RAPPER Snoop Dogg was recently censured for an Instagram post in which he compared himself — looking in fine fettle after almost 30 years of marijuana consumption — to a decidedly unhealthy looking Paul Gascoigne, whose similarly lengthy relationship with alcohol appears to have taken its toll.

[[{"fid":"14594","view_mode":"inlineright","fields":{"format":"inlineright","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false},"link_text":null,"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"inlineright","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false}},"attributes":{"class":"media-element file-inlineright","data-delta":"1"}}]]Though I wouldn’t praise Mr Dogg for singling out someone who has clearly struggled with addiction, he nevertheless has a point. In 2017, there were over 7,000 alcohol-specific deaths in Britain, where the drug is taxed, advertised and used as a prop by politicians on the campaign trail.

Yet cannabis – not only far less dangerous but proven to be effective in treating chronic pain, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and much besides — remains an illegal substance.