UK: Cannabis Arrests Fall Under 'Softly Softly' Law

By Nigel Morris, Home Affairs Correspondent
Source: Independent UK

The number of people arrested for possessing cannabis has fallen by more than one third since the drugs laws were relaxed. But the Home Office said the down-grading of cannabis, from a class-B to class-C drug exactly one year ago had made no difference to levels of use. There were an estimated 43,750 arrests over the past year, compared with 68,625 in the previous 12 months.

Ministers calculated the fall had saved about 200,000 hours of police time, freeing them to tackle the use of class-A drugs such as heroin and crack.

Following reclassification, cannabis is now ranked alongside anabolic steroids and some prescription anti-depressants. Although its possession is still a criminal offence, offenders are not usually arrested.

According to details of the British Crime Survey which were published by the Home Office yesterday, 10.8 per cent of adults report taking cannabis over the past year, compared with 10.9 per cent in the previous 12 months.

It also discovered that the proportion of 16- to 24-year-olds using the drug had fallen from 28.2 per cent to 24.8 per cent over the past five years.

Caroline Flint, a Home Office Minister, said: "The picture is encouraging, with significant savings in police time which can now be used to drive more serious drugs off our streets and make our communities safer."

Because each arrest takes an average of eight hours to process, the 24,875 fewer arrests saved 199,000 hours of police time. She added: "I'm pleased figures show that some predictions that cannabis use by young people would increase were wholly unfounded."

Martin Barnes, the chief executive of the charity DrugScope, said: "We supported, and continue to support, the reclassification of cannabis.

"It is encouraging that cannabis use among young people has been declining, although it is too soon to draw conclusions from the latest figures on the impact of reclassification.

"The reclassification of cannabis was in recognition that all drugs are not the same."

But the Tories, who have pledged to reverse the reclassification, accused the Government of releasing misleading statistics. They pointed to a separate survey that suggested overall drug use by teenagers has doubled since 1997.

David Davis, the shadow Home Secretary, said: "Downgrading cannabis was a mistake, which has sent mixed messages to the young and the vulnerable about the dangers of drugs. Mr Blair's government is deceiving itself by using misleading figures to measure cannabis use."

Source: Independent (UK)
Author: Nigel Morris, Home Affairs Correspondent
Published: January 29, 2005
Copyright: 2005 Independent Newspapers (UK) Ltd.
Contact: letters@independent.co.uk
Website: http://www.independent.co.uk/
Link to article: http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread20174.shtml

 

Press Association
Source: Guardian Unlimited UK

Arrests for cannabis possession have fallen by a third in the first year since the drug was downgraded, official figures for England and Wales showed today. The Home Office said the move to re-classify the drug from Class B to Class C had saved police an estimated 199,000 hours of work. Cannabis is now ranked alongside anabolic steroids and some prescription anti-depressants, and its possession is generally not an arrestable offence.

But ministers insisted cannabis use by young people had remained stable and was "significantly down" since April 1998.

The Home Office's British crime survey suggested 28.2% of 16 to 24-year-olds used cannabis then, compared with 24.8% today.

Former home secretary David Blunkett decided to re-classify cannabis so that officers could spend more time combating hard drugs such as heroin and crack.

It was reclassified on January 29 last year but remains illegal.

The figure of 199,000 saved hours was estimated from provisional data supplied by 26 of the 42 police forces in England and Wales, said a Home Office spokesman.

The Home Office minister Caroline Flint said: "The government's drugs strategy focuses on tackling the Class A drugs which cause the most harm to communities, individuals and their families.

"A year ago we reclassified cannabis on the recommendation of the advisory council on the misuse of drugs, so that the police could concentrate on the far more destructive Class A drugs.

"One year on the picture is encouraging with significant savings in police time which can now be used to drive more serious drugs off our streets and make our communities safer."

She added: "I am also pleased that figures show that some predictions that cannabis use by young people would increase were wholly unfounded.

"Following a major government information campaign to get across that cannabis is harmful and remains illegal, the figures show that young people's cannabis use has remained stable since reclassification and is still significantly down from 1998 levels."

Source: Guardian Unlimited, The (UK)
Published: Friday, January 28, 2005
Copyright: 2005 Guardian Newspapers Limited
Contact: letters@guardian.co.uk
Website: http://www.guardian.co.uk/
Link to article: http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread20173.shtml