The recent announcement by the Home Secretary to reclassify Cannabis as a Class B drug is another indication of how the current government has turned its back on reality. Reclassification will not stop people smoking dope nor does the announcement acknowledge the differences between skunk, hash (resin) and herbal cannabis (grass). Jacqui Smith has said she once smoked cannabis when she was young. Happily for Jacqui all she is guility of today is denying others the same choices & opportunities ahe enjoyed as a young woman and while she was enjoying a fee-free educational 3 year sojourn at Hertford College, Oxford. The Police Officer in the photograph is understood to have issued Jacqui a wise caution on hypocrisy and a warning about disturbning the peace.
Below is a copy & paste from the UK governement's Home Office web site (May, 2008)
Up to five years in prison or an unlimited fine or both.
Up to 14 years in prison or an unlimited fine or both.
Penalties for possession and dealing
Class C
Cannabis, tranquilisers, some painkillers, Gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), Ketamine.
Up to two years in prison or an unlimited fine or both.
Up to 14 years in prison or an unlimited fine or both.
Class A, B and C drugs are termed as controlled substances under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, with Class A being those considered most harmful.
The misuse of drugs act states that it is an offence to:
Possess a controlled substance unlawfully
Possess a controlled substance with intent to supply it
Supply or offering to supply a controlled drug (even where no charge is made for the drug)
Allow premises you occupy or manage to be used for the purpose of drug taking
Drug trafficking attracts serious punishment, including life imprisonment for Class A offences.
To enforce this law the police have special powers to stop, detain and search people under the 'reasonable suspicion’ that they are in possession of a controlled drug.
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