Rethink: Cannabis e-campaign launched

Thursday, 12, Jan 2006 12:00

After writing to Home Secretary Charles Clarke earlier this month asking him to focus on the mental health risks of cannabis rather than fiddle with its legal status, Rethink now launches a cannabis e-campaign urging people to email Home Secretary Charles Clarke with their concerns before his upcoming decision on the issue.

Rethink, who has been at the forefront of the cannabis campaign, has been calling for:

• An investment in measures that can work to reduce risk, rather than changing the classification of cannabis.

• A long-term awareness and information campaign targeted particularly at young people, long-term users of cannabis and those people with a family history of severe mental illness. We believe that such a campaign should be led by the Department of Health, rather than the Home Office.

• More funding for new research into the relationship between severe mental illness and cannabis and the most effective ways of reducing use.

• Developing policies to deal specifically with dealing in cannabis around mental health facilities, similar to those for dealing around schools.