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Home Office Minister Alan Campbell has announced changes to classification and penalties. The government decided to reclassify cannabis from Class C to Class B because repeated cannabis use can, as the independent Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs found, have serious consequences for mental health. The average age of first use is 13 years old, and stronger cannabis - known as 'skunk' - now dominates the cannabis market, making up 80% of the cannabis available on our streets, compared to 30% in 2002.

To communicate this change, a new FRANK campaign to warn young people about the dangers of using cannabis will launch next month. The TV, radio and internet adverts will help to tackle cannabis use among young people and raise awareness of the mental health harms of using the drug, with the message 'cannabis can mess with your mind'.

Home Office Minister Alan Campbell said, "Cannabis is a harmful drug and while fewer people are taking it than before, it poses a real risk to the health of those who do use it."

The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the government agreed that a strengthened and escalating enforcement approach for the possession of cannabis in England and Wales was needed with reclassification.

Article published on 18/01/2009 by DryOutNow.com

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