News & events
Back to Home Office Drugs E-bulletinsDrugs E-bulletin - February 2009
Welcome to the February 2009 edition Home Office monthly drugs bulletin.
This month's e-bulletin includes:
- cannabis declassification
- new cannabis advertising campaign
- ACMD review of ecstasy
- National Tackling Drugs Week 2009
Cannabis reclassification - cannabis is a Class B drug
The government has reclassified cannabis from Class C to Class B. The change follows a review of cannabis classification carried out by the Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD).
The government accepted 20 of the 21 recommendations from the ACMD report and published their response on 13 October 2008.
When announcing the decision to reclassify cannabis, the Home Secretary asked the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) for their proposals for a clear and workable system of escalation to strengthen the enforcement approach to cannabis possession for repeat adult offenders. The approach proposed and jointly developed by ACPO and the Home Office was the three steps of warning, fine, arrest.
For further details about this process see our cannabis reclassification information.
You can also download or order cannabis reclassification materials.
New cannabis advertising campaign
A new cannabis advertising campaign was launched on 16 February from the drug information service FRANK. Following last January's cannabis reclassification, the campaign focuses on the mental health issues associated with the drug.
The £2.2m television, radio and online campaign is part of an ongoing awareness programme targeting 11 to 18 year-olds about the harms caused by cannabis. The television advert features a teenager called Simon who is smoking cannabis and the audience is taken inside his head. At first we see him experiencing the perceived positive effects of cannabis, such as feeling giggly, talkative, and getting the munchies. We then see him experience the negative side effects associated with the drug - paranoia, panic attacks and memory loss.
ACMD review of ecstasy
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has recommended further research into the harms of MDMA - also know as ecstasy - and the reclassification of the drug as Class B.
The council concluded that the balance of harms of MDMA more closely equate to that of other substances in Class B and make 13 wide-ranging recommendations including:
- the promotion of public health messages
- continued impartial awareness campaigns, such as FRANK
- credible and consistent advice and support for parents, carers and teachers about the risks of MDMA
- improving the data collected regarding the extent of MDMA use among under 16s
- further research into MDMA in polydrug use and the effects of MDMA on the brain
The report into MDMA reflects the far greater body of evidence concerning the drug’s effects since it was first classified in 1977.
National Tackling Drugs Week 2009
This year's National Tackling Drugs Week will be held from 8 to 12 June and is an opportunity for local agencies to publicise the work they do day in day out to tackle drugs and drug-related crime.
We want to increase public confidence in and awareness of the work being done locally to respond to concerns people may have about drugs. This week will build upon the success and momentum generated by previous National Tackling Drugs Weeks and is a reflection of our commitment to respond to community concerns about drugs - a key element of the drug strategy.
Further information will be available shortly via this website.
