CANNABIS USERS WILL NOT FACE FINES

Cannabis users will not face fines when the drug is reclassified next
week, it was disclosed today.

Marijuana will be moved from Class C to Class B on Monday, but delays in
Parliament mean police will not be able to issue the fines.

Under the new regime, police will issue a warning to anyone caught with
cannabis for a first offence.

A second offence should result in an #80 fine and penalty notice, with a
third "strike" leading to arrest.

But earlier this week the order to make cannabis use an offence punishable
with the penalty notice and fine was withdrawn from Parliament. It is not
due to be debated until Wednesday at the earliest.

The Ministry of Justice said the order was dropped when ministers decided
to consult on a range of new offences to be punishable with penalty
notices.

A spokesman said: "Penalty notices for disorder for possession of cannabis
will go ahead as soon as possible subject to the agreement of Parliament.

"Cannabis is being reclassified from Class C to B on 26 January.

"The Home Secretary [Jacqui Smith] has made clear that PNDs are necessary
for possession of cannabis to allow police to operate an escalated
enforcement regime.

"The police are currently able to deal with the offence of cannabis
possession by warning or by prosecution."

Ms Smith, who has admitted smoking cannabis at university, decided to
reclassify the drug in May last year because of fears over its impact on
the mental health of young people.

Cannabis was moved to Class C, the same class as bodybuilding steroids and
some tranquillisers, by then home secretary David Blunkett in 2004.

But concerns over increased use of stronger strains of "skunk" and the
effect it was having on brains which are still developing, prompted the
change.

In Class B, cannabis users who are successfully prosecuted can face an
unlimited fine and up to five years in prison.

A report out yesterday showed record numbers of young people were being
given help for drug and alcohol abuse because of an increase in treatment
places.