NO 'BLIND EYE' TO CANNABIS USERS

Police Will Continue To Crack Down On Cannabis Use

Scottish police will not turn a blind eye to cannabis use when it is
downgraded to a Class C drug, Deputy Justice Minister Hugh Henry has
said.

He denied the home secretary's move to downgrade the drug from Class B
sent out a conflicting message.

A UKP 1m advertising campaign will remind people that cannabis remains
illegal.

Police in England will, in future, make arrests only rarely for
possession of small amounts of the drug.

Mr Henry told BBC Radio Scotland there would be no change in practice
in Scotland, despite the change next week.

While the law on drug classification is a power reserved to
Westminster, policing and law and order are devolved.

Denying that downgrading the drug implied a lighter touch by Scottish
police in future, he said: "It does not imply that at all. In Scotland
the police will operate in the same way they have been operating."

"The point of reclassification is that the home secretary was given
medical and scientific advice that the effects of cannabis, compared
to certain other drugs, should be looked at differently.

"It's merely a statement of whether cannabis is as serious a drug as,
for example, heroin or cocaine. It does not imply that cannabis is a
safe drug."

Mr Henry added: "It is an illegal drug and anyone caught in possession
will still be open to criminal prosecution.

"In Scotland, we will make a decision on how we apply the law and
police it. And our view remains consistent. There is no change - the
police will act in the way they have always acted, and the advice from
the Crown Office will remain as it was before."