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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Police cannabis experiment 'shows significant flaws'
Ananova
Saturday 11 May 2002 A senior police officer has spoken out over a controversial cannabis pilot scheme. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Michael Fuller, of the Metropolitan Police, was speaking about the six-month scheme, in Lambeth, south London. He said it had "significant" flaws and sent out "mixed messages" to the public, especially children. He added that it was too short and had led to misunderstandings among the public. It gave the impression that cannabis had been legalised, attracting more dealers and users to the area, said the officer, who is head of the force's drugs directorate co-ordinating drugs policy. The scheme, introduced by Commander Brian Paddick in July last year, works by giving either formal or informal warnings to anyone found with cannabis on the streets for personal use. Officers argue that it gives them more time to concentrate on the fight against harder drugs, such as heroin and crack cocaine. In an article in Police Review, Mr Fuller said that although officers had less administrative work and 1,350 police hours had been saved - the equivalent to having two extra, full-time officers on the streets - possession and trafficking offences increased. There were 35% more cannabis possession offences and an 11% increase in trafficking compared with the same period the previous year. Possession offences fell by 4% and trafficking dropped by 34% in adjoining boroughs.
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