Cannabis News
Sadiq Khan – Labour Party controversy over cannabis legalisation UK
Cannabis legalisation UK has been the center of a political row, as an influential Labour MP has fired shots at Sadiq Khan’s hopes of reform, the Evening Standard recently reported.
The Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he was “very, very sceptical” about decriminalising the drug.
This week, the Mayor will announce the members of a London drugs commission, headed by the former Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer. Next summer will also see their findings published.
In a recent interview with the Evening Standard, Mr Streeting, Labour MP for Ilford North, said: “I am very, very sceptical about legalising drugs, especially marijuana, where there are serious health risks.”
“People know that drugs are linked to serious organised crimes. Ultimately, drugs policy is a matter for Westminster.”
As part of the commission’s investigation, Khan said it would examine the effectiveness of British drug laws on cannabis and the potential for reducing “drug-related harm”.
Mr. Khan announced the commission while visiting a regulated cannabis factory in Los Angeles in May.
Additionally, he seemed attracted to American mayors’ ability to raise tax revenues through cannabis regulation.
Despite not having the power to change cannabis legalisation UK, City Hall could influence the process.
A potential 800,000 new users in London
Mr. Streeting reportedly joked with a WhatsApp group of Labour MPs: “Does this make it more or less likely that we win a general election?”
He told the Evening Standard that the approach of a potential future Labour government “which both helps people to break drug addiction, but also comes down like a ton of bricks on drug dealers, particularly those that are using children to ferry drugs across the country”.
He added: “I’m not persuaded by the… argument that we take drugs and we sell them in licensed premises because we think we can make a big buck out of it.”
According to research published this month by University College London and King’s College London, adolescents are three times more likely to become addicted to cannabis than adults.
if cannabis legalisation UK were to happen, there would be a potential 800,000 new users in London alone, according to a recent think tank poll.
A spokesperson for Mayor Khan said: “The Mayor established the commission to ensure there is an evidence-based debate around our drug laws so that we can take a collaborative approach to tackling harms.”
