Legalising cannabis would be 'crazy' says charity head - do you agree?
Jason Wyse described cannabis as a 'gateway drug'
LEGALISING the ‘gateway’ drug cannabis would set the Island on a dangerous downward spiral, according to the head of a charity that supports the Island’s most desperate addicts.
Thousands of Islanders have backed calls in the past to make the class B drug legal in Jersey and last year’s General Election saw political hopeful Chris Magee undertake an unsuccessful Senatorial campaign with legalisation at its heart.
A Facebook group ‘Decriminalise it – Jersey’, which lobbies for the drug to be made legal in the Island, has also attracted more than 2,500 supporters.
Places where cannabis is legal
Amsterdam-Coffee-Shop-MenuIn Amsterdam cannabis menus like this are a common sight.
The Netherlands - Cannabis was decriminalised in the Netherlands in the 1970s
The United States - Although still widely illegal for recreational use, cannabis was recently made legal in the states of Colorado and Washington. Other states are expected to follow
Uruguay - The South American country recently legalised the use and production of cannabis – the first country in the world to do so.
But now, Jason Wyse, chief executive of the Silkworth Charity Group, which supports drug addicts and alcoholics in Jersey, has said cannabis must stay illegal as it offers recreational drug users a ‘gateway’ to dangerous, harder substances.
Earlier this week, Mark Cockerham, the head of law enforcement at Customs and Immigration, said his officers had seized approximately £1 million worth of cocaine and cannabis at the Island’s borders over the last few months.
Their most recent seizure came when a 35-year-old man from the UK was arrested and charged for attempting to smuggle more than £500,000 of cannabis in a car on board a Condor ferry.
Mr Wyse told the JEP: ‘A lot of addicts that have found themselves addicted to drugs or alcohol have smoked cannabis to start with – it is a gateway drug.
‘When I hear about legalising this drug it puts a fear in me. I hate hearing about it. What about the dangers it can cause? It would be crazy to legalise cannabis.
‘Cannabis today is a hell of a lot stronger than it was. It is more dangerous and more addictive.’
Last year, then 26-year-old Islander Daniel Clark, who was paralysed from the waist down following a motorbike accident nearly a decade ago, challenged Health officials to let him prove that cannabis is a better pain reliever than prescribed drugs. He offered to be admitted to hospital for an experiment comparing the two.
But Mr Wyse, who said cannabis represented a potential road to ruin, said he believed there must be another option.
‘If cannabis medically helps somebody then there must be some medication that can do the same thing,’ he added. ‘I believe if we decriminalise it the consequences will be severe.’
More stories:
Video: JEP readers support legalisation of medicinal cannabis
Poll: Do you think medicinal cannabis should be legal in Jersey?
Health Minister argues against medicinal cannabis
Health Minister needs to look at evidence for medicinal cannabis
Health to explain position on medicinal cannabis
Islander Chris Coomer, a legalise cannabis campaigner who supported Mr Magee during his failed election run, agreed that the substance could provide a route to other harder drugs, but only because it was controlled by drug dealers.
Mr Coomer added: ‘The unregulated black market – they are the real gateway to hard drugs. Dealers don’t ask for ID, there is no quality control. I have been using cannabis since I was 13 and started popping pills when I was 14.
‘The argument that smoking cannabis is worse than taking prescribed drugs is complete nonsense.’
Jersey campaigns to legalise cannabis
6056390Daniel Clark (in wheelchair) who was arrested for growing cannabis which he used for medicinal purposes, with Chris Magee
A Facebook campaign group – Decriminalise It Jersey – has attracted thousands of Islanders who are lobbying to make cannabis legal in the Island. Chris Magee, who ran for Senator in the October general election last year with legalsing the class B substance as one of his main policies, was one of the founders of the group.
Several other Islanders have also campaigned for the drug to be made legal for medicinal use. Last year, then 26-year-old Islander Daniel Clark, who was paralysed from the waist down following a motorbike accident nearly a decade ago, challenged Health officials to let him prove that cannabis is a better pain reliever than prescribed drugs. He offered to be admitted to hospital for an experiment comparing the two.
In 2013 hundreds of Islanders signed a petition to legalise cannabis for medicinal purposes. Evelyn Volanté, of St Saviour, began campaigning for the drug to be legalised in 2012 after speaking to the JEP about how it helped relieve the symptoms of her serious bowel disease.
However, in December 2014 the States voted against allowing three Islanders to use cannabis or products made from the drug as pain relief. Island grandmother Ann Hill, who suffers from multiple-sclerosis, said she was disappointed that the proposition brought by St Brelade Deputy Montfort Tadier had not been voted for.
