Effects of Reclassification – Hamish Warburton (Institute for Criminal Policy Research)

Warburton examined the state of the law prior to reclassification and found it was common for inner-city police forces to throw away any cannabis they found. This approach was also undertaken in more rural forces but on a less frequent basis.

Officers would take this approach because of the amount of time spent giving someone a caution. However, reclassification means that users can now be warned without taking up so much time and therefore, there is a danger the number of people who actually encounter the police could increase. Moreover, the police have an incentive to take action as they don’t want to be accused of malpractice and nicking someone looks good on their record.