Today, No. 10 dismissed the idea of elevating cannabis to Class A classification in response to reports that Home Secretary Suella Braverman was considering the change.
The spokesperson for the prime minister said that there are “no intentions” to modify the classification and emphasized that the government is ‘breaking down on illicit substances’.
A number of Conservative Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) urged for an upgrade at a conference last week, and Ms. Braverman was reportedly studying the facts and inclined to concur.
The Sunday Times reports that the Cabinet minister is worried about the evidence connecting the medication to major physical and mental health problems, including cancer, psychosis, and birth deformities.
Cannabis is now classified as a Class B drug; moving it up the scale would have a significant influence on law enforcement and sentencing practices.
According to the PM’s official spokesperson, there are no intentions to modify the cannabis regulations.
“Cracking down on illicit narcotics and the criminality they fuel is our top priority.” To achieve a whole-system approach to handling supply and demand, we’ve announced a medication strategy supported by historic investment.
According to a Home Office source, Ms. Braverman was “receptive” to the PCCs’ suggestions for a harder attitude, but it would be “a stretch of the imagination” to imply that she desired a higher classification.
Her stance is that by not being adequately policed, marijuana has essentially been legalized. We must put our efforts into making that change.
If cannabis were classified as Class A, the maximum penalty for possession would increase from five to seven years in jail, while the maximum penalty for providing the narcotic would increase from 14 to life in prison.
The Home Secretary has hinted that she intended to take tougher measures against middle-class drug users by launching more advertisements emphasizing the connection between drug use and the exploitation of young people in vulnerable situations.
However, pro-legalization organizations contend that this is the incorrect strategy to use and that creating a controlled market for cannabis will have a negative influence on the criminal gangs operating outside of county boundaries.
David Sidwick, the PCC for Dorset, was one among those advocating for reclassification last week at the Tory party conference.
We’re seeing it because it’s a gateway drug, he said. Cannabis is the most common substance for which young people are receiving treatment, according to a study.
‘We need harsh consequences for possession and to stop the march towards decriminalization,’ he said, stating that he is against to it.
We’re not just talking about smoking a little marijuana anymore; this is just as harmful as using crack or heroin. Because of this, the sanctions for using this unlawful gateway drug must be the same as those for Class A narcotics.
Drug use poses a larger harm to society than religious fanaticism, according to Neil McKeganey, head of the Glasgow-based Centre for Substance Use Research, who spoke at the fringe conference.
He added: “It’s like attempting to fight a war by giving more hospitals.” He claimed it was a “severe abdication of their obligations” for police chiefs to regard drug use as a health concern.
Janie Hamilton, whose son James died of cancer after refusing cancer treatment due to cannabis-induced psychosis, also spoke at the gathering.
She urged attendees, “Let no one argue that cannabis is harmless.”