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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Cannabis 'won't be reclassified'
BBC Online
Wednesday 18 Jan 2006 Home Secretary Charles Clarke is expected to rule out reclassifying cannabis in a statement on Thursday. The drug was downgraded from class B to class C two years ago but concerns over a link between cannabis use and mental illness have mounted since. Mr Clarke ordered a review of the reclassification last year - saying the move had confused the public. He is expected to launch a public information campaign, rather than changing cannabis back to class B. Jail terms BBC News 24 chief political correspondent James Landale said that "toughening" up the classification would have presented Mr Clarke with a "huge lot of political problems". Experts and charities are divided over the possible reclassification. The maximum penalty for dealing in a class B drug is 14 years in jail, while class C dealing carries a maximum of five years. The Home Secretary has been criticised for spreading confusion after voicing concerns about the effects of the drug. A government awareness campaign will warn young people that cannabis is neither legal nor safe despite its reclassification. The change from a class B to a class C drug has made possession a non-arrestable offence in most cases. Mr Clarke's announcement follows an unpublished report from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, which apparently found the impact of smoking cannabis on mental health was more serious than previously thought. It is said to have stopped short of recommending reclassification and many experts believe that would be counter-productive. Mr Clarke was apparently warned by council members that some would consider quitting if he reclassified the drug.
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