by Peter Kinsella
Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced that police will be given new powers to clamp down on drugs as a new pan-European survey shows that Britain and Spain have the highest proportion of cocaine users in the European Union. A new drugs bill will make it easier for police to close crack houses and to treat as dealers people caught in possession of a certain quantity of a drug.
But in cracking down on 'hard' drugs, are we losing sight of the harm which could be caused by use of cannabis? Earlier this year, a University of Birmingham study, funded by the ESRC, claimed that the potential costs from people performing risky activities, such as driving whilst under the influence of cannabis, have been largely overlooked by those responsible for drugs policy. The research showed that use of the drug can have significant adverse effects on people's financial or social well-being by affecting their job performance, personal relationships and sexual behaviour.
In a survey of frequent and casual users of cannabis, 52 per cent of the total (and 74 per cent of drivers) had driven a motor vehicle while under its influence. Of those who had, more than 70 per cent believed it had impaired their driving. Although 24 people had been stopped by the police while driving under the influence, none had been tested for cannabis intoxication or charged with driving while in that state. Nearly 80 per cent of those who had driven while or after using cannabis said they would be deterred from doing so if roadside testing were introduced.
...Britain and Spain have the highest proportion of cocaine users in the European Union.
Whilst 64 per cent of drivers among frequent users considered cannabis to impair their performance, 41 per cent felt it acceptable to drive whilst under the influence of the drug. This compares with 19 per cent of occasional users. One-third of frequent users were willing to drive even when 'very high' on cannabis.
And compared with infrequent users, they reported considerably more guilt and greater incidence of medical problems related to their cannabis use, as well as more neglect of their families. A quarter said they used cannabis before or at work, and just over half of these admitted to some degree of impairment. However, use did not seem to result in more absenteeism, workplace accidents or injuries, or frequent job changes.
The findings followed publication of a study by the London-based National Centre for Social Research, also funded by the ESRC, into general attitudes to drug-taking. This found that views about cannabis shifted considerably between 1983 and 2003, with 41 per cent of Britons supporting its legalisation - up from just 12 per cent. However, very few (8 per cent) endorsed the view that adults should be free to take any drugs they wish. Fewer people thought cannabis harmful or addictive or that it caused crime and violence. When asked which drugs are the most harmful to regular users, heroin, cocaine, tobacco and alcohol were top of the list.