Surprisingly, given the media debate, the strategy did not include plans to reclassify cannabis back to a class B drug, though there are still rumblings that such a move may be made.
There are two schools of thought on the cannabis issue. Some of those working with young people feel the shift to a class C drug, combined with the increasing strength of 'skunk', has fuelled a dramatic rise in mental health and other problems. Others discount this, arguing that the shift freed police to focus on drug dealing and more serious activity.
If you look at the findings from the Department of Health interviews with young people then drug use seems to have gone down between 2001 and 2006 and stands at about 10 per cent. This fall in the proportion of young people using drugs is echoed by research from Rainer Communities that Care.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
