Users may still be arrested

The Government is considering a U-turn on proposed reforms to Britain's drug laws that would have allowed cannabis users to smoke the drug without fear of arrest.

The reforms, the first big changes to drug legislation in 30 years, may now be watered down under fierce pressure from senior police officers.

David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, was expected next month to announce the reclassification of cannabis as a class C drug, putting it in the same category as prescription tranquillisers. The new status would have abolished police powers to arrest users caught in possession.

The policy change followed a year-long "softly-softly" approach to cannabis possession pioneered by Commander Brian Paddick, in Lambeth, London. Supporters claimed this scheme saved the equivalent of two years' police time, cut street crime by 35 per cent, and waswelcomed by 80 per cent of residents.

However, some in the community, backed by the Police Federation, claimed Lambeth was turning into a haven for drug suppliers and users.

Mr Blunkett is now considering a revised version of the "Paddick experiment", downgrading cannabis under the law but giving officers the option to arrest users. This follows fierce lobbying by high-Metropolitan Police officers.

Sir John Stevens, the Commissioner of the Met, said reports of an alleged increase in children using the drug were "incredibly worrying".

But drugs charities said a last-minute change of heart would undermine the credibility of Mr Blunkett, who, saidRoger Howard, leader of DrugScope, "had long signalled his belief in an evidence-based drugs policy".