Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Criminalization Cannabis was criminalised across most of the world in the early parts of the 20th century. There is some confusion as to the reasons as there seems to be different driving forces on either side of the Atlantic. In the UK, cannabis was outlawed in 1928 after Britain became a signatory to the "International Opium Convention" which was held in Geneva in 1925. In the US the key law seems to be the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act which was the federal culmination of many separate state laws that had been enacted in the previous years. This may have been in response to lobbying by makers of synthetic fibers that competed with hemp. Laws usually govern distribution, cultivation, and possession for personal use. Enforcement of the law varies from country to country. In many countries, police exercise their discretionary powers to caution users or confiscate cannabis for possession in small quantities that could be deemed for personal use, especially for medical reasons. Large scale domestic Marijuana growing operations, or grow-op are frequently target by police in raids to discourage the spread and marketing of the drug. The Netherlands Some notable examples include the Netherlands, where cannabis is effectively decriminalised and can be purchased in licensed "coffee shops" (however, these have to be supplied through illegal channels). Britain A recent example was the declaration by police commander Brian Paddick in Brixton, England, that they would not arrest people for possession of cannabis and instead only issue on-the-spot warnings and confiscate the cannabis. Following this trial the reclassification of cannabis from Class B to Class C was recommended by the Home Secretary in October 2001, though cannabis remains a class B drug. The government has since announced that cannabis will be reclassified to class C in January 2004, coinciding with a change in policing rules which will reduce the range of situations in which the police have the power of arrest for cannabis possession. However, even after these changes, cannabis will still remain illegal, with substantial prison sentences possible for dealers. [1] Australia The state of South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory have decriminalized possession of small quantities of cannabis, and growing limited numbers of plants for personal use; the government charges an on-the-spot fine of A$50. Police interest in personal usage and non-commercial growers in the rest of Australia appears to be limited. Canada As of early 2000s, Canada and some other countries have started to recognize medicinal use of cannabis separately from "normal" possession. In 2003 Canada began the process of decriminalizing marijuana. See also Drugs policy of the Netherlands This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.