Do you think cannabis should be decriminalised in the UK?
The Mayor of London has praised the “high standards” of legalised cannabis farms in the US, as he announced the formation of a new group to consider the decriminalisation of the drug in Britain.
Sadiq Khan said former justice secretary Lord Charlie Falconer QC will be the chair of the first London Drugs Commission, which will assess the effectiveness of UK drug laws.
Cannabis is currently classed as a class B drug in the UK, with a maximum sentence of five years in prison for possession.
Sadiq Khan met LA mayor Eric Garcetti on his trip to the US this week and visited a cannabis dispensary and farm in the city to see what lessons could be learned in the UK in responding to the challenges of drugs.
“We need to have an honest, open conversation about the evidence in relation to the history of cannabis and our laws in the UK and our experience of the health consequences in relation to crime and the community,” Khan said.
Mr Khan met his Los Angeles counterpart Eric Garcetti
“The best way to do that will be with the drugs commission we’ve now set up.
“You can hear from the experts, that’s one thing, but seeing it for yourself … hearing from those who cultivate and grow this plant has been fascinating.”
On his opinion of the facility, he continued: “(It) is quite clearly heavily regulated, there are really high standards, no corners are being cut, they’re readily inspected by the city, by the experts.
“It’s important to see for ourselves what the parallel world of legalised cannabis looks like as a compare and contrast.
“What I hope the London Drugs Commission will do is look [at] what happens elsewhere in the world where the laws have been changed.”
The mayor’s visits form part of a “fact-finding mission” to investigate an international evidence-based approach to reducing drug-related harm in the capital.
LA decriminalised cannabis in 2016 after which arrests related to the drug in California dropped by 56%.
The commission being launched by Mr Khan will examine the effectiveness of UK drug laws, with a particular focus on cannabis, but will not consider class A drugs.
Do you think we should follow America’s example and decriminalise cannabis? Or do you think this might encourage people into drugs more easily?
