A STORY of two teenagers caught smoking cannabis in a Cirencester park sparked a fierce debate on the Standard’s Facebook page.

At the top of the bill was whether police should enforce anti-drugs laws or turn a blind eye.

Although cannabis is a Class B drug, which carries a punishment of up to five years in prison for possession, police rarely pursue people using it for personal use.

Simon Townsend said: “If they want to smoke weed fair enough but not in a park full of kids, I don't understand why the police haven't come down on them before now.”

Gemma Lawson “It's weed. Nothing more, nothing less. Just not in a park where families are nearby. The law is the law at the end of the day.”

But while some claimed police should come down on “Cirencester’s drug problem”, others disagreed.

Kyle Outram said: “Drug problem?? It's a bit of grass I presume you drink alcohol... which I think you'll find is a MUCH bigger problem.”

Jordan Baker said: "Criminally prosecuting people who are 'addicted' to drugs will not solve the problem."

In fact, police and crime commissioner Martin Surl, in charge of policing in Gloucestershire, revealed last week that stopping people smoking the drug was not a priority for his officers.

Police decided to arrest two 17-year-olds in St Michael’s Park because children were nearby.

Last week the Royal Society for Public Health and the Faculty of Public Health said government policy on drugs had failed and called for the possession and personal use of all illegal drugs to be decriminalised in the UK.

After the debate, the Standard asked its readers how cannabis should be policed in the Cotswolds and was overwhelmed with responses.

A conclusive 71 per cent said it should be decriminalised, 17 per cent said it should be legal to use in private property, three per cent said laws should stay as they are and eight per cent advocated increasing punishments.