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UK: Police view on cannabis law

Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police

The Times

Friday 30 Jan 2004

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Letters to the Editor

Police view on cannabis law
From the Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police

Sir, The factors involved in the decision to reclassify cannabis (letters,
January 23 and 28) are much wider than the effectiveness of police
activity. But, in the week that the drug is reclassified, it is pertinent
to put on record that the Metropolitan Police Service supports the
enforcement regime now envisaged, which is based on its advice to the Home
Office.

During the 30 years of my police service, the policing of possession of
small amounts of cannabis has become increasingly pointless. It was grossly
inefficient for officers to spend hours processing individuals for
possession of cannabis in amounts about which neither the courts nor
therefore the CPS were prepared to take any action. Nor was it fair to pass
the burden of such a situation on to individual officers, who would be left
open to all sorts of allegations for failing to arrest someone when faced
with evidence of possession of what has until now been a Class B drug, for
which arrest is effectively compulsory.

The retention of a power of arrest in some circumstances, however,
particularly to discourage the use of the drug by people under 18, exactly
concurs with the advice we gave to the Home Office.

The police fulfil the will of Parliament and, should a future government
decide, for whatever reason, to reverse this reclassification, we will
return to enforcement as it was. In the meantime, while the message to
those who use this illegal drug is more complicated, we believe that the
new rules of engagement will become clear quite quickly.

Yours faithfully,
IAN BLAIR,
Deputy Commissioner,
Metropolitan Police Service,
New Scotland Yard,
Broadway, SW1H 0BG.
January 26.

 

 

 

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