This might not be a popular decision
Cannabis should be a Class A drug like cocaine or heroin, Home Secretary Suella Braverman believes.
She has privately backed a group of Police and Crime Commissioners who are calling for tougher drug sentences.
The Home Office last night confirmed cannabis classification was “subject to review”. A source told the Sunday Times: “We’ve got to scare people.”
This comes after police chiefs said cannabis should be upgraded to a class A drug because they believe it causes the same harm as crack and cocaine, reports The Telegraph.
Responding to reports that Braverman wants to upgrade cannabis to a class A drug, Labour shadow minister Jonathan Ashworth said his “understanding” of the medical advice is that it should remain a class B substance.
He told Times Radio’s Sunday Morning with Kate McCann and Adam Boulton that policy should follow the “relevant” medical advice, adding: “Well at the moment my understanding is the recommendations is it should be class B but I’m not an expert, I’ve not kept up to date with what their latest research suggests, but that’s always been my understanding.”
A Home Office source told PA that while Ms Braverman is “receptive” to the PCCs’ position, “we need to really understand what will be most effective means to improving enforcement”.
Asked about the reports the Home Secretary wants to upgrade the drug to Class A, the source said: “That is a very big stretch of the imagination.
“Her position on this is that effectively cannabis has been legalised by not being policed properly. We need to focus attention on changing that.”
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