Last updated 19:41, Thursday, 15 May 2008

A REVIEW into the classification of cannabis was one of Gordon Brown's first moves as Prime Minister.

But as our feature on the subject today shows, there’s no easy answer to dealing with a habit - yet still a crime - which is so deeply embedded in our culture.

On one hand Cumbria’s public health boss John Ashton says cannabis should be sold over the counter, bringing its use out into the open and allowing the Government to tackle underlying issues.

He feels it is wrong to criminalise young people whose “crime” is to follow the pack; we must instead tackle the conditions that make people turn to addictive substances, including alcohol and tobacco.

Then we read Cockermouth mum Jenny Martin’s plea for a toughening of the law following her teenage son’s experience as he drifted from soft drug use into a heroin induced death. It is certainly the stuff of nightmares.

What all agree on is that the widespread availability of cannabis - and its stronger ‘skunk’ variation - means this is an issue that can't simply be swept into a corner.

There are too many mixed messages about cannabis, not helped by the Government’s shifting stance in recent years.

We’ve already seen what mixed signals about alcohol consumption achieve: anarchic behaviour and a health crisis.

We agree with Prof Ashton that a grown-up debate about drugs is required.

The police should be concentrating on the supply chain, targeting the organised crime that funds it.

Meanwhile, a concerted public health programme to educate young people about the dangers from all forms of drugs must be introduced.

n Cannabis debate, P12