Common Sense for Drug Policy Presents: Increase in UK Cannabis Penalties Anticipated

Currently most of Britain's regular cannabis smoking individuals go unpunished, with no record, or potentially face a formal civil penalty warning. The government of Prime Minister Gordon Brown is pushing a plan to increase penalties for cannabis. At the same time, authorities around the nation are reporting an increase in cocaine availability.

According to the February 18, 2008 Daily Telegraph ("Cannabis Users to Face Fixed Penalty") "Under the new plans, people caught in possession of cannabis will be fined and issued with a fixed penalty notice, which are routinely recorded on the Police National Computer. This would allow police to keep track of repeat offenders and take further action if necessary. The penalty notices would also be disclosed to some potential employers, with the agreement of the particular force's chief constable. It would not affect anyone's ability to enter countries such as America which can ban travellers with a record of drug offences. However, officers are also discussing a third option with Home Office lawyers that would see repeat low level possession punished with a criminal conviction and a criminal record."

The Telegraph notes, "Police want tougher powers to be brought in regardless of whether ministers decide to return cannabis to Class B status later this year after a group of advisers on drugs make their recommendations. Yet senior police officers have told The Daily Telegraph they want to treat those being caught with cannabis as seriously as speeding, where a pattern of repeat offending eventually leads to a driving ban. The plans are likely to be put to Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, by the end of the spring. They are not contingent on the reclassification of cannabis from Class C to Class B status. A Home Office spokesman said: 'The Home Office has not yet received any proposals on this matter from ACPO. The Government will give them careful consideration once received."

At the same time that the the UK is considering stepping up cannabis enforcement, authorities around the nation are reporting an increase in cocaine availability. Scotland on Sunday reported on Feb. 17, 2008 ("Scotland's Youth Cocaine Crisis") that "One in 10 Scottish teenagers over the age of 16 is now taking cocaine as the cost of the illegal drug has fallen following record harvests in South America. The extent of the cocaine crisis among the country's youth is revealed today in two surveys compiled by police and by drugs, health and education experts for the Scottish Government. Police chiefs are also warning that a combination of cheap cocaine and alcohol is putting a new generation at risk of serious health problems. The deadly cocktail is now more readily available than ever before because teenagers from all class groups are pooling their money - meaning a single hit of the drug costs as little as UKP5."

According to Scotland on Sunday, "The Scottish Crime and Victim Survey and the Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyles and Substance Use Survey reveal that 13.2% of 16 to 19-year-olds have taken cocaine - 10.4% in the past year. More than 6% said they had taken cocaine in the month before the surveys were compiled and 48% said drugs were easy to obtain. The availability of the Class A drug has increased following a bumper coca leaf harvest in South American supply countries such as Columbia, Bolivia and Peru. Scotland has the third-highest cocaine usage of any country in Europe and experts fear the situation will only get worse as more and more youngsters start experimenting with the illegal drug."

The story is similar in other parts of the nation. The Irish News reported on Jan. 26, 2008 ("Cheap Drugs Attract Young Users") that "A drop in cocaine prices has led to a surge in teenagers and young people experimenting with the drug, a counselling group has warned. While cannabis remains the most commonly used drug among referrals to the Belfast-based Forum for Action on Substance Abuse ( Fasa ), there has been steady rise in those seeking help for dependency on harder drugs. Darren Whiteside, an education team leader with Fasa, said he attributes cheap cocaine costs and easy accessibility to increased usage of the Class A drug. A gram of cocaine can cost as little as UKP40 in Belfast - a year ago the same amount was at least UKP60, he said. Meanwhile, anti-depressant prescription drugs such as diazepam can be bought illegally for as little as 20p, less than half the 'street price' of 50p six months ago."

The Irish News noted that "Cocaine usage has more than doubled among those questioned. In December The Irish News revealed that a cocaine audit was to begin in the Accident and Emergency department of Northern Ireland's biggest hospital. Doctors at the Royal Victoria hospital in Belfast ordered the investigation following a increase in the number of patients being treated with symptoms linked to the drug."

The Independent noted back on Dec. 14, 2007 ("Big Rise In Cocaine Use Among Soldiers") that "At a time when the military is overstretched on two fronts, the British Army is discharging almost the equivalent of a battalion a year because of illegal drug use, figures published today by the Journal of the Royal United Services Institute. Experts have warned of an increasing level of combat stress among troops with many turning to alcohol and drugs to deal with traumatic illness. They say personnel are using them to self-medicate and escape an uncomfortable reality."

According to the Independent, "Studies into compulsory drug testing of army personnel revealed that there had been a 50 per cent rise in those failing the screening from 517 cases in 2003 to 769 in 2006. But the trend is most apparent for the class-A drug cocaine -- which accounts for the majority of positive tests. The rate is up from 1.4 per 1,000 in 2003 to 5.7 per 1,000 in the first part of 2007. In 2006, cocaine accounted for more than half the failed tests ( 423 ), ahead of cannabis ( 221 ) and ecstasy ( 95 ). Other drugs taken included amphetamines, tranquillisers and, in one case, heroin. Figures up to October indicate that 2007 is following the same trend with 618 positive drug tests: 422 for class A substances, 20 for class B and 176 for class C. Only last month the MoD confirmed that 17 soldiers from the 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland ( Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders ) tested positive for drugs after a rest period in Cancun, Mexico."