What is cannabis?
Police target cannabis cultivators
A drug which goes under a variety of names - such as dope, pot, marijuana, grass, ganja - cannabis is used by millions of people worldwide.
People with chronic or terminal illness also use it for relief of symptoms.
A bushy plant, Cannabis sativa, which grows wild in many countries and is easily cultivated here, is the source of cannabis.
The active ingredients are chemicals known as tetrahydrocannabinols (THC), and the potency depends on which part of the plant is used.
Hashish, or hash, is the most popular form in this country, and is a resin scraped from the dried plant and compressed into blocks.
Less potent is herbal cannabis, the dried leafy parts of the plant (or marijuana).
Most people use it rolled up in a cigarette, neat or mixed with tobacco. It also can be added to food, or brewed into a drink.
HEALTH Cannabis 1
It can cause users to experience a mellow high and become giggly but as it is a depressant it can make takers feel lethargic and sometimes depressed.
The drug can also be used for medicinal purposed to relieve pain for a range of chronic illnesses. However, other side-effects of the drug include increased pulse rate and decreased blood pressure, bloodshot eyes, dry mouth, increased appetite and occasional dizziness. The effects usually start a few minutes after smoking and can last up to one hour at low doses and two to three hours at higher doses. Eating or drinking cannabis takes longer to have an effect but can last for 12 hours or more.
Many Rastafari, who follow the Rastafarian religion which is a denomination Christianity, believe cannabis, which they call ‘ganja’, ‘the herb’, or ‘Kaya’ is a sacred gift of Jah (God) and may be used for spiritual purposes to commune with him but should not be used profanely. However, other drugs, including alcohol, are frowned upon. Many believe that the wine Iyesus (Jesus) drank was not an alcoholic beverage but simply the juice of grapes, or other fruits.
Do you think cannabis should be legalised? (Poll Closed)
Yes 93.13% (1,709 votes)
Yes, but only for medicinal purposes 3.92% (72 votes)
No 2.94% (54 votes)
Total Votes: 1,835
Comments (4) Create Your Own Poll
What do you think?
Share your thoughts and join the discussion.
http://jerseyeveningpost.com/news/2...razy-says-charity-head-do-you-agree/#comments
Jason Wyse described cannabis as a 'gateway drug'
LEGALISING the ‘gateway’ drug cannabis would set the Island on a dangerous downward spiral, according to the head of a charity that supports the Island’s most desperate addicts.
Thousands of Islanders have backed calls in the past to make the class B drug legal in Jersey and last year’s General Election saw political hopeful Chris Magee undertake an unsuccessful Senatorial campaign with legalisation at its heart.
A Facebook group ‘Decriminalise it – Jersey’, which lobbies for the drug to be made legal in the Island, has also attracted more than 2,500 supporters.
Places where cannabis is legal
Amsterdam-Coffee-Shop-MenuIn Amsterdam cannabis menus like this are a common sight.
The Netherlands - Cannabis was decriminalised in the Netherlands in the 1970s
The United States - Although still widely illegal for recreational use, cannabis was recently made legal in the states of Colorado and Washington. Other states are expected to follow
Uruguay - The South American country recently legalised the use and production of cannabis – the first country in the world to do so.
But now, Jason Wyse, chief executive of the Silkworth Charity Group, which supports drug addicts and alcoholics in Jersey, has said cannabis must stay illegal as it offers recreational drug users a ‘gateway’ to dangerous, harder substances.
Earlier this week, Mark Cockerham, the head of law enforcement at Customs and Immigration, said his officers had seized approximately £1 million worth of cocaine and cannabis at the Island’s borders over the last few months.
Their most recent seizure came when a 35-year-old man from the UK was arrested and charged for attempting to smuggle more than £500,000 of cannabis in a car on board a Condor ferry.
Mr Wyse told the JEP: ‘A lot of addicts that have found themselves addicted to drugs or alcohol have smoked cannabis to start with – it is a gateway drug.
‘When I hear about legalising this drug it puts a fear in me. I hate hearing about it. What about the dangers it can cause? It would be crazy to legalise cannabis.
‘Cannabis today is a hell of a lot stronger than it was. It is more dangerous and more addictive.’
Last year, then 26-year-old Islander Daniel Clark, who was paralysed from the waist down following a motorbike accident nearly a decade ago, challenged Health officials to let him prove that cannabis is a better pain reliever than prescribed drugs. He offered to be admitted to hospital for an experiment comparing the two.
