cannabisnews.com: Police Fear Muddle Over Cannabis Laws 





Police Fear Muddle Over Cannabis Laws 
Posted by CN Staff on July 09, 2002 at 18:44:01 PT
By Nick Hopkins and Nicholas Watt
Source: Guardian Unlimited UK
The country's most senior police officers are frantically drawing up national guidelines for a "seize and warn" cannabis policy because of fears that the home secretary's plans for reclassification - due to be unveiled today - are likely to cause widespread confusion. Chief officers are concerned that forces are being left in limbo over how to deal with cannabis users, and that some will be tempted to introduce their own initiatives. 
Mr Blunkett intends to push through his commitment to downgrade cannabis from class B to class C, a category that does not give police an automatic power of arrest for simple possession. But to offset criticism that the government is soft on drugs, Mr Blunkett plans to give police the power of arrest when there are "aggravating factors", such as someone blowing smoke into an officer's face or being caught carrying the drug near a school. This surprise move might require primary legislation that could delay reclassification for several months. In the meantime, the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) has been asked to provide guidelines advising police when they can deal with cannabis users by seizing the drug and giving a formal warning, rather than by arresting them. Acpo is unlikely to report before October. The Metropolitan police is known to be seriously considering a "seize and warn" option for the whole of London. "The concern is that there is no clear guidance over when 'seize and warn' can be used," said one senior police source. "If officers are being told they can use their discretion, then they need to have firm guidelines to ensure that this is not abused. "It is going to become an issue of leadership and supervision. Without proper guidelines, then there could be differences in interpretation. What is accepted in London might not be accepted in towns like Chelmsford." The confusion over the reclassification of cannabis came as Iain Duncan Smith launched his strongest attack on the government's drugs policy during a tour of Brixton, the testing ground for the new initiative. Mr Duncan Smith said: "It is quite wrong surely to hand over drug policy to criminals on the street. We are saying to the home secretary stop and think again because this is not the right way to go about it." The Met is weighing up the fate of the controversial Lambeth cannabis experiment. Since July last year, officers in the south London borough have been cautioning rather than arresting people caught in possession of small amounts of cannabis so they can concentrate on arresting class A drug dealers and traffickers. The Met commissioner, Sir John Stevens, is now preparing to reintroduce the power of arrest pending the change in the law, but wants to take advantage of the extra flexibility that reclassification was designed to bring by giving offi cers the opportunity to "seize and warn". There has also been surprise that the home secretary is considering doubling the maximum sentence for cannabis dealing from five to 10 years in prison. Police fear that by attempting to soothe critics of reclassification, he has come up with a fudge that will send mixed signals over the status of cannabis. Danny Kushlick, of the drugs campaign group Transform, said it was "a classic case of mixing party political rhetoric with pragmatic reform. "The government's own strategy makes it clear that the focus of enforcement ought to be on heroin and crack dealing. The UK has adopted the worst of both worlds, whereby use has not been completely decriminalised and suppliers are being increasingly pushed outside the law." Special Report: Drugs in Britain: http://www.guardian.co.uk/drugs/0,2759,178206,00.htmlSource: Guardian Unlimited, The (UK)Author: Nick Hopkins and Nicholas WattPublished: Wednesday, July 10, 2002Copyright: 2002 Guardian Newspapers LimitedContact: comment guardian.co.uk Website: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Related Articles & Web Sites:Transform UKhttp://www.transform-drugs.org.uk/Drugs Uncovered: Observer Special http://freedomtoexhale.com/dc.htmSofter Line for Cannabis Lawshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13344.shtmlBritain To Relax Laws for Millions of Dope Smokers http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13339.shtmlPolice Chief Scorns Cannabis Pilot Critics http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13281.shtml
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