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Cannabis downgrade coincides with drug deaths rise
Last updated at 23:37pm on 30.08.06
Drug deaths spiralled after Labour downgraded cannabis, it has been revealed.
The number of people killed by overdoses surged by almost 15 per cent in the next year.
Critics had warned that the decision to reclassify cannabis from Class B to C in January 2004, meaning simple possession was unlikely to lead to arrest, would lead to a surge in the use of all illegal drugs.
An internal Downing Street report later admitted that people trying cannabis had been lured on to deadly harder drugs.
As a result, deaths from heroin, cocaine and Ecstasy all rocketed figures from the Office of National Statistics showed yesterday.
The increase meant the Government failed to meet its target of reducing drug deaths by a fifth between 1999 and 2004. Before the reclassification of cannabis, it was on course to do so easily.
Tory spokesman Edward Garnier said: 'Labour continues to fail to deal with the scourge of drugs.
'Drugs take lives and tear apart communities. They also undermine all our efforts to combat crime. The Government needs to get an urgent grip on this problem but so far all we have had is a chaotic and confused approach that gives the impression it is OK to take drugs.'
Mary Brett, of the Europe Against Drugs campaign, said it appeared much more than simple coincidence that the alarming rise in deaths had followed the downgrading of cannabis.
She said: 'Cannabis is a gateway drug, most people agree that now. A person smokes it and they are then far more likely to go on to take a harder drug. The Government will no doubt come up with excuses as to why the number of deaths has increased, saying the drugs were stronger.
But that cannot be the whole explanation.
'It is a significant increase and how many of those who died were, for example, first-time users?'
In 1999, the Government promised to reduce drug deaths by 20 per cent over the next five years.
Following the pledge, the numbers fell each year, from 1,571 in 1999, to 1,255 in 2003. At this point, the target was hit a year early. But in 2004 the death toll suddenly shot up by 14 per cent, to 1,427.
The number of heroin deaths was up from 591 in 2003 to 744, cocaine from 113 to 147 and Ecstasy from 33 to 48.
The Health Department said last night that, despite the rise in deaths last year, there had been a nine per cent reduction overall since 1999.
Within the total, however, there was a 67 per cent increase in cocaine deaths, from 88 in 1999 to 147, and Ecstasy fatalities were up 85 per cent, from 26 to 48. Both figures reflect wider use.
The department has now reconvened its Drug Related Deaths Steering Group, a panel of experts which will produce a plan of action later this year on how to reduce the toll.
Reader views (11)
More people die from diazepam each year than any illegal drug including heroin and crack.
There's a whole host of major health problems and social problems which lie beneath this surface of drug misuse that probably attribute to more deaths than drugs themselves.
- Dylan, Northampton, UK
In its history dating back to before Christ, not one person has ever 'overdosed' and died from the simple herb that is cannabis. The unrealistic association built up is completley false and is typical of the misleading general consensus around the drug - That it is dangerous and should be controlled. Cannabis does no harm to 95% to those who use it and in comparision with alcohol causes little harm.
- Rufas, London
Every death is a tragedy but placed in context these are low numbers. It is recognised that between 500,000 and 1 million people use "recreational" drugs regularly and these figures are probably conservative. The alleged "death" rates (there are usually other circumstances hidden behind the figures) are relatively minor compared to the damage caused by alcohol and cigarettes.
No one was ever hugged to death by someone on Ecstacy but the mayhem caused by alcohol appears to be "preferred" by society. Those that condemn recreationals have rarely tried them.
Note: I don't count heroin and Crack etc. as "recreational".
- Aj, Sussex
Cannabis is not a gateway drug, only fools still run around spreading information like that. Makes me wonder if they actually read all the reports published around this. At least it's no more a gateway drug than alcohol and tobacco. And since they arent "classified" as gateway drugs, neither should Cannabis.
Have you ever met a person using heroin, cocain or extacy that didn't try alcohol first?
- Cannabisken, Norway
I completely agree with previous comments about hard core dealers selling cannabis now due to the increased penalties for dealing and wonder if this could have anything to do with the increase in drug related deaths or perhaps it's the increase in class A drugs imported into the country? Between the media and the government it does not surprise me at all. We have half of the country's media scare-mongering and the other half following people such as Pete Docherty and making them into national heroes. This issue is as badly handled today as it has ever been and meantime increasing penalties has done nothing except push people to buy cannabis from bigger dealers which is where the 'gateway' is.
