England and Wales: 75% of drug violations marijuana-related

Recently released data indicated that most recorded drug law violations in England and Wales are for the possession of drugs, with possession of marijuana comprising most of those violations.

On Tuesday, the House of Commons Library released data on the 136,352 recorded drug law violations in England and Wales from April 2016 to March 2017. According to the data, 83% of drug law arrests by the police were for possession of drugs, with over 75% of those for possession of marijuana.

The home secretary, Amber Rudd, has categorised the government’s approach to show compassion for drug users while using the “full force of the law” to prosecute drug dealers.

However, as the drug arrest data reveals, most of the drug-related arrests lead to the criminalisation of possession of small amounts of drugs for their own personal use, making it more difficult for drug users to turn their lives around. A conviction for marijuana use can hinder people from obtaining employment or receiving certain immigration visas.

Also, there is still a racial disparity in the enforcement of drug laws. Black people use fewer drugs than white people, yet black people are five times more likely than white people to be subject to searches for drug possession. The disparity in treatment is not as pronounced for Asians, who are only slightly more than twice as likely as whites to be subject to searches. According to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, the police watchdog, most of those searches ‘were for low-level street possession’.