In 1968, the Wootton Report, a Home Office investigation into the effects of cannabis, concluded: "There is no evidence that this activity is causing violent crime or aggression, anti-social behaviour, or is producing in otherwise normal people conditions of dependence or psychosis requiring medical treatment."

Nearly thirty years on, it is still illegal to grow, produce, possess or supply the drug to another person, even if you are a doctor. It is also an offence to allow premises to be used for growing, preparing, supplying or smoking cannabis.

Despite the legal situation, it is estimated that regular users of the drug consume 800 tonnes every year and spend �3.5 bn on it. If caught, offenders risk a maximum penalty of 14 years for trafficking in Class B drugs, and for possession, 5 years imprisonment.

Home Office research indicates that the number of people between the ages of 16 and 59 who have used cannabis has doubled in the past decade to 4 million and that most people now regard the use of soft drugs as a normal part of growing up. Given its illegality, most analysts agree that Government surveys probably under-estimate the extent of drug taking as people are reluctant to admit their use.

According to a report by the British Medical Association published on Tuesday November 18, there are medicinal reasons for the use of cannabis which should be tolerated by police and prosecutors. The report, "Therapeutic uses of Cannabis" identifies certain medical conditions where symptoms that cannot be alleviated with prescribed medication, can be treated successfully with cannabis products.

There is apparently little danger of a fatal overdose: according to animal experiments, it has been calculated that it would take at least a pound and a half of cannabis to kill a human, around 100 times as much as the weekly consumption of a heavy user.

While authorities agree that cannabis has few harmful side-effects, the argument that it can lead to the use of harder drugs is a powerful one, although this has not been verified by research. Pro-legalisation campaigners argue that the illegal status of drugs such as cannabis encourages people to experiment with other underground drugs.

Maintaining the Labour Party's election manifesto pledge to tackle the drugs problem, Jack Straw, the Home Secretary, has taken a hard line on the use of 'soft' drugs. In a recent interview, he described people who advocate the de-criminalisation or legalisation of cannabis as "irresponsible".

Mr Straw said, "What I regard as so irresponsible about those who say we should de-criminalise possession of small amounts of cannabis is this: one thing which would follow, as sure as night follows day, is that consumption would shoot up."

Keith Hellawell, Chief Constable of West Yorkshire, has been appointed as the National Anti-Drugs Coordinator - a United States-style "drugs tsar" - to galvanise the Government's anti-drugs drive.

While the Government continues in its attempts to crack down on drug use, The Independent on Sunday recently began a campaign to have cannabis de-criminalised, supported by high profile sympathisers including Richard Branson and Paul McCartney.
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