FORMER cops have hit out at “insane” plans to ban smoking in outside spaces while cannabis users get off scot-free.
Smokers are set to be barred from sparking up in pub gardens, outside hospitals and sports grounds and in children’s parks under Labour’s nanny-state crackdown.
Yet alarming statistics show the number of people found with cannabis on them by police has nearly halved over the past 15 years.
Former police officers said forces have effectively “given up” enforcing the law against pot smokers.
The extended smoking ban will heap yet more pressure on overstretched forces, which could end up having to police the new laws, experts warned.
Former Met Police Det Chief Insp Mick Neville said: “You only have to walk down a street to smell cannabis smoke.
“Lots of the same people who want to ban normal smoking want to legalise marijuana. It is a stupid situation — more two-tier policing law.
“And who is going to enforce it? The pub landlord can enforce it in his garden, but you can’t have people wandering around parks doling out fines. It is insane.
“Police forces are already overstretched. Rather than tinkering around the edges, we should be concentrating on making Britain a safer place — by locking up rapists, burglars and other criminals.
“Maybe when every other criminal is in prison you could think about it, but this is crazy.”
The Sun revealed last week that PM Sir Keir Starmer is plotting to drastically extend the smoking ban.
Councils are in charge of enforcing the law, which bans smoking inside public buildings.
But experts warned that if the Labour Government pushes ahead with its plan to ban fags outside footie stadiums and in many parks then police will end up having to get involved.
And the law could backfire and spark anti-social behaviour and disorder, former top cops have warned.
Simon Ovens, an ex-Met officer, said the ban could pile extra pressure on already overstretched and underfunded forces.
He said: “If they tried to extend the ban to smoking outside hospitals or sports grounds, although the local authority would enforce it, if there was argy-bargy the police would get involved.
“The police are overstretched and there have been cuts. This would be one more thing to add to their heavy workload.
“I think it is a good idea to enforce it in pub gardens, but it is too far to try to enforce it outside public places.
“It could end up leading to more disorder and anti-social behaviour than it’s worth. Anti-smoking is quite a vociferous thing — people get very worked up about it.”
Labour’s controversial ciggie crackdown comes as bombshell stats suggest police have gone soft on enforcing anti-marijuana laws.
Police recorded 92,003 cases for cannabis possession in 2023-24, according to the Office for National Statistics. This is down 20 per cent from 2019, when there were 113,771 cases recorded. And in 2009-10 there were 162,800 recorded cases.
Mr Ovens said: “The level of enforcement around smoking cannabis is disgraceful.
You walk around London and it smells of cannabis
Simon Ovens, an ex-Met officer
“You walk around London and it smells of cannabis.
“Politicians seem to have taken a stance that they don’t think cannabis smoking is a very serious crime and the police have largely stopped enforcing the law around personal use of cannabis.”
The anti-smoking bill is expected to be officially unveiled by ministers in the next three weeks. Lighting up will be banned at outdoor restaurants, open-air spaces at clubs and pubs, and pavements next to both.
It will also apply outside universities, hospitals, sports grounds, children’s play areas and small parks.
People will still be allowed to spark up in their own homes and gardens.
However, the outdoor smoking ban will not automatically apply to the outside bars in Parliament — but all are expected to stick to the law voluntarily if it comes in.
But writing in today’s Sun on Sunday, right, ex-Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said banning cigarettes outside “makes no sense”. He said it “smacks of the unnecessary, heavy handed nanny state yet again”.
Ministers are also expected to crack down on the increasing number of vape shops by licensing them. Some officials also want smokers to be offered cash to give up cigarettes.
A pilot scheme has been seen as a success, but no formal proposal has yet been made to Health Secretary Wes Streeting.
Labour’s Jacqui Smith admitted the party wants to stop people smoking altogether.
A government spokeswoman said: “We are taking preventative public health measures to better support people to live longer, healthier lives.”
Additional reporting: Andy Buckwell
