Hundreds of people took part in a stunt pushing for cannabis to be legalised by smoking it en masse in Hyde Park on Saturday.
Up to two thousand people congregated to mark “National Pot Smoking Day”, which was celebrated at similar events across the world.
The rally was criticised by anti-drug campaigners, who said the police should have done more as only two people were arrested for possession of cannabis.
Angry
Mary Brett, who set up the charity Cannabis Skunk Sense said the inaction of the police made her “very, very angry”.
She said: “The trouble with cannabis is people still don’t appreciate how dangerous it is.”
Supt Jon Morgan of Westminster and Royal Parks said it was difficult to tell “who was there to mark the event and who was just enjoying the sunshine.”
Arrests
He said: “In Hyde Park on Saturday, 14 cannabis warnings were issued, two arrests were made for possession of cannabis and one arrest for robbery.”
One jogger in the park told the Daily Mail it felt like, “the small number of police who were there were turning a blind eye” and that it’s “outrageous” people are allowed to come to Hyde Park and take illegal drugs.
The London Cannabis Club who organised the protest tweeted that the event had been a “huge success”.
Prison
The penalty for possession of Class B drugs is up to 5 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.
But police can issue a warning or an on-the-spot fine of £80 to someone if they are found with cannabis.
Two recent studies showed the devastating impact that decriminalising cannabis would have.
Investigate
One study investigated the effects of a policy which removed penalties for possessing cannabis in the London borough of Lambeth from July 2001 to July 2002.
The researchers from the Institute of Fiscal Studies and University College London said the number of admissions to hospital for hard drugs actually increased.
The other study suggested a relative increase, depending on social variables, in cannabis consumption after it was declassified.
Last month, The Independent newspaper reported that the Prime Minister may secretly want to legalise drugs but is scared of the media backlash.