[420 Girl]

Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, decided to reclassify cannabis as a more serious Class B drug last year.

At present, anyone caught twice with the Class C drug can walk away with a warning.

From next Monday, when cannabis is returned to Class B, anyone caught in possession for a second time faces a £80 fine. After three such 'strikes', police can arrest them.

Possession of Class B drugs, which include more dangerous drugs such as amphetamines, carries a maximum five-year term and an unlimited fine.

However, the plans for the £80 fines were in disarray last night after the Government failed to get the measure approved by MPs. Further debate in the Lords has also been postponed.

The delay means that thousands of people caught in possession of the drug from Jan 26 could escape fines.

Last year 104,000 people - more than 200 people a day - were given cautions for possessing the drug.

Dominic Grieve, the shadow Justice Secretary, said: "This is yet another U-turn in this area. We need clarity and consistency about the real harm drugs cause, not yet more chaos."

The Ministry of Justice said that new legislation to bring in the new cannabis fines had been pulled when other plans to fine illegal taxi touts were dropped at the 11th hour.

Officials were last night desperately trying to fine some time in Parliament next week to debate the new penalty. Whitehall sources said the delay would only be "a few days".

A spokesman said: "Penalty notices for disorder for possession of cannabis will go ahead as soon as possible subject to the agreement of Parliament.

"The Home Secretary has made clear that penalty notices are necessary for possession of cannabis to allow police to operate an escalated enforcement regime.

"The police are currently able to deal with the offence of cannabis possession by warning or by prosecution."

The drug was downgraded from a Class B drug to Class C by Tony Blair in 2004, but fears over the increased use of stronger "skunk'' strains by young people prompted the policy review and about-turn.

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