5 days ago
Drinkers are more of a danger to society than stoners? What rubbish
The cheerleaders for marijuana have been rolling their joints with a little more vigour this week, buoyed by Baron Falconer of Thoroton. The chirpy one-time Blairite, Charlie to his chums, has been doing the media rounds to promote a report published by the London Drugs Commission, of which he is chair, that calls for the legalisation of the possession of cannabis.
Stop and search, Lord Falconer said, 'is most disproportionately used against young black men.' Although the police might argue in their defence that official data suggests cannabis use is higher among black people than white and Asian. Legalising possession, he argued, would improve relations 'between the police and ethnic communities'.
Maybe. But what annoys me about this debate is that, every time it comes around, the pro-legalisation brigade always drag alcohol into the argument. Britain's 'problem' with drinking, they say, inflicts far more misery than cannabis. It leads to more deaths, destroys more lives, sparks fights outside pubs and clubs across the country every weekend and places huge demands on the NHS.
And, of course, alcohol abuse is a scourge. It damages health, relationships and society. But there is something the dopeheads fail to point out, and it is this: alcohol, in and of itself, if used in a civilised manner, is not the problem.
Cannabis use, on the other hand, is immeasurably tiresome, anti-social, arrogant, harmful in many ways, not to mention difficult to consume. With fine motor skills and a lack of patience that make wrapping presents torture, I certainly can't roll joints.
I also disparage tobacco, both for its addictive tendencies, its links to serious illness and the fact that it hurts the throat. And, between ourselves, my recollection of inhaling was that I experienced paroxysms of giggling then got the serious munchies.
And this is the point: dope, by its very nature, gets you dopey. Spliffs dull the mind, sap ambition. And that 'chilled-out vibe' leads to collective inaction. Alcohol, when consumed responsibly, is a great life enhancer. A merry pub is a place of fabulous communion and societal cohesion, breaking down barriers of class, sex, politics and culture. I don't think you can quite get that in a cannabis café.
My alcoholic adventures see me embrace a graceful rise in spirit as the booze flows into my blood stream, lending me a feeling of bonhomie, gently loosening my mind and very often improving the quality of conversation.
And while my ale is a perfect match for some pork scratchings and my wine is a marriage made in heaven for my prawns and pasta, the dope smokers are just clustering around the vending machine manically eyeing up the Pringles and wishing someone had some change.
Weed's odour is also anti-social. Smoke a joint in public and your neighbours must consume it too. The smell of cannabis wafts down streets, smoked and exhaled by many as an arrogant defiance. It's an invasive and vulgar posturing you don't get with alcohol.
My sipping of a crisp Chardonnay respects your space. I can offer you a glass, but my consumption of it doesn't stamp my habit all over and around your person.
Wine also provides a never-ending journey of learning and enriching experience. The roads of beer and spirits are similarly complex and enriching. Booze matches food, the grandest moments in life, captures the spirit of travel and brings people together.
Cannabis just sends you to sleep. And if you did have a good time you won't remember it anyway.
Of course, as I have said, those who become addicted to alcohol cause devastation on the scale of any drug abuser. But the difference is: alcohol misuse is not the fault of the product; it is a symptom of many wider psychological, social and environmental factors.
Fortunately, while the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said this week that 'current sentencing for those caught in possession of natural cannabis cannot be justified', the Government is remaining firm. 'We have no intention of reclassifying cannabis from a Class B substance under the Misuse of Drugs Act,' said a Home Office spokesperson.
