MPs ract to cannabis law change

LEWES MP Norman Baker has welcomed the Government decision to dramatically soften the law on cannabis smoking.

Police will in practice no longer arrest people caught smoking the drug.

It has been downgraded from Class B, which includes amphetamines, to Class C, which covers prescription drugs.

It will still be possible to arrest people for possession of cannabis with intent to supply. The maximum sentence for that will be cut from 14 years to five.

While welcoming the decision, Mr Baker, who in the past has said he had smoked cannabis without ill effect, said he wanted the Government to go further.

The Government move is a sensible one, he told the Express this week, but it doesn t go far enough. There should be a wide-ranging enquiry into the use of illegal drugs in general and the legislation dealing with them.

I called for the softening of the law against cannabis some years ago and was shot down in flames for it.

Now the Government seems to be recognising that what we said seven or eight years ago had some merit.

Mr Baker added that it was obvious that the previous Government strategy on drugs had not worked.

And he continued: I would like to see resources concentrated on hard drugs, which cause such damage to society, without police being distracted by having to deal with millions of cannabis users who use a drug which is no more harmful than alcohol or tobacco.

l Peacehaven and Telscombe MP Des Turner also welcomed the Home Secretary s decision to relax cannabis possession laws. The Labour MP said: I am pleased about the announcement, I feel this is a good move. I never felt this was a good use of police time. Hopefully, this will lead to the legal medicinal use of cannabis.