We received a petition asking:
“We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to legalise Cannabis under strict conditions.”
Details of Petition:
“The conditions we propose are: 1. Age Limit be set between 18 & 21 2. Sale of cannabis be taxed. (money made can be used to fund medical treatment for cannabis users.) 3. Sold at designated outlets. (not in pulic shops) 4. Consumption of cannabis is not allowed outdoors or in public. (will be for personal use in the users own home) 5. Set amount of cannabis sold per person per week, month etc (this could be controlled by ID cards etc) 6. Advertising limits, like the limits on tabacco, should be placed on cannabis and health warnings should be on all packaging The benefits of legalising cannabis are as follows: The Government would be able to control potency of cannabis available and amount sold to each individual. Money made from tax would cover any medical treatment needed by users. Users would not come into contact with drug dealers, therefore there is less chance of them coming into contact with harder drugs. Will decrease the crime rate if cannabus is readily available. It will eliminate the need of an underground subculture We strongly urge the PM to consider legalising Cannabis under these strict conditions as we feel all parties would benefit.”
· Read the petition
· Petitions homepage
Read the Government’s response
Thank you for signing the e-petition about legalising cannabis and regulating its sale and use under strict conditions.
The Government has no intention of legalising cannabis and regulating its control. In response to the Home Affairs Committee report The Government’s Drugs Policy: Is It Working? in 2002, the Government stated that “We do not accept that legalisation and regulation is now, or will be in the future, an acceptable response to the presence of drugs” and that includes cannabis.
The Government considers that cannabis is a controlled, illicit drug for good reasons. It has a number of acute and chronic health effects and prolonged use can induce dependence. Most cannabis is smoked and smoking, in any form, is dangerous. Even the occasional use of cannabis can pose significant dangers for people with mental health problems, such as schizophrenia, and particular efforts need to be made to encourage abstinence in such individuals.
The Government seeks to balance the rights of individuals on the one hand and the greater public health and welfare considerations on the other. In so doing it considers that it makes sense, on health grounds, for cannabis to remain a controlled drug whose unauthorised production (including cultivation), supply and possession are and will remain illegal.
Legalising cannabis (to whatever extent and for whatever purpose) would run counter to the Government’s health and education messages. The message to all – and to young people in particular – is that all controlled drugs, including cannabis, are harmful and no one should take them. To legalise the sale and possession of cannabis for personal consumption would send the wrong message to the majority of young people who do not take drugs on a regular basis, if at all, with the potential risk of increased drug use and abuse.
The Government’s objective is to reduce the use of all illegal drugs – including cannabis – substantially, not to encourage use that would result from increased consumption due to more ready access to increased supply. While our drugs laws cannot be expected to eliminate drug use, there is no doubt that they do help to limit use and deter experimentation.
Where there is a clear and serious problem, and uncertainty about the potential harm that will be caused by a drug, the Government believes it must err on the side of caution and protect the public. This is why the Government made the decision to seek to reclassify cannabis to a Class B drug. Reclassification is expected to be in force in early 2009 if approved following debate in both Houses of Parliament this autumn.
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