Young cannabis users ignore drug classification

This is the verdict of researchers who have been studying cannabis use among young people, and are due to report their findings later this month.

The government is considering making cannabis a class B drug, rather than class C. This would reverse a decision made in 2004.

But a study of 182 young people aged between 11 and 19, carried out for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, concluded it was doubtful whether reclassification would have any impact on teenagers using patterns or methods of gaining access to the drug.

All the young people interviewed had a history of cannabis use and most were aware of the penalties for selling the drug.

Nearly half had been involved in supplying cannabis, but most considered this a social relationship rather than a commercial one.

The study also showed a lack of consistency in how schools deal with cannabis use. Although 43 per cent of the group reported taking cannabis into school or college, the majority of those who had been caught said it had little influence on them.