But Mr Wyse, who said cannabis represented a potential road to ruin, said he believed there must be another option.
‘If cannabis medically helps somebody then there must be some medication that can do the same thing,’ he added. ‘I believe if we decriminalise it the consequences will be severe.’
More stories:
Video: JEP readers support legalisation of medicinal cannabis
Poll: Do you think medicinal cannabis should be legal in Jersey?
Health Minister argues against medicinal cannabis
Health Minister needs to look at evidence for medicinal cannabis
Health to explain position on medicinal cannabis
Islander Chris Coomer, a legalise cannabis campaigner who supported Mr Magee during his failed election run, agreed that the substance could provide a route to other harder drugs, but only because it was controlled by drug dealers.
Mr Coomer added: ‘The unregulated black market – they are the real gateway to hard drugs. Dealers don’t ask for ID, there is no quality control. I have been using cannabis since I was 13 and started popping pills when I was 14.
‘The argument that smoking cannabis is worse than taking prescribed drugs is complete nonsense.’
Jersey campaigns to legalise cannabis
6056390Daniel Clark (in wheelchair) who was arrested for growing cannabis which he used for medicinal purposes, with Chris Magee
A Facebook campaign group – Decriminalise It Jersey – has attracted thousands of Islanders who are lobbying to make cannabis legal in the Island. Chris Magee, who ran for Senator in the October general election last year with legalsing the class B substance as one of his main policies, was one of the founders of the group.
Several other Islanders have also campaigned for the drug to be made legal for medicinal use. Last year, then 26-year-old Islander Daniel Clark, who was paralysed from the waist down following a motorbike accident nearly a decade ago, challenged Health officials to let him prove that cannabis is a better pain reliever than prescribed drugs. He offered to be admitted to hospital for an experiment comparing the two.
In 2013 hundreds of Islanders signed a petition to legalise cannabis for medicinal purposes. Evelyn Volanté, of St Saviour, began campaigning for the drug to be legalised in 2012 after speaking to the JEP about how it helped relieve the symptoms of her serious bowel disease.
However, in December 2014 the States voted against allowing three Islanders to use cannabis or products made from the drug as pain relief. Island grandmother Ann Hill, who suffers from multiple-sclerosis, said she was disappointed that the proposition brought by St Brelade Deputy Montfort Tadier had not been voted for.
What is cannabis?
Police target cannabis cultivators
A drug which goes under a variety of names - such as dope, pot, marijuana, grass, ganja - cannabis is used by millions of people worldwide.
People with chronic or terminal illness also use it for relief of symptoms.
A bushy plant, Cannabis sativa, which grows wild in many countries and is easily cultivated here, is the source of cannabis.
The active ingredients are chemicals known as tetrahydrocannabinols (THC), and the potency depends on which part of the plant is used.
Hashish, or hash, is the most popular form in this country, and is a resin scraped from the dried plant and compressed into blocks.
Less potent is herbal cannabis, the dried leafy parts of the plant (or marijuana).
Most people use it rolled up in a cigarette, neat or mixed with tobacco. It also can be added to food, or brewed into a drink.
HEALTH Cannabis 1
It can cause users to experience a mellow high and become giggly but as it is a depressant it can make takers feel lethargic and sometimes depressed.
The drug can also be used for medicinal purposed to relieve pain for a range of chronic illnesses. However, other side-effects of the drug include increased pulse rate and decreased blood pressure, bloodshot eyes, dry mouth, increased appetite and occasional dizziness. The effects usually start a few minutes after smoking and can last up to one hour at low doses and two to three hours at higher doses. Eating or drinking cannabis takes longer to have an effect but can last for 12 hours or more.
Many Rastafari, who follow the Rastafarian religion which is a denomination Christianity, believe cannabis, which they call ‘ganja’, ‘the herb’, or ‘Kaya’ is a sacred gift of Jah (God) and may be used for spiritual purposes to commune with him but should not be used profanely. However, other drugs, including alcohol, are frowned upon. Many believe that the wine Iyesus (Jesus) drank was not an alcoholic beverage but simply the juice of grapes, or other fruits.
Do you think cannabis should be legalised? (Poll Closed)
Yes 93.13% (1,709 votes)
Yes, but only for medicinal purposes 3.92% (72 votes)
No 2.94% (54 votes)
Total Votes: 1,835
Comments (4) Create Your Own Poll
What do you think?
Share your thoughts and join the discussion.
http://jerseyeveningpost.com/news/2...razy-says-charity-head-do-you-agree/#comments
