What Happens If You Get Caught With Weed Or Cocaine In The UK? Police Want Lighter Penalties

The National Police Chiefs Council and College of Policing in the U.K. recently prepared a national blueprint with the intention of treating some drug possession cases as a public health problem rather than criminal activity. Under the new rules, first-time users of cocaine and cannabis would avoid prosecution and a criminal record if they agree to undergo education or treatment programs, reported The Telegraph.

If offenders reject the treatment or get caught again with drugs, they could be prosecuted.

As many as 14 of the 43 police forces in England and Wales, including those considered the most successful in the UK, already have similar schemes in place. The idea of this new initiative is to create a nationally consistent program.

Jason Harwin, the former National Police Chiefs’ Council lead on drugs and a former deputy chief constable who is collaborating on the new scheme said, “We should not criminalize someone for possession of drugs. It should be a diversion to other services to give them a chance to change their behaviors.”

Cannabis In England

The news comes nearly a year after London's Mayor Sadiq Khan said he plans to stop prosecuting adolescents and young adults caught with marijuana.

While medical marijuana was legalized in England in 2018, Khan was referring to a new scheme wherein people under 25 caught with marijuana would be offered classes or counseling instead of being arrested.

The goal was to address illegal consumption by providing more positive interventions. 

A similar scheme was introduced in Ireland and was reported to have rendered positive results. In 2021 fewer people were charged or issued a summons for possessing drugs. Those caught with cannabis were issued a warning.

Not Everyone Agrees With Relaxing Cannabis Laws

At an October Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, police commissioners made the case for the reclassification of marijuana and harsher penalties for its possession and sale, reported local media.

The commissioners argued that the current classification is not appropriate given new data suggesting cannabis is more harmful than previously thought. For that reason, they're seeking to reschedule cannabis as a Class A drug, raising penalties for those who possess and sell cannabis.

Those caught in possession of Class B drugs -like cannabis, speed and ketamine -face up to 14 years. Meanwhile, possession of a Class A drug -like heroin, cocaine and ecstasy -  can trigger a life sentence.

Peter Reynolds, president of CLEAR, an organization against cannabis prohibition, called the proposal "completely crazy" adding that the Commissioners are promoting ideas that will increase crime, violence and child exploitation.

"The idea of doing more of the same as the past 50 years, which has quite obviously dramatically failed, is ridiculous. The only people who want this are ignorant politicians and the people who sell illegal drugs, I'm crystal clear about that," Reynolds said.

About a week later, UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman agreed that cannabis should be a Class A drug like cocaine and heroin, confirming that the plant’s classification is “subject to review.”

Braverman, who is opposed to decriminalizing cannabis, believes deterrence is crucial to curb the growing popularity of cannabis among teens. “We’ve got to scare people,” she said, per the Sunday Times.

The Home Secretary also “signaled a hardline approach at the Tory conference” highlighting that marijuana consumption has been effectively decriminalized in some parts of the U.K, with the percentage of people charged for drug offenses falling to 19.3% in 2022, from 33.3% in 2015, writes The Telegraph.

Meanwhile, in an open letter to the UK Government, 500 public health and drug organizations and industry experts shared serious concerns over the ministers’ proposals, saying they "would criminalize young and fragile people and avoid the root of the problem." Among those organizations were the Association of Directors of Public Health, the Public Health Faculty, the Police Foundation and the British Medical Association. 

Photo: Courtesy of Jeff W on Unsplash