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The people who smoke the skunk of '07 may not necessarily choose to do so if given the choice between the happy clappy weed of the 60's. I am a modern day hippy and do hold down a 9-5. I have my place and I have plenty of intellectual friends, in fact it's almost a rule that I don't over-associate with anyone other than. Given the choice I would have the safe, mild weed of the 60's and not risk this newfound super plant but I have little choice in the matter. I think the government should realise how much it will save them to finally show the people that the old stuff is the safe stuff, make it clear that it's fully legal and sell the safe, non damaging stuff and have their own control over it. Alcohol is much more damaging and causes disruption, plus it isn't natural, it's put through a mass of processes before we have alcohol, weed on the other hand is natural and has no changes made to it and people don't go around commiting crimes on weed. This guy who killed people may have been a problem cannabis user but he was also a killer, the weed didn't make him kill anybody. I'm speaking from experience, I know how that stuff works. Anyway the only reason he got this public exposure focused on the weed and not him is because he would have had some solicitor using it in his defence, not because it actually made him do it, it's a murder trial for christ's sake, solicitors will say anything for their clients if the money's right.

- Adam, Kingswinford

I can't believe the government is only now taking the threat posed by cannabis use seriously. I remember about 20 years ago a GP friend of my parents - who was a bit of a hippy himself and generally had an 'anything goes' attitude - saying he hoped none of his kids, or any of us, smoked cannabis as in his experience it tipped people with a propensity for scizophrenia and other severe mental disorders 'over the edge'.

Three boys at my old school - all well known to be into smoking dope - are now severely mentally ill and have effectively ruined their lives.

And even if it doesn't make you ill, people who smoke dope tend the be the most boring, ineffectual people you could meet. It drains people of energy and turns them into zombified couch potatoes...

- Ben, London

Anyone who thinks Cannabis is safe needs to spend some time in an A&E department or mental health unit to see what this dangerous substance can do. The Skunk of 2007 is not the happy clappy Weed of 1967.
We need to get away from these romantic ideas and educate people in the real reasons behind the vast rise in the number of people suffering from serious mental illness caused by drug abuse.

- Emma, London

I'm a working artist and back in the day, when I smoked dope a lot, I have to admit it did help my work. I was much more creative and the inspiration kept flowing. However, having quit after ten years of regular use, I am much more focussed through discipline and self-control alone. I get my inspiration from the natural world and other artists now, and find that my lifestyle has improved tremendously - I can actually hold down a 9-5! My short term memory has also had a tremendous change - I remember a lot more nowadays.

- Jester, Alperton

Skunk, weed, pot, hash, brown, dope, green, grass - whatever type or name you want to give it today it doesn't matter. The drug has mostly psychological dependencies by the user, not neurological as THC is not addictive. Living with someone who smokes it regularly and craves it for 'work' purposes (it has a calming affect which reduces his very apparent ADD-like tendencies), I have to say it should be treated as it is. I do not believe that he is a threat to his environment, nor will he ever be. He doesn't get cranky without it, but more carries on flying off the wall as he usually did. Making this a Class A is rather ridiculous. I don't smoke, have never done and don't promote it, but this drug does not compare to others that are clearly more dangerous and leave users craving.

- Queen Beena, Wembley

Has David from Brixton ever had to watch a friend descend into the hell of schitzophrenia brought on by high strength cannabis? Thought not, cannabis isn't safe, just because you use it safely doesn't mean everyone does.

- Trevor Roll, London

Prohibition does not work! I could leave the house and within 20 mins buy cannabis, ecstasy, crack, heroin or any other illegal drug (so could your sons or daughters). These drugs could be any strength from inert, hasish to 100% pure heroin to strychnine. Why not remove the supply from criminal gangs and let the government regulate these potentialy dangerous chemicals, as they do others.

- Gs, Slough

The problem is the strength of cannabis today - 15 years ago it wasn't the stength that is is today - and could been seen as a 'lesser drug' class c, today all that is for sale is skunk - much, much stronger than before and should be classed as 'A'

Maybe if the governement legalised it and sold it openly (taxing it obviously and maybe investing that money back into education on drugs and rehab) then at least some sort of control over strength could be impossed - which would decrease the crime related to the 'super strength skunk'

Making drugs illeagal doesn't stop people from using them, it just leaves them in the hands of 'drug dealers'. And all they've done in the last 15 years is take a - I won't call it harmless drug but a softer drug - and turn it into a super strength Psychotic one. And it won't get any better just by making it a class A again - you only have to look at the numbers on Crack and heroin to see that.

- Michelle, London

With everything from shop-lifting to murder, from mental illness to cancer, being blamed on consumption of the cannabis plant which has been firmly in the hands of criminals for decades, when prohibition has failed to reduce either use or harm... isn't it time for a new appraoch, one that hasn't been tried?

Legalisation would take control of the situation, enable quality guarantee, taxation on profits, accurate and credible point-of sale information and advice, divorce the supply from hard drugs and crime, and bring the whole issue within the law where it can be examined properly.

Don't forget, all the current proiblems are occuring under prohibition - just as with alcohol in the US. Legalisation of the production and supply of alcohol did not solve all related problems, but it did solve many.

- Alun, Norwich

There is no way that cannabis should be raised to a class A. Cannabis is safer than excessive alcohol comsumption, so is alcohol going to be made illegal too?

- David, Brixton

We shouldn't be giving people the impression that its ok to use cannabis. It is an addicitive drug and as we have seen lately its use can have some terrible consequences. All drugs should be a Class A to get the message across clearly.

- Martin, Peckham

I think that it should be raised to a class A drug. It was completely irresponsible downclassing it. The effects of this drug are unknown to so many users and often many don't find out until its too late.

- Sarah, East London

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