London Mayor candidate suggests the "light touch"

[spidergawd]

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/mayo ... 65134.html

I dont think we get coffeeshops any time soon, but this really is how it already is in my part of town and has been for years I reckon. You've got to be involved with other stuff for the police to make an issue of cannabis possesion.

Still it's now up for debate and I wait to hear the thoughts of the other candidates as they will have to answer now it's a live issue. .

All in all it's just another brick in the wall .

[spidergawd]

An idea of where we're at in UK right now, it's effectively de-criminalised, which I'm OK with, up to a point. I would of course like the equivelant of somewhere social to drop in for a toke when I'm out and about but that may still be some way away yet. I am more optimistic about a change the situation these days.

http://www.economist.com/node/21551079

[Smith2]

Now you see, this is where I lost faith in humanity.

At the last London mayoral election, I was faced with a dilemma. I would have voted for anyone against Boris Johnson – except Livingstone, of whom I had had higher hopes, to put it mildly.

I expected that this dilemma would be shared by a fair proportion of the population. Consequently I trusted that it would be one of those elections where a surprise third-party candidate wins, as Clement Freud did all those years ago in Ely (he backed himself at 33/1 as well). In this case, the third-party candidate had the advantage of being intelligent, unafraid of public reaction and photogenic.

Of course he never had a chance, and I should have known it.

[A Leprechaun]

An idea of where we're at in UK right now, it's effectively de-criminalised, which I'm OK with, up to a point. I would of course like the equivelant of somewhere social to drop in for a toke when I'm out and about but that may still be some way away yet. I am more optimistic about a change the situation these days.

http://www.economist.com/node/21551079

Sorry to burst your bubble but outside of London and especially in the sticks if a copper catches you with weed you are fecked.Cannabis is a class B far from being de-criminalised my friend.I also know of friends being busted in London for 3 grms,can you please provide evidence of it being decriminalsied in London?

[spidergawd]

Evidence you want, would you accept a signed affidavit? sorry I dont have one available so you will have to take my word for the fact that, unless you're on old bills radar, and you're not blowing smoke in their faces you can walk easy round my way.
If you're a herbert with attitude then they'll be on your case for anything I'm sure.

I'm sure it's different in different areas, but in the metropolitan police area there's no points/crime stats for hassling someone purely for personals. What were the circumstances with the 3g bust mate, and what did they get.

Lifted from the article \/ \/, and the new sentencing guidelines were flagged up on ACD a couple of months ago. http://www.release.org.uk/comment/375-h ... s-offences

Last month the government published new sentencing guidelines that advised judges to treat small cultivators less strictly. Attitudes to smokers are softening, too. The reclassification of cannabis in 2009, from class C to the more stringent class B, was oddly accompanied by a more liberal approach to policing consumption. Users caught on the street are rarely arrested; rather, they are issued “cannabis cautions” (a reprimand which doesn’t appear on a criminal record) or fined.

Like a lot of things in life it's about attitude I think.

[Mint]

I don't think it has been de criminalized, in fact they want to make it a class A due to the high levels of thc. There was a time when dibble would look the other way but it depends on the individual. I'm in London & I've been stopped and had my smoke given back to me as they can't be Arsed with the paperwork...... Which was nice The younguns are out for brownine points so there a good chance they will nick you for possession.

[A Leprechaun]

From the link you posted spidergawd,


Mr Paddick told the Standard: “I will tell officers not to arrest people for carrying small amounts of cannabis for personal use if that is what local people want. I will get the police to focus on what Londoners think is important, not what the police think is important.”


That would suggest to me police are busting people for being in possession,eh I also will not go into details of those people who have been busted,just because it has not happened to you does not mean that it does not happen.


and this is from release , However, it is still a criminal conviction resulting in a criminal record even with an absolute or conditional discharge.

[Smith2]

As far as I'm aware, London police are still doing their sniffer dog routine at Tube and train stations. Nice use of police resources: catch a few people with a bit of green in their pocket that they're taking to a party, and hey! Result! Easy drug convictions, and 'evidence' that the police are on the ball, even if it's not the sort of crime that anyone is really worked up about. Even Daily Mail readers.

[StillSmokin]

Trust me, it is NOT decriminalised here.

Not enforced in certain areas depending on the feelings of the cop in question is not really much of a step forward to how's it's been here forever.

[Mike93]

As far as I'm aware, London police are still doing their sniffer dog routine at Tube and train stations. Nice use of police resources: catch a few people with a bit of green in their pocket that they're taking to a party, and hey! Result! Easy drug convictions, and 'evidence' that the police are on the ball, even if it's not the sort of crime that anyone is really worked up about. Even Daily Mail readers.

Its hard to say whether these dogs are looking for drugs such as a bit of draw, or terrorist activity. London is a prime target and big stations need to be secure to prevent further attacks.

[Smith2]

Not hard at all. Sniffer dogs are trained for a particular thing; they don't do bombs one day and drugs the next. And people I know have been caught for having cannabis on them. So it's safe to assume that's precisely what they're looking for.

[spidergawd]

From a conversation I had with a police dog handler, I understand that they can be trained for multiple rolls, certainly the drug dogs are trained to sniff out all known illegal drugs including a lot of the pharmaceuticals, eg. Rypnol (sp? the date rape drug.)
They are clever little buggers and it is very difficult to mask a smell as their olfactory senses actually analyse smells within smells.

South London, depending which parts, their most likely primary target will be weapons.......... and hoodies .