Blowback for Khan after call to reconsider cannabis laws
SADIQ KHAN faced a backlash from Labour and Tories as he set out plans for a commission to consider decriminalising cannabis after visiting a “fascinating” marijuana farm in the US.
The Mayor of London put himself on a collision course with the Labour Party as he announced that Lord Falconer, the former justice secretary, will chair the first London Drugs Commission to assess the effectiveness of drugs laws.
He made the intervention as he visited Traditional, a cannabis dispensary and cultivation centre in Los Angeles, where he said an “honest, open” conversation was needed about UK cannabis laws.
Mr Khan added: “Hearing from those who cultivate and grow this plant has been fascinating.”
A Labour spokesman said: “Labour does not support changing the law on drugs. Drugs policy is not devolved to mayors and under Labour would continue to be set by national government.”
Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, said: “Sadiq Khan’s time would be better spent focusing on knife and drug crime in London. The Mayor has no powers to legalise drugs. They ruin communities, tear apart families and destroy lives.”
The commission being launched by Mr Khan, which was a manifesto pledge in last year’s City Hall elections, will examine the effectiveness of UK drugs laws. It will focus on cannabis and will not consider class A drugs.
University College London has been appointed to provide evidence-based research and assessments to the commission on the criminal justice, health and economic implications for any change in policy.
Mr Khan does not have the power to decriminalise drugs, but he hopes the findings will influence future Government policy and the way in which the police, criminal justice system and public health services approach drug use.
Mr Khan said he wanted to “start a conversation” in the UK on decriminalising drugs and that he saw his commission as the first major step to potentially decriminalising cannabis in the UK.
It follows a pilot programme proposed by Mr Khan in which young adults caught with the Class B drug would be offered speeding course-style classes or counselling instead of arrest. Los Angeles decriminalised cannabis in 2016, after which arrests related to the drug in California fell by 56 per cent.
In the UK, cannabis is classed as a class B drug, with a maximum sentence of five years in prison for possession. Hours before his visit to the cannabis dispensary, Mr Khan held a drinks reception in Hollywood, welcoming guests including James Corden, the TV host, and Richard Curtis, the film director.