Relaxing cannabis laws will make life harder for landlords, according to the licensee of a Colchester pub.

Home secretary David Blunkett this week announced plans to cut penalties for having the drug and take away police powers to arrest people for possessing it.

But Kevin Woods, licensee of the Blue Boar in Kendall Road, said he was not happy about the proposals.

He said: "People will come back with the attitude that they can smoke whatever they want, willy-nilly.

"I don't want the general public thinking they are able to come in and smoke cannabis in public."

He added: "Most licensees have signs up saying drugs will not be tolerated. But I think this makes our jobs a little bit harder because people will have the wrong ideas.

"I would say 100 per cent of landlords feel like that."

Mr Woods, who is chairman of the town's Licensed Victuallers' Association, added its members would discuss the proposals at their next meeting in November.

The Home Secretary's proposals, which are expected to be brought in by next spring, include changing the classification of cannabis from class B to class C.

The police will no longer have the power to arrest people for possession of cannabis and prosecutions will be dealt with using a court summons instead.

Also, the maximum penalty for possession of the drug is expected to drop from five years in prison to two years.

By James Tute

Reporter's e-mail: james_tute@thisisessex.co.uk

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