No I've never been against decriminalisation - though I personally don't "do" drugs I have many friends who do or did and believe education, not laws, is the way.

The most knowledge I have gained on this subject (albeit about stronger substances) is from the film An American Gangster.
The problem to me in illegal drug use, seems to be largely in the fact that, because it is illegal, nobody has actually declared what is in it, how strong it is etc, and the casual buyer surely can have no way of knowing and this has to be very dangerous.
A pint of low alcohol cider is clearly labelled 1%, Strongbow 5% in strength.
Surely with any call for legalisation of a substance, the first issue to address is the immediate harm to the user.
I know little, is this a problem that has been addressed in Holland for example?

We may as well say the air that we breathe causes false accusations and mental health problems.. lets face it, every criminal and menatally ill person has breathed the air therefore it must be the cause!

Quick - tell the Mirror!

Today they say 40% increased risk of schizophrenia from smoking one joint.

My God, air must be dangerous.

It's fatal, they don't call it the last breath for nothing!!

I'd like to ask Jacqui Smith what her experience is with cannibis. If she assumes she knows enough to ignore advice from the 'experts', then she must have some background in it. Or does having a high office somehow mean an automatic implanting of irrefutable knowlege and wisdom.