asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will introduce legislation to lay down firm and strict guidelines with regard to the stopping and searching of persons suspected of carrying cannabis for their own personal use other than for sale to others.
No. I see no occasion to introduce fresh legislation to alter provisions approved by Parliament only last year.
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the latest estimated figure for casual and regular smokers of cannabis in the United Kingdom; and whether he will undertake research to discover the full extent of this practice.
No reliable estimate of the number of cannabis users in this country is available. I have no current plans for research on this subject, which would present great difficulties.
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, in his studies on drug taking, he will seek evidence from the United States and Canada concerning the smoking of cannabis and official views on legislation or penalties for possession.
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, to whom I look for advice in this field, will be concerned to keep in touch with relevant developments in other countries.
asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will now publish his Department's study on cannabis.
I am not yet in a position to add anything to the reply which was given to a Question by the hon. Member on 10th March.—[Vol. 832, c. 411.]