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28 January 2005
Arrests for cannabis possession have fallen by one third in the first year since re-classification. This has led to an estimated saving in police time of 199,000 police hours, the Home Office announced today.
Cannabis use by young people has remained stable following reclassification, and is significantly down since April 1998 - 28.2 per cent of 16-24 year olds used cannabis then compared to 24.8 per cent now.
Caroline Flint said:
“The Government’s drugs strategy focuses on tackling the class A drugs which cause the most harm to communities, individuals and their families. A year ago we reclassified cannabis on the recommendation of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, so that the police could concentrate on the far more destructive class A drugs.
“One year on the picture is encouraging with significant savings in police time which can now be used to drive more serious drugs off our streets and make our communities safer. 155 crack houses were closed by the police between January and September last year and in January we launched a national enforcement campaign, Operation Crackdown, to clamp down further on class A drugs.
“I am also pleased that figures show that some predictions that cannabis use by young people would increase were wholly unfounded. Following a major Government information campaign to get across that cannabis is harmful and remains illegal, the figures show that young people’s cannabis use has remained stable since reclassification and is still significantly down from 1998 levels.
“We are not complacent about drugs. Illegal drug use is still too high and fuels crime and misery for individuals and neighbourhoods. That is why we are continuing to take tough action to tackle drug users, dealers and the organised criminals who supply the drugs which end up on our streets.”
Proportion of British Crime Survey respondents who report use of cannabis in the last year
| 1998 | 2000 | 2001/02 | 2002/03 | 2003/04 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16-24 year olds | 28.2 | 27.0 | 26.9 | 25.8 | 24.8* |
| 16-59 year olds | 10.3 | 10.5 | 10.6 | 10.9 | 10.8 |
1. * = Statistically significant difference between 1998 and 2003/04 (at the 5% level)
2. From 2001 the reporting year switched from calendar to financial years
Notes to Editors:
1. Cannabis was reclassified on 29 January 2004.
2. The British Crime Survey figures released today suggest that there has been no change in the prevalence of cannabis use amongst the general population aged 16-59 (since 1998 the use of cannabis has remained stable). For young people (16-24 year olds), there has been a gradual decrease in the prevalence of cannabis use, which has remained stable in recent years.
3. As a survey of households the BCS does not cover some small groups such as those who are homeless or living in certain institutions who might have relatively higher rates of drug use. Also the BCS does not necessarily reach people whose lives are chaotic and hence unlikely to be reached at home.
4. Figures for reductions in cannabis arrests are estimated from provisional arrest data supplied by 26 of the 42 police forces in England and Wales over the last 12 months.
5. The Home Office announced the start of a £1 million information campaign to educate the public about the law change on cannabis on 17 January 2004 (Home Office press notice 020/2004). The evaluation of that campaign, revealing 93 per cent of young people understand cannabis use is illegal, was announced on 17 May 2004 (Home Office press notice 183/2004).
