Under the revised law, people can still be arrested for possessing Class C drugs, although it is unlikely unless the person exhibits aggressive behavior. The government said the law change allows police to focus more on serious drug offenses.

Jan Berry, chair of the Police Federation, said the law change has brought a "sense of lawlessness" to the streets. Particularly challenging to police is whether to arrest those who flaunt smoking cannabis in public beyond the law's "acceptable behavior."

"If a person insists on doing something to get themselves arrested, you can use your skills to try and calm them," said Berry. "But there will be other people watching how you react, if you react in one way to a group of people and not the same to somebody else. It's very often walking on eggshells."

Berry would like to see a public debate on the impact of the law change. "I think it would be wrong to change the law every six months because it hasn't worked," she said. "But I am convinced it is not law enforcement which will make a real difference in drugs. It's about properly raising awareness and treatment programs."

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