Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
More than half of Londoners given £80 on-the-spot fines for possessing cannabis have failed to pay, the Standard can reveal.
Met police statistics show that in the four months since the penalties were introduced as part of a government clampdown only 412 of the 977 recipients — 42 per cent — have paid within the 21-day limit.
The remaining 565 will have to be pursued by the courts — which often already struggle to collect unpaid fines — adding to the expense faced by taxpayers for enforcing the new law. Some offenders may avoid paying altogether.
Today's figures, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, provide the first snapshot of the fines' effectiveness since they were introduced in January as the Government upgraded cannabis to a class B drug.
The fines are part of a three-tier penalty system under which those caught with the drug for the first time will be cautioned, those caught a second time will be fined £80 and those caught for a third time will be prosecuted.
Of the 565 who have failed to pay, 13 are described by the Met as subject to potential prosecution with a court hearing requested, while a further 470 are recorded as “fine registered” cases in which the debt will be pursued by magistrates.
Another 82 cases are simply recorded as “unpaid” although officials say they will also be passed to the courts.
The number of Londoners prosecuted for a third offence in the same four-month period was 503.
The number cautioned was 12,482, meaning the totals for fines — and non-payers — are likely to rise substantially.
Met officials said the payment rate had remained roughly the same since May, but the force, which is not responsible for collecting fines, was not finding the level of evasion a problem.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice, which oversees fine enforcement, said those who failed to pay would face action, such as confiscation of the money by bailiffs or a deduction from their earnings or benefits.
Cannabis was downgraded to class C under Tony Blair's premiership in 2004. That decision has been reversed because of *evidence linking mental health problems to the drug and the increasing prevalence of high strength “skunk” cannabis.
*see:
After Further Review, Smoking Pot Doesn't Make You Crazy -- Blimey!
News Hawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: This Is London
Author: Martin Bentham
Copyright: 2009 ES London Limited
Contact: Contact Evening Standard| Entertainment | This is London
Website: More than half of cannabis smokers fail to pay £80 fines | News
Met police statistics show that in the four months since the penalties were introduced as part of a government clampdown only 412 of the 977 recipients — 42 per cent — have paid within the 21-day limit.
The remaining 565 will have to be pursued by the courts — which often already struggle to collect unpaid fines — adding to the expense faced by taxpayers for enforcing the new law. Some offenders may avoid paying altogether.
Today's figures, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, provide the first snapshot of the fines' effectiveness since they were introduced in January as the Government upgraded cannabis to a class B drug.
The fines are part of a three-tier penalty system under which those caught with the drug for the first time will be cautioned, those caught a second time will be fined £80 and those caught for a third time will be prosecuted.
Of the 565 who have failed to pay, 13 are described by the Met as subject to potential prosecution with a court hearing requested, while a further 470 are recorded as “fine registered” cases in which the debt will be pursued by magistrates.
Another 82 cases are simply recorded as “unpaid” although officials say they will also be passed to the courts.
The number of Londoners prosecuted for a third offence in the same four-month period was 503.
The number cautioned was 12,482, meaning the totals for fines — and non-payers — are likely to rise substantially.
Met officials said the payment rate had remained roughly the same since May, but the force, which is not responsible for collecting fines, was not finding the level of evasion a problem.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice, which oversees fine enforcement, said those who failed to pay would face action, such as confiscation of the money by bailiffs or a deduction from their earnings or benefits.
Cannabis was downgraded to class C under Tony Blair's premiership in 2004. That decision has been reversed because of *evidence linking mental health problems to the drug and the increasing prevalence of high strength “skunk” cannabis.
*see:
After Further Review, Smoking Pot Doesn't Make You Crazy -- Blimey!
News Hawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: This Is London
Author: Martin Bentham
Copyright: 2009 ES London Limited
Contact: Contact Evening Standard| Entertainment | This is London
Website: More than half of cannabis smokers fail to pay £80 fines | News
