GORDON BROWN'S CANNABIS LAWS UNDER FIRE

People caught in possession of cannabis are still likely to escape
with a caution, despite Gordon Brown's plan to reclassify the drug.

Upgrading cannabis to class B will make little difference to the way
it is policed on the streets, but will allow for prison sentences to
be longer in the most serious cases.

The Association of Chief Police Officers want the "flexibility" to
maintain the use of simply issuing warnings and confiscating the drug
where appropriate, when ministers upgrade its legal status to class
B.

An Acpo spokesman said: "The key will be discretion for officers to
strike the right balance. We do not want to criminalise young people
who are experimenting."

It comes despite the Prime Minister's determination to "send a tough
message" to young people about the use of cannabis.

David Davis, the shadow home secretary, yesterday criticised Mr Brown
for confusion over the status of the drug.

He said: "What kind of message does it send to young people about the
danger of this drug if you will still get away with a warning?

"Clearly the Prime Minister hasn't got a grip on this policy - that
makes him part of the problem, not the solution."

Senior police officers are however considering a crackdown on cannabis
users in the same way they target speeding motorists - by fining them
UKP80.

Under proposals being considered, people caught in possession of
cannabis will be issued with a fixed penalty notice, which counts as
an unofficial criminal record.

Penalties are recorded on the Police National Computer and repeat
offenders would face arrest and potential jail sentences.

Police recognise concerns about the spiralling mental health toll from
super-strength "skunk" cannabis, which now accounts for 80 per cent of
the UK market.

Only a fraction of the estimated three million regular cannabis
smokers in Britain are punished.

Figures for the Metropolitan Police show that between April 2005 and
January 2006, 24,916 people in London were accused of cannabis
possession. But nearly seven in 10 were let off with a formal warning.

Typically, no record is kept of the offence because it is defined in
law as a civil penalty with no evidence presented in court.

Yet senior police officers told The Daily Telegraph they want to treat
those being caught with cannabis as seriously as speeding, where a
pattern of repeat offending eventually leads to a driving ban.

This would allow police to keep track of repeat offenders and take
further action if necessary.

The penalty notices would also be disclosed to potential employers,
with the agreement of the particular force's chief constable.

Simon Byrne, an assistant chief constable and the national lead on
policing cannabis for the Association of Chief Police Officers,
believes sanctions against cannabis possession were not strong enough.

He said: "You can drive a car along the road with no seat belt and get
a fixed penalty notice. Or you can use your phone and get points on
your licence and an UKP80 fine.

"But you can walk the streets in possession of an illegal drug and
technically you get your wrist slapped."

Mr Byrne, who is Assistant Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, said:
"The sanction could simply be a financial one or it could be a
financial one plus a criminal record which obviously then has an
impact on your future life if you are trying to go for certain types
of job."