A grieving aristocrat has called for the decriminalisation of cannabis following the loss of his second son, who committed suicide after becoming addicted to a potent form of the drug.

Lord Monson is demanding a “war on skunk”, but believes users will be safer if less dangerous varieties of cannabis are made legal.

Last month his son, 21-year-old Rupert Green, died after spending five days on life support after he tried to kill himself at his home in Surrey.


He had previously been sectioned under the Mental Health Act because of his cannabis addiction, but according to his family he was discharged from hospital because his bed was needed, not because he was cured.

The death is a second tragedy for the hotelier and peer, whose older son Alexander Monson, 28, died from what the family believe was a beating in police custody in Kenya in 2012.

Rupert Green, who was reading biology at Essex University, had been “sporty, congenial and very popular”, his father told the Sunday Times. However, his use of drugs made him introverted and prone to outbursts.

“We are in a war now, a war against skunk,” said Lord Monson, who turned 60 last year.

“Once someone has become psychotic on skunk, they often never come back.

“It is the most shocking time.”

Lord Monson said decriminalising certain forms of cannabis would enable users to understand their ingredients so as to make sure they would not cause psychosis, as is often the case with skunk.

“That is no different from our approach to alcohol,” he said.

“No one needs to drink moonshine whisky which makes them blind, they can buy legal whiskey.”

Rupert’s mother, Karen Green, whose relationship with Lord Monson ended years ago, is also supporting calls for a change in the law.

Kenyan authorities are yet to conclude the inquest into the death of Alexander Monson, whom police originally claimed died of an overdose, despite no trace of drugs every being found in his system.

Evidence was given that he suffered injuries to his head and genitals consistent with a beating.

“I am probably the only person who now has two inquests running into the deaths of two children,” said Lord Monson, adding that greater awareness of the dangers of skunk would lessen the chances of what happened to Rupert happening to others.

“I am not going to to let myself collapse into a heap over this,” he said. “I am not going to be self-pitying.

“I just have no choice but to carry on.”



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017...ng-second-son/