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Smoke Signals
Anyone found in possession of cannabis in the greater part of Britain may soon face a possible term of five years in jail and an unlimited fine.
There was a time when smoking marijuana was considered a, more or less, harmless recreation. No longer.
In the recent past, "possession" of the drug, according to various acts of parliament applying to England and Wales (including the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971), warranted a police warning and confiscation. In many cases police constables and officers turned a blind eye. Especially in the Notting Hill district of London (All Saint's Road to be precise) in the 1970s and 1980s and 1990s.
It is understood in the corridors of power at Westminster that possible forthcoming legislation will retain the penalty for supplying cannabis at a maximum of 14 years in jail.
Britain's Home Secretary (Interior minister) Jacqui Smith has recently admitted that "Statistics show that cannabis use has fallen significantly, (but) there is really public concern about the potential mental health effects of cannabis use, in particular the use of stronger forms of the drug, commonly known as skunk.
"This is in addition to the longitudinal studies undertaken in New Zealand and the Netherlands that link cannabis use to mental health problems."
As usual with the government of Gordon Brown, it has all gone horribly wrong.
Let's go inside the toilets behind the speaker's chair at the House of Commons and have a puff.
