Pub Date: 11 July 2002

Subj: Police will not 'go soft'

Author: Jonathan Barnes

Contact: eadtletters@ecn.co.uk

Cited: Legalise Cannabis Alliance - http://www.lca-uk.org

POLICE WILL NOT 'GO SOFT'

POLICE officers in Suffolk will not be "going soft" on cannabis use despite possession of the drug no longer being an arrestable offence.

PC Chris Sadler, chairman of the Suffolk Police Federation, said the Government's move to reclassify cannabis as a Class C drug would not significantly change how officers dealt with users.

He said officers would caution people found in possession of cannabis and would be able to start court proceedings as well as confiscate the drugs.

"Because we are not making arrests there will be a reduction to police time, which is great. My only real concern is that it might give the wrong impression we are somehow going soft on cannabis and that is not our intention," he said.

"It is still a criminal offence and not something we want people to get involved in. It does tend to be a slippery slope to stronger drugs and I don't think it will ever be decriminalised."

But pro-cannabis campaigner John Ramirez said the move was a "step in the right direction" to legalising the drug.

Mr Ramirez, who fought a possession charge on human rights grounds after police found £5 of the drug in a raid at his home, polled 236 votes for the Legalise Cannabis Alliance at November's by-election in Ipswich.

He said: "Cannabis is already a socially acceptable drug and should be regarded in the same way as tobacco and alcohol, but less harmful.

This move is a step in the right direction, but there is a long way to go before universal acceptance that cannabis is a naturally produced plant that has been used medically spiritually and recreationally for millennia."

Carey Godfrey co-ordinator of the Suffolk Drug Action Team (DAT), said he was concerned about the impact the legislation would have on drug use.

 He said: "I think the legislation reflects what is happening in our communities. Police are not targeting cannabis users but are spending more time on Class A drugs such as heroin and cocaine.