While some government officials view the subtext of his recent proposal as little more than a mutinous decriminalization in County Durham, Hogg noted that “We are not prioritizing people who have a small number of cannabis plants for their own use”, explaining that, “In low-level cases we say it is better to work with them and put them in a position where they can recover”.

Lord Paddick, the former assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, called for police resources should be focused on going after dealers not those in possession of small quantities of drugs for personal use.

Hogg said officers would only intervene if growers were being “blatant” about their activities.

The area’s police and crime commissioner, Ron Hogg, said he wanted to take a “fair and measured way” of dealing with people using small amounts of the drug. Officers will only go after cannabis users if they “blatant” about it, he added.

Mr Hogg said: “Traditionally what would have happened is people would have been arrested for using cannabis, sometimes imprisoned and it just maintained a cycle of reoffending in and out of prison”.

Professor David Nutt says there should be more research into the psychiatric benefits of recreational drugs Steve Rolles, senior policy analyst with the drug reform campaigners, Transform, said: “There are other police authorities that are doing similar things but they are not shouting about it. As police forces face increasing cuts they will have to make these decisions”.

“It is unlikely a case like that would be brought before a court”.

“In the meantime, I would expect the police to operate within the law as it exists”.

John Holiday of the Teesside Cannabis Club said the move would allow police to focus their efforts on organised and commercial cannabis production.

Barton suggested that addicts should be supplied with drugs through the NHS so they would not need to commit crime to buy the illegal substances.

Ron Hogg’s policy of de-prioritising the prosecution of small-scale growers earned criticism in some quarters, but was welcomed by those who argue that Britain’s current drug laws are failing.

“The government has no plans to legalize cannabis as there is clear scientific and medical evidence that it can damage people’s mental and physical health“.