Request to know what evidence the UK cannabis laws are based on and for clarity on the definition of misuse in relation to cannabis in the UK

Cleveland Police did not have the information requested.

Dear Cleveland Police,

I write to you under the Freedom of Information act 2000 to request four pieces of evidence:

1. FOUNDATION EVIDENCE for the claim that all genus of cannabis meet the currently accepted criteria for a schedule 1 substance in its raw form.

2. FOUNDATION EVIDENCE for the claim that cannabinoid preparations meet the currently accepted criteria for a schedule 1 substance.

3. FOUNDATION EVIDENCE for claim that cannabis is a 'controlled' substance in the UK and who is making that claim of control.

4. FOUNDATION EVIDENCE for what is considered misuse of raw cannabis and its various preparations.

Yours faithfully,

Colin O'Keeffe

Freedom of Information, Cleveland Police

This mailbox is for Freedom of Information requests only and all other
mail will be deleted unactioned.

 

For Legal please forward your e-mail to
[1][email address] and for Subject Access please
check the Subject Access section of the Cleveland Police website under the
heading of ‘Advice and Information’ or forward your e-mail to
[2][email address] for all other
enquiries please contact Cleveland Police via 101.

 

References

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2. mailto:[email address]

Freedom of Information, Cleveland Police

Enquiry Ref: 12215/2020

I acknowledge receipt of your request for information dated 9th September 2020 and received by this office on that date.

As set out by the Freedom of Information Act it will be our aim to respond to your request within 20 working days that is by 7th October 2020. In some cases, however, we may be unable to achieve this deadline and would hope to contact you should this be the case.

Please note: Although every effort will be made to ensure a response is provided within statutory deadlines, due to current circumstances delays may be unavoidable. We apologise for any inconvenience and will endeavour to process your request as quickly as is practicable.

Please note the ‘working day’ is defined as any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday, or a day which is a bank holiday in any part of the United Kingdom. The first reckonable day is the first working day after receipt.

If you have any questions regarding your request please contact this office.

Yours sincerely,

Ms E McGuigan
Freedom of Information Decision Maker
Directorate of Standards and Ethics
Cleveland Community Safety Hub | 1 Cliffland Way | Hemlington | TS8 9GL
E-mail: [email address]

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Freedom of Information, Cleveland Police

Dear Mr O'Keeffe,
Enquiry Ref: 12215/2020

I write in connection with your request for information dated 9th September 2020 and received by this office on that date. We have made enquiries within the force and below are the questions raised in your request and our response.

I write to you under the Freedom of Information act 2000 to request four pieces of evidence:
1. FOUNDATION EVIDENCE for the claim that all genus of cannabis meet the currently accepted criteria for a schedule 1 substance in its raw form.
a) No information held. Any items suspected of being Controlled Drugs are either examined by a Drugs Expert within Force or sent to the Forensic Lab for examination. It is they who will determine if the recovered substance is Cannabis and advise the Officer in the Case that it is a Controlled Drug as specified by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
2. FOUNDATION EVIDENCE for the claim that cannabinoid preparations meet the currently accepted criteria for a schedule 1 substance.
a) No information held. Any items suspected of being Controlled Drugs are either examined by a Drugs Expert within Force or sent to the Forensic Lab for examination. They will determine if the recovered substance is Cannabis and advise the Officer in the Case that it is a Controlled Drug as specified by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
3. FOUNDATION EVIDENCE for claim that cannabis is a 'controlled' substance in the UK and who is making that claim of control.
a) No information held. The Police are not responsible for establishing legislation, only enforcing it.
4. FOUNDATION EVIDENCE for what is considered misuse of raw cannabis and its various preparations.
a) No information held. Police are not responsible for establishing legislation, only enforcing it.

Some or all of this information may be available via a request to the Home Office.

Please note any statistical data supplied in relation to Freedom of Information requests is a snapshot of data held at the time the request was received by the Freedom of Information office and is subject to constant change/updates.

The Cleveland Police response to your request is unique and it should be noted that Police Forces do not use generic systems or identical procedures to capture and record data therefore responses from Cleveland Police should not be used as a comparison with any other force response you receive.

If you are not satisfied with this response or any actions taken in dealing with your request you have the right to request an independent internal review of your case under our review procedure. The APP College of Policing guidance states that a request for internal review should be made within 20 working days of the date on this response or 40 working days if extenuating circumstances to account for the delay can be evidenced.

We have made every effort to ensure a response was provided within statutory deadlines, however due to current circumstances delays have been unavoidable. If your response was late we apologise for any inconvenience it may have caused. If we can be of any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact this office.

Yours sincerely,

Ms E McGuigan
Freedom of Information Decision Maker
Directorate of Standards and Ethics
Cleveland Community Safety Hub | 1 Cliffland Way | Hemlington | TS8 9GL
E-mail: [email address]

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

       
Public Service | Transparency | Impartiality | Integrity

“Delivering outstanding policing for our communities”

Please do not use social media or email to report crime as we do not monitor these accounts 24/7. Dial 999 in an emergency or visit the contact us section of our website for all reporting options.

show quoted sections