Will cannabis be legalised in the UK, who supports it and where is marijuana already legal?

Anyone found in possession of cannabis can be sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison

By Ellie Cambridge, Lauren Fruen and Emma Lake 

 

THERE have been calls from politicians, celebrities and experts to legalise the UK’s booming marijuana industry.

But, will the regulations around the drug be relaxed in the UK and where in the world is it already legal?

PA:Press Association

The Liberal Democrats would legalise selling and growing cannabis if elected

Will cannabis be legalised in the UK?

Currently anyone found possessing cannabis can be sentenced to a maximum of five years in prison, an unlimited fine or both punishments under UK legislation.

Supplying or producing the class B drug can land people in prison for a maximum of 14 years an unlimited fine, or both.

There has long been an argument to legalise the drug to help people with chronic pain and anxiety.
The All Party Parliamentary Group on Drug Policy Reform says tens of thousands of people in UK already break the law to use cannabis for symptom relief.

The issue was debated on October 12, 2015, and closed after the government responded by saying: “Substantial scientific evidence shows cannabis is a harmful drug that can damage human health.

“There are no plans to legalise cannabis as it would not address the harm to individuals and communities.”

Who has supported the legalisation of drug laws?

In the run up to the 2017 General Election, the Liberal Democrats announced plans to legalise the drug for sale on the high street.

The policy made them one of the first political parties to fight an election on the ticket of relaxing drug laws.

Right wing think tank the Adam Smith Institute has said £750m to £1bn could be made for state coffers if the soft drug was regulated and taxed.

Criminal justice savings would also add up, with 1,363 offenders currently in prison for cannabis-related crimes, at a cost to the taxpayer of £50m a year.

Celebrities have also added their names for legalisation with Russell Brand, Sir Richard Branson and Sting all arguing for regulation to be relaxed.

Rapper Professor Green has made a documentary for the BBC entitled Is It Time To Legalise Weed? at the end of which he argues rules should be relaxed to improve safety.

Where is marijuana already legal?

In some countries – including Norway, the Netherlands and Portugal – it is legal to consume small amounts of marijuana.

In others police do not arrest people for possession.

Portugal became the first country in the world to decriminalise the use of all drugs in 2001.

In Australia, Puerto Rico, Poland, Czech Republic, Canada, Croatia and Macedonia it is legal for medicinal purposes in some form, and in Turkey for the cultivation for the same purpose.

In Uruguay, Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon and Washington in the US, Spain, Slovenia, Netherlands, Jamaica, Columbia and Chile it is legal or decriminalised in some form.