UK Cannabis Decriminalisation- The Practical Changes

People smoking cannabis on the street or at outdoor festivals in Britain will no longer risk arrest, NME said this week, following last week's announcement by authorities that cannabis is to be downgraded from class B to class C. The changes are expected to come into force in the New Year and could also see cannabis smoking becoming allowed in clubs

'I don't stop people smoking cigarettes in the club so if smoking cannabis is the same then I won't stop that either," Fabric boss Keith Reilly told 7 Magazine. However, smokers lighting up before January continue to be at risk, he stressed. "At the moment we confiscate the cannabis and either throw people out or call the police depending on how much they've got."

Glastonbury boss Michael welcomed the changes (NME) as did Andy Cornwell, a campaigner from the Cannabis Coalition.

'Normally, they (the police) arrest a quota of about 300 people per festival for marijuana but that will now change," he suggested. "Glastonbury will be a big event for smokers next year and we have our own festival in London's Brockwell Park on May 4th.

"One interesting move is that the offence of allowing premises to be used for smoking cannabis will disappear."

Police will also no longer be able to stop and search anybody suspected of possessing cannabis, though at present are continuing to do so (a friend of the Skrufff team was stalked last week by two Islington officers and subsequently cautioned, despite the Government announcement.) Curiously, the new laws also won't permit smokers to grow their own plants, a move that would have dramatically undermined the criminal supply lines.

http://www.nme.com

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• drugs