| 1979 | The
Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), the "Government's statutory
independent advisory body" releases recommendation that cannabis be reclassified
to class C. Nothing was done. |
| 2000 | The
Police Foundation, chaired by Dame Ruth Runciman, publish a report "Report
of the Independent Inquiry into the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971" which recommended
that "Cannabis should be transferred from Class B to Class C of Schedule
2 of the MDA and cannabinol and its derivatives should be transferred from Class
A to Class C". |
| 06/02/2001 | The
Government responds to the Runciman report, discarding the recommendation claiming
that "Existing scientific evidence, which fuels doubts about the health
risks associated with cannabis use, persuade the Government that it would not
be right to reclassify cannabis at this moment in time". |
| 24/07/2001 | The
Home Affairs Committee announces that
it is to do an inquiry on whether the current drug policy is working. |
| 22/10/2001 | Home
Secretary David Blunkett proposes
reclassifying cannabis to class C, telling a House of Commons committee meeting
that "Cannabis would remain a controlled drug and using it a criminal
offense...but it would make clearer the distinction between cannabis and Class
A drugs like heroin and cocaine". He tasks the ACMD to produce report
on this proposal. |
| 01/03/2002 | The
ACMD produces a report
"The classification of cannabis under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971"
which again supports reclassification, saying that "The Council believes
the current classification of cannabis is disproportionate in relation to both
its inherent toxicity, and to that of other substances...that are currently in
class B."
|
| 09/05/2002 | The
Home Affairs Committee releases a report
"The Government's drugs policy: is it working?" which concluded that
"We support, therefore, the Home Secretary's proposal to reclassify cannabis
from Class B to Class C". UKCIA comment
on the report, saying that whilst it is welcomed it won't solve the cause of the
drugs problem and that "no true harm reduction is possible when drugs
are supplied by the present illegal market". |
| 10/07/2002 | Blunkett
announces
to Parliament that he "will seek to reclassify cannabis as a Class C drug
by July of next year". The Shadow Home Secretary, Oliver Letwin responds
"There are two coherent, alternative strategies on cannabis and the Home
Secretary, in his statement today has not adopted either of them.". UKCIA
comments that
the new policy is "muddled and confused". |
| 01/07/2003 | The
promised reclassification date arrives and nothing is done. It becomes apparent
that the Government is seeking to change the Criminal Justice Bill so that cannabis
possession, which would have been a "non-arrestable" offence due to
its reduced maximum prison sentence after reclassification, is still an arrestable
offence. |
| 11/09/2003 | The
Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) release guidelines
as to how the cannabis law should be enforced after reclassification takes place.
There is a "presumption against arrest" for possession of small amounts
cannabis in private but they make it clear that "despite reclassification,
it remains illegal to possess cannabis" and that "the power of
arrest could be used on every occasion". |
| 29/10/2003 | The
motion to reclassify cannabis is debated
in the House of Commons. It is passed,
316 votes in favour, 160 against. |
| 12/11/2003 | The
motion to reclassify cannabis, passed by the House of Commons, is debated
in the House of Lords. It is passed,
63 in favour, 37 against, but as an addendum to the motion they add that "this
House notes that the order may lead to increased use of cannabis with risks to
the health of young people and regrets that the order is being made before the
Government's proposals concerning class C drugs have been finalised." |
| 20/11/2003 | The
modifications to the Criminal Justice Bill, essential for the Government's planned
cannabis policy, are almost blocked
by the House of Lords. However compromise on jury trials, unrelated to cannabis
policy, allow the Bill to proceed hours before the end of the Parliamentary session.
|
| 29/01/2004? | New
date for cannabis reclassification to take place. |
