ALTHOUGH cannabis is widely used by thousands of people who do not go on to inject drugs or pop pills, many feel the new proposals set a very dangerous precedent.
Leading that charge is Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans.
He said: "I think this will lead to more young people experimenting with drugs.
"It makes the job of people trying to stop youngsters from trying drugs that much harder.
"It cuts the ground from under their feet.
"It is a dangerous step to take."
Former shadow home secretary Anne Widdecombe believes it will be a 'dealer's charter.'
She said: "The danger is that this is the thin edge of the wedge.
"It is a signal that it will be taken less seriously in the future.
"There needs to be a new substantial punishment for offence."
Gail McKann, of Mothers Against Drugs, believes it will encourage young people to ruin their health.
"Up until now everything we have heard from the government is about a war on drugs," she said.
"This makes a mockery of everything they have said."
Medical experts have also expressed concern that cannabis can affect the memory.
Mr Evans, once branded a drug pusher during a 1998 cannabis debate because his family run a newsagents selling cigarettes in Swansea, added: "They are trying to paint a picture of cannabis as an okay drug. It is made up of 400 chemical compounds, and doctors say that, in itself cannabis is an extremely damaging drug.
"If we go down the route we will end up with more drugs, far more drugs available.
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