Inside U.K. "Softly, softly" By Richard Payne	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
マリファナの規制緩和 イギリスでは、法律上、麻薬は危険性によって3種類に分類されていますが、来年から大麻が格下げされ、危険度の最も低い「クラスＣ」となることに決まりました。これで、少量の大麻所持が発覚しても逮捕されないことになります。警察の時間と労力を、より危険な薬物の取り締まりに回すための措置ですが、その反響は…。

Following a decision by the government to "downgrade" the country's cannabis laws, the drug debate has become one of the hottest topics in the United Kingdom.

By this time next year, it's the politicians' intention to reclassify cannabis, or weed, as a class C drug rather than the class B drug it is now. Class C, which includes amphetamines and anabolic steroids, is the lowest class of drug, and carries lighter sentences for both possession and trafficking.

The reason for this change in classification, it's argued, is to free up police resources to help solve crime surrounding hard drugs like crack cocaine and heroin. People found with small amounts of cannabis on them will no longer be arrested, but instead be warned by the police and have their drugs taken from them.

Already in the London district of Brixton, which has a large mix of white, black and Asian people, a so-called "softly, softly" experiment has been conducted, where police adopted this new, more lenient approach to cannabis possession.

But with the experiment now over, there is evidence that rather than drive away the drug problem, it's only encouraged it. Drug dealers are selling in broad daylight and selling hard drugs, too. "The center of Brixton is a 24-hour crack supermarket," claimed one leading officer in the area.

While everyone can see the dangers of hard drugs and its links to rising levels of crime all over the country, people are equally divided on the dangers of cannabis. Some argue that those who smoke it will be tempted to use other, more harmful drugs, and that constant cannabis use is potentially harmful.

On the opposite side, others claim alcohol is more dangerous and if people were allowed to smoke the "soft" drug, people would not seek the "harder" alternatives.

Supporters of the relaxation in the cannabis laws say by taking a sensible, more tolerant approach to drugs, there will be a marked decrease in drug-related crime. Cannabis cafes have already opened in Britain, like the ones found in Holland where people can buy and smoke the drug without any fear of police action. Although technically illegal in the Dutch capital, Amsterdam, the shops have forced a change in policy which allows them to operate. The companies which plan to set up in this country say the overwhelming demand for such places and the police's inability to prevent them will see them gain some sort of acceptability.

Dutch Experience is Britain's first Dutch-style cannabis cafe. Located in Stockport, near Manchester, it's been raided by police three times since opening last September and its original founder is still in jail. But it's still open for business, attracting up to 200 people a day. Dutch Experience 2 later opened in Bournemouth, south of England, where it used the distinctive method of employing local pensioners to grow its cannabis. One of its founders said in a recent article in The Observer, "Everyone locally loves it — I've had so much support from the public."

A few Britons have even paid a lot of money to go on courses in Holland, such as the five-day Cannabizness in Haarlem, to learn how to run such places.

These courses give participants the chance to learn more about testing and selling weed, its history ("increasing hemp awareness") and cultivation methods, topics such as machine-rolled joints, as well as tactics for dealing with police and local authorities. There are also numerous tastings and field trips to Holland's coffee shops.

Successful graduates of these courses are given certificates and are told that they can expect a lucrative business if cannabis is legalized in their own country.

In my home city of Bristol, the drugs menace is growing, with people stealing to fund their habits. Small amounts of drugs can be bought for as little as 10 pounds (¥1,900) and there are plenty of people willing to sell. Recently, there have been stories that much of the supply is coming in with air passengers arriving from Jamaica.

Some people who carry the drugs, called "mules," take the extreme measure of swallowing them in bags to try to avoid detection at the customs desk. This is highly dangerous. One burst bag and the carrier would die instantly.

However good the government's intentions are to try to solve the massive drugs problem in the U.K., the solutions, like the smoke from the drugs themselves, are hazy. So disgusted with the downgrading of the cannabis laws was the government's own appointed "drug czar" that he has left his job in protest. Proof, then, that if a man, who's supposed to support new legislation on drugs, isn't happy, the job of those who make the laws is far from easy.

Shukan ST: Aug. 16, 2002

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