Cannabis reclassification in the United Kingdom
Encyclopedia
Cannabis classification in the United Kingdom
refers to the class of drugs, as determined by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
, that cannabis
is placed in. Between 1928 and 2004 it was classified as a class B drug. As Home Secretary
in Tony Blair
's Labour
government
, David Blunkett
announced in 2001 that cannabis would be transferred from class B of the Act to class C, removing the threat of arrest for possession. Arrest would still be possible for distribution, however. Reclassification had the support of the majority of the public, with surveys at the time finding that 49% of British adults supported cannabis decriminalisation, 36% were against, and 15% were undecided. The transfer eventually happened in January 2004, after class C penalties for distribution had been stiffened. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs
had recommended such a reclassification as early as 1979, a view endorsed by the Runciman Report
in 1999.
The change was designed to enable police force
s to concentrate resources on other (more serious) offences, including those involving "harder drug
s". The government stated that the reclassification of cannabis to class C had the desired effect, with arrests for cannabis possession falling by one third in the first year following, saving an estimated 199,000 police hours. When the change was introduced, there were several attempts to establish Dutch-style
Cannabis coffee shop
s.
During the 2005 general election
, Blair announced that the reclassification of cannabis from class B to C would be reviewed in light of new scientific research, and the issue was referred to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs
.
, the Home Secretary
, said that on the basis of advice from the Advisory Council, a decision was made not to return cannabis to class B. However, during Prime Minister's Questions
on 18 July 2007, Prime Minister Gordon Brown
announced that the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith
, was reviewing again whether to return cannabis to class B status. On 7 May 2008, Smith confirmed that cannabis in the UK would again be classified as a class B drug, despite the Advisory Council's recommendation. On 26 January 2009, cannabis was reclassified as a class B drug
. The reclassification of cannabis to a class B drug had been hinted at as early as 2005 by allies of Gordon Brown
, on the election night in 2005, Ed Balls
stated that cannabis and the war in Iraq were mistakes that the Labour party had to learn from. After the controversial sacking of Professor David Nutt
(Chief scientific advisor to the government), five other members of the council resigned in protest.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
refers to the class of drugs, as determined by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 is an Act of Parliament which represents UK action in line with treaty commitments under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic...
, that cannabis
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
is placed in. Between 1928 and 2004 it was classified as a class B drug. As Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
in Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
's Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
, David Blunkett
David Blunkett
David Blunkett is a British Labour Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, having represented Sheffield Brightside from 1987 to 2010...
announced in 2001 that cannabis would be transferred from class B of the Act to class C, removing the threat of arrest for possession. Arrest would still be possible for distribution, however. Reclassification had the support of the majority of the public, with surveys at the time finding that 49% of British adults supported cannabis decriminalisation, 36% were against, and 15% were undecided. The transfer eventually happened in January 2004, after class C penalties for distribution had been stiffened. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs
Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs is a statutory and non-executive non-departmental British public body, which was established under the UK's Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.-Mandate:Its terms of reference, according to the Act, are as follows:...
had recommended such a reclassification as early as 1979, a view endorsed by the Runciman Report
Runciman Report
The Runciman Report was a 2000 Police Foundation inquiry into the United Kingdom's Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 authored by Viscountess Runciman.-Recommendations:...
in 1999.
The change was designed to enable police force
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
s to concentrate resources on other (more serious) offences, including those involving "harder drug
Hard and soft drugs
Hard and Soft drugs are terms to distinguish between psychoactive drugs that are addictive and perceived as especially damaging and drugs that are believed to be non-addictive and with fewer dangers associated with their use...
s". The government stated that the reclassification of cannabis to class C had the desired effect, with arrests for cannabis possession falling by one third in the first year following, saving an estimated 199,000 police hours. When the change was introduced, there were several attempts to establish Dutch-style
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Cannabis coffee shop
Cannabis coffee shop
Coffeeshops are establishments in the Netherlands where the sale of cannabis for personal consumption by the public is tolerated by the local authorities ....
s.
During the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, Blair announced that the reclassification of cannabis from class B to C would be reviewed in light of new scientific research, and the issue was referred to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs
Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs is a statutory and non-executive non-departmental British public body, which was established under the UK's Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.-Mandate:Its terms of reference, according to the Act, are as follows:...
