Sadiq Khan missing the one thing politicians must do to rid streets of cannabis

Our streets stink of the stench of cannabis. This problem has been ignored for far too long, but now senior police officers are finally realising that by not tackling it, a climate of crime is created and festers. Sir Andy Marsh is the chief executive of the College of Policing. He is also a former chief constable of Avon and Somerset. In comments that resonate with all of us, he said that the public use of cannabis made him feel unsafe in his own community and that it is something that the police ought to do something about.

His stance was supported by other police heads in the country. It is pretty much impossible to walk down any major street in Britain and not encounter the sweet sickly smell of cannabis wafting in your general direction. We find ourselves in this position as too many politicians over the years have taken a soft approach to cannabis use as it has not been viewed as a particularly damaging drug. It is categorised as a Class B drug and is illegal to use for recreational purposes.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has recently called for the possession of small quantities of it to be decriminalised, probably because he has realised that its public use is so rampant in parts of London that trying to police it would cause all kinds of problems for his officers leading to potential increased tensions.

The debate has also not been helped by the approval and rise in use of medical cannabis prescribed to help those with epilepsy or multiple sclerosis. And then of course there is the increased availability in health stores for products that use CBD or hemp oil. Whilst this kind of use is clearly not illegal, it does put a positive spin on the use of the drug in some form but of course these examples are regulated.

The stuff we smell on the streets is not and, if you are getting your cannabis from a dealer, then the chances are he or she will not think twice about other forms of lawbreaking or criminality. Last week police in Scotland raided three cannabis farms in Glasgow which they believed had links to human trafficking.

Sparking up a joint may seem like a harmless activity, but you do not have to dig too deep to see that buying and using cannabis is often connected to other crimes. Law abiding people should be able to go about their business without having to walk down streets or use bus stops or visit parks that stink of cannabis.

Other implications of tolerating the continued use of this drug include psychosis and drug driving. And it cannot have escaped your notice that we now live in a country that has a growing mental health crisis. This cannot be unrelated to the law's continuing tolerance of cannabis use.

It will be a challenge to change things. Figures from the Office for National Statistics revealed that cannabis is one of the most frequently used illegal substances in the UK, with 7.6% of adults aged 16 to 59 reported using the drug at some point over a twelve-month period. It is all very well for chief constables across the land to say that their officers must take a tougher line on those using the class B drug, but those on the frontline need to feel supported to do so.

In response to a call to tackle drug use, Brian Booth, deputy national chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, warned that officers would be "afraid" to tackle cannabis users by using stop and search powers because of the risk of complaints.

And there lies the crux of the matter - law enforcers are only able to do something about this if they are not in fear of losing their jobs or damaging their career prospects because they are accused of conducting an unlawful search. If someone smells of cannabis, then that should be a good enough reason to search someone.

Stop and search rates are dropping, but who can blame officers if they risk facing a judicial challenge because of their decision to search someone?

Senior police officers are right to finally recognise that the ever-present smell of cannabis in our communities makes us feel unsafe and to raise the possibility that cannabis is also linked to other crimes. It is imperative that officers feel supported in their actions to do something about this.

This means every politician and chief constable backing those on the frontline to the hilt as it will be the only way to rid our streets of the scourge of cannabis.