PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Cannabis: Sentencing (7 February 2019)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a mandatory custodial sentence for people charged with repeated possession of cannabis.

Asked by:
Sir John Hayes (Conservative)

There are no plans to introduce mandatory custodial sentences for those charged with possession or supply of a Class B drug (including cannabis).

The police have a range of powers at their disposal to deal with drug-related offences in a way that is proportionate to the circumstances of the offender and the public interest. It is for the courts to decide the sentence in each case subject to the maximum sentence under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and any relevant guidelines produced by the Sentencing Council.

Answered by:
Mr Nick Hurd (Conservative)
15 February 2019