THE district court judge for Hereford says downgrading cannabis will do nothing to help the city in its battle against hard drugs.

This month's police raids across Newton Farm and Hinton highlighted the alarming rise of heroin and crack cocaine usage in and around Hereford.

But Judge Bruce Morgan says the reclassification of cannabis from a class B to a class C drug will only make more people take the most deadly of illegal substances.

"Cannabis should not be downgraded for the simple fact that users often move on to harder drugs," he said.

"We now live in a culture of drugs and downgrading cannabis will only make it even easier for people to obtain them."

Mr Morgan also dismissed the idea that, by ranking the drug alongside bodybuilding steroids and some anti-depressants, the courts could free up more time for bigger cases.

"That argument does not add up because you very rarely get people in court for possession of just cannabis - there are usually other drugs involved."

However, the judge admitted Hereford had equal problems caused by excessive alcohol consumption.

"This city is the same as any other with the number of problems associated with alcohol," he explained.

"We get so many people coming before the bench following violent fights and brawls inside and outside nightclubs - the majority are alcohol-fuelled," he added.

West Mercia district court judge Bruce Morgan has been in this position since last summer.