For some time now, England and Wales have had a semi-decriminalisation programme for cannabis. And it has ended up criminalising more cannabis users than ever before. But it doesn't criminalise all cannabis users: it primarily targets people who are young, black or Asian. It is a story of muddle-headed government initiatives, skewed police incentives, racism, drug wars and the old, old habit of treating white people more leniently than everyone else. In 2004, when cannabis was made Class C, cannabis warnings were introduced. These were spoken warnings given by a policeman on the street if you were caught with a small amount of weed for personal use. Five years later the drug was returned to Class B, but the cannabis warnings remained. This effectively gave the police discretion in how they treated cannabis possession. The result of this discretion has been s the disproportionate targeting of black and Asian youths.

A liquid bone tissue is being developed by scientists that could help regenerate weak and fragile bones in patients suffering from osteoporosis. The paste is made up of porous calcium phosphate microspheres which contain stem cells to trigger new bone growth. This would be injected into specific areas of concern, providing a minimally invasive treatment for thinning bones. Calcium phosphate, which is the principle mineral in bones, provides a protective casing for the stem cells, which are very delicate and often die after being transplanted. The treatment is being developed by a team from the University of Nottingham, who hope to target the growing number of older people at risk of fracture, reducing hospital visits and easing the financial burden on the health system. Dr Ifty Ahmed, a researcher at Nottingham University, said his team wanted to provide a preventative treatment, strengthening the bones of those at risk before they suffered a fracture.

Amusement arcades are being converted into betting shops in order for highly addictive gambling machines to be installed, The Independent on Sunday has reported. The fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) allow gamblers to bet up to £100 every 20 seconds and have been dubbed the ‘crack cocaine’ of gambling. A Gambling Commission report earlier this month found that half of adult gaming centres (AGCs) allowed people under the age of 18 to use their machines without challenging them to prove their age. Emails seen by The Independent on Sunday revealed that the arcade industry is already converting arcades in order to use FOBTs. In Watford, part of an arcade owned by gaming firm Praesepe is being converted into a betting shop, allowing it to apply for licences for up to four FOBTs. Praesepe is the country’s fastest growing AGC operator, with 159 premises across the UK.

More than a thousand people have attended a service for reconciliation in Scotland after last week's independence referendum. It was led by the Church of Scotland moderator at Edinburgh's St Giles Cathedral. Rt Revd John Chalmers told the congregation, including Scotland's Finance Secretary John Swinney and Labour's shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander there would be no quick fix. He said: ‘The Church here and in congregations across the country are playing their part in making it a little easier to stretch out that hand of friendship to those who are our fellow Scots who did not support the side we supported. How we voted on one particular day does not define who we are. How we work together to put in place the democratic will of the Scottish people will be defining - both for us as individuals and for us as we work to redefine our place within the United Kingdom.’

Data from Crime Survey England and Wales estimate that, on average, 62,000 people per year are discriminated against on the grounds of their disability. Home Office statistics reveal police recorded 1,841 reports of disability hate crime in 2012-13, with 810 incidents going to court. This led to 349 convictions, but only seven of these resulted in an increased sentence with the victim's disability being considered an aggravating factor. Reviews by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary show that police often feel uncomfortable asking an individual about their disability and that not enough officers are trained to deal with people with learning disabilities. Kelly, one of the thousands of disabled abuse victims, said, ‘I'm getting bullied in the shops, when I walk home and then I get bullied in the pubs’. After a passer-by poured a fizzy drink over Kelly in the street, she says the police officer's response was ‘Just ignore it.’

Parliament is expected to be recalled on Friday to discuss the UK's role in air strikes against the Islamic State, the BBC understands. There has been no official confirmation but an announcement could come later. It is understood there has been a reluctance to make the announcement while Labour's conference is under way. There has now been a formal request from the Iraqi Prime Minister for the UK to join in air strikes. David Cameron told NBC News in the US that the fight against the Islamic State (IS) militants was one ‘you cannot opt out of’. IS has taken control of large areas of Iraq and Syria in recent months. ‘It has oil, it has money, it has territory, it has weapons and there's no doubt in my mind it has already undertaken and is planning further plots in Europe and elsewhere’, Mr Cameron said.

Young British Muslims have a message for the so-called ‘Islamic State': Don’t murder innocents in God's name'. Activists led by Britain’s Active Change charity are spreading peace online, using the same social media platforms that the terrorists are using to propagate hate. The young people are openly lambasting the Islamic State for ‘hiding behind a false Islam'. Young British Muslims are sick and tired of the hate-filled propaganda the terrorists IS and their supporters churn out on social media,’ the charity’s founder, Hanif Qadir, said. The Islamic State claims its reign of terror in Northern Syria and Iraq is rooted in faith but their actions prove otherwise. Another young Muslim said  ‘Islam teaches us respect, mercy, peace and kindness, a faith we strongly believe in and one we want to protect from radicals and fanatics whose very existence threatens our religion.’

New research released has shown that some of the UK's poorest families can no longer afford to heat water to wash themselves. Debt charity Christians Against Poverty (CAP) has released statistics showing that of over 1,000 clients asked, eight per cent had struggled to pay for hot water due to debt. Furthermore, 50 per cent hadn't enough money to heat their home, 24 per cent couldn't always afford to cook hot meals and 16 per cent couldn't run a washing machine. ‘Fuel poverty isn't just about keeping warm, vital as that is,’ Matt Barlow, chief executive of CAP, said of the survey results. ‘It's about the grinding poverty that calls people to make impossible choices like do I make a hot meal or bath the kids? Will I run out of electricity if I use the washing machine?’ CAP client Jo was forced to survive on food parcels and feed her five children cold food because she couldn't afford to pay the bills.

Children raised in marital homes are better behaved than those brought up by unmarried parents, according to major research funded by the Department for Education. The study of around 3,000 children aged three to sixteen found that those with married parents showed lower levels of anti-social behaviour and hyperactivity. They were also more confident, kind and responsible, according to the research from the University of Oxford and the University of London. The study, launched in 1997, tracked the long-term impact of factors such as financial income, social class and marital status on exam grades and behaviour. It covered a child’s self-regulation, which includes traits such as showing leadership, confidence and taking responsibility, alongside pro-social behaviour, anti-social behaviour, and hyperactivity. The study said: ‘The marital status of parents in the early years, when children were first recruited to the study, was also a significant predictor of changes in self-regulation and pro-social behaviour during secondary education.’

There will be 40 unannounced school inspections across England this month, Ofsted has revealed. After the so-called Trojan Horse allegations in Birmingham, there were proposals for inspectors to visit schools without warning. There had been claims that schools given advance warning had time to conceal any unacceptable behaviour. Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw says parents expect inspectors to ‘get to the heart of any problems’. Among the schools criticised in the Trojan Horse inquiries were some which Ofsted had previously graded as outstanding. Ofsted has revealed that inspectors have returned for monitoring checks on five of the Birmingham schools placed into special measures after the Trojan Horse investigations. Sir Michael accompanied inspectors at Park View School - with the results of these monitoring inspectors expected to be published in the near future. At present, schools are told they are to be inspected in the afternoon before Ofsted inspectors arrive.