§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the total number of people who have been fined the maximum amount of £2,500 for cannibis offences since that penalty was introduced. [25390]
§ Mr. MacleanInformation on court proceedings for 1993 and 1994, the latest available, is given in the table. For years prior to 1993, the exact drug, including class type, cannot be identified separately.568W
Number and percentage of persons given the maximum fine at Magistrates's courts1 for cannabis offences under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 by type of offence England and Wales Offence description/year Maximum fine given Total fined (=100 per cent.) Number Percentage Production of being concerned in the production of the controlled drug cannabis: Section 4(2) [Maximum fine L5 = £5,000] 1993 705 — — 1994 994 — — Supplying or offering to supply the controlled drug cannabis: Section 4(3) [Maximum fine L5 = £5,000] 1993 148 — — 1994 136 — — Having possession of the controlled drug cannabis: Section 5(2) [Maximum fine L2 = £5,000] 1993 5,879 5 0 1994 8,691 8 0 Having possession of the controlled drug cannabis with intent to supply: Section 5(3) [Maximum fine L2 = £500] 1993 19611 1994 201 7 3 Permitting premises to be used for unlawful purposes re cannabis: Section 8 [Maximum fine L5 = £5,000] 1993 53 — — 1994 60 — — 1The magistrates' court may fine an offender for any offence which it can deal with, but the amount of the fine is limited according to the offence. There is no limit on the amount of the fine which the Crown Court may impose.