It is also still just as easy to buy cocaine on the street in London as it is cannabis if not easier.
We see people roaring drunk very regularly, fighting and brawling, throwing up, relieving themselves in doorways passing out on trains and in the streets, people who don't have any clue what they're doing and with whom and yet we allow 24hour drinking whilst cannabis use is demonised.
Typical of our ineffective out of touch government.
- Al, London, UK
Mark from Nottingham is correct - the criminal underworld controls the supply of adulterated cannabis resin known on the streets as soapbar. These criminals don't care about the health risks all they care about is profit and many of them also sell hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Maybe they should take a close look at how holland's drug policy has worked to seperate cannabis from the harder drugs and as a result less young people are inclined to experiment with the harder drugs. Adults should be allowed to make up their own minds on how they like to relax after a hard days work and not be told by people who never even tried the stuff. So it's perfectly OK to risk becoming an alchoholic or get lung cancer because the government get a cut from the alchohol and tobacco companies - Hypocrites.
- A Tax Payer, Northern Ireland
Mary Brett needs to wind her neck in, if any drug is a gateway drug it's Tobacco yet it is legal and causes more deaths each year than all other drugs combined.
- Common Sense, UK
Downgrading of cannabis sent mixed messages to young people. Many decided cannabis must be less dangerous and so began use. Another very worrying consequence is the huge increase in the use of cocaine. Research has shown that heavy use of cannabis leads to more use of cocaine. The graphs of cannabis and cocaine use for the past few years are almost identical. Many people using cannabis in the UK now grow their own and do not come into contact with Class A drug dealers. The so-called harm reduction strategy has been the central plank of government policy for some years and is a total disaster. For pity's sake let's get back to doing what they do so well in Sweden - teach young people that drugs are unlawful, unhealthy and unecessary. Prevention has always been better than cure.
- Ann, Slough
Ross and Mark are both wrong, cannabis has all the evil effects of tobacco and more, including potentially, a serious effect on the young brain for at least one in four with the susceptible genetic make up, leading thuis to psychotic illness and a failure in academic and human potential.
The penalties for cannabis dealing were EMPHATICALLY NOT altered at the time of downgrading. The most recent research on cannabis indicates that it makes subtle changes to the brain chemistry and leaves the user MORE SUSCEPTIBLE to becomeing addicted to other drugs which use the same reward centres. The increase in drug deaths is an inevitable effect of more drugs use. The drug using culture of Britain has been adversely affected by the changes on cannabis and the so called "harm reduction" campaign waged in Britain. In reality a subtle campaign to embed drugs even more in society. Blair now knows David Blunkett blundered in downgrading cannabis, that is why the Prime Minister now supports testing in schools, giving pupils the tools to resist peer pressure to use drugs, legal or illegal.
- David, Radstock Somerset
Cannabis does not kill people. Tobacco and Alcohol kill people. 'Most people' do NOT agree that cannabis is a 'gateway drug'. A recent national newspaper commissiond poll showed that 'most people' favoured reduction in penalties for cannabis posession and personal use and that many favoured legalisation of cannabis for perosnal use. It is the fact that a major source of supply of cannabis is from dealers who also sell class 'A' drugs just as someone who goes to the pub for a shandy or a cider is exposed to tobacco and 'hard alcohol' like wiskey, gin and vodka etc. Adults should be allowed to grow cannabis at home for personal use. It could remain ilegal to sell cannabis. Of course there would be no tax take for the government so perhaps this is just a pipe dream.
- Ross, Norwich UK
At the same time as cannabis was downgraded to Class C, the penalties for dealing cannabis were harmonised with the penalties for dealing harder drugs. Small-time cannabis dealers, suddenly looking at jail sentences of 7-10 years, were thus driven out of the lucrative UK cannabis market, leaving it in the hands of the organised criminal dealers who were already risking those same sentences for dealing hard drugs. Anyone buying cannabis in the UK now has to deal with the serious criminals; anyone dealing cannabis might as well deal crack as well. This is probably the reason for the rise in hard drug use you describe. This misguided policy has also handed a lot more power to the organised crime networks that the police never seem to get near - nice one!
- Mark, Nottingham, UK
