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Crash victim's mum supports drug proposal

Pamela Welsh
8/ 5/2008

A WHITEFIELD mother who tragically lost her son through drug use has backed Government plans to reclassify cannabis.

Jo Swanston’s son Michael Fitzpatrick first got involved with drugs at the age of 15 and was eventually smoking up to £10 worth of cannabis every day.

He was just 21 when he died in July 2005 in a car crash after drinking heavily and taking ecstasy.

Now Jo, 44, has given her support to Gordon Brown’s plans to upgrade the drug from its current Class C status, which she says is currently met with a ‘slap on the wrist’, to a Class B.

She said: "It definitely needs a higher classification.

"Young people have become complacent with it. They don’t worry about being caught because they know they’ll get away with a slap on the wrist and if they go up before a judge, the worst they get is community service.

"If young people see that they might go to prison, it might act as more of a deterrent."

Cannabis was downgraded to Class C - which includes substances such as tranquilisers, some painkillers, GHB (so-called ‘liquid ecstasy’) and ketamine - from Class B, in 2004. It means possession is treated largely as a non-arrestable offence.

But Jo, who lives in Douglas Close, Whitefield, warned the Government they must step up support for cannabis users if the reclassification gets the go-ahead.

She said: "I think the Government have to be careful as it has the potential to drive users underground and not seek the help that they need.

"It is so important to educate youngsters about the dangers of drugs because it is such an easy trap to fall into.

"I know that Mike felt the stategy was all wrong - by the time kids are educated about drugs, they are already involved in them."

Jo is now involved in an organisation called Compassionate Friends, a support group for families who have lost loved ones.

She said: "Michael’s anniversary is on July 3 and I’ve been with such a lovely group of people who have supported me through it.

"It takes away those barriers. There is a woman who lost her son because of a drink driver, and my son was a drink driver, but that does not matter. We’ve all lost someone important."