Acpo: Reclassification is welcome
Thursday, 08 May 2008 10:08
The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) has welcomed the government's announcement that cannabis is to be reclassified to a class B drug.
Tim Hollis, the association's lead on drugs, said the police service will actively seek to ensure more robust enforcement of offences involving cannabis.
He commented that the police service has seen evidence of "increasing harms to community safety" as a result of criminal behaviour around that cultivation, distribution and use of cannabis.
"Cannabis today is much stronger than it was previously and the UK market is dominated by 'skunk'," Mr Hollis said.
"We want those criminals who are investing extensively in cannabis factories to realise that the UK is not a soft touch – a message backed by police raids on over 2,000 cannabis farms in the last 12 months.
"Reclassification to class B will not, in itself, solve the problems that our communities are experiencing in connection with cannabis use – but it does send a clear message to young people that this is a dangerous drug."