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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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New study reveals police think coffee is more addictive than cannabis Michael Fleet BBC Thursday 18 Nov 1999 Panorama reveals the results of a new study which shows that the police officers questioned believe coffee is more addictive than cannabis. The study obtained by Panorama questioned police from three different forces about their attitudes to drugs and cautioning. It was carried out by researcher Hendrien Kaal of Bristol University as part of a Ph.D.(hendrien@kaal.ndo.co.uk) Ninety five officers across a range of ranks were surveyed. Asked to rate substances for addictiveness, the police questioned put drugs in the following order: 1st Crack as the most addictive 2nd heroin. 3rd Cocaine 4th tobacco 5th alcohol Coffee is tenth ahead of cannabis, which was ranked lowest at eleventh. (i) When asked about potential harm caused by taking a substance cannabis rates just ahead of coffee but scores far lower than alcohol and tobacco. (ii) Hypothetical scenarios In the study, the police questioned were also asked how they would respond to scenarios involving different drugs. Cannabis They were presented with a situation where the police go to a house where the owner is growing four cannabis plants. There is also some additional marijuana. Most of the police interviewed felt this was a run of the mill sort of case and certainly not a major crime. Whatever their personal views of the current cannabis law: Two thirds said they would not prosecute in this case. (iii) Only 11 per cent said they definitely would prosecute. Nine out of ten felt, as drugs cases go, this one wasn`t very serious. Heroin In a scenario involving heroin a routine stop and search takes place and a man is found in possession. He says it is for his own use. He`s an addict. This was considered by most officers to be a serious drugs case - or at least a case involving a serious drug - and over two thirds say they would prosecute. (iv) Ecstasy In another hypothetical case an 18 year old is detained by doormen at a nightclub. They say he has been selling drugs. The police are called and find he has 20 ecstasy tablets. Only ten per cent would consider cautioning while around eighty per cent go for prosecution and ninety per cent are adamant that this is a serious drug offence. (v) Cocaine In the final scenario a young mother is caught with cocaine. She and her children have no home, and stay with her sister although she¿s hoping for a place of their own. She said she was holding the small amount of cocaine, a Class A drug, for somebody else; and she had children and she was violent. In this case only a slight majority of those questioned were likely to prosecute. (vi) Notes on Study (i) Each officer was given 11 substances and asked to rank them from 1 to 11 as most to least addictive. The results were averaged out for the 95 officers. The complete list of substances ranked as most to least addictive is Crack, Heroin, Cocaine, Tobacco, Alcohol, Methadone, Amphetamines, LSD, Ecstasy, Coffee, Alcohol. (ii) Each officer was given 11 substances and asked to rank them from 1 to 11 as most to least harmful. The results were averaged out for the 95 officers. The complete list of substances ranked from most to least harmful is Crack, Heroin, Cocaine, LSD, Ecstasy, Amphetamines, Methadone, Tobacco, Alcohol, Cannabis, Coffee. (iii) 42 out of 95 officers said they would not prosecute. 21 out of 95 said there was a less than 25% chance they would prosecute. (63 out of 95 in total.) (iv) 47 out of 95 respondents say they would prosecute. 21 out of 95 say there is a 75% chance they would prosecute. (68 out of 95 in total) (v) 56 out of 95 respondents say they would prosecute. 23 out of 95 respondents say there is a greater than 75% chance they would prosecute. (79 out of 95 in total) (vi) 46 out of 95 respondents stated there was a more than 50% chance they would prosecute the defendant.
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