Police 'confused' About Cannabis Possession Law

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The government's decision to downgrade cannabis to Class C status has left police confused about whether to arrest, caution or let free people they catch with the drug.

A major new study reveals that officers are mistakenly arresting cannabis users, even though offenders should now receive only a warning, in line with the reclassification of the drug in 2004 from Class B to Class C.

Many officers do not issue the 'street warning' to users - the legal equivalent of a slap on the wrist - which police chiefs say should be the way of treating cannabis possession, according to the report from a team of criminologists at the Institute for Criminal Policy Research at King's College, London.

Mike Hough, the report's author, said: 'The government's intention to reclassify was intended to signal to the police that they should deal with cannabis possession offences with a lighter touch, and generally speaking deal with these offences by street warning. But our study shows that that's not happening.'

Jan Berry, Police Federation chairwoman, said: 'Despite reclassification, which we think is a waste of time, we still consider cannabis is a gateway to stronger drugs, and the problems that creates will continue.'

Harry Shapiro of Drugscope, said it was clear that beat officers were continuing to charge and caution offenders, and not simply warn them, because many disagreed with reclassification, not because they were confused about how to apply the law.

A Home Office spokesman said: 'The government's drug strategy, which involves education, enforcement and treatment, is working. According to the British Crime Survey, cannabis misuse has fallen among young people.'

Source: Observer, The (UK)
Copyright: 2007 The Observer
Contact: letters@observer.co.uk
Website: Observer | The Guardian
 
gateway drug ......That's all we ever hear anymore . When are these morons gonna listen to the people and get with the program . All the info they need is out there under these idiots noses . And they could even have studies done for there own proof too . ...................:smokin:
 
I hate the whole 'gate-way drug' lie. It is just not a valid argument. It has long been known to mathematicians, philosophers and anyone else who might have taken the time to sit down and think about it that just because one event follows another, it does NOT mean that the first event caused the other. The idea of a 'gate-way drug' is thus fundamentally flawed. This is not my opinion, but a rule of logic. To illustrate this I will use the "gate-way drug" fallacy for another drug...aspirin. The use of aspirin increases the likelihood that one will become a heroin addict. Then it might go on to say something like: Most heroin addicts' surveyed report first using aspirin before ever trying heroin. They might also say something like: The majority of people who have never taken aspirin are not heroin addicts. (this stat would result if they were to survey an Amish community or something...) you get the idea...when you start with fallacious reasoning the 'stats' you build on top of that reasoning are literally groundless...and therefore nonsensical.

Ironically, in my subjective experiences thus far in life, the only time I have known marijuana to lead to other drugs is when someone is put on probation and unable to risk smoking marijuana (although I have a sure fire way of never failing a Urine analysis--without any of those cleansing products that sometimes might work...personally i have passed 20 UA's using my technique, but that's besides the point...if anyone is interested in the 48 hour fix just hit me up) because of ua's. Ignorantly they think that another drug might replace their previous pleasurable pastime of pot consumption without the long detection period. And because the government had lied and overexagerated about marijuana they falsely think the government probably overexagerated the negative effects of other drugs as well. I have seen people turn to opiates, ******* and amphetamines becoming hopelessly addicted and having their lives destroyed. Not because of the 'gate-way drug' aspect of marijuana, but out of ignorance...Who is at fault for these cases???? I would argue that since it was the courts that interfered with the users' free-agency by taking away a pleasurable aspect of their life, it is the courts faults. And thus the only 'gate-way' to harder drugs, is individual ignorance and autocratic court systems.


-there is no such thing as any time but now.
 
DoctorDubs said:
think about it that just because one event follows another, it does NOT mean that the first event caused the other.


Excellent reference to the fallacious argument error "Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc"

A form of a hasty generalization used to confuse the recipient in which it is inferred that because one event followed another it is necessarily caused by that event. Example: Mary joined our class and the next week we all did poorly on the quiz. It must be her fault.

Smoking Strong Point - it's a basic flaw of logic.
 
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