Superintendents Want Cannabis To Be Upgraded From Class C To Class B, UK

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Main Category: Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 03 Apr 2008 - 14:00 PDT

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In 2004 cannabis was reclassified from a Class B drug to a Class C drug. The Police Superintendents' Association would like to see the classification return to Class B, while it seems a government advisory body is recommending it remain as a Class C.

The Police Superintendents' Association (PSA) believes the reclassification in 2004 was a mistake and gave the wrong message - many saw this downgrading as a public announcement that cannabis is harmless and legal.

The PSA says that currently the maximum sentence anyone can receive today for carrying cannabis is two years, compared to five years if it were a Class B drug.

According to most UK media, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, which is under instruction by the government to recommend whether cannabis retain its present status (or not), the recommendation which will come towards the end of this month will be that it remain a Class C drug.

Not only do the police want to see an upgrading of status, Prime Minister Gordon Brown is known to favor a return to the old classification. Several mental health organizations and charities have also expressed a desire to see an upgrade to Class B, while others believe public education would be more effective.

The PSA said cannabis, after prolonged use, can cause psychotic conditions, is demotivating, and damages human health. The problem is further exacerbated by the availability of stronger forms of the drug (skunk), the PSA added. A large number of cocaine and heroin addicts were regular cannabis users during their teens.

Gordon Brown's Views on Cannabis

At a press conference on 1st April, 2008, Prime Minister Gordon Brown was asked whether it was a mistake to reclassify cannabis from B to C. Below is his answer -

"Well I have made my own personal views known and I believe that if we are sending out a signal, particularly to teenagers and particularly those at the most vulnerable age, young teenagers, that in any way we find cannabis acceptable, given all we now know about the change in the way that cannabis is being sold in this country, that that is not the right thing to do. But I will take the advice obviously, as will the government as a whole, from the advisory committee and we will look at what they say. But my personal view has been pretty well known for some time that I don't think that given the changing nature of the stock of cannabis that is coming into the country and the greater damage that that appears to be doing to people who use it, there is a stronger case even now for sending out a signal that cannabis is not only illegal but it is unacceptable and that the use of drugs in this country is something that we want to do nothing to encourage."

UK Classification of Drugs
(Source - Home Office, UK)

Class A, B and C drugs are controlled substances under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, with Class A being those considered most harmful.

Class A
Ecstasy, LSD, heroin, cocaine, crack, magic mushrooms, amphetamines (if prepared for injection).
Possession - Up to seven years in prison or an unlimited fine or both.
Dealing - Up to life in prison or an unlimited fine or both.

Class B
Amphetamines, Methylphenidate (Ritalin), Pholcodine.
Possession - Up to five years in prison or an unlimited fine or both.
Dealing - Up to 14 years in prison or an unlimited fine or both.

Class C
Cannabis, tranquilisers, some painkillers, Gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), Ketamine.
Possession - Up to two years in prison or an unlimited fine or both.
Dealing - Up to 14 years in prison or an unlimited fine or both.

Written by - Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
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