THC alternative Marinol has also been reported to not always work as well as THC (Marinol, 2018). I personally believe that it is ok to manufacture synthetic drugs in the aim of helping people as long as the drug is more beneficial than the original. The drug can provide a multitude of jobs in the area which can boost the local economy. However on the other hand it is immoral and unjust to charge people large sums of money for a drug which does not work as good as the drug it is based off of. The United States private healthcare system I believe is acting as a catalyst for pharmaceutical companies to make big bucks.
The United Kingdom has a medicinal alternative to Cannabis called Sativex. Sativex is an oromucosal spray of a formulated extract of the cannabis Sativa plant that contains the principal cannabinoids delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). The active ingredients are absorbed in the lining of the mouth, either under the tongue or inside the cheek. Sativex has achieved approval in Israel for the indications of MS Spasticity and pain and for chronic cancer pain.
The pharmaceutical distributer Bayer has been accused of overcharging the NHS for the product. A statement from the campaign group ‘Clear’ protest that Sativex is “a super strong, concentrated cannabis. Nothing more, nothing less.” And that “GW grows high quality cannabis under pretty much the same conditions as most illegal growers. It uses clonal propagation to ensure consistent levels of cannabinoids. Lighting and hydroponic nutrition is computer controlled with automatic ventilation. It really is no different from the most sophisticated and efficient illegal cannabis farms.” (Reynolds, 2010) This suggests to me that Sativex may be making large sums of money by taking advantage of legal alternatives to Cannabis for medicinal uses. One bottle of Sativex currently sells the NHS for £175 per bottle which is 10 times more than what criminals sell Cannabis for (Reynolds, 2010). The source which I obtained this information are extremely biased and one sided, however they do make some good points on Sativex. I shall take any information they state with a pinch of salt as it is most likely over exaggerated to suit their agenda.
To conclude this section, I believe alternatives to Cannabis should be important in producing drugs which can help save lives. However, this has to be closely monitored to ensure large corporations aren’t using this opportunity to gain a profit while putting peoples lives risk. Conclusion
To summarise I believe that I have reached my set goals and aims, referring back to my introduction I stated that my aims were to inform, not try to convey my opinion, I believe I have displayed the facts to the audience, and disproved common myths such as that Cannabis is an addictive substance which was stated in historical records. Public opinions vary greatly on the topic of Cannabis but it is clear that the general population of the United Kingdom are in favour for a reform on the Legalisation of Cannabis for medicinal are recreational uses in the United Kingdom.
I personally believe the most important reason for the legalisation of Cannabis is that it can be taxed heavily. The capitol generated can be used to fund public services and the healthcare system which is lacking tremendously in the United Kingdom due to the scope of our healthcare system. Due to Cannabis being illegal, we see money being put into the hands of criminals, which funds gang culture and other crime, it means that state prisons are filled in countries like the UK and the USA which costs the tax payers and government an awful lot of money because they need to pay for basic services that the prisoners require. In my opinion cannabis should be treated like alcohol or cigarettes, you need to be over 18 to buy, maybe even make it 21 to ensure that whoever is buying the product is fully developed so it doesn’t have an effect on the development of the mental health of young people and make sure all people know the true risks of using it, for example on a pack of marijuana cigarettes it might say “Warning, may cause damaged to mental health”. If this was to happen the government would spend less money, prisons would not be overcrowded and there would not be so much money put into organised crime. Secondly, I feel that THC alternatives should be used in order to allow more personal medications as it is hard to regulate the amount of THC in Cannabis. However the pharmaceutical market must be monitored and regulated carefully to ensure that large companies such as Pfizer, Bayer and GlaxoSmithKlein are providing these medicines at a fair price to the NHS so that everyone can have access to treatments when needed and money isn’t being drawn out of our nations medical budget. One of the best ways to solve this issue is to fund smaller business in growing Cannabis. This would help create jobs and boost the local economy. I believe reclassification of Cannabis in the UK is necessary as large sums of money are being lost funding prisoners and lots of policing time is spent trying to stop the use and spread of Cannabis. Legalising Cannabis for recreational uses will in my opinion reduce the number of under 18/s who will have access to the drug in the United Kingdom. This is because the black market for Cannabis will fall drastically as there would be no need for it and so anyone wishing to purchase the drug will have to be asked for identification. Evidence of this has been shown in Colorado, USA. Legalising the drug will also help guarantee a safer product for the consumer, this will help reduce incidences of poisoning due to bulking agents and other substances being added to Cannabis in order for drug dealers to maximise profits by reducing the amount of Cannabis they sell.