CANNABIS TO BE RECLASSIFIED

The soft drug cannabis is to be reclassified, the home secretary, David
Blunkett, announced today. Under new proposals, first recommended 18 months
ago, cannabis will move from class B to class C and will no longer be an
arrestable offence, heralding a massive shake-up of drugs policy.

Class C puts it in the same category as anti-depressants and steroids - but
LSD and ecstasy will remain class A drugs, Mr Blunkett said.

Mr Blunkett, who made the announcement before MPs on the home affairs
select committee, denied the move was decriminalisation by another name and
stressed the drug will remain illegal.

But in practice, cannabis smokers will be unlikely to face any consequences
if they are caught with small amounts of the drug.

If cannabis is re-graded as Class C, the maximum sentence for possession
would be two years in crown courts or three months in magistrates courts.

Only offences punishable with at least five years imprisonment are arrestable.

Possession with intent to supply or supplying Class C drugs carry a
five-year maximum.

Today's move is designed to free police time to concentrate on hard drugs
like heroin and cocaine, removing the "policing anomaly" which means nearly
seven out of 10 drug arrests are for a relatively harmless drug.

"Re-classification would be quite different from decriminalisation or
legalisation," said Mr Blunkett.

"Cannabis would remain a controlled drug and using it a criminal offence.

"It would not detract from the simple message that all drugs are harmful
and that no-one should take drugs.

"But it would make clearer the distinction between cannabis and Class A
drugs like heroin and cocaine.

"Above all it would make sense to both those policing the system and those
providing education and advice to prevent young people falling into addiction."

The police are believed to be concerned at the prospect of losing the power
to arrest someone for possession but ministers are not proposing to take
options which are open to them to retain it as an arrestable offence under
its new class C status.

"They will still have plenty of powers to stop people but possession of
cannabis won't be one of them," said a home office spokesman.

Mr Blunkett also said that if current clinical trials are successful he
will change the law to allow the use of cannabis-based prescription drugs
to combat conditions such as multiple sclerosis and arthritis.

A group of key experts has been set up to develop an action plan to tackle
the treatment of crack and cocaine, and with the Department of Health would
be producing new guidance for heroin prescribing.

"This will work towards providing a bridge between those who are obtaining
heroin illegally, often through criminal activity, and the methadone
treatment prescribing.

"It would be under highly secure and strict procedures and would allow the
transfer into treatment without the current risks that exist to heroin
users," he said.

In 1999, some 68% of the 120,000 drugs offences had been cannabis-related
with each one taking officers two to three hours to process.

Today's proposals would help "marry up reality with the law as it stands"
but were not a move towards reclassification of harder drugs, said a home
office official.

Reclassifying cannabis - or hash, as it is also known - was first
recommended by a Police Foundation report last year, after more than 30
years of lobbying and protests from the general public.