England's Chief Doctor Admits Marijuana Use, Questions Drug Laws

England's Chief Doctor Admits Marijuana Use, Questions Drug Laws

Professor Dame Sally Davies says she’s tried cannabis before and believes criminalizing drug users is not a solution


TruthOnPot.com – England’s chief medical officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies, made a few surprising remarks during an interview with BBC Radio 3 last week.
Despite her current position as the most senior advisor on public health, Professor Davies admitted to using cannabis recreationally a couple times in college before stopping for good due to “hallucinations,” reports Metro News.

“I never smoked so I couldn’t smoke joints but I did have some cookies, until on the third or fourth occasion I had hallucinations and I’ve never touched it since.”

While most doses of cannabis aren’t capable of causing hallucinations – marijuana cookies can be quite strong compared to a traditional joint – does such an extreme (and rare) side effect warrant criminalization of those who use it?
Earlier this year, Davies made it clear that she doesn’t think so.

“I think we have a health problem, and we would do well as a nation to look at is as a health problem. I think there’s quite a lot of evidence from other countries, and science, about how you could go about that.”

Indeed, in places like Amsterdam and Portugal – where possession of marijuana and other prohibited drugs are overseen by health bodies instead of justice departments – drug use and drug related problems are actually lower compared to most countries in the world.
Professor Davies acknowledged a British Medical Association report which warned that harsh drug penalties were discouraging users to seek medical help or advice, reports the Telegraph.
Unfortunately, she was discouraged from acting on her beliefs due to pressure from the UK government to continue criminalizing drug use.

“I am watching the accumulation of evidence – the BMA last week talking about the health harms and everything… But it’s not high on my list of ‘to try and dos’ because I’ve got so much else and the Coalition has not chosen to decriminalise it. If they chose to, we will be ready with quite a lot of advice.”

Other health officials like Professor David Nutt have faced serious consequences for straying too far from the government’s position.
Professor Nutt was removed as chairman of the government’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs in 2009 after publicly criticizing the decision to classify cannabis as a class B drug.