You can't walk down Cambridge's Mill Road without smelling cannabis, councillor says

Mill Road is "awash" with cannabis, according to a councillor who questioned whether it was worth police targeting use of the drug.

Cllr Sarah Brown, who represents Petersfield, said marijuana was "omnipresent" in her ward and neighbouring Romsey - traditionally home to some of Cambridge's most bohemian neighbourhoods - to the extent that it was impossible to walk more than a few hundred metres without catching a whiff of it.

She suggested it would be better to target more serious substances rather than spend time clamping down on the class B drug.

Cllr Brown told the east area committee: "It's pretty much impossible to walk more than 100 metres in Petersfield and Romsey without smelling it.

"The wards are more or less awash with it, I wonder if it's a good use of resources to go after this.

"It's more or less omnipresent."

On social networking site Twitter afterwards, Cllr Brown added: "It seems obvious that public opinion on cannabis, at least in my ward, is at odds with the law.

"Resolving the disconnect is a national issue."

Sgt Colin Norden, the top officer in east Cambridge, said police would respond to reports of cannabis use and challenge anyone spotted with the drug, but admitted his priorities lay elsewhere.

Sgt Norden told the meeting: "I will go after any drugs, but we focus on class A because it does more harm.

"If we get reports in, particularly of dealing, we will deal with that."

But traders claim the councillor's cannabis claims are "ridiculous".

Piero D'Angelico, who owns Piero's hair salon in Mill Road, said: "It is just not true. It's totally ridiculous. Mill Road is just like anywhere in England. If someone is walking along smoking cannabis and you can smell it you can't blame the whole road. This is an outrageous thing for the councillor to say and is very unhelpful."

Targeting drug dealing in the Riverside and Stourbridge Common areas has been a priority for police in the last quarter, and Sgt Norton said raids had been carried out in Ekin Road, Stevenson Court, and Thorpe Way.

Another success was the capture of a man after a chase in Thorpe Way who was found to have 62 bags of heroin and crack cocaine on him - worth £1,240.

He has since been sentenced to two years' imprisonment.

Councillors voted to maintain the priority on drug dealing alongside targeting of cycle theft and alcohol-related anti-social behaviour across Petersfield.

Police have also tackled a spate of burglaries in Abbey, charging one woman with 14 offences.

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk 28/03/2013