http://www.nandotimes.com/world/story/156326p-1476763c.html
October 23, 2001 9:32 p.m. EDT
LONDON - Britain's marijuana laws
should be relaxed to allow police more time to battle harder drugs, the
nation's top law enforcement official said Tuesday.
Home Secretary David Blunkett said
reclassifying marijuana, or cannabis, as a "Class C drug" - putting it
in the same category as anabolic steroids - would not be the same as decriminalization
or legalization. However, such a change means that those possessing marijuana
would not be subject to arrest.
"Cannabis would remain a controlled
drug and using it a criminal offense ... but it would make clearer the
distinction between cannabis and Class A drugs like heroin and cocaine,"
Blunkett told a House of Commons committee meeting.
"It is time for an honest and common
sense approach focusing effectively on drugs that cause most harm," he
added.
Blunkett's statement comes amid an
intensifying political debate about marijuana. Senior figures from all
three major political parties have now urged a review of cannabis laws.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner
Sir John Stevens called the proposal a reflection of changing police and
public attitudes.
"This is a clear signal that (marijuana
possession) is not such a high priority as it was perceived to be," Stevens
said. "There are lots of other more high profile issues for police officers
to tackle."
A leading researcher in the potential
use of marijuana for medical treatment praised the proposal.
Dr. John Zajicek, who is doing clinical
trials with cannabis to treat multiple sclerosis, said a loosening of the
law could aid MS sufferers.
"If we are to provide the evidence
that the drug is useful in alleviating pain in MS then there has to be
a way of getting the drug to those patients," he said.
Police say seven out of 10 drug arrests
are for marijuana and that processing a marijuana-related arrest creates
several hours of police paperwork and usually ends with a small fine.
Changing the marijuana laws would
require approval by Parliament. The proposal will first be discussed with
senior police officers and the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs,
a Home Office spokesman said. A final decision is expected in the spring.
Marijuana is currently a Class B
drug, and possession carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail.
Simple possession of a Class C drug
carries a maximum sentence of two years, and British law states that only
offenses punishable with at least five years imprisonment are subject to
arrest. In lesser offenses, a police officer can only issue a warning or
a court summons.
Possession with intent to supply
or supplying Class C drugs would still be an arrestable offense.
One south London borough is effectively
implementing the home secretary's proposal. Since July, Lambeth police
have been giving only a verbal warning to anyone caught with a small amount
of marijuana.
Copyright APonline
The Associated Press