Letter: Arresting Facts
Source: Yorkshire Evening Press
Date: February 6 2007
Author: Steve Clements
CONSIDERING that cannabis possession is supposed to be a non-arrestable offence
for adults, in the absence of certain circumstances (smoking in public, near a
school, etcetera) is it possible to find out under the Freedom of Information
Act how many arrests there have been for cannabis as opposed to class A drugs?
My point is that despite the reclassification of cannabis, users are still
being targeted more than class A drug users. This is a soft-target approach,
which is not what was intended by the change in the law.
Class A drugs are rife and it seems little is being done, whilst cannabis use
is being disproportionately targeted, because it's an easy target to make the
police arrest figures look good.
Most cannabis users commit no other offence and are usually otherwise
law-abiding.
Is it really in the public interest to drag people through the courts for using
a plant and doing no harm to others?
Steve Clements, The Legalise Cannabis Alliance
http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/readersletters/display.var.1171655.0.arresting_facts.php