Pubdate: Sun, 14 Jul 2002
Source: News of the World (UK)
Copyright: News Group Newspapers Ltd, 2002
Contact:  http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1682
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Q: CAN I GET AWAY WITH SMOKING DOPE, OFFICER?
A: ONLY ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET, SIR

BAFFLED police across the country haven't a clue how to enforce David 
Blunkett's flagship new initiative on cannabis. This week our reporters 
nationwide, posing as concerned members of the public, popped into police 
stations or asked bobbies on the beat for advice on where we might smoke a 
spliff, and if so, how much dope could we have on us. Could we, perhaps, 
have a dope party? The answers we got ranged from confused to hilarious to 
plain wrong. One beat bobby told a reporter to nip across the road into 
another borough to smoke a joint — that's them in the big pictures on this 
page. Just for the record, under Blunkett's plan cannabis is to be 
reclassified as a Class C drug in the same category as anti-depressants. 
People caught smoking cannabis in the street will effectively be let off 
with a caution. Right now, cannabis use is still an arrestable offence. The 
softening of the law will take effect in London by August and nationwide by 
October. Police will retain arrest powers in situations of 'aggravating 
cirumstance'. But that's a huge grey area/ While cannabis suppliers will be 
arrested, there's no clear guidance on what amount of the drug constitutes 
'personal use'. And this is the mess that police understandably found 
themselves in when we called by...

POLICE officers argued amongst themselves. some threw up their hands in 
despair, others simply admitted they were totally flummoxed. All because we 
asked them politely to explain the new cannabis laws that, in the coming 
months, they will have to interpret and police. One beat bobby in London's 
Southwark gave up completely and told our reporter to cross to the other 
side of the road—just across the border with the borough of Lambeth where 
there is already a pilot scheme in which attitudes to cannabis have been 
softened.

Our investigation started outside Westcombe Park police station in the 
London borough of Greenwich: "I'm having a party this weekend and some 
friends are likely to bring some cannabis around," said our reporter. 
"Could we get arrested?" "No," said the constable. "Enjoy your party, and 
enjoy your cannabis! If you're buying it, you do not commit an offence."

Officer in a parked police car in London's Southwark, in answer to the 
'party' question: "When the law gets changed, it'll be all right. By the 
way, where's the party?" But a Southwark police station desk officer, asked 
the same question, said: "Cannabis is illegal. You'll get arrested for any 
amount. Even if an officer is walking past and catches you smoking alone at 
home in your pants, you'll get done. When the law changes, you'll still get 
arrested." PC guarding the entrance to Houses of Parliament: "Go to Lambeth 
if you want to smoke cannabis!"

PCs Irvine and Turner, on patrol in Southwark, were the most confused cops 
we questioned.

Irvine: "Cannabis is going to remain illegal until July next year." 
Reporter: "So it'll be all right next year?"

Irvine: "No, no, it will always be illegal!" Turner: "In Brixton, you'd 
only get a caution, but that's in Brixton. But you can smoke it."

Irvine: "No you can't!" Turner: It depends on how much you carry."

Irvine: "No, it doesn't matter how much you carry! If you've got enough on 
you, you'll get 14 years in jail, or life in jail.

Turner: "Yeah, it doesn't matter how much you've got, it's depends how 
you've got it packed up. If you've got six different packs of cannabis, 
then we'll be like, 'You're supplying' and you'll get done." Irvine: "No! 
No! If you've only got one bag, you're still not all right. No...you're 
getting the wrong impression. You'll go to prison." Well and truly 
confused, our reporter in the area turned to PC 648 Alan Male, on patrol in 
Southwark, and asked if he could light up a spliff in the street.

"I don't really know the details of these laws," he said. "Look, we're on 
the border with Lambeth, if you walk down this road here, one side is 
Southwark and the other is Lambeth. You can jump across the road and be all 
right." Outside Sainsbury's in London's Camden, another PC was equally 
uncertain. "All Blunkett has done is fudge the issue," he said. "He hasn't 
made it legal or illegal."

