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Friday, 19th March 2010

Cannabis cautions soar by 150%

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Published Date:
26 November 2008
The number of cautions issued for cannabis use in Lancashire has rocketed by 151% in 12 months.
Figures released in Westminster show that there were 528 cannabis warnings issued by Lancashire Police in 2007/08 compared to just 210 the previous year.

The revelation comes after peers spoke out in the House of Lords to support delaying government plans to upgrade cannabis from Class C to Class B after it was opposed by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.

Debra Bell, of the Talking About Cannabis group, said she welcomed the rise in police action for cannabis crimes.

Mrs Bell, who is originally from Lancaster, said of the figures: "I'm not surprised. I think the cannabis message has got to go out strongly and having a criminal record is something that can have a serious impact on your life.

"Cannabis is the drug of choice for young teenagers and we have a huge problem across the UK.

"It's reaching epidemic proportions. If government reclassifies the drug, we are hoping more resources are given to police and they will have more confidence.

"Cannabis can have a long-term mental health impact and this is something we need to get across to the public."

Lancashire police say neighbouring forces are issuing more cautions for cannabis offences.

Insp John Clucas, of Lancashire Constabulary, said: "The number of formal warnings issued has increased as we have tightened up our procedures."

Talking of the Lancashire figures, Don Barnard of the Legalise Cannabis Alliance, said: "The police should be spending more time looking for real crime as opposed to busting people for a little bit of dope when they are not doing real harm.

"I find it absolutely horrendous that people are being cautioned like this. I'm quite surprised at the figures when you are hearing from Home Secretary Jacqui Smith that there is no progress.

"I think there are a substantial number of people growing cannabis for medical reasons and they are getting cautions."

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  • Last Updated: 26 November 2008 8:35 AM
  • Source: n/a
  • Location: Preston
 
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1

Fighting for a chav free Preston,

26/11/2008 12:29:05
What a load of old tosh! Its only a problem, if you make it a problem. They need to spend more time cracking down on these smack heads, little chavvy f'ers and binge drinkers who think drinking 2 pints of Stella gives them right to a fight.....then they should start to address minor offences, like cannabis
2

brigpnefan,

preston 26/11/2008 15:19:23
Well said post #1.
3

Christopher Traceys-Parade,

26/11/2008 16:16:30
The biggest problem we have nowadays is cocaine; the city centre has become a war zone with revellers putting that rubbish up their noses. As for cannabis, it's a drug that needs to be given a lot of respect otherwise you'll just become a cabbage like most of the heavy using potheads. I think the word we are looking for is moderation.
4

Never Say Die!!,

Preston 26/11/2008 16:51:02
Regarding cannabis, I have never used any recreational drugs myself, but a comment made to me several years ago by a friend of mine who had a serious drug problem in his younger days has always stuck in my mind. He said that while he knew some people who only used cannabis occasionally and didn't seem to have any problems with that, every hard drug user he had known had started on cannabis. This would seem to be a good reason for tightening up the law on cannabis.
5

intelligence,

26/11/2008 17:06:28
as has been stated a thousand times before, keeping drugs illegal takes any regulation and control out of the hands of the authorities and gives the black market a lucrative tax free commodity. if you control it properly you can control strength, and threaten the legitimate livelihood of the sellers to minors. cannabis is safer than most toxins and many careful considerate users are punished to "protect" the few. listen to the advisory council on the misuse of drugs. these people are the ones with the facts, figures and experience that count, not personal opinion
6

Sam Tana,

26/11/2008 18:52:49
Legalise it, regulate it, tax it, control it.
7

Sam Tana,

27/11/2008 14:26:26
Prostitution's only a problem because it's forced to operate outside the law rather than as a legitimate business which can be inspected and controlled.

Drugs are a problem mainly because they are sold by criminals who have no interest in quality or in restricting who they sell to.

As the Americans discovered in the 1920s when they brought in alcohol Prohibition, banning vice never stops it, it simply drives it into the arms of organised crime and things simply get much, much worse. Legalising things doesn't do away with all the problems, but it does help control them, regulate them, ensure safeguards are in place - and you can tax it, too!
8

barnfarm,

27/11/2008 16:37:25
4, every alcoholic (or premature death caused by alcohol) probably started with a four pack of cooking lager. Ban that?
7, there's only one idiot commented here (at 26/11/2008 19:50:59). Booze, again, is the argument which blows you moral minority types out the water. Thousands of deaths, broken lives, chaos on roads, nurses attacked in A&E, choose your horror statistic, and all with the blessing of HM Government. Weed isn't being reclassified because it is dangerous or causes genuine problems in society, but because it is an easy little moral bone those cynical politicians know will help them snag the votes of frightened Puritannical types like yourself.
9

John Watson,

Baker Street 01/12/2008 11:21:46
The use of cannabis fell since reclassification, re-reclassification is likely to cause an increase.

Cannabis was class B when Jacqui Smith (and I) smoked it, it didn't deter us, why should it deter anyone else?

The link to mental health problems is a red herring, latest research shows that those who become psychotic after taking cannabis would have become psychotic anyway, the cannabis effect is just an early indicator. (http://tinyurl.com/5pwx27).

The greatest effect on the likelihood of developing psychosis and schizophrenia is genetic. Debra Bell, speaking on the BBC news channel, said that an uncle of her son had schizophrenia. Yet she blames cannabis and not the genes.
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