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Times They are a-Changing: Policing of Cannabis (Drug & Alcohol)
Times They are aChanging Policing of Cannabis - Drug & Alcohol Author:Tiggey May, Hamish Warburton, Paul J. Turnbull, Mike Hough Many think that the police rarely take formal action against offences involving cannabis. In fact, of the 700,000 known indictable offenders in Britain in 1998, one in eight were cautioned or convicted for possession of cannabis. This report examines whether patterns of cannabis enforcement are intended by senior managers or whether they reflect... more » low-level discretion. Drawing from published statistics for all police force areas relating to offences covered by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, Policing cannabis considers variations between forces in patterns of searches, arrests and prosecutions and describes how the policing of cannabis occurs, and the basis of officers' decisions to take action. The report also focuses in detail on case studies of two police forces and documents the effects of police practice on individuals and communities, assessing whether current practice bears disproportionately on any minority ethnic groups. This report provides a comprehensive background to offences involving cannabis in the light of likely changes to the classification of the drug in England and Wales.« less