But confusion isn't confined to London. Midlands bobbies were just as 
puzzled. First a female reporter went into Worcester police station with 
the 'party' question.

"It's only in London that the law is being relaxed," said a woman desk 
officer. At Steelhouse Lane nick in Birmingham, our girl posed as someone 
just back from working in Holland with its famous relaxed drugs laws. "Is 
Britain like Holland now?" she asked.

The desk sergeant said: "If I was to catch you with a small amount of 
cannabis on you I would take it off you but not arrest you. If anyone 
thinks they will be able to walk along the street smoking a joint they're 
sadly mistaken."

"But could I light up in a restaurant after a meal?" asked our girl. The 
sergeant said: "It's going to get to the stage that where you are allowed 
to smoke, you'll be allowed to smoke cannabis. But we haven't got there 
yet." So how much could we have for personal use?

"If you had two small blocks for yourself and your boyfriend I'd confiscate 
them. But if you had 16 blocks for a party then I'd arrest you for 
supplying. "Until they actually clarify it we can only act on experience. 
It's confusing for us too."

But in Bedford, the police officer we met was adamant. "It's still illegal. 
The laws haven't been changed. Tell your friends it's still an arrestable 
offence."

Our reporter asked: "Aren't there any specific amounts that will be safe 
for them to carry around?"

The policeman put his foor down. "It will be an arrestable offence even 
when they downgrade it," he said.

"It's illegal whatever the amount they carry around with them. And if it 
happens on your property you'll be held responsible for it." In Manchester, 
a reporter headed for Chorlton police station, just a few miles south of 
the city centre. He also tried the 'I'm having a party' line. A WPC at the 
front desk said: "I don't know what class drug it is being downgraded to. 
If people are smoking it, they will probably be cautioned." Then she 
smiled: "Where's the party-can we come?"

In Manchester's Didsbury, however, our man came up against a brick wall 
when he asked for general advice on the new guidelines. "I've not heard 
anything about them," said a WPC in charge of the front desk. "What did 
they say on the news?"

Across the country at Newcastle North headquarters a WPC ushered our man 
into a confidential briefing room for a wide-ranging piece of advice. 
"Nothing has changed at all yet," she said. "They're going to change the 
classification of cannabis to a Class C drug.

"I can't really say how much will be regarded as 'personal use'—a gram or 
more than a gram.

"If someone is found with some in their pocket and they say 'I'm going to 
have a reefer and it's just for me and I'll smoke the rest tomorrow...' 
It's all down to the circumstances we find you with it and what you say 
it's for." When our reporter posed the 'I'm having a party' question, the 
WPC warned: "You could technically be liable for allowing your premises to 
be used for the purposes of drug-taking. It applies to any controlled drug— 
you could be liable. "They haven't decriminalised cannabis yet—but the 
understanding I have is we will be more lenient as far as possession for 
personal use is concerned but you'll be hammered more than you are now for 
possession with intent to supply. "The bottom line is that probably the 
safest place to use cannabis is in your own home. It's just the carrying of 
it between wherever you're getting it from and home that's dodgy.

"Don't ever use it in public thinking it's all right because, as yet, it 
isn't." Back down south, in Swindon, officers were also wrestling with the 
facts. In answer to the 'party' question, a constable sitting in a police 
car outside the station said: "That law doesn't come into force until July 
next year. So it's going to be a good party then?"

When our girl asked if he could help with the legal position of Ecstasy, 
too, he laughed: "You'll have to give us your address so we know where to 
come for these parties."

In Cardiff Central police station, the police were also in difficulties. 
Asked for advice, an officer admitted: "We don't know. We know as much you, 
as much as we've seen on the telly."

Still, our reporter pressed on. "Could I light up in the street?" he asked. 
"Don't know," said the officer. "People in government do things, discuss 
things amongst themselves. We'll probably be the last to know." But as the 
reporter left the station, the policeman gave a piece of advice that should 
serve everyone: "Tread carefully."
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart