According to the Sun, top cops demanded tougher cannabis laws yesterday — because millions of youngsters think the drug is legal.

Police chiefs said ministers must end confusion by reversing their controversial decision to downgrade the drug in 2004.

Their call comes amid growing fears about the explosion of super-strength “skunk” cannabis in the UK.

PM Gordon Brown has already signalled he is ready to reopen the debate. Humberside Chief Constable Tim Hollis said there was a strong case for raising cannabis from a Class C drug back to a Class B.

He told the Association of Chief Police Officers in Cardiff: “In light of what we know about confusion for young people about how serious the drug is — some thinking it is legal — and increasing medical evidence about the disproportionate harm to young people of strong cannabis there are persuasive arguments in our view to support the re-classification debate.

“What is clear is that we need to send out a clear message that this is a dangerous drug.”

His comments follow studies showing cannabis users are 40 per cent more likely to develop psychotic illnesses.

Heavy use of cannabis has also been blamed for a number of recent murders, including the savage killing of father-of-two Stevens Nyembo-Ya-Muteba in London this year.

The maximum sentence for possessing cannabis would increase from two to five years if it became a Class B drug. Mr Hollis said the change would not solve the drug problem but would make clear “how dangerous the drug is”.

He said his views were now the “consensus” among the country’s other Chief Constables.

But he stressed that the police did not want to “criminalise” hundreds of thousands of young people for possessing small amounts of the drug.

He added: “We want to target the dealers still. That is important.”

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