Government to toughen up cannabis laws » Communities » 24dash.com

Jacqui Smith defied the Government's own experts today by announcing that laws on cannabis will be toughened up.

The Home Secretary said the drug must be upgraded from Class C to Class B to avoid "risking the future health of young people".

The move comes despite the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) concluding that the health dangers from cannabis did not justify its inclusion in the higher category.

A report from the group said scientific evidence pointed to a "probable, but weak, causal link between psychotic illness, including schizophrenia, and cannabis use".

However, in the population as a whole, the drug played only a "modest role" in the development of these conditions.

The Home Secretary said she had accepted all the 21 recommendations of the advisory council apart from their view it should remain Class C.

"There is a compelling case for us to act now rather than risk the future health of young people ... I am not prepared to 'wait and see'", she told MPs.

Ms Smith said she would consult with chief police officers on an "escalation" of enforcement of possession laws.

The supply of drugs near colleges, universities, mental health institutions and prisons will become an aggravating factor in sentencing.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the Government's proposals for cannabis will be "in line with what the public wants to see" as well as police advice and will include tougher enforcement that will be "welcome in all parts of the country".

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said he fully supported the change in classification but complained that it had come "rather late". He said the Government's "historically lax approach" to the issue was the "hallmark of our broken society under Labour."