MIXED MESSAGES ON CANNABIS

Three spliffs and you are out sounds like a simple rule, easy to remember
even for people who are often stoned. But there is a great deal that is
unclear about the guidelines for policing cannabis now under discussion by
the Association of Chief Police Officers. When cannabis is reclassified,
probably next July, from a Class B to a Class C drug, on a par with anabolic
steroids and prescription tranquillisers, adults found in possession of
small amounts will be warned, and the drugs seized, but they will not
normally be arrested.

That has been billed by the Home Secretary as a timely shift, which will
result in more police and court time being devoted to dealing with drug
pushers rather than small time users. In principle this is sensible, as
cannabis is certainly less harmful than heroin or cocaine. However, in an
apparent attempt to claw back some power to manage what could be a big
expansion in cannabis use, the police want to keep their ability to arrest
users who refuse to hand over their stash, threaten public order, or, most
controversially, who have already been warned twice for possession.

The trouble then is that if use of the drug becomes much more common, plenty
of occasional users may find themselves stopped three times and could end up
in court. That would result in exactly the sort of time-wasting by the
police that the change of policy was supposed to avoid.

The policy of the normally astute and sensible Mr Blunkett of increasing
punishment for dealing while downgrading the legal status of cannabis has
sent a confusing message to the public. It may well increase cannabis
consumption overall, to the likely detriment of the most vulnerable members
of society, and particularly of those too young to assess for themselves the
risks of using even minor drugs. No-one can predict precisely what the
effects of the new policy will be, and APCO is at least suggesting a method
of involving parents when under-18s are found in possession. But the day may
come when Mr Blunkett wishes he had left well alone.