Name: Durham
Age: The first settlement is thought to have arrived in 2000BC.
Appearance: About to become riddled with bong shops.
Ah, Durham. The beautiful cathedral, the glorious castle … The overwhelming stench of illicit drugs.
I beg your pardon? Durham is about to become a haven for hippies and potheads, if local police and crime commissioner Ron Hogg has any say in the matter.
Really? Why’s that? Because Hogg has just essentially decriminalised cannabis in the city (and county). Possibly he’s keen for the place to fill up with dirty-haired dropouts who put flowers in gun barrels and keep making peace signs at everyone with their fingers.
I’m lost. Start from the beginning. Hogg has said that Durham police will no longer prosecute people who grow small amounts of cannabis, provided it’s for their own use.
Right. Why? Because he wants to reduce police costs by keeping people out of the criminal justice system, while offering a progressive scheme of rehabilitation rather than the cold, hard punishment of jail.
That … that actually sounds quite sensible. Does it? Or does it mean we’ll soon be powerless against the influx of stoners, all eating their jaffa cakes and laughing at esoteric American animations?
I’m sure it won’t be that bad. It will! Hogg is a long-time proponent of the decriminalisation of cannabis. By doing this, he’s trying explicitly to push for a national debate about it. Better to lock up all cannabis users, I say.
Why on Earth would you think that? Because prison is good for people. It gives them time to reflect on their wrongdoings and learn new skills, like self-tattooing and hiding food under your mattress.
Well, I think this sounds like a perfectly reasonable experiment. What if it works? This is one of the UK’s elite university cities. If it works, then some of our brightest minds will be blighted by plumes of mind-altering substances.
Yes, God forbid students learn what cannabis is. I’m not sure I get your point.
Do say: “What an interesting and forward-thinking way to tackle a broken system.”
Don’t say: “Quick, let’s all go to Durham and open late-night shops that sell only crisps.”
- This article was amended on 27 July 2015. It originally stated: “Hogg has just essentially decriminalised cannabis in the city”. As Hogg is the PCC for Durham county, this action would apply beyond the city. This has been corrected.
