While consumers and politicians in many parts of the world are showing their support for cannabis legalization, there are those who continue to buck the trends. Some buck harder than others. For instance, a group of conservative police commissioners in the UK want the government to reclassify cannabis as a more dangerous drug.
Cannabis is currently a Class B drug in the UK. Yet there are police commissioners who want to see it upgraded to Class A. If that were to happen, cannabis would be in the same company as ecstasy, cocaine, and heroin. Those found guilty of possession could face serious fines and prison time. Suppliers and growers could get a life.
At the current time, the UK government says it has no plans to reclassify cannabis. Still, it is worth looking into why a group of conservative police commissioners wants to see it happen.
It Contributes to Crime
A police commissioner’s main priority is to fight crime. According to the BBC, some conservative commissioners are fully convinced that cannabis adds to crime. They look at the crime statistics within their own departments. They speak with officers, review cases, and pay attention to trials. And in their opinion, cannabis is creating a problem.
One of the commissioners who spoke to the BBC also asserted that the majority of young people undergoing rehab in the UK are being treated for cannabis misuse. He is convinced that cannabis is a gateway drug.
Of course, pro-cannabis advocates would say there is no scientific evidence proving the gateway theory. But there’s also little scientific evidence disproving it. It is a matter of opinion on both sides.
Decriminalization in the U.S.
Back here in the States, the decriminalization debate rages in the halls of Congress. Earlier in 2022, Democrat Chuck Schumer threw his support behind decriminalization on the Senate floor by citing what he called “overwhelming evidence” that marijuana legalization doesn’t increase crime.
Meanwhile, a report issued by conservative Republicans in October 2022 makes the case that cannabis consumption among children increases the risks of suicide and violence. They don’t want to see marijuana decriminalized at the federal level.
Who is right and who is wrong? That is just as much a part of the debate as the decriminalization question. Both sides claim scientific evidence in defense of their positions. Neither is willing to give an inch to the other.
We Don’t Really Know
At the end of the day, it boils down to the simple fact that we don’t really know. When a medical cannabis patient goes into the Deseret Wellness cannabis pharmacy in Park City, UT, he is fairly confident that his THC tincture will help him manage pain. But he cannot say for sure whether that same tincture will not harm his health in the long run.
Likewise for recreational user in Colorado makes a point of smoking several joints per week. He can cite the fact that his parents and grandparents used marijuana regularly and suffered no adverse health effects. But he doesn’t know that today’s more potent plants aren’t going to harm him.
Let’s Make It About the Science
If we want to debate cannabis decriminalization from a moral standpoint, fine. Then scientific research doesn’t matter. But if we are going to bring science into the fray by citing conflicting evidence, then we need to take moralizing out of the question and make it all about science. And for that, we need more research.
While we wait, some conservatives in the UK want to reclassify cannabis as a Class A drug. Opponents say they are crazy. And so the debate rages on.
