POLICE FORCES TURN BLIND EYE TO CANNABIS USE

Possession of cannabis has been effectively decriminilised by Scottish
police forces, a senior officer has admitted.

An informal policy of confiscating cannabis and warning users is now
widespread and has been sanctioned at the highest level by at least one
major force, Lothians and Borders. The senior officer told Scotland on
Sunday: "Every force is doing this to some extent, although they have to
deny it officially."

Lothian and Borders is instead concentrating on heroin and other hard drugs,
and last weekend alone arrested 45 people as part of its ongoing Operation
Foil.

The long-running row over the decriminalisation of cannabis was re-ignited
after one of the country's most senior judges, Lord McCluskey, had
criticised the amount of police time wasted trying to enforce the laws on
cannabis.

Last week, a senior source at Lothians and Borders, speaking on condition of
anonymity, confirmed that his force, and others, have already "effectively
decriminilised" cannabis possession.

The source said: "For small user amounts we do not put it through the
criminal justice system. We give a warning, which is not recorded anywhere,
and we confiscate and destroy the drug.

"Small user amounts of cannabis are so common there is no point in officers
seizing it, having it analyzed at the laboratory, and putting it to the
procurator fiscal.

"As far as I am aware, everyone is doing the same, but obviously can't own
up to it. It is better to concentrate our limited resources on dealers."

Mike Cadger, of drug group Crew 2000, said their evidence suggested people
caught with up to an eigth of an ounce of cannabis resin were likely to
escape with confiscation and a warning. Such an amount is worth about UKP15
on the streets and enough for 8-16 joints. He added: "The danger is that,
because it's unofficial policy, it is not always consistent."

John Lang, project co-ordinator of the West Fife Community Drugs Project,
said: "I believe there is an unofficial adoption by some police that small
amounts of cannabis should not be prosecuted."

And Dave Liddell, of the Glasgow-based Scottish Drugs Forum, said: "The
anecdotal evidence suggests the same thing is going on throughout the
country, but seems to depend on individual officers."

Roseanna Cunningham, the SNP's legal affairs spokeswoman, said: "This is not
an acceptable state of affairs. We cannot afford for law and police practice
to be developing in a piecemeal fashion across the country.

"If this is happening it shows there is a vacuum in the law to be filled.
The SNP wants special drugs courts, allowing the higher courts to deal with
more serious crime."

Tory law and order spokesman Phil Gallie said: "It may be that we should
consider bringing in on-the-spot fines."

Rank-and-file police officers are also concerned. One said: "it is a police
officer's duty to enforce laws. This increases the risk that different
standards of justice will develop across the country."

Scotland on Sunday asked all eight Scottish forces to comment but only four
replied. Three - Strathclyde, Tayside and Central - denied they ever ignored
cannabis possession.

Lothians and Borders officially denied any softening towards their policy on
drugs, but admitted that in cases where there was "dubiety" about who
possesed the cannabis, officers could use their discretion to confiscate,
and take no further action.