MET ENDS LAMBETH CANNABIS SCHEME

A scheme in which people caught in possession of small amounts of cannabis
are let off with a warning ends next week, when police will start arresting
users of the drug again.

The tougher approach follows criticism that the year-long pilot project in
Lambeth, south London, was attracting drug-dealers to the area and giving a
"mixed message" to youngsters, many of whom assumed cannabis had been
legalised.

Under the new rules, officers will be instructed to make arrests for
possession if they fear public disorder, if the drug is smoked openly, or if
it is found on anyone under 17. Other people caught with small quantities
will still be given a warning and the drug will be confiscated.

The changes will bring Lambeth into line with a new national approach,
following the decision by David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, to downgrade
cannabis from Class B to Class C, making possession a less serious offence.

Once the changes become law, police plan to adopt a tiered approach, in
which most people caught with small quantities will not be prosecuted. The
more liberal approach, pioneered by Commander Brian Paddick, was aimed at
freeing up police to tackle crack and heroin abuse.

Brian Moore, Acting Borough Commander for Lambeth, said: "From 1 August,
cannabis will still be seized and formal warnings issued. However, where
aggravating circumstances apply, officers will be able to exercise
discretion over whether to arrest."

- -- Drug use is soaring among children, according to figures published
yesterday. Government statistics for 2001 show that 6 per cent of
11-year-olds and 39 per cent of 15-year-olds in England had used drugs
during the previous year. Cannabis was the most frequently reported, with 13
per cent of 11- to 15-year-olds having taken it.