Drug laws and licensing
Background to Cannabis Reclassification
The Home Secretary consulted the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) for advice on changing the classification of cannabis.
Background
The the Advisory Council was clear that cannabis is a harmful drug and should remain illegal.
However the toxicity and harmfulness of cannabis is not comparable either with Class A drugs, such as crack, heroin or ecstasy, or with substances such as amphetamines, which are Class B (under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971).
The Council therefore recommended that cannabis - and all cannabis preparations, including cannabis resin - should be reclassified to Class C.
The Government accepted the Council's recommendation for the following reasons:
- Our drugs laws should accurately reflect the relative harms of drugs in accordance with the available scientific and medical advice. The Government recognises that cannabis is not as harmful to health as other Class B drugs like the amphetamines.
- However, its continued classification, as a Class C controlled drug, confirms its illegality at the same time as reflecting the health risks associated with the drug (it has a number of acute and chronic health effects and can induce dependence).
- Reclassification of cannabis will help the Government to convey an effective and credible message - to young people in particular - about the dangers of misusing drugs.
- The Government believes that all controlled drugs, including cannabis, are harmful and that no one should take them. It also believes that having the law reflect the relative harmfulness of drugs accurately is vital to this message being open, honest and balanced.
- Reclassification of cannabis is designed to continue to deter use of the drug (because of its continued illegality) while providing the police with an opportunity to focus greater resources on priority areas like dealing in Class A drugs, which do most harm. The Home Secretary has made clear that it is his priority to tackle Class A drugs.
- Following reclassification, the presumption against using the power of arrest for simple cannabis possession offences committed by adults, would save police time for use in tackling more serious offences.
View the ACMD report which recommends the reclassification of cannabis
