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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Cannabis kids in eviction row
The Sheffield Star
Monday 08 Nov 2004 PARENTS of youths found smoking cannabis could face losing their council homes, police have told a community. Pc Andy Thompson told a public meeting that drug-fuelled misbehaviour by kids could rebound on their parents to such a degree that the whole family could be evicted. Today, though, senior council officials, politicians and drugs workers said the threat, against parents in the Penistone area, was "out of all proportion and wrong". Eight teenagers were found in a "highly intoxicated" state in the waiting room at Penistone railway station by community constable Pc Thompson Two face possible action for being in possession of cannabis and all eight have been sent warning letters about anti-social behaviour. Most of the eight live in council houses in the area and police have written to Barnsley Council about their misbehaviour. Pc Thompson told an area forum meeting: "It is up to the council what action they are going to take, but an option is to evict these tenants. It is a possibility that the parents of these youths who live in council houses face losing their tenancies because of what their sons have been doing." But the man responsible for taking eviction action against nuisance tenants in Barnsley, Paul Brannan, today said the policeman was wrong and no such action will be taken. "We will - and we do - take action against tenants whose behaviour causes fear, alarm or distress to others," he said. "If people are using drugs in or around their home and their behaviour causes a nuisance to other residents we have a responsibility to act and we will do so. "However, on this occasion taking action to evict their parents would not be appropriate and would not be proportional to the misbehaviour. "There are many ways to deal with nuisance youths under the new anti-social behaviour legislation. "However I would stress tenants who indulge in anti-social behaviour causing a real nuisance to their neighbours can and will face eviction." Barnsley West and Penistone MP, Mick Clapham, said: "I do not condone the smoking of cannabis. But to suggest that these parents could be evicted because of what their sons did in this situation is wrong."
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