‘Tone deaf’ calls for cannabis to be Class A only fuel fear, stigma and misinformation

Calls to make cannabis a Class A drug only fuel misinformation and perpetuate existing stigma, say patient advocates.

While the Home Office has confirmed that it has no current plans to upgrade cannabis to Class A, even the suggestion of such can incite fear and cause confusion around an already stigmatised issue.

Over the last two weeks the UK media has been awash with stories pointing to the rescheduling of cannabis as a Class A drug.

Earlier this month a number of Conservative police and crime commissioners (PCCs) said they would like to see cannabis reclassified, with harsher penalties for those caught in possession.

Upgrading cannabis from its current scheduling as a Class B would see the maximum penalty for possession increase from five to seven years, and those charged with supply could face an increase from 14 years to a life sentence. 

The calls were followed by similar comments from the Home Secretary Suella Braverman at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham last week, where she announced she was keen to clamp down on cannabis consumers.

And on Sunday – just days after President Biden announced he was taking the first steps towards federal legalisation – Ms Braverman went one step further and was quoted in the Sunday Times as saying she was on the ‘same side’ as PCCs who want to see cannabis in the same category as substances such as heroin and cocaine.

A source apparently told the newspaper that Ms Braverman is opposed to decriminalisation and believes a ‘deterrent’ is needed to halt the popularity of cannabis among teenagers. 

The source reportedly added: ‘We’ve got to scare people’.

The move has been described as a ‘PR stunt’ and ‘media sensationalism’ by experts in the cannabis industry, and the Home Office has no immediate plans to press ahead with the rescheduling.

However, the classification of cannabis is under review following consultation of a Government white paper on new sanctions for drug possession offences, which was published in July. 

Out of touch with the UK public

A YouGov poll published on Monday 10 October, showed that only 23% of the British public want to see tougher cannabis laws. 

Home secretary Suella Braverman has been reportedly planning to change cannabis from a class B drug to a class A

But only 23% of Britons want to see cannabis laws made tougher, with 42% wanting less tough laws, and 19% thinking they're ok as they arehttps://t.co/4hYmzwHYDE pic.twitter.com/pMFAQyL6r9

— YouGov (@YouGov) October 10, 2022

Carly Barton, founder of Cancard, described the move from the Home Secretary as ‘tone deaf’.

“This feels like a PR move to shut down any suggestion that the UK may follow suit after the news from the US this week,” she commented.

“It is terrifying when people without appropriate education and intention are put in charge of something they know little about.

“It only stands to demonstrate a complete ignorance about the plant and actual science.”

Inciting fear and stigma 

But if the government’s aim is to scare people, it seems to be working. 

High profile headlines – however unfounded – only serve to promote confusion and perpetuate the existing stigma surrounding cannabis and those who consume it, say advocates. 

“It’s media sensationalism, by way of trying to bring the conversation back to the harms of drugs and the classic fear mongering around cannabis use, rather than something that will actually lead to something,” said Katya Kowalksi, head of operations for UK drug reform group Volteface. 

“But regardless, it shows there is still a lot of stigma towards cannabis use and it’s only going to have a negative impact on consumers and patients by feeding into that stigma and prejudice towards it.

“This kind of rhetoric in the media just goes back to prohibitive tendencies, rather than recognising that this just isn’t where the public is at with cannabis.”

While medical cannabis has been legal in the UK since November 2018, many patients are still only able to access it through the illicit market due to costs and other barriers to access. 

Even those with a prescription have found themselves facing law enforcement and having medication confiscated by police officers who are not aware of its legality.

Recent data collected from over 400 patients prescribed cannabis at Sapphire Medical Clinics, shows that 84% believe they are subject to stigma from society. 

“This takes the spotlight away from what actually needs to change,” Ms Kowalski added.

“Despite medical cannabis being legal, even those with a prescription still face a lot of stigma and experience distrust among police. These kinds of headlines making headway create more confusion amongst those who are misinformed about cannabis in the first place.”

The impact on patients 

Dr Callie Seaman has used cannabis medicinally to treat her epilepsy for over 20 years. She works in the hydroponics industry and is a director of Medcan Support, as well as the chair of the Cannabis Industry Council’s adult-use scoping group.

“The idea of rescheduling cannabis undoes everything we have done to try to remove the stigma around it,” she told Cannabis Health.

“Class As are usually drugs that have no medicinal properties, so by reclassifying cannabis we are saying it is dangerous and a drug of misuse, when we know that there have been no fatalities from cannabis and it is less harmful than alcohol and tobacco.

“It’s only going to cause confusion. Cannabis has been reclassified several times now and giving it medicinal status back in 2018 was the first step to recognising that it’s a drug of medicinal properties.”

She added: “As a patient it makes you exceedingly nervous, because if you’re found in possession you’re in fear of being locked up again.”

Dr Callie Seaman

As well as existing patients, Dr Seaman believes the move could cause considerable damage among those who are new to cannabis or know little about it, but could potentially benefit from its medicinal properties.

“I think the biggest damage will occur among the cannabis naive, those who don’t know anything about it, but who could benefit the most from it, for example the elderly, or those who have just discovered medical cannabis,” she continued.

“This is going to send the message that this is a harmful substance. As a result we may even see an increase in opiate and other prescription drug taking because they are easier to access and people feel safer.”

The risks for parents 

Medcan Support, which provides education and support for families of children with epilepsy, is also aware that many parents are still accessing cannabis for their child through the illicit market, due to costs and a lack of paediatric neurologists willing to prescribe the medicine privately. 

Caroline Gisbourne, told Cannabis Health earlier this year that her son’s social worker had reported her to the police for giving her son illegal THC oil because she couldn’t afford a private prescription.  

“I was devastated, I feel like I’m being treated like a criminal and all I am doing is trying to save my child’s life,” she said.

If cannabis was upgraded to a Class A, parents in Caroline’s situation would be risking jail time for trying to do the right thing for their child’s health.

“Parents are being forced to go to the illegal market to obtain cannabis products for their children, because clinicians and the NHS remain of the position that cannabis based medicines can not be prescribed by them unless licensed,” said Hannah Deacon, a co-founder of Medcan Support.

“Moving cannabis into a new schedule would only do more harm to very vulnerable people, especially these families.”

She added: “The government must do all it can to make cannabis based medicines funded and available to all patients who need them, then we would not see the current persecution of people who are patients using the illegal market.”

The Home Office position

Before making changes to the classification of any controlled drug, ministers must consider advice provided by the independent Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD). According to the Home Office the Government currently has no plans to do this.

The Home Secretary will now consider responses to the ‘ Swift, Certain, Tough: New Consequences for Drug Possession’ white paper  and is expected to respond in due course.

In a statement to Cannabis Health, a Home Office spokesperson said: “Cannabis is a controlled drug on the basis of clear medical and scientific evidence of its harms. It is currently a Class B drug but its classification is subject to review.”

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