LIKE, hey man, what on earth are we going to do about cannabis?

On the one hand, a large proportion of us - and I would include myself in this - would like to see the soft drug legalised.

On the other hand, whether we legalise it or not, there is certainly a cast-iron case for a campaign to be introduced to discourage people from ever using the drug, since it is clearly capable of causing users great harm.

Now how that’s for a paradox? Have I lost my mind?

But hold your wisht until I explain myself.

First, the legalisation bit.

The problem with cannabis is, the genie is out of the bottle and it isn’t ever going away. Its usage is widespread among all ages.

One of the reasons it is so popular recreationally, among younger people in particular, is the kudos behind it. It remains an offence to cultivate, export, produce, supply, and possess cannabis, and those using it get to feel a bit like the kids who used to smoke behind the bike sheds at school.

Legalising it would remove that frisson of devilment.

It would hopefully also act as a drag (sorry) on the fact that popular culture - from pop stars to artists, models to actors - paints cannabis as a harmless, even a creative, drug for the cool dudes.

There is societal pressure on people to accept cannabis as just another version of cigarettes, vapes, and alcohol, which are all addictive, and harmful themselves if used often enough and long enough.

Then there is the huge amount of police and court time taken up prosecuting people caught up in the cannabis chain, from the dealer down to the occasional smoker.

Imagine if cannabis was legalised, at a........

© Evening Echo