Yes, you guessed it, the Statistics Commission have caught the Government
out fiddling drugs statistics.

http://www.statscom.org.uk/uploads/files/correspondence/Letter0407.pdf

-- 
Dr John Watson
Baker Street

"Dr John Watson"  wrote in message
news:5tl154F1e9u0kU1@mid.individual.net...
> Yes, you guessed it, the Statistics Commission have caught the Government
> out fiddling drugs statistics.
>
> http://www.statscom.org.uk/uploads/files/correspondence/Letter0407.pdf
>
> -- 
> Dr John Watson
> Baker Street

- The use of cannabis has fallen in the past year by 24%.

So where is the 'need for (re-)reclassification' again?

Oh yes, it is based on the newly available 'super skunk' cannabis.

Quoting:

- Among 11-15-year-olds

* The use of any drug has decreased - 17 per cent of pupils
said they had taken drugs in the previous year in 2006,
compared with 21 per cent in 2003 and 20 per cent in 2001.

* Cannabis use has decreased - 10 per cent of pupils had
taken cannabis in 2006, down from 13 per cent in 2003,
2002 and 2001 and

* frequent use of any drug has decreased from 6 per cent
in 2003 to 4 per cent in 2006. The decrease was even
more marked among vulnerable young people (those who
had truanted or been excluded), declining from 20 per cent
in 2003 to 11 per cent in 2006.

TREATMENT

- The number of individuals receiving structured treatment
has increased by 13 per cent from 160,450 in 2004/5 to
181,390 in 2005/06. This represents an increase of 113
per cent on the 1998/99 baseline of 85,000 people
receiving structured treatment. These figures demonstrate
that the government is succeeding in delivering treatment
services and has actually exceeded a national treatment
target of 170,000 people receiving structured treatment
in 2007/08.

- We are also increasing year on year the number of users
who successfully complete or are retained in structured
treatment for 12 weeks or more, when treatment is more
likely to be effective. In 2005/06 141,500 individuals
(78 per cent of those treated in the year) either successfully
complete treatment in that year or were retained in
treatment on 31 March 2006. The 2004/05 figures reported
120,700 (75 per cent of those treated in the year).

*******************************************

I think a picture is starting to emerge. The 'We Are Sending
The Wrong Message To Our Children' crowd are full of it.

There has been no increase in cannabis use, in fact, during
reclassification from B to C, there has been a drop in cannabis
use. Including among children.

However, because of the increase in places for treatment,
the government's own success is now used against it to
misrepresent an increase in treatment facilities, as an
increase in emergency room treatment for 'cannabis psychosis'
or what not.

Again, reclassification and decriminalisation HAS WORKED.

And the prohibitionists will not have any of it.

That is the picture that is starting to emerge.

"5trfg6h7"  wrote in message 
news:47a88dea$0$71926$dbd49001@news.wanadoo.nl...
> "Dr John Watson"  wrote in message
> news:5tl154F1e9u0kU1@mid.individual.net...
>> Yes, you guessed it, the Statistics Commission have caught the Government
>> out fiddling drugs statistics.
>>
>> http://www.statscom.org.uk/uploads/files/correspondence/Letter0407.pdf
>>
>> -- 
>> Dr John Watson
>> Baker Street
>
> - The use of cannabis has fallen in the past year by 24%.
>
> So where is the 'need for (re-)reclassification' again?
>
> Oh yes, it is based on the newly available 'super skunk' cannabis.
>
> Quoting:
>
> - Among 11-15-year-olds
>
> * The use of any drug has decreased - 17 per cent of pupils
> said they had taken drugs in the previous year in 2006,
> compared with 21 per cent in 2003 and 20 per cent in 2001.
>
> * Cannabis use has decreased - 10 per cent of pupils had
> taken cannabis in 2006, down from 13 per cent in 2003,
> 2002 and 2001 and
>
> * frequent use of any drug has decreased from 6 per cent
> in 2003 to 4 per cent in 2006. The decrease was even
> more marked among vulnerable young people (those who
> had truanted or been excluded), declining from 20 per cent
> in 2003 to 11 per cent in 2006.
>
> TREATMENT
>
> - The number of individuals receiving structured treatment
> has increased by 13 per cent from 160,450 in 2004/5 to
> 181,390 in 2005/06. This represents an increase of 113
> per cent on the 1998/99 baseline of 85,000 people
> receiving structured treatment. These figures demonstrate
> that the government is succeeding in delivering treatment
> services and has actually exceeded a national treatment
> target of 170,000 people receiving structured treatment
> in 2007/08.
>
> - We are also increasing year on year the number of users
> who successfully complete or are retained in structured
> treatment for 12 weeks or more, when treatment is more
> likely to be effective. In 2005/06 141,500 individuals
> (78 per cent of those treated in the year) either successfully
> complete treatment in that year or were retained in
> treatment on 31 March 2006. The 2004/05 figures reported
> 120,700 (75 per cent of those treated in the year).
>
> *******************************************
>
> I think a picture is starting to emerge. The 'We Are Sending
> The Wrong Message To Our Children' crowd are full of it.
>
> There has been no increase in cannabis use, in fact, during
> reclassification from B to C, there has been a drop in cannabis
> use. Including among children.
>
> However, because of the increase in places for treatment,
> the government's own success is now used against it to
> misrepresent an increase in treatment facilities, as an
> increase in emergency room treatment for 'cannabis psychosis'
> or what not.
>
> Again, reclassification and decriminalisation HAS WORKED.
>
> And the prohibitionists will not have any of it.
>
> That is the picture that is starting to emerge.

