Should Cannabis be Legalised in the UK? - Harry Moore Cannabis is an illegal drug made from the cannabis plant. It can make one feel happy or relaxed but can also have the opposite effect of making one anxious and/or paranoid. THC is the main chemical in cannabis which changes your mood and behaviour and whilst some believe it is relatively harmless, others believe that it has a wide range of effects for users, the main one being the effect on your mental health due to the damage it does to a developing brain. The legalisation of cannabis is a highly debated topic especially in the UK due to the pressure of the population and the successful tests of legalisation of cannabis in places such as Canada and states in the USA such as California. It is said that CBD, a chemical found in Cannabis has health benefits and can help those who suffer with epilepsy and anxiety. However, this has not been studied in depth and the effects are not truly known. Legalisation of cannabis can bring benefits such as an increased revenue for the Government due to the taxation of cannabis and it can be controlled to stop crime in this area as professional businesses would help protect its users from harm. However, there are some factors against the legalisation of cannabis, the main one being the health consequences it brings as all the effects are not known at this point.
Mental Health
A recent study has shown that the use of cannabis especially in teenagers can bring a range of mental health problems. Which is a big problem in our society with the increased pressure of social media and so the use of cannabis can bring increased risk of depression and the study has shown that use of cannabis brings a significantly higher risk of suicide attempt (Nicholls, 2019). As quoted by a Cannabis user: ‘Cannabis took over my life, it got to me to a point where I put it before my children, myself, my bills, I wish I never touched it.’ (Justice, 2018). The age of a user is also important while looking at the mental health effects of cannabis as the development from an adolescent to an adult brain is thought to end at around 25 years old. Therefore, cannabis can cause greatest harm whilst the users’ brain is in adolescence as it can affect the growth and can bring up mental health problems to the user. (Justice, 2018, p. 13)
Quality
One problem with illegal cannabis is that the substances in the cannabis are sometimes unknown and can cause further problems and illnesses as producers try and make them as cheap as possible. However, this is an argument for the legalisation of cannabis as the side effects of cannabis are minimalised by control by a government. A great example of this is Canada where cannabis has recently been legalised across the country, cannabis production is now state run and controlled to minimise health defects. For example, cannabis producers must follow Health Canada’s Good Production Practices (GPP). These include testing to ensure products don’t contain pesticides or mould, but do contain the promised levels of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol). (Conversation, 2019). With these systems in place, statistics show that cannabis related illnesses have decreased significantly 12
