As far as I'm aware it's only been downgraded to Class C. That means possession isn't generally arrestable, and the penalties are less, but the police will most likely still confiscate it, and you would be liable for arrest if, for example, you were smoking it outside a school. This is according to friends of mine who are police officers.
The main reason this has been done, I think, is partly because cannabis use is admittedly uncontrollable, and also partly because a class C drug can be legally prescribed by a doctor, opening up the possibility of legal medical use of cannabis and cannabis-derivatives.
Recreational use is still illegal though. As the Conservatives have said, the actual legal state resulting from this move is going to cause a lot of confusion. |
