On January 29, the government reclassified cannabis from a class B to a class C drug in the UK. It's a controversial move that has received huge media coverage, a lot of which has been focused on young people.
| The decision to reclassify cannabis is a good thing because police will have more time to catch real criminals. |
It's understandable that the media has chosen to highlight drug use in young people, after all the 2002/3 British Crime Survey did reveal that 47 per cent of 16-24 year olds in England and Wales had used an illicit drug at least once in their lives.
But what's frustrating is that they often ignore what we have to say, instead using professional" opinion from MPs and the police. What about what we think? Don't our opinions count?
Like adults we also have different thoughts on drugs. Some of us think there's no harm in them, while others wouldn't touch them. But we all have something to say. Here young people talk openly about their views on the government's recent decision and also drugs in general:
Klarisse, London, 16
I think the reclassification of cannabis is a good thing because it means police will have more time to catch real criminals like rapists, murderers and proper drug dealers who sell things like cocaine and ecstasy.
But the change has definitely caused confusion amongst young people. People aren't really sure what the law means and some young people think it means it is now legal to smoke weed. Their confusion is understandable because people are often unclear when the government introduces new laws.
Even though I do agree with what the government has done, I do recognise that there are dangers linked with smoking weed but I think there are more risks with cigarettes and alcohol. I don't understand why people aren't they complaining about them as well.
Personally I feel it's just a matter of time before the government starts taxing cannabis smokers to make more money off them.
Charlotte, London, 12
I think David Blunkett has made a big mistake. Giving drug dealers and drug users a warning instead of a prison sentence will just encourage more people to misuse drugs.
When people don't receive some form of punishment for something they've done wrong, don't they just do the same thing again? Basically what the government has done is to send a message to young people saying that smoking cannabis is ok.
To me taking drugs is just a pathetic waste of money and a desperate cry for help. It seems that people who use drugs a lot or drink always have a problem but this isn't the best way to deal with your troubles - drugs don't solve anything!
Dean, Luton, 16
When I used to live in London, quite a lot of young people on the estate I lived on took drugs. I'm not really sure what kinds of drugs they were doing but I do know they used to stand around and smoke weed a lot.
It was never girls in the group, just boys. I used to avoid the group because I wasn't interested in taking drugs but I think there's a lot of pressure on young people to do it.
Some young people think it's good to get drunk or out of it on drugs because they read about celebrities or see them on television doing it and want to be just like them. If you see someone you look up to doing drugs, you might end up thinking 'if they can do it, why can't I?'
I think drinking alcohol is dangerous but I don't think it's as serious as taking drugs because they can really affect your whole body and sometimes even make you depressed.
We definitely need more information on the risks involved if you drink or take drugs. I never really see posters or advertising campaigns about the dangers. If young people were educated about it, perhaps they'd think twice about doing it.
Runako, London, 15
For some people smoking cannabis helps them to relax, so they think the government's decision was wise. But others think it's a bad move because it's still a drug and it does have side effects.
I believe it was right to downgrade cannabis to a class C drug. If you're caught with small amounts, you should just be cautioned of have it confiscated, that way police will have more time to concentrate on stopping people dealing or taking harder drugs like crack cocaine.
But I still think that it should be an arrestable offence if you are caught with large amounts of cannabis.
Phillip, 16, Newcastle
To stop young people using drugs and alcohol, more needs to be done to show us that it's "un-cool" and an anti-social thing to do. The best way to do this is to use shock tactics.
Instead of just saying what might happen, prove the effects through photos and examples. It would make a difference if there was a person visiting schools who is or has suffered from the problems drugs and alcohol cause. It would really help some young people to hear them talking about their experiences.
Schools could make a significant difference to the way we think about alcohol and drugs, so they should drop the laid back approach that they seem to have adopted. Advertising campaigns need to be straight to the point, they need to stand out and get young people talking in order for it to be noticed and considered.
Young people who get into drug abuse should immediately be helped to talk about their problem and I think punishment should come in the form of community service as I think this is probably quite a humiliating experience for young people and hopefully will deter them from doing it again.
Akram, London, 11
What the government has done is not a good thing because it'll just encourage more young people to take drugs. If more teenagers are using drugs then this means those selling the drugs are just making more money. It also means that dealers will exploit young people because they'll be easy targets.
Drug overuse could also lead to an increase in crime, and crime can often lead to violence and death.
Using any kind of drug almost always leads to the person becoming addicted and breaking that kind of habit is very difficult. Just look at the number of people who smoke and how hard it is for them to stop.
Jennifer, 17, Sheffield
There's very little adults can do for us when it comes to alcohol and drugs. You can pour your millions into adverts on TV, you can show us photos of tar-clogged lungs, and you can continually tell us how bad heroin is for our fragile brains. It won't work!
We know they're bad. We know! Like I know I should do my homework and eat more fruit and vegetables. It doesn't mean I will.
There are not many things I can think of that would make me not take drugs, smoke or drink. Not until I fall down every night. So let me. Let me make my own mistakes. Let me try it for myself.
But if you enforce punishment for the things I'm not meant to do and make them harsh enough, I won't want to ever do them again. What's more, you should inform me, not just tell me. Let me know what the effects might be and what the punishment could be and then let me make the decision myself.
Don't tell me what to do and you never know, I might get it right.
About the team
This story was published by Reach for the Sky website.
