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UK: Pilot scheme could see cannabis 'decriminalised' in London Tony Diver and Natalie King Wales Online Tuesday 04 Jan 2022 Sadiq Khan is reportedly working on a scheme that will end prosecutions for young people caught with cannabis, and which may extend to decriminalising other Class B drugs such as ketamine and amphetamines. According to a report from the Daily Telegraph, under the pilot scheme, police officers in the boroughs of Lewisham, Bexley and Greenwich would be asked not to arrest young people who are in possession of cannabis. The Mayor of London is also considering offering educational programmes, in the style of speed awareness courses, and counselling to people under the age of 25 who are caught with Class B drugs. This would in effect mean that drugs such as ketamine and speed would be decriminalised in areas of the capital. Offenders who are caught with these drugs would not be taken into police custody, but instead returned to their family homes. They’d then be offered access to courses which would educate them on the potential dangers of drug use. These would be run by youth workers, rather than police officers, with counselling available to young people who need it. According to the Telegraph, the pilot scheme will be announced this month, with Mayor of Lewisham, Damien Egan, taking the lead. Research seen by the Mayor of London’s team has suggested that police are spending large amounts of time dealing with drug crime. In Lewisham, between 2016 and 2020, nine out of 10 drug prosecutions against young people were related to cannabis. Mr Khan pledged to set up the London Drugs Commission during his last election campaign, which was originally set to review whether the possession of cannabis should be decriminalised. However, with the amnesty potentially extending to all Class B drugs, other substances could be decriminalised in the capital. The government recently published a 10-year drugs strategy, with a crackdown on recreational users. This will see the largest ever increase in funding for drug treatment, but also see harsher penalties for Class A drug users, such as the confiscation of passports. Mr Khan’s scheme may clash with the government’s plans to get tougher on drug use. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/pilot-scheme-could-see-cannabis-22636011?fbclid=IwAR10CdFxLvnnlQ8zNTfQcSlvDPpOtP1F4dZ-4irNCCQFOKeWXNVCGoA8K6w
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