19/08/2007 00:00:00
UK: U-Turn on Cannabis Cautions
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U-TURN ON CANNABIS CAUTIONS
EXCLUSIVE No let-offs by police to beat drug use rise .
Cannabis users are to be hit in a new Government crackdown on ALL
illegal drugs, The People can reveal.
A police let-off will no longer be an option under new hard-line
proposals being discussed by ministers and senior police.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, who admitted smoking cannabis at
university, is considering a U-turn to combat a rise in drug abuse,
particularly among the young.
New figures showed that police cautions for cannabis possession have
more than doubled since it was downgraded from a Class B to a Class C
substance in 2004.
Scientists now say the drug causes more long-term physical and mental
damage than previously thought.
Smokers caught with even the smallest amount will no longer get away
with a let-off.
A Whitehall aide said: "The tide seems to be turning against cannabis
and the softly, softly approach to its possession."
The pressure group Talking About Cannabis has told ministers: "Going
back to the original classification will send out a clear message that
smoking cannabis in child and teenage years is highly dangerous."
http://www.people.co.uk/news/
Source:
http://www.ukcia.org/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=12801
Author:
Sunday People via UKCIA
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