Cannabis possession rocketed in Merseyside throughout the lockdowns, but now offending has fallen below pre-pandemic levels.
The figures come as the government is currently consulting on tougher penalties that could see recreational drug users lose their passports and driving licences.
The latest Home Office figures show that crimes of possession of cannabis have fallen by 16% in Merseyside, to 7,595 crimes recorded in the year ending March 2022.
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Before the pandemic, in the year ending March 2020, Merseyside Police recorded 7,786 crimes of possession of cannabis. The following year - after lockdown restrictions were introduced - that rocketed by 16% to 8,995 offences, before plummeting last year to 2% below the pre-pandemic figure.
Data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales shows that the pandemic did not disrupt the drug trade. In fact around 6% of adults aged between 18 and 59 smoked cannabis during the pandemic - the equivalent of around 1.8 million adults.
In our area, police were most likely to find cannabis on people in Liverpool. Last year there were 3,701 offences recorded in that area, which equates to around 74 crimes for every 10,000 of the population. That was followed by Knowsley (64 per 10,000 residents) and Sefton (43 per 10,000 residents).
Separate court figures show that during the calendar year 2021, 1,095 people were convicted of possession of cannabis in Merseyside - up from 819 the previous year - including 11 people who received immediate custodial sentences.
It comes as cannabis laws are changing in certain parts of the world - with nations including Canada, Mexico, South Africa, Georgia, and some American states legalising recreational use. Germany is currently in the process of changing the law to allow the controlled distribution of cannabis among adults.
Meanwhile, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, launched the London Drugs Commission earlier this year, to examine the effectiveness of drug laws on cannabis.
Mr Khan first announced the review while he was in Los Angeles, on a visit to see firsthand the impact on the city since it legalised cannabis in 2016.
A spokesperson for the Mayor said at the time: "We know that we’ll never be able to simply arrest our way out of the problem, which is why we continue to work on schemes that provide young people with support and education, rather than simply putting them through the criminal justice system – with the aim of diverting them away from drug use and crime for good."
Data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales shows that more than a third of adults aged between 18 and 59 (37%) have smoked cannabis at some point in their lives - the equivalent of about 12 million people.
Supporters of legalisation claim cannabis is less harmful than alcohol and that it would take the trade out of the hands of criminal gangs, free up police time, and create a new and lucrative source of tax for the government.
However, opponents point to the detrimental impact of the drug - particularly on mental health - and believe legalisation would not break up drug gangs but would cause more people to become dependent on cannabis, and possibly lead them to harder drugs.
But while some nations are moving towards legalisation, the UK has taken steps in the opposite direction in recent times.
In 2001, cannabis was downgraded from Class B to Class C, effectively decriminalising the drug. A 2005 Home Office report estimated that 199,000 police hours were saved as a result.
However, in 2007 the drug was made a Class B substance again, against the advice of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.
One of the first acts of Liz Truss’s government was to refuse formal permission to allow Bermuda to enact a law to legalise and regulate cannabis. Bermuda has announced its intention to press ahead with the law change regardless.
Meanwhile, Home Office proposals published in July set out tougher punishments for recreational users of drugs such as cannabis and cocaine.
The three-tiered approach would see first-time offenders forced to pay to attend a drug awareness course or pay an increased fine or possibly face prosecution.
For a second offence, drug users would be given a caution, sent on a further drug awareness course, and face a period of mandatory, random drug testing for up to three months.
Anyone caught with cannabis or other recreational drugs a third time would face prosecution. As part of their punishment, they could have their passports and driving licences confiscated on conviction.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We have no plans to decriminalise drug possession. Our approach on drugs remains clear - we must prevent drug use in our communities, support people through treatment and recovery, and tackle the supply of illegal drugs.
“The decriminalisation of drugs in the UK would not eliminate the crime committed by the illicit trade, nor would it address the harms associated with drug dependence and the misery that this can cause to families and communities.
“We are committed to reversing the trend of drug use and recently opened a public consultation on a new, bold approach to tackling drug possession.”
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