A zero tolerance policy on cannabis is to be piloted by police in the London area of Battersea, amid a growing press speculation that the drug may be returned to the class B bracket.
Residents of Battersea - only a few miles away from Brixton, where the infamous 'softly softly' approach to cannabis was first introduced in 2001 - have been plagued by cannabis use and dealing over the last few years.
One estate in the area, Latchmere, is described as a "honeypot" for buyers who travel to nearby Clapham Junction from all over the South East.
The new policy will introduce a zero-tolerance zone, where possession will incur arrest and prosecution, rather than the formal warnings that are currently issued.
Users in the area smoke cannabis openly in the street, and children as young as ten are used by dealers as 'runners'. In The Evening Standard, one resident said, "It's horrible here," going on to describe the new zone as "a final chance for us."
Youth courts and Youth Offending Teams recently urged the Government to introduce stricter rules, describing the use of the drug in some areas as "out of control."
Gordon Brown fed speculation that cannabis will soon be returned to class B status when he told Labour's annual conference that he "would not hesitate" to change the law if reviews indicated a need.
The law on cannabis was controversially relaxed in 2004 by David Blunkett, then the Home Secretary. Since then, it has been widely criticised, and last week was acknowledged by Justice Secretary Jack Straw to have been "a mistake."
