Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner David Sidwick says he will continue to press for cannabis to be made a Class A drug – the same category as heroin and cocaine.

He was asked to explain his position at a recent meeting of the county's Police and Crime Panel, taking the opportunity to warn that unless applicants for the Dorset Chief Constable job were not equally tough on drugs, they were unlikely to be appointed.

"My current Chief Constable is tough on drugs and the new Chief Constable will be tough on drugs else he or she won't get the job… we will do what we need to do to keep people safe," he said.

Mr Sidwick's views came to the national public's attention during the Conservative Party conference in October, when he and other Conservative PCCs made a plea for the government to upgrade the drug into the most serious category.

He told the Dorset meeting before Christmas that it being a "gateway drug", often leading to other substances, made it just as dangerous as other illegal substances.

He claimed there was evidence that cannabis caused psychosis, led to cancers, premature ageing and birth defects.

Speaking to the local press in September, Mr Sidwick said: "There hasn't been enough emphasis on what I call the illegal gateway drugs, things like cannabis, cocaine, ketamine, MDMA.

"There hasn't been enough emphasis from the government about it, there hasn't been enough talk about it, there's almost been a nod and a wink around cannabis, in particular, saying it's kind of okay – it's not.

"There's new information coming out of the United States now in some places where it's been legalised. You are now seeing an increase in cancer, in birth defects, in mental health problems.

"Every four minutes someone is hospitalised in the United States for psychosis or a similar problem due to cannabis.

"It is a very pernicious, dangerous drug and we have to make more noise about that."

Councillors were told by the commissioner that because police and other agencies often focused more on Class A drugs, the way cannabis use and dealing, and treatment for it, was approached was different – but he saw no reason why it should be that way.

"I suggested the change to Class A because we see the harm it does to our local communities… it's an entry drug and it takes kids into places where they don't need to go," he said.

He said he was unapologetic about his approach even though it may not be widely shared within police forces, or in society generally, claiming that countries which have legalised cannabis have also seen increases in medical problems associated with its use.

He said he was a firm backer of the "from harm to hope' drugs strategy with its focus on strong enforcement, proactive prevention and firm safeguarding.