Cannabis penalty

The penalty for possession of cannabis could be made more severe as the Government considers a U-turn on the controversial issue.

Cannabis may be reclassifiedThe drug was downgraded from class B to class C in January 2004 - making its possession a largely non-arrestable offence.

But Gordon Brown told MPs today that Home Secretary Jacqui Smith would consider moving the drug back to class B.

Any such move would be part of a wider review of the Government's drug strategy.

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) will be asked to look at reports that cannabis is becoming more dangerous because stronger strains of the drug are more widely available.