Or maybe the steady stream of studies that prove the significant physical 
and mental dangers of cannabis is helping people to make more responsible 
choices. Education works.

> Or maybe the steady stream of studies that prove the significant physical
> and mental dangers of cannabis is helping people to make more responsible
> choices. Education works.

So you admit that classification has no real point ?

On Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:27:07 GMT, "mentalguy2004" 
wrote:

>>
>> Again, reclassification and decriminalisation HAS WORKED.
>>
>> And the prohibitionists will not have any of it.
>>
>> That is the picture that is starting to emerge.
>
>Or maybe the steady stream of studies that prove the significant physical 
>and mental dangers of cannabis is helping people to make more responsible 
>choices. Education works. 

There are no significant physical and mental dangers due to cannabis.
It is by far the least dangerous of all recreational mind altering
substances. Much safer than the most popular, alcohol.

If you are going to use education and if you want it to work you have
to be factual and rational. Nobody who knows the least about the
subject can take seriously the 'reefer madness' hysteria eminating
from the media.

Svenne

mentalguy2004 wrote:
> "5trfg6h7"  wrote in message 
> news:47a88dea$0$71926$dbd49001@news.wanadoo.nl...
>> "Dr John Watson"  wrote in message
>> news:5tl154F1e9u0kU1@mid.individual.net...
>>> Yes, you guessed it, the Statistics Commission have caught the Government
>>> out fiddling drugs statistics.
>>>
>>> http://www.statscom.org.uk/uploads/files/correspondence/Letter0407.pdf
>>>
>>> -- 
>>> Dr John Watson
>>> Baker Street
>> - The use of cannabis has fallen in the past year by 24%.
>>
>> So where is the 'need for (re-)reclassification' again?
>>
>> Oh yes, it is based on the newly available 'super skunk' cannabis.
>>
>> Quoting:
>>
>> - Among 11-15-year-olds
>>
>> * The use of any drug has decreased - 17 per cent of pupils
>> said they had taken drugs in the previous year in 2006,
>> compared with 21 per cent in 2003 and 20 per cent in 2001.
>>
>> * Cannabis use has decreased - 10 per cent of pupils had
>> taken cannabis in 2006, down from 13 per cent in 2003,
>> 2002 and 2001 and
>>
>> * frequent use of any drug has decreased from 6 per cent
>> in 2003 to 4 per cent in 2006. The decrease was even
>> more marked among vulnerable young people (those who
>> had truanted or been excluded), declining from 20 per cent
>> in 2003 to 11 per cent in 2006.
>>
>> TREATMENT
>>
>> - The number of individuals receiving structured treatment
>> has increased by 13 per cent from 160,450 in 2004/5 to
>> 181,390 in 2005/06. This represents an increase of 113
>> per cent on the 1998/99 baseline of 85,000 people
>> receiving structured treatment. These figures demonstrate
>> that the government is succeeding in delivering treatment
>> services and has actually exceeded a national treatment
>> target of 170,000 people receiving structured treatment
>> in 2007/08.
>>
>> - We are also increasing year on year the number of users
>> who successfully complete or are retained in structured
>> treatment for 12 weeks or more, when treatment is more
>> likely to be effective. In 2005/06 141,500 individuals
>> (78 per cent of those treated in the year) either successfully
>> complete treatment in that year or were retained in
>> treatment on 31 March 2006. The 2004/05 figures reported
>> 120,700 (75 per cent of those treated in the year).
>>
>> *******************************************
>>
>> I think a picture is starting to emerge. The 'We Are Sending
>> The Wrong Message To Our Children' crowd are full of it.
>>
>> There has been no increase in cannabis use, in fact, during
>> reclassification from B to C, there has been a drop in cannabis
>> use. Including among children.
>>
>> However, because of the increase in places for treatment,
>> the government's own success is now used against it to
>> misrepresent an increase in treatment facilities, as an
>> increase in emergency room treatment for 'cannabis psychosis'
>> or what not.
>>
>> Again, reclassification and decriminalisation HAS WORKED.
>>
>> And the prohibitionists will not have any of it.
>>
>> That is the picture that is starting to emerge.
> 
> Or maybe the steady stream of studies that prove the significant physical 
> and mental dangers of cannabis is helping people to make more responsible 
> choices. Education works. 
> 
> 
Health has bugger all to do with it. Government is protecting the 
revenue stream it gets from alcohol. They calculate quite rightly that 
it will be very difficult to get that kind of revenue from weed.

