Lib Dem plan to let cannabis be sold in high street shops
THE Liberal Democrats have pledged to legalise cannabis and allow it to be sold on the high street, with users also free to grow it at home.
In a first for a British political party, its manifesto will commit to bringing in a fully regulated cannabis market that could raise up to £1billion in taxes.
But last night critics said legalising the class B drug sent out a ‘bad message’ to young people and described it as a bid for headlines by the Lib Dems.
Under the proposals, it would be legal to produce and sell cannabis to those over 18.
The party says it will spend the tax raised on sales and production on education and treatment.
An independent regulator would be appointed and cannabis would be sold only in licensed shops, as happens in some American states. Quality would also be strictly regulated to ensure harmful chemicals are reduced.
The Lib Dems said that besides raising taxes the policy would relieve pressure on the NHS, police and prison system. It would also end the black market and take dealers and criminal gangs off the streets, cutting crime and putting money back into the economy, the party said.
Julian Huppert, the Lib Dem candidate for Cambridge, said: ‘The current approach is a disaster for young people, whose mental and physical health is being harmed by an increasingly potent product. The honest and pragmatic response is to take responsibility for this situation and regulate the market.’
When they were in the Coalition government, the Lib Dems commissioned research on the benefits of taxing the cannabis industry.
The Home Office research concluded that drug laws were not reducing usage, however
‘You’d have to be on drugs’
then-home secretary Theresa May was said to have removed several policy recommendations from the final report.
The Lib Dems also commissioned a study that found legalising the cannabis market could deliver £500million to £1billion in tax revenue. They said the policy could be extended to recreational drugs such as MDMA, the pure form of ecstasy, in the future but not before the upcoming election.
Tim Farron’s spokesman said the Lib Dem leader had not used drugs apart from smoking cannabis as a teenager.
Tory candidate for North West Leicestershire, Andrew Bridgen, said: ‘This is just the Lib Dems desperate to get one of their policies in the headlines I think studies show if you legalise drugs, more people use them, which means young people will suffer from mental health problems.
‘What sort of message are we sending to our young people? You’d have to be on drugs to vote Lib Dems.’
Tory candidate for Mid Bedfordshire, Nadine Dorries, added: ‘It’s indisputable that cannabis is a gateway drug cut with harmful substances.
‘The NHS is struggling due to increased drug use.
‘This is wholly irresponsible – how many more young people do they want to ruin their lives and suffer with severe mental health issues?’
And Andrew Rosindell, Conservative candidate for Romford, said: ‘This policy is sinking lower than low – legitimising harm to our young, whilst showing total contempt for our seniors. The Lib Dems deserve to be wiped out at the election.’
A Tory spokesman said: ‘Once again, the Liberal Democrats are focusing on the wrong priorities. There is clear scientific and medical evidence that cannabis is a harmful drug which can damage people’s mental and physical health, and harms individuals and communities.’