c. 1997 Religion News Service

LONDON _ A panel of the Church of Scotland, the government-established Presbyterian denomination, is recommending easing anti-marijuana laws and creating a blue ribbon Royal Commission to consider the pros and cons of legalizing the drug, especially for medical use.

The recommendations _ what the panel called”partial decriminalization”_ are contained in a wide-ranging and controversial report made public Tuesday (March 25) by the denomination’s Board of Social Responsibility. They will be formally presented for debate to the church’s general assembly, which meets May 17-23 in Edinburgh.

The report ranged across a number of issues prompted by what it called the current”drug culture,”but the recommendations likely to be most hotly debated is the report’s suggestion that laws against marijuana users be softened.

Decriminalization would not legalize the use of marijuana but would take cases involving small amounts of it out of the criminal court system and treat them akin to traffic tickets or other minor violations. Offenders would be referred to social workers rather than sent to prison.”There are no compelling reasons to seek a change in the present law relating to the use of cannabis (marijuana),”the Rev. Bill Wallace, head of the board, told a news conference. But he said greater use should be made of so-called”diversion schemes”under which marijuana users are kept out of the courts and prison.

In their report, the panel said they wanted the government to ensure there were adequate resources for such alternatives. With such resources in place, the government would be able to show it is possible to decriminalize possession of the drug without changing the law and without major adverse consequences.

Wallace said the decriminalization recommended by the panel would not go as far as a Netherlands law, which allows possession of small amounts of marijuana. At the same time, the report noted the Netherlands had not developed any”massive”marijuana misuse problem as a result of its law.

In addition, the group called on the government’s Department of Health to initiate a review of the medical use of marijuana.

It is”illogical”to ban the use of marijuana as a medicine when many patients have found its use beneficial, the report said.

It also called for establishment of a Royal Commission”to consider and make recommendations on the issues involved in the legalization”of marijuana.

In calling for the blue ribbon panel to study the implications of decriminalization and legalization, Wallace said church officials were in effect saying,”Look before you ever consider leaping into the unknown.””The experience of legalizing alcohol and tobacco would indicate such a change would be well nigh irreversible,”he said.

At the same time, the panel said it had found little consensus in studies of the medical effects of cannabis. The lack of definitive research or evidence”only lends confusion”to the debate, the report said.

It said it found the range of opinions about the medical risk of using cannabis”bewildering”and the report quoted one Member of Parliament as having said during a debate that”Queen Victoria took cannabis every month of her adult life and lived to great age.”According to some historians, the queen is reported to have used marijuana to ease the symptoms of menstrual cramps.

On the other hand, the report also cited a wide variety of scientific views ranging from”a scepticism that is impervious to any evidence of the harmful effects”to”a credulous preparedness to take at face value any suggestion that cannabis is harmful to health.”

Noting that drug abuse is particularly concentrated in areas of high unemployment and poverty marked by a sharp breakdown of family life, the report said the crucial question is whether legalizing or decriminalizing some or all drugs would have a positive or negative effect on such problems.

Wallace said the church panel believed the present drug problem pointed to a spiritual malaise.”Sometimes people turn to drugs on an experimental basis, but more often because their life is unfulfilled,”he said.”The pursuit of materialism and self-centred pleasure has left a spiritual void at the heart of the nation. … Until the spiritual problem is addressed, the drug problem will continue to increase.” MJP END NOWELL