On May 1, 7:11 am, "greyprimer" <greypri...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> "Dr John Watson" <drj...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in
messagenews:67t6njF2mlg22U1@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> This will upset the
Daily Mail - they were calling on tuesday for all
> > 3,000,000 cannabis users to jailed:
>
> > "That means not only tightening the law but seeing that it is
rigorously
> > enforced - against pushers and users alike."
>
> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/newscomment.html?...
>
>
>
> > I have no doubt there will be a rant against this in today's mail - I
look
> > forward to seeing it.
>
> > Police reject tougher action on cannabis
>
> > Brown plan to upgrade drug will not change 'confiscate and warn'
stance
>
> > Police will not adopt a tougher approach to cases of simple possession
of
> > cannabis when ministers upgrade the legal status of the drug to class
B,
> > the Guardian can disclose.
>
> > The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) confirmed last night
that
> > the current policy of "confiscate and warn" would continue, despite
Gordon
> > Brown's determination to reclassify the drug in an attempt to "send a
> > tough message" to young people about its use.
>
> > Chief constables are debating whether or not fixed penalty fines
should be
> > available alongside cannabis warnings. But the basic approach of
saving
> > police time by not making an arrest and taking the offender to the
police
> > station to be charged, introduced four years ago, will remain.
>
> > Before cannabis was downgraded to class C in 2004, 58% of possession
cases
> > formally dealt with by police ended in arrest and formal caution,
while
> > 42% were taken to court.
>
> > Campaigners for drug law reform last night questioned the relevance of
the
> > drug classification system, which dates back to 1971, and its ability
to
> > send a message.
>
> > Roger Howard, chief executive of the UK Drug Policy Commission, and a
> > former government drugs adviser, said: "There will be no new powers or
> > resources for policing if cannabis is made class B, and cannabis
warnings
> > can still be issued instead of arrest."
>
> > He said this underlined the muddle at the heart of government over the
> > purpose of a drug classification system which was unlikely ever to be
able
> > to "send a message to young people". Since cannabis had moved from
class B
> > to class C, the number of schoolchildren who think it is fine to try
> > cannabis had halved, he said.
>
> > It is expected that Acpo guidance to police officers will use
different
> > language from existing guidelines to stress the discretion that is
> > available to constables to take more robust action in cases involving
> > repeat offenders or aggravating factors such as disorder or evidence
of
> > organised crime.
>
> > An Acpo spokesman last night: "The key will be the discretion for
officers
> > to strike the right balance. We do not want to criminalise young
people
> > who are experimenting." However, he stressed that cases involving
> > "aggravating factors" were more likely to see an arrest and
prosecution.
>
> > When the police announced their sup****t for regrading cannabis as a
class
> > B drug this year, Simon Byrne, Merseyside's assistant chief constable
and
> > the Acpo lead on policing cannabis, entered a little-noticed but
crucial
> > caveat to the police position. He said that since cannabis had been
> > downgraded there had been growing concerns over increased potency, the
> > rise of "homegrown" cannabis farms and a perception that its legal
status
> > meant it was seen as a low policing priority.
>
> > But he added that the police had sup****ted the decision to downgrade
the
> > drug four years ago because of "the dispro****tionate time spent by
> > frontline police officers in dealing with offenders in possession of
small
> > amounts of cannabis for personal use. Should the decision be taken to
> > reclassify cannabis to a class B, Acpo believes the service should
retain
> > this flexibility in dealing with instances of possession on the
street,
> > including the discretion to issue warnings in appropriate
cir***stances".
>
> > The 2005 Serious and Organised Crime and Policing Act introduced new
> > criteria for making an arrest which emphasised that it had to be
necessary
> > because, for example, the officer doubted whether he had been given a
real
> > name or a valid address by the offender. The number of cannabis
warnings
> > issued has spiralled to more than 100,000 since its legal status was
> > downgraded; that forms an im****tant part of the ability of the police
to
> > meet their national target for the number of offences brought to
justice.
>
> > In legal terms, the move back to class B means the maximum prison
sentence
> > for possession will be increased from two to five years.
>
> > You see kids blantently smoking this on the streets, more so than
ever,
That's already illegal, so how would reclassification make a
difference?
> when you walk past houses the smell hits you, I think alot of crime is
> linked to its use,
When cannabis is a crime, only criminals deal cannabis.
> also kids are going younger that are using it
You think kids care about B vs. C?
> something need doing
Yes ... legalize it for adults so that its sellers have an incentive
to not sell to kids.
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