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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Cannabis users may be let off with a warning
John Steele The Telegraph
Wednesday 28 Mar 2001 DRUG users found with small amounts of cannabis should be let off with a formal warning rather than being arrested and cautioned, a senior police officer has proposed. Under the plan floated by Cdr Brian Paddick, head of the Metropolitan Police Lambeth division, which covers Brixton, officers would take drugs off those possessing them, record their confiscation and issue an on-the-spot warning. Unofficial use of such warnings is thought to have already been in operation in the Met and other forces. But the Brixton proposal is believed to be the first time a senior officer has officially suggested the use of the tactic for cannabis. A caution, which can only be administered after the person admits guilt, is effectively a form of criminal record and must be declared to prospective employers. Last year, police in England and Wales issued 57,000 cautions for cannabis use and possession. A warning is a lesser penalty and is only recorded locally by police. It does not have to be declared by someone applying for a job. Scotland Yard said yesterday the warning idea was a "local initiative" and not force policy. It was allowed under guidelines from the Home Office. It added that the act of confiscating drugs, asking a person to sign to acknowledge this and issuing a warning could be done much more quickly than the hours it took officers to arrest someone, take them to a station and organise a caution. Cdr Paddick said: "Brixton is known as a place to come and buy drugs. The message will be that you may be able to come and buy, but you might not be able to leave with your purchase." The policy could take some of the heat out of the controversy about stop-and-searches in London. A significant proportion of searches currently relates to cannabis possession.
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