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Produced by the Sentencing Academy

Possession of a Class B Drug

Snapshot 17

Bringing together relevant information, research findings and statistics relating to sentencing.

by Annalena Wolcke

Published: 24 Jul 2025
Last updated: Jul 2025

Overview

  • Sentencing Council guideline range: discharge to a 26-weeks prison sentence
  • Maximum sentence: 5-years’ imprisonment
  • Convictions reduced by almost one third over the last 10 years, with more than 18,000 convictions in 2015 and less than 12,000 convictions in 20241
  • This snapshot summarises key trends over the past 5 years

Sentences Imposed

Figure 1: Sentences for Drug Possession (Class B), 2020-2024

  • Around 60% of convictions resulted in a fine.2
  • A further 20% resulted in a conditional discharge.3

Figure 2: Sentences Imposed for Drug Possession (Class B), 2020-2024

  • Trends in the use of principal sanctions for possession of a class B drug have largely been stable over the last 5 years.

Immediate Prison Sentence Lengths

Figure 3: Prison Sentence Lengths, Drug Possession (Class B), 2020–2024

  • The most frequent sentence range is up to 1 month, accounting for 75% of all immediate custodial sentences.
  • 25% of prison sentences are over 1 month.

Sentencing Outcomes by Sex

Figure 4: Sentencing Outcomes by Sex, Drug Possession (Class B), 2020-2024

  • Female (n=3,522); Male (n=56,637)
  • Between 2020-2024, the rate of community orders and conditional discharges was higher for women (14% and 31%) than for men (10% and 20%).
  • The rate of fines was higher for men (60%) than for women (43%).

These rates do not account for various factors that influence sentencing decisions, such as the offender’s criminal history and the seriousness of the specific offence. Additional research would be needed to determine whether gender affected the sentence imposed.

This Snapshot is one of a series on sentencing trends in England & Wales. Others can be found here. For further information, contact Annalena Wolcke at a.wolcke@sentencingacademy.org.uk

  1. This includes possession of cannabis and other class B drugs. Possession of cannabis makes up the majority of convictions for this offence. ↩︎
  2. Data source for all figures: Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly December 2024, published 15th of May 2025. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2024 ↩︎
  3. ‘Other sanctions’ include: absolute discharge and the category ‘otherwise dealt with’ ↩︎