Noticed at Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:22:09 +0100: 5trfg6h7 informed us:

> Oh yes, it is based on the newly available 'super skunk' cannabis.

You forget that today's skunk is 1.5 times stronger than last week's,
which was twice as strong as last year's which was 30 times stronger than
when Jacqui Smith, her predecessor and most of the opposition smoked it.

You also forget that the number of lunatic asylum entries per week has
increased from 14 per week to 500 per week since last week, making an
annual reefer madness rate of 1,857%.


-- 
Dr John Watson
Baker Street

Noticed at Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:27:07 +0000: mentalguy2004 informed us:

> Or maybe the steady stream of studies that prove the significant physical 
> and mental dangers of cannabis is helping people to make more responsible 
> choices. Education works.

Maybe it's explained by the increasing rates of coke and smack use?

-- 
Dr John Watson
Baker Street

Noticed at Tue, 05 Feb 2008 08:46:48 -0800: Jethro informed us:

>> Or maybe the steady stream of studies that prove the significant
>> physical and mental dangers of cannabis is helping people to make more
>> responsible choices. Education works.
> 
> So you admit that classification has no real point ?

As Rethink's research showed, prohibition is 97% ineffective as a
deterrent.

-- 
Dr John Watson
Baker Street

On Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:53:30 GMT, Svenne  wrote:

>On Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:27:07 GMT, "mentalguy2004" 
>wrote:
>
>>>
>>> Again, reclassification and decriminalisation HAS WORKED.
>>>
>>> And the prohibitionists will not have any of it.
>>>
>>> That is the picture that is starting to emerge.
>>
>>Or maybe the steady stream of studies that prove the significant physical 
>>and mental dangers of cannabis is helping people to make more responsible 
>>choices. Education works. 
>
>There are no significant physical and mental dangers due to cannabis.

Yeah right! 

>It is by far the least dangerous of all recreational mind altering
>substances. Much safer than the most popular, alcohol.

Yeah right! We have a drug proiblem with one drug - so hey, lets have
some more with another drug. Your grasp of elementary logic is truly
pathetic.

"mentalguy2004"  wrote in message news:v70qj.971$nG4.156@newsfe6-win.ntli.net...

> Or maybe the steady stream of studies that prove the significant physical
> and mental dangers of cannabis is helping people to make more responsible
> choices. Education works.

And I have no issue with that - as long as the education is based
on fact, and doesn't slip in all the Drug War misinformation
about the mental effects of cannabis.

As soon as they start to misinform people, they lose their
credibility about all the other drugs as well.

On Tue, 5 Feb 2008 17:22:09 +0100, 5trfg6h7 scribed:

> - The use of cannabis has fallen in the past year by 24%.

Hey, are these the same kind of stats that Gordon Brown claims crime
has dropped 37% under New Liebour?