First-time cocaine and cannabis users are offered education or treatment programs rather than being prosecuted under new plans drawn up by police chiefs.
Officers would agree to take no further action for the first time against those caught possessing illegal drugs, including class A and B, under new proposals being prepared by the National Council of Police Chiefs and the College of Policing .
The offender would thus avoid a criminal record, but would be prosecuted if he does not participate in education or treatment programs or is caught again with drugs.
Currently, 14 of the 43 police forces in England and Wales, including Durham, Thames Valley and West Midlands, already operate under similar arrangements, but the new initiatives would ensure a consistent approach across the country.
Cocaine and cannabis users who use cocaine and cannabis for the first time are offered education or treatment programs instead of being prosecuted under new plans set by police chiefs
Officers recorded ‘no further action’ if ‘action to prevent recidivism or change behavior by addressing the root cause of the offense’ was taken.
This means that first offenders do not have to plead guilty and do not have a criminal record.
Applying the scheme nationally would bring Britain into line with countries such as Portugal, which redirect those caught with small amounts of drugs to similar education or rehabilitation programmes.
However, the plans could be seen as controversial, pitting police and public health officials against the government’s hopes of implementing a “three strikes and out” approach to recreational drug use, The Telegraph reports.
If the government’s blueprint is approved, it could mean banning recreational drug users from traveling abroad, disqualifying them from driving or electronic drug tags to stop their habit.
The white paper, called Swift, Certain, Tough: New Consequences for Drug Possession, would also ramp up police arrests and searches, according to the organization Transform.
Earlier this year, at the Tory conference in October, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said cannabis use was effectively decriminalized.
Officers would agree to take no further action for the first time against those caught in possession of illegal drugs, including Class A and B. Photo: Stock Photo of Someone with Cannabis
There were also claims that Braverman wanted to make cannabis a Class A drug after claiming it was a gateway drug to more harmful substances, but this suggestion was quickly dropped by No. 10, who said there would be no plans to change the drug class.
The number of drug offenders charged fell from 33.3 percent in 2015 to 19.3 percent in June this year.
However, an open letter to the government published on Sunday revealed that 500 public health and drug organizations and experts said they had “serious concerns” about the minister’s plans that said they would criminalize young and vulnerable people.
Instead, they called on the government to focus resources on “health interventions proven to reduce harm” rather than prosecution.
The number of drug offenders charged fell from 33.3 percent in 2015 to 19.3 percent in June this year. Pictured: Stock photo of cocaine
Signatories to the letter included the Association of Directors of Public Health, Public Health Faculty, Police Foundation and British Medical Association.
The letter was coordinated after findings from the 14 police schemes already implementing the scheme showed that only five to 20 percent of those who took part reoffended
Jason Harwin, the former NPCC drug chief and former deputy chief constable, who is working with the College of Policing on the new strategy, told The Telegraph: “We shouldn’t criminalize someone for possession of drugs. It should be a distraction to other services to give them the chance to change their behaviour.’
Mr Harwin added that the government’s new proposals were ‘too rigid’ for first offenders and that punishments such as confiscation of passports would make the sentences for drug users more severe than for robbers.
An open letter to the government published on Sunday revealed that 500 public health and drug organizations and experts said they had “serious concerns” about the minister’s plans. Pictured: stock image of cannabis
Professor David Strain, chair of the BMA science council, said the government’s plans appeared to “double down on a failed model by increasingly promoting hasher sanctions that perpetuate the stigma and shame” that already surround drug users trying to get help.
He added that the government’s new white paper, if passed, would discourage those trying to seek the health care they need.
Dr. Adam Holland, the chair of the Department of Public Health’s drug special interest group, said: ‘Drug abuse programs are a promising way to prevent criminalization of people who use drugs.
“Instead of arresting, prosecuting or formally charging those caught in possession of drugs, they are instead diverted away from the criminal justice system to receive targeted education and support.”
MailOnline has contacted the Home Office for a statement.