POLICE 'CONFUSED' ABOUT CANNABIS POSSESSION LAW

The government's decision to downgrade cannabis to Class C status has
left police confused about whether to arrest, caution or let free
people they catch with the drug.

A major new study reveals that officers are mistakenly arresting
cannabis users, even though offenders should now receive only a
warning, in line with the reclassification of the drug in 2004 from
Class B to Class C.

Many officers do not issue the 'street warning' to users - the legal
equivalent of a slap on the wrist - which police chiefs say should be
the way of treating cannabis possession, according to the report from
a team of criminologists at the Institute for Criminal Policy Research
at King's College, London.

Mike Hough, the report's author, said: 'The government's intention to
reclassify was intended to signal to the police that they should deal
with cannabis possession offences with a lighter touch, and generally
speaking deal with these offences by street warning. But our study
shows that that's not happening.'

Jan Berry, Police Federation chairwoman, said: 'Despite
reclassification, which we think is a waste of time, we still consider
cannabis is a gateway to stronger drugs, and the problems that creates
will continue.'

Harry Shapiro of Drugscope, said it was clear that beat officers were
continuing to charge and caution offenders, and not simply warn them,
because many disagreed with reclassification, not because they were
confused about how to apply the law.

A Home Office spokesman said: 'The government's drug strategy, which
involves education, enforcement and treatment, is working. According
to the British Crime Survey, cannabis misuse has fallen among young
people.'