May 29 1998
Thank you for your letter dated May 13th 1998 on the issues surrounding the legal position of cannabis. My views on the subject of cannabis are recorded in a recent article I wrote for the EDP
Although, as you will see from my article, I have some sympathy with cannabis users, I find the argument that the drug is a preventative medicine highly questionable. Indeed, in many cases the reverse is true as users often mix tobacco in with cannabis and consequently seriously damage their health.
Furthermore, if the implication of your signed circular is that the legality of the use of cannabis rests on it definition as a medically beneficial substance, then it would almost certainly only be available on prescription, and it is unlikely that GP's would prescribe cannabis other than in special circumstances. Therefore, such a move would not legitimise the drug for casual or recreational purposes and such use would continue to be in breach of the law. Although I am not a lawyer I believe the UK's legal position on this issue to be secure and I would have thought it most unlikely that a successful challenge could be mounted.
Finally, if you are considering lobbying the Government on this issue I suggested you send an individually written letter rather than a circular as Ministers take personally complied letters more seriously.
Yours sincerely,
Ian Gibson MP
2
House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA
17th June 1998
Thank you for your letter of June 4th and the kind remarks it contains. As I believe my article in the EDP indicates I am not convinced by the Government's approach to the issue of cannabis and I believe that there is a case for a Royal Commission to examine all the arguments.
Although I agree with many of the points you make in your letter about the health effects of cannabis they are, understandably given your stance on the issue, selective quotes. There is a great deal of evidence to suggest that cannabis, like tobacco, does produce unwanted side effects. The great problem is with the purity of the drug. For example over 4,000 harmful products have been identified in cigarette smoke and within these it is the tars that contain the major carcinogens, not the nicotine itself, and I would advise caution in making claims about the safety and health benefits of the substance generally used for recreational purposes. This is especially true if cannabis is mixed with tobacco, as is often the case.
I firmly believe cannabinoids do have medical uses and I would not like to see anti drug dogma stifle research and therapeutic treatments involving the drug, however I cannot support recreational use for the reasons outlined in the previous paragraph.
The question of decriminalisation needs to be examined because as I said in my article the present system is not working and the money used on existing policies could be better spent on schemes designed to reduce drug dependency and use.
Thank you once again for the courteous and constructive approach you have adopted in writing to me on this issue.
Yours sincerely,
Ian Gibson MP
[Dr Gibson is Labour MP for Norwich North]