Inmates at Brixton prison smoked so much cannabis that officers' clothes smelt of it Report noted easy availability of drugs amongst A and B wing prisoners Visitors from Independent Monitoring Board noticed drug smell on clothes Cannabis blamed for bullying, gambling,debt and intimidation of inmates Drugs are thought to be brought in by men coming back from day release Report on the Category C jail said shortage of staff was partly to blame Marijuana use in one of London's most notorious jails was so rife that visiting officials carrying out an inspection noticed their clothes smelt of it, a shocking new report has revealed. Inmates of A and B wings in Brixton prison in south London are said to have smoked so much cannabis that its distinctive smell tainted the clothes of guards and visitors from the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB). The IMB report said the easy availability of illegal drugs in the Category C prison, which only had one sniffer dog, was a 'major concern' and was to blame for 'gambling, indebtedness, bullying and intimidation' amongst inmates. Cannabis use is so widespread at Brixton Prison, pictured, that visitors' clothes smelt of it, a new report says Referring to concerns over bullying at the jail, it said: 'The fuel for much of the bullying was the availability of illegal drugs - much more noticeable than when Brixton was a local prison. Cannabis was sometimes being smoked so much on A and B wings that officers" and IMB members" clothes smelt of it. The report said the drugs were largely being brought into the prison by men who had gone out on temporary licence - on day or overnight release - and said there had been a 'significant failure' by prison authorities to address this problem. It went on: 'A major concern for the Board this year has been the availability of illicit drugs, mobile phones, and other items of contraband. This has led to gambling, indebtedness, bullying and intimidation, resulting, in some areas, in a significant deterioration of the generally harmonious regime in the prison. Other concerns were the availability of the synthetic marijuana drug known as Spice, and prisoners using home-made hooch. The independent report said cannabis was being brought into the jail by inmates who'd been on day release The independent report concluded that a staff shortage at the prison was to blame. It said: 'Brixton is having to shoulder the burden of a significant headcount reduction. The prison's staff complement fell about four per cent in the year covered by this report. By January 2014 there will be a 17% reduction compared with September 2012. This is bound to weaken further the regime's effectiveness'. The report said there should be more searches of both prisoners and visitors, and said a second sniffer dog should be brought in to help.