Pubdate: Thu, 11 Jul 2002 Source: Chicago Tribune (IL) Copyright: 2002 Chicago Tribune Company Contact: http://www.chicagotribune.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/82 Author: Warren Hoge, New York Times News Service BRITAIN MELLOWS ITS MARIJUANA LAWS Moderate Users Won't Be Arrested LONDON -- Britain, which has one of the highest rates of marijuana use in Europe, said Wednesday that it was relaxing its laws on smoking pot, keeping the practice theoretically illegal but making private use in discreet amounts no longer subject to arrest. The decision, announced by Home Secretary David Blunkett in the House of Commons, stirred criticism from the Conservative opposition and some Labor politicians and prompted the government's drugs chief to resign because, he said, Britain is "moving further toward decriminalization than any other country in the world." Blunkett tempered his announcement, which takes effect next July and puts cannabis on a par with antidepressants and steroids, by saying he would also raise the punishment for marijuana dealing and step up drug education and treatment for abusers. An estimated 5 million people in Britain regularly use marijuana, and government data show that its use has risen sharply in the last 20 years. A study published last year on drug habits in the European Union showed that 20 percent to 25 percent of adults in Britain used marijuana--about the same rate as shown for Denmark, France, Ireland, the Netherlands and Spain. The government action followed recommendations of a parliamentary committee in May that said that a new attitude of tolerance would give drug policy greater credibility among young people and help the police direct resources toward heroin and cocaine. Britain has the most drug-related deaths of any country in the European Union, with heroin cited as the principal cause. The parliamentary panel also suggested reclassifying the club drug Ecstasy, but Blunkett said he rejected that advice. Several other European countries have already relaxed their drug laws. The Netherlands has legalized marijuana, while Luxemburg has ended jail sentences for marijuana possession. Spain and Italy do not jail people caught with drugs meant for personal use. Last year, Portugal adopted a law eliminating jail time for possession of small amounts of any illegal drug. Under the British reform, possession of marijuana would no longer be considered an arrestable offense. Though this will not take effect for a year, from now on any police action will be limited to issuing a warning and seizing the drug. Blunkett countered suggestions that Britain was going "soft on drugs" by saying police would retain the right to arrest users in "aggravated" cases like smoking outside schools or in the presence of children. The Home Office stressed that any marijuana cafes where the drug is sold and used openly remained illegal and would be closed. "It is critical that police can maintain public order," Blunkett said. "Where cannabis possession is linked to aggravated behavior that threatens public order, the police will retain the power of arrest." Scotland Yard said it welcomed the new reclassification of the drug combined with maintaining a discretionary police power to intervene. The drugs spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers, Andy Hayman, said, "The retention of police power of arrest will enable the police to have greater flexibility in dealing with incidents on the street." Blunkett insisted Wednesday's move did not constitute legalizing marijuana. "All controlled drugs are harmful and will remain illegal," he said. "We must concentrate our efforts on the drugs that cause the most harm, while sending a credible message to young people." Kate Hoey, a Labor member of Parliament, said the government may live to regret Wednesday's decision because of the increasing strength of marijuana being peddled on the street. "It is a very strong type of cannabis--it's genetically modified, it is not perhaps like people tried 20 years ago," she said. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth