Despite the commonly held view that the 1960's were a time when everybody was stoned out of their heads, the number of people arrested for drugs offences has gone from just over 3000 in 1967 to nearly 100,000 today. Out of this 100,000 around 95% of those arrested are not gangsters or drug dealers, but mainly young people. They mainly get caught with a bit of cannabis, a wrap of 'whiz', a couple of 'trips' or an 'E' or two. In the main, young people get caught with Class A and Class B drugs. The law uses three classes when deciding on punishment. Class A is the most serious and so on. A lot of minor drug arrests come about when someone is searched in connection with something else and they happen to have drugs on them when they are stopped.

POSSESSION

Most drug offences involve simple 'POSSESSION', this is where the police find a small amount of drugs in your coat pocket, bag, car etc., and the police accept that the drugs are for your own personal use.

SUPPLY

If the police can prove you were going to sell or give the drugs to someone else or they think you 'intended' to do this, then you could be charged with 'SUPPLY' or 'POSSESSION WITH INTENT TO SUPPLY. These are very serious offences and usually mean PRISON.

Whether or not the charge is simple possession or intent to supply will depend on how much the person is caught with (quantity) and / or the style of packaging. It would be hard to argue that 10 kilos of cannabis was for your own personal use. If you were caught with a few grams of cannabis in one single block you might be charged with simple possession. If the amount was chopped up into 30 small pieces wrapped in cling film, the charge could well be intent to supply.

The police can give you an informal warning or 'telling off' on the street without arresting you. If the police arrest you and you're aged between 10 and 17 your parents or guardians will be contacted. Your parents or guardians have the right to be present the whole time you are questioned.

Once you have been arrested the police can do a number of things:

They may decide you are innocent or they may decide to take no further action.

They may decide to issue a reprimand, which is a first warning. This will be kept on record in case there are any further offences
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They may issue a final warning, where the case is more serious or a reprimand has already been given. A final warning will mean that you are made to attend at a Youth Offending Team (usually for a period of up to 12 weeks) This is a team of Professionals who will look at all aspects of your life and behaviour and decide what if any further action is taken. Reprimands and final warnings are only given when you admit the offence.

They may decide to charge you with an offence, if the offence is more serious you can be held overnight (in local authority accommodation) until you appear before the court.

GETTING CAUGHT AT SCHOOL

Some people say that getting caught with drugs in school gets you in much more hassle that being caught by the police. If you get sent home for having your hair or skirt to short the you don't need to be a genius to figure out that they're really going to freak out about you using drugs. They're not just bothered about illegal drugs either - getting caught using cigarettes, alcohol, solvents or drugs in school can all land you in serious trouble.

Everything in school is treated much more seriously so it's easy to get accused of being a junky with a serious drug problem when it's all about a bit of fun. Like elsewhere, supply is treated more seriously than possession or use. So getting caught buying cannabis and selling it on to a few mates (or worse still to people you hardly know) will almost always lead to exclusion from school, your parents being told and you being arrested by the police. Whilst a few weeks off school might seem attractive the reality of losing regular contact with your mate and everyone you know being told that you have a serious drug problem can get, very, very, annoying.

Drugs cost money, if you have none you may end up stealing or bullying to pay for them. Getting drugs 'on tick' causes a lot of problems. If you don't pay back on time you can expect hassle from people who will not think twice about turning up where you live demanding money from your parents/carers. You could expect to get beaten up for owing a small amount of money.

GETTING CAUGHT BY PARENTS

For many people this is the most serious of all, many young people find that there is such a gulf in understanding between themselves and their parents, that even talking about drugs is a nightmare and getting caught is well….use your imagination. If you get caught (and remember parents search bedrooms and pockets and cannabis smoke stinks) don't expect them to understand or agree with you, but explain that you can have thought about what you are doing and are aware of the risks. Don't keep on at them for money, steal from them or let your friends use your house for drug taking. If your drug use is a problem to you your parents can be your greatest allies and source of help.

Community Police Support Officer Jackie Fulham

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