Liz Truss is not planning on upgrading cannabis to a Class A drug, Downing Street said. A spokesperson confirmed a change was not on the Prime Minister's agenda after it emerged Home Secretary Suella Braverman would be open to such an idea.
Ms Braverman believes the drug has not been "policed properly" and has "effectively" been legalised, according to a source close to her. The source also said the Home Secretary was "receptive" to the idea of upgrading it from a Class B to a Class A drug.
But the Prime Minister’s official spokesperson indicated no such change was imminent. He said: “There’s no plans to change the laws around cannabis.
“Our priority is on cracking down on illegal drugs and the crime they drive. We’ve launched a drug strategy backed by record investment to deliver a whole-system approach to tackling supply and demand.”
It comes after a report in the Sunday Times suggested Ms Braverman was considering the upgrade, which would mean tougher penalties for people caught using or dealing the drug. But a Home Office source told the PA news agency it was “a very big stretch of the imagination” to say she wanted the drug upgraded.
Instead the source said Ms Braverman was “receptive” to ideas put forward by Conservative police and crime commissioners who had called for the tougher stance, and added: "Her position on this is that effectively cannabis has been legalised by not being policed properly. We need to focus attention on changing that."
