GOVERNMENT RECLASSIFYING CANNABIS DESPITE FALL IN USE

Illegal drug use is in decline in England and Wales with cannabis use
at its lowest level for a decade, according to a report.

Despite the fall in use of cannabis, the Government said it was
determined to press ahead with reclassifying the drug from Class C to
Class B in January.

The Home Office said the decision to reclassify was taken on the
basis of the potential of cannabis to cause harm not on the
prevalence of its use.

"We have to ensure that the classification of cannabis reflects the
alarming fact that skunk, the highest potency herbal cannabis, now
dominates the cannabis market, and we must respond robustly to
reverse the massive growth in the commercial cultivation of cannabis
in the United Kingdom in the last few years," the spokesman said.

"Reclassifying cannabis will help to drive enforcement priorities to
shut the 'cannabis farms' down."

Figures from the British Crime Survey for 2007/8 show that 9.3 per
cent of those aged 16-59, about 3m people, used an illegal drug in
the last year.

That was down from 10 per cent the previous year and is the lowest
level recorded since the survey began carrying drug use figures in 1996.

The Home Office said the fall was mainly a result of reductions in
the use of cannabis. An estimated 7.4 per cent of adults 16-59, about
2.4m people, said they had used cannabis in the last year.

That was down from 10.9 per cent in 2002/3, the year before cannabis
was downgraded from a Class B to a Class C drug.

The use of Class A drugs, including cocaine and heroin, also fell
slightly last year with 3 per cent of adults or 949,000 people saying
they had used them in the previous year.

Yesterday's figures do not reflect the full extent of drug use as the
BCS does not interview youngsters under 16 and as a household survey
it misses groups with a potentially high rate of drug use: the
homeless, students living in halls of residence and prisoners.

Separate figures published yesterday showed a 15 per cent increase in
drug seizures in 2006. There were 186,028 drug seizures, a level not
seen since 1973.

But the seizure record was mainly a result of a 44 per cent rise in
the confiscation of small amounts of herbal cannabis after the
introduction of police warnings for personal possession of the drug in 2004.

The data on drugs was accompanied by a released on alcohol licensing
figures showing that the number of licensed premises continued to
increase after the reform of licensing laws introduced extended opening hours.

There was a 6 per cent increase to 195,500 in the number of premises
licensed to sell alcohol which can range from public houses to
community centres.

Official figures show the number of "24-hour" alcohol licences rose
to 6,700 in March this year, from 5,900 in March 2007.

Of the 24-hour licences, the vast majority - 4,100 - are for hotel
bars; a further 1,300 are supermarkets and stores.

The number of pubs, bars and nightclubs with round-the-clock licences
rose from 600 to 700.

Gerry Sutcliffe, the licensing minister, said: " The small rise in
the number of 24-hour licences shows people are taking advantage of
the flexibility on offer ? the predicted explosion in 24-hour
drinking has failed to materialise."