CANANBIS LAW IS WELCOMED

Steps To Let People To Use Cannabis Without Fear Of Arrest Have Been Welcomed In The City.

New guidelines are in the final stages of being drawn up which would
see the drug downgraded from a B class to C class.

Home secretary David Blunkett hopes the move will free up more police
time to deal with more serious drugs such as crack cocaine and heroin.

The new laws are the final stage in the Government's re-classification
policy, which changes its drug status from B to C class -- which means
cannabis would still be illegal but people carrying it for "personal
use" would not be arrested.

Grow Systems on Lincoln Road, New England, Peterborough, sells
cannabis seeds -- which is not illegal.

Manager Jim Norton, said his customers welcomed the downgrading of the
drug.

He said: "Finally something is being done to stop this law which has
persecuted innocent people for so many years.

"Unfortunately, because it is classed as a drug, it means that people
who use it are put into the same category as hard drug users and this
can lead to them moving onto harder drugs."

The new law, if approved by parliament, would come into action in
January.

If approved, cannabis would fall into the same category as anabolic
steroids and growth hormones.

Head of operations at Cambridgeshire Police, Superintendent Paul
Phillipson, said: "We support the Government's decision because it now
gives clarity to how we deal with cannabis users.

"This now gives us much more time to deal with harder drugs, which has
always been our priority.

"However, just because we have re-classified it does not mean we have
de-regulated it and we still have the power of arrest.

"So this does not make it all right for people to smoke it on the
streets."

The news has been met by anger from anti-drugs campaigners who say
smoking cannabis leads people into taking harder drugs and could have
long-term health implications.

MP Helen Clark is against the re-classification. She said: "I don't
agree with this at all."

"I think that it is a real danger, especially in young men, because it
has been proven to cause schizophrenia and there is research to
support this."

Persistent re-offenders can be arrested

Police will still be able to arrest people for possession of cannabis
if it is more than for "personal use" -- a limit to be set by the Home
Office.

Under 18s will be given a formal warning if they are found in
possession of the drug, and anyone found smoking the drug in public
will be arrested and charged.

Police will have powers to arrest people who are repeatedly found in
possession of cannabis -- although a "three strikes and you're out"
policy was dropped last year.

And to combat dealers Home Secretary David Blunkett has given police
the powers to arrest anyone in possession of cannabis where children
gather, such as youth clubs, schools and playgrounds.