07-10-2002, 04:14 PM
British Drug Adviser Resigns
By BETH GARDINER
Associated Press Writer
LONDON (AP) — One of Britain's top anti-drug officials announced his resignation Wednesday to protest an expected decision by the country's top law enforcement official to make possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use punishable by a citation akin to a traffic ticket rather than arrest.
Keith Hellawell, a government adviser who previously served as Britain's drug czar, warned against the move, saying marijuana was dangerous and led some users to try harder drugs.
``It is a softening of the law and it's giving the wrong message,'' he told the British Broadcasting Corp. ``It's a personal initiative of David Blunkett. I don't know where he got his advice from, he certainly didn't get it from me.''
Blunkett is Home Secretary and in charge of police, prisons and immigration.
He said the expected reclassification would lead police to stop pursuing marijuana users and send mixed signals to the public about the government's view of illegal drugs.
``Why would we give a message to say a substance that we know has consequences for our community, why would we say or give the impression that it doesn't matter any more and we're going to ignore it?'' he said.
Blunkett said last year that he was inclined to downgrade marijuana from a Class B drug to Class C, making its possession and use a less serious offense and putting it on a par with anabolic steroids.
The possession of Class C drugs in small amounts generally is punished with a ticket, not arrest. Marijuana is currently a Class B drug, along with amphetamines and barbiturates.
Police in the south London neighborhood of Brixton have been running a widely publicized pilot program to experiment with ticketing marijuana users instead of arresting them, and a government-commissioned report recommended in March that Blunkett downgrade the drug.
While the Home Office declined to say what conclusion Blunkett had reached, the British media widely reported that he planned to reclassify the drug.
The Home Office said Hellawell had told Blunkett last year that he supported the proposal to reclassify marijuana, and that he had submitted his resignation last month, effective in August, but asked that it not be announced immediately.
``The Home Office are a little bemused by some of the things he said,'' Prime Minister Tony Blair's official spokesman told reporters on customary condition of anonymity.
Blair's government was not considering decriminalizing marijuana or taking away police officers' power to arrest users, the spokesman added.
``But clearly there is an issue and a debate to be had about how you best use the resources available to attack the drugs that do most harm,'' he said.
``You have to recognize that the real problems are caused by Class A drugs — heroin, crack (cocaine), ecstasy — and that's where the attention needs to be focused.''
Iain Duncan Smith, leader of the main opposition Conservative Party, said Hellawell's resignation was ``a clear signal to Tony Blair and his ministers to think again before it is too late.''
Possession of a Class B drug currently carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail.
Simple possession of a Class C drug carries a maximum sentence of two years, but the Home Office said that penalty is rarely invoked for first-time offenders, who normally receive only a ticket.
Press reports speculated that Blunkett planned to increase the penalties for possession with intent to supply or supplying Class C drugs from 5 years in jail to 10 years, but the Conservatives noted that would still be less than the 14-year sentence currently allowed for marijuana dealers.
Hellawell, a one-time West Yorkshire police chief, was appointed drug czar in 1997, but lost that job when Blair reorganized his anti-drug team last year, making Hellawell a part-time adviser on international drug issues.
By BETH GARDINER
Associated Press Writer
LONDON (AP) — One of Britain's top anti-drug officials announced his resignation Wednesday to protest an expected decision by the country's top law enforcement official to make possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use punishable by a citation akin to a traffic ticket rather than arrest.
Keith Hellawell, a government adviser who previously served as Britain's drug czar, warned against the move, saying marijuana was dangerous and led some users to try harder drugs.
``It is a softening of the law and it's giving the wrong message,'' he told the British Broadcasting Corp. ``It's a personal initiative of David Blunkett. I don't know where he got his advice from, he certainly didn't get it from me.''
Blunkett is Home Secretary and in charge of police, prisons and immigration.
He said the expected reclassification would lead police to stop pursuing marijuana users and send mixed signals to the public about the government's view of illegal drugs.
``Why would we give a message to say a substance that we know has consequences for our community, why would we say or give the impression that it doesn't matter any more and we're going to ignore it?'' he said.
Blunkett said last year that he was inclined to downgrade marijuana from a Class B drug to Class C, making its possession and use a less serious offense and putting it on a par with anabolic steroids.
The possession of Class C drugs in small amounts generally is punished with a ticket, not arrest. Marijuana is currently a Class B drug, along with amphetamines and barbiturates.
Police in the south London neighborhood of Brixton have been running a widely publicized pilot program to experiment with ticketing marijuana users instead of arresting them, and a government-commissioned report recommended in March that Blunkett downgrade the drug.
While the Home Office declined to say what conclusion Blunkett had reached, the British media widely reported that he planned to reclassify the drug.
The Home Office said Hellawell had told Blunkett last year that he supported the proposal to reclassify marijuana, and that he had submitted his resignation last month, effective in August, but asked that it not be announced immediately.
``The Home Office are a little bemused by some of the things he said,'' Prime Minister Tony Blair's official spokesman told reporters on customary condition of anonymity.
Blair's government was not considering decriminalizing marijuana or taking away police officers' power to arrest users, the spokesman added.
``But clearly there is an issue and a debate to be had about how you best use the resources available to attack the drugs that do most harm,'' he said.
``You have to recognize that the real problems are caused by Class A drugs — heroin, crack (cocaine), ecstasy — and that's where the attention needs to be focused.''
Iain Duncan Smith, leader of the main opposition Conservative Party, said Hellawell's resignation was ``a clear signal to Tony Blair and his ministers to think again before it is too late.''
Possession of a Class B drug currently carries a maximum penalty of five years in jail.
Simple possession of a Class C drug carries a maximum sentence of two years, but the Home Office said that penalty is rarely invoked for first-time offenders, who normally receive only a ticket.
Press reports speculated that Blunkett planned to increase the penalties for possession with intent to supply or supplying Class C drugs from 5 years in jail to 10 years, but the Conservatives noted that would still be less than the 14-year sentence currently allowed for marijuana dealers.
Hellawell, a one-time West Yorkshire police chief, was appointed drug czar in 1997, but lost that job when Blair reorganized his anti-drug team last year, making Hellawell a part-time adviser on international drug issues.