CANNABIS users will face £80 on-the-spot fines under a crackdown announced today by the Home Office.

The fines will apply to any person caught twice in possession of cannabis and will come into effect in January when the drug is upgraded to a class B substance.

Third-time offenders found with the drug after being given a fine will face prosecution and the prospect of tougher punishment, including a jail term of up to five years. When a person is caught for the first time, police will give a formal warning rather than a more severe penalty.

The aim of the system, unveiled today by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, is to ensure the upgrading of cannabis from its class C status can be properly and easily enforced.

Ms Smith said: “I am extremely concerned about the use of stronger strains of cannabis, such as skunk, and the harm they can cause to mental health. We need to act now to protect future generations.”

The decision to reclassify cannabis, downgraded to class C by former Home Secretary David Blunkett, was made this year by Ms Smith despite the opposition of the Home Office's own Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.

When cannabis returns to class B next year, the maximum penalty for possession will be five years in jail, up from the current two-year maximum, or an unlimited fine. Those convicted of supplying the drug will face up to 14 years in prison.

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