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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: New drugs limits to allow 500 'joints' for personal use
The Telegraph
Wednesday 30 Nov 2005 People caught by police with up to 500 cannabis joints on them are likely to escape drug dealing charges under new Home Office proposals. Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, revealed the plans to set a "threshold" for the amount of drugs an individual can claim is their own personal "stash". Setting a formal limit will affect how many people can be prosecuted as drug dealers and how many escape with lesser charges. A letter from the Home Office's Drugs Legislation and Enforcement Unit revealed the proposed thresholds were: 7 grams of heroin, crack coacaine or cocaine in bulk, 10 Ecstasy tablets, 14 grams of amphetamine, 4oz of cannabis resin and 0.5 kilograms of cannabis leaf. Four ounces of cannabis is enough to roll about 512 light joints or about 256 strong ones. The letter also added: "Being in possession of a lower-than-prescribed amount of a controlled drug will not prevent prosecution for the offence of intent to supply if other evidence demonstrates that the defendant had the necessary intent, for example, the possession of dealing paraphernalia or test purchase evidence." Alistair Carmichael, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, claimed the proposals will lead to drug dealers being "let off the hook": "Set the limit too low, and you treat all users as dealers. Set it too high, and many dealers will argue that the drugs were for personal use." Cheryl Gillan, the shadow home affairs minister, said: "We can expect to see [drug dealers] carry around just less than the prescribed amount so that if they get caught, they will have a powerful case that it is only for their personal use."
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