News & events
Back to Home Office Drugs E-bulletinsDrugs E-bulletin - October 2008
Welcome to the October 2008 edition of the e-bulletin for the Home Office drugs website.
This month's news includes:
- Tougher action on cannabis
- FRANK helpline reaches two million milestone
- New Local Implementation section
Tougher action on cannabis
The Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, has confirmed that repeat cannabis offenders will face tougher penalties. People caught carrying cannabis for a second time could now face an on-the-spot fine of £80 instead of a warning. This was announced alongside a Parliamentary Order to reclassify the drug to Class B from 26 January 2009.
The government's response to 21 recommendations made by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has been published. The response accepts 20 of the 21 recommendations the ACMD made in its report Cannabis: Classification and Public Health and the government has committed to taking forward work across a range of departments.
Children and Families Minister Delyth Morgan said 'The reclassification helps us get our message across that cannabis is not a harmless drug and that there are real concerns about how this will impact on the future of young people who use it. The FRANK campaign and our review of drug education will ensure that the potential harms are better understood by young people and their parents.'
FRANK helpline reaches two million milestone
The FRANK drugs advice helpline has received its two millionth phone call. The helpline was launched in 2003 to offer confidential, non-judgmental drugs advice and to provide people of all ages with information and support about illegal substances.
Drug use among all age ranges, including young people, has fallen in recent years and the majority of young people are on the right track. Trends from the past five years of calls to the helpline reveal a change in the nature of calls received and the demographic of those seeking advice:
callers to the helpline are getting younger - in the first two years, the majority of calls came from 26 to 35 year olds whereas most calls now come from 16 to 25 year olds
people are now 18 per cent more likely to call for information, rather than referral or advice
while cannabis accounts for the most queries, questions about cocaine have seen the highest increase - up from 14 per cent in 2005 to 23 per cent in 2008
Find out more information on the FRANK website (new window).
New Local Implementation section
A new Local Implementation section has been added to the Home Office's Drugs Website. This contains details about the new local performance framework which moves ownership of delivery of the new drug strategy towards local areas by rebalancing the relationship between central government, local government and local communities.
This section also has information on roles and responsibilities, as well as further guidance.
