The government has “no plans” to change the law relating to cannabis, Downing Street has said.
The announcement amounts to a slapdown to home secretary Suella Braverman, who over the weekend let it be known she was “receptive” to calls for the drug to be upgraded from class B to class A.
The move would put cannabis on the same level as substances such as cocaine, ecstasy and heroin, increasing the maximum sentence for possession from five to seven years in prison.
But prime minister Liz Truss’s official spokesperson today said: “There are no plans to change the laws around cannabis.
“Our priority is cracking down on illegal drugs and the crime they drive. It’s a drug strategy backed by record investment in a whole-system approach to tackling supply and use.”
A source close to Ms Braverman said on Sunday that it would be a “very big stretch of the imagination” to suggest the home secretary herself was seeking to change the classification.
But the source confirmed she was “receptive” to the arguments of a group of Tory police and crime commissioners (PCCs) who have called for the drug to be reclassified.
The commissioners made the case for re-evaluating penalties at the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, based on new health data and fears cannabis is acting as a “gateway drug” to more harmful substances.
A Home Office source said that while Ms Braverman is “receptive” to the PCCs’ position, “we need to really understand what will be most effective means to improving enforcement”.
Asked about the reports the home secretary wants to upgrade the drug to class A, the source said: “That is a very big stretch of the imagination.
“Her position on this is that effectively cannabis has been legalised by not being policed properly. We need to focus attention on changing that.”