.
Return to class B
Early in January 2006 Charles ClarkeCharles Clarke
Charles Rodway Clarke is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Norwich South from 1997 until 2010, and served as Home Secretary from December 2004 until May 2006.-Early life:...
, the Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
, said that on the basis of advice from the Advisory Council, a decision was made not to return cannabis to class B. However, during Prime Minister's Questions
Prime Minister's Questions
Prime minister's questions is a constitutional convention in the United Kingdom that takes place every Wednesday during which the prime minister spends half an hour answering questions from members of parliament...
on 18 July 2007, Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
announced that the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith
Jacqui Smith
Jacqueline Jill "Jacqui" Smith is a member of the British Labour Party. She served as the Member of Parliament for Redditch from 1997 until 2010 and was the first ever female Home Secretary, thus making her the third woman to hold one of the Great Offices of State — after Margaret Thatcher and...
, was reviewing again whether to return cannabis to class B status. On 7 May 2008, Smith confirmed that cannabis in the UK would again be classified as a class B drug, despite the Advisory Council's recommendation. On 26 January 2009, cannabis was reclassified as a class B drug
Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 is an Act of Parliament which represents UK action in line with treaty commitments under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the Convention on Psychotropic Substances, and the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic...
. The reclassification of cannabis to a class B drug had been hinted at as early as 2005 by allies of Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
, on the election night in 2005, Ed Balls
Ed Balls
Edward Michael Balls, known as Ed Balls, is a British Labour politician, who has been a Member of Parliament since 2005, currently for Morley and Outwood, and is the current Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer....
stated that cannabis and the war in Iraq were mistakes that the Labour party had to learn from. After the controversial sacking of Professor David Nutt
David Nutt
David John Nutt is a British psychiatrist and neuropsychopharmacologist specialising in the research of drugs that affect the brain and conditions such as addiction, anxiety and sleep. He was until 2009 a professor at the University of Bristol heading their Psychopharmacology Unit...
(Chief scientific advisor to the government), five other members of the council resigned in protest.
See also
- Cannabis in the United KingdomCannabis in the United KingdomCannabis is the most widely used illegal drug in the United Kingdom. It is a plant which is not native to the British Isles but one that was probably introduced from Continental Europe towards the end of the Roman occupation...
- Cannabis rescheduling around the world
- Health issues and the effects of cannabisHealth issues and the effects of cannabisThe effects of cannabis are caused by cannabinoids, most notably the chemical substance tetrahydrocannabinol . Cannabis has both psychological and physiological effects on the human body...
- Legal and medical status of cannabisLegal and medical status of cannabisCannabis is in Schedule IV of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, making it subject to special restrictions. Article 2 provides for the following, in reference to Schedule IV drugs:...
- Legal issues of cannabisLegal issues of cannabisThe legality of cannabis has been the subject of debate and controversy for decades. Cannabis is illegal to consume, use, possess, cultivate, transfer or trade in most countries...
- Legalise Cannabis Alliance
- Legality of cannabis by country
- List of British politicians who admit to cannabis use
- List of drugs illegal in the United Kingdom
- Marijuana Policy ProjectMarijuana Policy ProjectThe Marijuana Policy Project, or MPP, is the largest organization working solely on marijuana policy reform in the United States in terms of its budget, number of members, and staff...
- Medical cannabisMedical cannabisMedical cannabis refers to the use of parts of the herb cannabis as a physician-recommended form of medicine or herbal therapy, or to synthetic forms of specific cannabinoids such as THC as a physician-recommended form of medicine...
- Single Convention on Narcotic DrugsSingle Convention on Narcotic DrugsThe Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 is an international treaty to prohibit production and supply of specific drugs and of drugs with similar effects except under licence for specific purposes, such as medical treatment and research...
- Wootton ReportWootton ReportThe Wootton Report on Cannabis was the Report, dated 1968 and published in January 1969. of the Sub-committee on Hallucinogens of the United Kingdom Home Office Advisory Committee on Drug Dependence. The Chair of the Sub-committee was Baroness Wootton of Abinger.The Sub-committee was charged with...
- Recommendations of the Drug Policy Review Group