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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Police chief says cannabis proposals far too lenient
John Steele The Telegraph
Wednesday 07 Dec 2005 The Metropolitan Police Commissioner rekindled the row over cannabis policy yesterday when he said the amount that the Government had suggested as the level to determine personal use or dealing was much too high. Sir Ian Blair said his force had made clear to the Home Office - which last week published proposed guidelines for the "threshold" levels for possession of drugs, above which someone would be assumed to be dealing - that it was surprised by the suggested level for cannabis. The figure for cannabis was 4oz (113g) for resin or 17.6oz (500g) for leaf. Four ounces of resin would be enough to roll about 500 "light" joints or about 250 strong ones, according to the drugs education charity DrugScope. Sir Ian, speaking at a meeting of the Metropolitan Police Authority in London, was asked his view on the cannabis threshold. He said: "We have already made clear to the Home Office we are surprised by the amount being discussed for what would not be for personal use. It's a great deal higher than we would have expected. Our view is we would need to negotiate that figure a long way down." His comments came as the Home Office released figures showing that offences involving cocaine - from possession to trafficking - rose by 16 per cent last year to record levels in England and Wales. The number of Class A "hard drugs" offences dealt with by police reached a new peak of 36,350, up two per cent on 2003. There were 8,070 cocaine offences, compared with 6,970 the previous year, while the number of crack cocaine offences rose eight per cent to 2,440. Overall drug offences fell 21 per cent to 105,570, due to the Government's "downwards" reclassification of cannabis from Class B to Class C early last year. Only 49,840 people were found guilty or cautioned by police for drug offences compared with 82,060 in 2003, a fall of 39 per cent. Critics argue that dealers in cannabis and other drugs will carry just under the threshold to avoid being charged with intent to supply. However, the Home Office made clear last week that threshold amounts, to be provided for the guidance of courts under the 2005 Drugs Act, would be the trigger limit above which a suspect, or defendant, would be required to prove that the intent was not to supply. The Home Office and police chiefs stressed that people with lower amounts might still be charged with supply if there was other evidence - such as possession of scales, or sales to undercover officers - to prove intent to supply. Sir Ian also said that a rise in gun crime was causing "considerable concern". Latest police figures showed gun crime in London was up 11.4 per cent. The shadow home affairs minister, Cheryl Gillan, said the drugs figures underlined "the Government's failure to get a grip on Class A drug abuse".
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