FMR : Is cannabis a harmless drug? LAI - League Against Intoxicants

The question that keeps coming to one's mind is rather simple: is there not a contrast, a real cultural collision between efforts by the international community to negotiate and agree on a Convention on Tobacco, because of the lethal consequences of its abuse, and the frequently heard calls to liberalise the production, trafficking and abuse of cannabis - a substance known to bring about even greater damage to health?

This is what Mr Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime writes in his foreword to the new summing up publication issued by The Swedish National Drug Policy Coordinator, with the title " Is Cannabis a Harmless Drug? connecting research to drug control policy".

On March 7, 2003, the Swedish National Drug Policy Co-ordinator arranged an International Symposium on Cannabis. The idea behind the Symposium was to bring together prominent researchers from different fields and have them present their latest findings on the effects of cannabis use. These presentations - touching on issues ranging from how cannabis affects the brain biologically, to the latest epidemiological research on cannabis dependence and prevalence of use - formed the basis for a discussion on how to bridge research and policy in the area of cannabis use. The main points from the presentations at the symposium are presented in this report.

"Is cannabis a harmless drug?" is to be found here.