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The sentence
one might expect from a drugs offence will depend on
the offence and drug involved, the quantity or value
of drug involved, and a variety of other factors including
guilty or not guilty pleas, mitigating or aggravating
circumstances etc. There are also wide regional variations
in the treatment of drugs offenders.
The Home
Office publishes annual statistics on the disposal of
drugs cases. These take no account of the quantity involved,
or (for the breakdowns listed) the amount of fines or
lengths of prison sentences.
"Other
non-custodial" includes probation, community service
orders, suspended sentences, and other options such
as mandatory treatment or rehabilitation as a condition
of staying out of prison. Cautions include compounding
(on the spot fines for small "personal" quantities
of drugs seized by Customs), and fiscal fines (a relatively
new administrative penalty introduced in Scotland).
The percentages of each outcome as a proportion of cases
for each offence is shown for each of the most commonly-used
illegal drugs below.
