Data provided by the Ministry of Justice, showing the number of persons aged 10 to 17 years proceeded against at magistrates courts for cultivating, or being involved in the production of a controlled drug—cannabis, are given in the following table for 2007 (latest available). Data for 2008 will be published in the autumn of 2009.
Identification data are not collected centrally by the police or Ministry of Justice; proceeded against information is provided in lieu.
The court proceedings statistics provided relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
Number Cultivate cannabis plant 71 Permit, be concerned in, conspire to, or produce a controlled drug—cannabis 23 1 Includes offences under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971: s.4(2)(a)(b); s.6(2); s.8(a) and schedule 4. 2 The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 3 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Evidence and Analysis Unit—Office for Criminal Justice Reform