LibDems call for cannabis reform backing
THE Scottish LibDems have called for partial decriminalisation and a “regulated cannabis market”.
The party sent a 10-point plan to ministers that they believe will tackle the current drugs problem in Scotland, which killed 1187 people in 2018.
Drug policy is currently reserved to Westminster, giving the UK Government power over any reforms.
Alex Cole-Hamilton, the party’s health spokesman, has called on the Scottish Government to back the proposals, which include diversionary treatment for people caught in possession of drugs for their own use instead of being sent to prison.
The plan also suggests the Scottish Government “back a regulated cannabis market” in a bid to rid organised crime of their control over the drug.
Cole-Hamilton said education and treatment were needed instead of prison.
He said: “Both of Scotland’s governments are stuck in the last century. We’ve had a war on drugs for decades, and drugs won. Now it is about learning lessons and facing up to reality.
“Successful schemes already exist elsewhere in the UK to divert people from the criminal justice system and into the health system, but the Scottish Government is lagging way behind.”
A spokesman for the Home Office said: “The Government will not decriminalise drugs.
“Illegal drugs devastate lives and communities, and dealers should face the full consequences of the law.”
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said: “We are taking a public health-led approach to address problem alcohol and drug use.
“We support diversionary programmes and a range of measures to reduce the harms caused by alcohol and drug use to both individuals and the wider community.”