Cannabis ‘less harmful than alcohol or tobacco’

CANNABIS use is less harmful than drinking or smoking cigarettes and should be legalised, according to a report released in Britain yesterday.

The Beckley Foundation’s Global Cannabis Commission says banning the drug has backfired and calls for a “serious rethink” of drugs policy. The ban has had little or no impact on supply and has turned users into criminals, they say.

“Although cannabis can have a negative impact on health, including mental health, in terms of relative harms it is considerably less harmful than alcohol or tobacco,” they write.